A few days ago, we reported on radio spots released by Exodus to promote their upcoming Freedom Conference in Irvine, California. These spots implied that one could expect “sudden, radical, compete change” in same-gender attraction. In response, a statement has been placed on the webpage associated with the spots:

Exodus International exists to mobilize the body of Christ to minister grace and truth to a world impacted by homosexuality. As such, we are calling upon the evangelical church to undergo a sudden, radical and complete change in the way it has dealt with the issue of homosexuality in the past.

As former homosexuals, we know that the process of transformation is often a long, difficult journey towards healing and holiness. If the body of Christ will embrace and demonstrate the compassionate truth and grace of Jesus Christ—then we will witness a true revolution in our generation.

Also, Exodus president Alan Chambers has issued this exclusive statement for release through XGW:

Having grown up in church I understand and fluently speak Christianese. The culture at large doesn’t always understand the way we speak. This is something that we are aware of at Exodus and are making a more concerted effort to change. I struggle to find words that explain “healing” and “change” and “transformation”. Those are applicable to my life and story. However, I do recognize that they can and do unintentionally mislead people.

Our public service announcement highlighting our annual conference is being played on one Christian radio station in California. This PSA references our conference theme, Revolution, and its definition: sudden, complete and radical. We want to emphasize that we are calling for such change within the
evangelical church and the way it has typically dealt with the issue of homosexuality. By no means is it our belief that change from the complexity of issues surrounding homosexuality is often sudden or complete.

In an effort to clarify our message, we have produced a statement that appears on our website and has been sent to the station running the ads.

Messaging is important as is honesty. Our intention with this ad was simply to call the church to sudden, radical and complete change regarding how we have traditionally dealt with the issue of homosexuality.

I am truly sorry for any confusion this caused.

We at XGW appreciate what we believe is a sincere statement of remorse from Mr. Chambers, but we must also reiterate our concerns that these audio clips are clearly deceptive, even if the message they convey was unintended. At the very least, we must question why there is not more accountability in an organization such as Exodus. These should never have made it out of their offices.

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