World Magazine has awarded Exodus President Alan Chambers their 2011 Daniel Award. With this award, Alan Chambers joins the ranks of Kenneth Star, John Ashcroft, Phillip E. Johnson (“father” of Intelligent design), Peter Akinola (rabidly anti-gay Nigerian priest), and Stephen C. Meyer (Intelligent Design), among other past recipients.
In an article which appears in the December 17th edition, Chambers and Exodus are painted in glowing, courageous terms. Many of Chambers’ key talking points are covered nicely, while any opposition is portrayed in a one-dimensional fashion. This website is said to have “whole sections devoted to condemning Chambers and other ministries to homosexuals.”
We would like to think it is the facts which “condemn these groups, but then World Magazine hasn’t exactly attempted to cloak their own bias when it comes to Exodus. They have written this type of PR piece for Exodus in the past (the same author, Jamie Dean), and one has to ask if this is more of a corroborative effort than journalism. Could this be the first volley in the effort to re-brand Exodus International, or at least it’s president? If so, it seems skewed into the conservative space, heavy on “change is possible” rhetoric.
The World Magazine article contains several factual errors. Let’s give them a brief review of a couple:
Self-denial isn’t a new concept to Chambers. The 39-year-old president of Exodus International—a Christian ministry that helps people struggling with homosexuality—grew up in a Christian home but embraced homosexuality as a teenager. But through years of an active gay lifestyle, Chambers couldn’t shake the biblical conviction that what came naturally to him was also sinful. He didn’t want to be gay. [emphasis added]
According to an early account written by Chambers in 1999, there is no way to say that he had been through “years of an active gay lifestyle.” Even if one overlooks the generalization of “gay lifestyle,” (assuming that means open and sexually active for this purpose), Chambers could not be said to fit that description for more than a few months in 1990-1991, when he was barely eighteen years old. He says he had a couple of sexual encounters in Middle School (essentially experimentation during overnight stays), and one in High School. But all this ended when he was “outed” by the latter, which indicates he was not open before that.
Most of this time before age eighteen, he seems to have a on and off feeling of guilt with God, and does not like that he is attracted to men. He then has a revival experience and joins an Exodus support group. For a few months in 1990, he goes to gay bars, and meets some gay Christians, along with attending the group three nights a week. Not satisfied, he finds a place for anonymous sex. Soon thereafter he has another “mountain top” experience and starts working with the group in earnest. Further in the article Chambers pegs that point as September of 1991 (other accounts indicate earlier in 1991). So his time in an “active gay lifestyle” must be somewhat less (perhaps considerably less) than a year. And even then, it’s a poor example of a life of any sort.
We might also note that, according to one source who lived in Orlando at that time, there was only one “gay bar” in town that would allow underage teens and it served no liquor (“Thunders”). It is unlikely this was the kind of setting evoked by Chambers’ description.
If Chambers leads a nationwide ministry, you wouldn’t know it by standing outside the Orlando headquarters where he works. After a handful of security threats from opponents in recent years, the Exodus staffers don’t post a sign on the front door. They don’t publicize their address. They usually lock the doors.
While it may be possible that Exodus has received spurious threats over the years, Chambers was asked by this writer for their new address a couple of years ago. His direct response for the record was, “Exodus hasn’t been public with our address since 1996 when the Lesbian Avengers attacked the offices in Seattle.” He further clarified that this attack consisted of the “releasing of 1500 crickets.” He never explained how they knew that number so exactly. The point is moot, anyway, as their address is part of the public record, and became news here when discussing the purchase of the building and their financial condition.
The following concerns the 2009 Anti-Homosexuality Conference in Uganda, and the subsequent “Kill the Gays” legislation there:
Chambers condemned the legislation, but critics said he should have listened to pre-conference concerns about speakers at the event known for inflammatory language and views, and asked Schmierer to avoid it. Chambers eventually agreed: “I wish I had known the complexity of this initially and said [to Schmierer]: ‘Don’t do this.’ But I didn’t, and I’m sorry.”
It is important to note that Chambers “eventually agreed” only after fifteen months of heavy reporting on every detail of the subject. The only way he did not know about the ugly reality of both the legislation and Exodus’ part in it is if he purposely shut it out. Instead this makes it look like he was just a little confused in the beginning but then took his stand. He was taking the word of Scott Lively, a holocaust revisionist who writes books claiming that gays were responsible for the Third Reich and who himself was part of the infamous 2009 conference.
Overall this piece seems written to give Chambers an opportunity to smooth over some of his egregious moves with a sympathetic ear. A picture of the brave man who resisted the evil temptations of homosexuality, and through God’s strength has persevered to be a family man, with a wife, two kids and a picket fence. In contrast, gays are painted as militant, unrestrained, malicious activists looking to rework the fabric of society. Exodus has been saying basically this for years.
And the last line of the article brings us back to the same old Exodus, “Is change possible? If you know Jesus, anything is possible.” If this is re-branding, the brand hasn’t changed.
H/T: Commenter Straight Grandmother
My takeaway from the article is how disingenuous Alan Chambers is how he does what he always does Bait and Switch.
The bait is where he invites his wife along on a business lunch. Lunch with a magazine reporter is definitely business so what is his wife doing there?
From the article “The Bait”-
———————–
“Gay websites sometimes mock Chambers’ marriage as a sham. But during a long lunch at a nearby restaurant, the pair seemed like a happy, loving couple, and Chambers said: “My wife is every bit the object of my desire.””
[and the reporter goes on and on about his family the 2 kids the cards from his wife and kids on display in his Exodus business office]
and the closing paragraph-
“At a Friday night regional conference, Chambers told the same thing to more than 100 people packed into a chapel at a church outside of Orlando. He had forgotten his notes for the evening, but he hadn’t forgotten his message: “Is change possible? If you know Jesus, anything is possible.” ”
—————————-
Then the “Switch” from the article-
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“Chambers knows this doesn’t happen for everyone. He regularly tells audiences that marriage isn’t the goal for those seeking to leave homosexuality, and he warns that finding an opposite-sex partner won’t “fix” a gay person. Many who leave a homosexual life may decide never to marry. ”
——————————
Alan Chambers very well knows the statistical possibility of anyone *ever* changing their sexual orientation and he knows that for every 1 Mr. & Mrs. Chambers there are 1,000 broken mixed orientation marriages that do NOT work.
He baits people who are unhappy being gay with the picture of his wife and 2 kids and suckers them in, then he switches to the truth, that your sexual orientation will not change, now instead of going for a heterosexual marriage just spend the equivalent of an earthly purgatory praying for something that will never come, now go for Holiness. But as long as Exodus has you on your knees praying they own you, please send funds.
@Straight Grandmother
Good analysis. If Chambers really wanted to make a change in Exodus, he could actually have used that interview to good advantage. Instead he went with the same old crap. If this is part of their re-branding efforts, I’m not sure they know what they are doing. It really gripes me when I read about his “years in the homosexual lifestyle.” It’s such a farce, he’s never been what anyone would call “out” and his “lifestyle,” according to his own words, consisted of a few months of anonymous sex.
SGM, if you don’t mind, could you put a space between “straight” and “grandmother” when you post? The site design cuts off your nickname when you do it all as one word. I’ve changed it our of convenience for the comments already posted. Thanks!
What I find in that so many of the Exodus, ex-gay leaders whether it is Alan Chambers or Andy Comiskey is that they really did not spend a lot time time in the “gay lifestyle”. At the most for many a couple of years but usually much shorter. And for a lot of them as well especially from the early ex-gayers you had a number of guys who really partied it up (hey they were young) did drugs and drank quite a bit.
This reference point is then what the “gay lifestyle” is all about. Little to no reference to real relationships for what was known was mostly secret and furtive with it being alcohol and or drug influenced. So yeah then if that is what you know most people would agree that the party life is short lived and rather vain and shallow. Heck for many even the word partners was not in use for everyone was a lover.
One can not be surprised at World magazine a right wing neo con Republican spin publication that distorts so much of reality and fills the readers minds and hearts with fear and dread. So Alan is the Daniel of the year well good for him. I have much more important things to deal with like finances, gay marriage, politics and just trying to be a better human being to all around so it makes for a better world for all of us not just a select few
Straight Grandmother with a space.
I shudder to think I ever wrote for World. Of course, that was 20 years ago, when the magazine was less stridently right-wing and I was deeply in denial.
I did get a positive mini-review of the Indigo Girls printed in there, though, having no clue they were lesbians at the time. I chuckle at that one.
Wow…this is crazy. This might be an ignorant question, but does anyone know if there are companies taking out paid advertisements in the World? Seems like that could be something to campaign around, especially if the magazine is going to be celebrating and trumpeting major “ex-gay” leaders.
I don’t know, but I wonder if Chambers’ heart is into this re-branding thing at all. I believe you said the board chair has a history of turning churches around. My guess is that Alan is taking orders from his board chair and going through the motions of listening to disaffected former members and so on. He may not change even the window dressing on his message in the end. But I may be completely wrong.
I don’t see any re-branding.
I see the same disingenuous, and utterly untrustworthy, Alan Chambers peddling the same deliberately foggy words leading to the same deliberately now-unspoken assumptions : gay people are damaged people, but with his version of religion they can instead become decent (heterosexual) people. Who can one day marry, perhaps, just like any other decent heterosexual person.
No re-branding. Just more advertising. Same false message.
Exodus cannot change. Alan Chambers cannot change. It’s a question of basic public honesty. It’s simply not somewhere either are able to go.
And if you need any proof of that, the continued re-writing of Chambers’ and Exodus’ disgusting documented history with the “Kill The Gays” movement in Uganda is proof enough. Alan Chambers was warned beforehand, did nothing, then praised it, then defended it, and now pretends he should have listened more carefully all a long.
Sorry doesn’t cut it when you have his sort of history, nor what he was covering up in Uganda.
For people like Alan, “sorry” only means “I’ve embarrassed myself, I better pretend to be nice”. He’s always sorry for himself, not for what he’s ever done to others. Unsurprisingly under Alan’s leadership Exodus has continued to prostitute itself to the worst anti-gay sources of funding, and now is steadily failing completely.
Yet that’s the man who can now re-make Exodus to appear honest?
My personal recommendation is that Exodus keep Alan Chambers as their public face.
That way, both will be ruined.
@grantdale
As usual, a pithy and wise analysis grantdale. For those with the stomach, it would be worth searching our archives under the word Uganda to relive how that whole nightmare unfolded. It was excruciatingly painful to watch Chambers and company wade around in that vile swamp of bigotry and try to portray it as the high ground. There is really no way to overstate it. I think it took that event to make me finally realize that they truly are numb to the reality of this issue, able only to see it through their parochial mindset — the humanity is lost.
inconsistencies so huge you could drive a bus through. thanks for pointing that out David. Wouldn’t want to be in his shoes for anything. Its relentless.