Exodus’ President Alan Chambers to Gay Community: “I Am Deeply Sorry”

Having been a Christian for 37 years I have to admit, there is very little in church circles that surprises me.

Yesterday I was surprised!

Alan Chambers, President of Exodus International Ministries, issued an apology to the gay community for the un- Christlike and judgmental attitude it had demonstrated to them through the years.

Exodus International is the largest and oldest Christian ministry  focused on the area of homosexuality and was notorious for its use of “reparative therapy” which sought to realign gay individuals back to the “correct” sexual orientation.

The use of this “therapy” strategy by Exodus  was addressed in Chambers apology:

Please know that I am deeply sorry. I am sorry for the pain and hurt many of you have experienced. I am sorry that some of you spent years working through the shame and guilt you felt when your attractions didn’t change. I am sorry we promoted sexual orientation change efforts and reparative theories about sexual orientation that stigmatized parents. I am sorry that there were times I didn’t stand up to people publicly “on my side” who called you names like sodomite—or worse. I am sorry that I, knowing some of you so well, failed to share publicly that the gay and lesbian people I know were every bit as capable of being amazing parents as the straight people that I know. I am sorry that when I celebrated a person coming to Christ and surrendering their sexuality to Him that I callously celebrated the end of relationships that broke your heart. I am sorry that I have communicated that you and your families are less than me and mine.

Since the apology Exodus has announced that it will cease operations and will start a new ministry with the goal “to reduce fear and come alongside churches to become safe, welcoming, and mutually transforming communities.”

I was stunned.  Usually a ministry or organization needs to keep “fear” alive and a “boogy man” threatening at the gates to maintain its validity and guarantee the donation dollars coming in.  Here was a ministry that could continue to promote “fear” and keep everyone there gainfully employed for years to come.  What could possibly be the motivation for this sudden change of heart and direction?

Says Chambers:

My desire is to completely align with Christ, his Good News for all and his offer of peace amidst the storms of life. My wife Leslie and my beliefs center around grace, the finished work of Christ on the cross and his offer of eternal relationship to any and all that believe. Our beliefs do not center on “sin” because “sin” isn’t at the center of our faith. Our journey hasn’t been about denying the power of Christ to do anything – obviously he is God and can do anything.

There it is!  The Grace of God.  The expansion of the Kingdom that eliminates fear and turns enemies into friends.

You know, I keep proclaiming “the Kingdom of Heaven” is growing…

but shame on me for falling off my chair in shock when it actually does.