Criticism is easy to come by at Exodus. We are a large and diverse organization made up of many members. Our growth over the years has caused us to not always know what the hand or foot are doing, which sometimes causes us to look like we are “all butt”. That’s humanity for you, even Christian humanity.
That said, and without a wordy explanation or excuse, this public post is way overdue and I sincerely hope it clears up any speculation about how I really feel about gay and lesbian people, Ugandan or otherwise, the criminalization of homosexuality, Exodus’s connection to the now infamous Ugandan conference where Exodus board member, Don Schmierer spoke, and most importantly the grace of God.
First things first, I was personally lax in investigating thoroughly the pre-conference intelligence that was coming in from Timothy Kincaid, David Roberts and Warren Throckmorton, to name a few. My initial belief was that their major concern was over Caleb Lee Brundidges association with Richard Cohen. Again, no excuses, I was negligent in digging deeper and heeding their warnings. While I did share my concerns with Don Schmierer prior to the event, he was on the ground in Uganda and I saw this as an issue that didn’t warrant him canceling his appearance there—after all, in my mind, Don was simply sharing his normal talk on parenting. I do realize that his mere presence there, even as a private citizen, did give the appearance that Exodus was endorsing the conference and eventually the horrific political position that was fueled by that event.
As I have stated in less trafficked public settings, I am disappointed that some of my reasons for not heeding warnings was due to who was issuing them. I believe that probably works both ways, but in this case my error was grave. I cannot undo my initial lack of, then delayed, response or the harm that it caused, but I have learned from that terrible mistake and tried to make amends by condemning the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2009 and by standing with a cross-spectrum group of people to see that the measure is, itself, killed. Exodus and I will continue to do that with regard to the Uganda measure or any other similar law or proposed law in other nations. We will also seek to condemn that which is condemnable more swiftly; not to do so finds us breech in our responsibility as an organization people look to for biblical wisdom.
I also regret that Exodus itself or by association, of which there is little or no differentiation in this case, was connected in any way to this conference and its organizers. Exodus and I do hold to a biblical view of human sexuality but that in no way means that we believe consensual heterosexual or homosexual adult sexual expression conducted in private should be criminalized. Nor do we believe that those same groups who deviate from biblical sexual thought or expression should be targeted as criminals, deemed unlovable or miscategorized as incapable of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In deed, we all fall short of the Glory of God and there is but one-way to Him: seeking His Son and acknowledging Him for who He is.
Debates can rage all day long on both sides about the details of these matters, but the facts remain; all people are of inestimable worth to God and He is unwilling for any to perish hoping that all might come to repentance. Thus, Exodus and I believe in the grace that stands 100% opposed to sin, 100% for holiness and 100% for all people to have the opportunity to know Christ.
***
Exodus has drafted a new policy statement concerning the criminalization of homosexuality:
Criminalization of Homosexuality
Exodus International opposes the criminalization of homosexual behavior as conducted by consensual adults in private. We strongly oppose the imprisonment, mistreatment, or death of homosexual men and women on the basis of their perceived or known sexual orientation. These actions breed cultural violence and institutionalized shame, neither of which reflect God’s redemptive heart.
***
MORE:
Baptist Press Covers Exodus Response to Ugandan NASWU Statement
Exodus International Responds to Ugandan Social Worker Association
Ugandan Statement Issued From Exodus Board & North American Leaders
Soulforce Agrees with Exodus about Uganda
President Obama & Secretary Clinton Speak Out Against “Odious” Ugandan Bill
New York Times Picks up Uganda Story
Rick Warren Graciously and Strongly Denounces Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill
Rachel Maddow vs. Richard Cohen – Interview Review & Missing the Point About Uganda
Rachel Maddow, Uganda and Me – Guest Post by Don Schmierer
Don Schmierer Added to Letter Opposing Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill
Charisma News Online Picks Up Ugandan Story
Exodus International Sends Letter Opposing Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill
Martin Ssempa Should Renounce Support for Proposed Ugandan Criminalization of Homosexuality
Ugandan Government Poised to Harshly Prosecute Homosexuals
PLUS:
Dr. Warren Throckmorton has started a Facebook group as a central point for news and information on the subject.
About Alan Chambers
Why was that so hard?
Should have taken no more than ONE WEEK to do this.
Alan wrote:
Is that confusing to you Michael?
Alan and all:
Well done. Thank you.
Well done? Are you kidding? That’s like saying “well done” after the house burns down and a YEAR LATER they finally say, “Oops, I should have heeded the warnings and not dropped that match!”
“We are a large and diverse organization made up of many members. Our growth over the years has caused us to not always know what the hand or foot are doing, which sometimes causes us to look like we are “all butt”. — Alan Chambers.
Yep. All butt.
Good thing I don’t live my life to please you, Mike. I am thankful for God’s grace and mercy aren’t you?. He does not condemn me so I don’t really care if you do or not.
Praying your humility will be acceptable in the sight of all who have heaped criticism on Exodus and you, Alan, while knowing the only one you are here to please is Jesus Christ.
Alan, I appreciate your courage, honesty, and humility in this matter. And hopefully this apology will bring an end to all this once and for all and the Exodus Ministry can continue moving forward in being effectively used of God in effectively ministering to those who struggle with same-sex attractions and their families. May God continue to richly bless you and the ministry you oversee in the days to come, your friend and brother in Him, Bob
Alan: I am VERY thankful for God’s grace and mercy! And, I don’t CONDEMN you. I just have no RESPECT for your terrible handling of this life and death matter. There’s a BIG difference.
I think you now realize that it was careless and stupid on your part. Glad you finally stepped up to the plate. it was NEVER, EVER about pleasing me. It was about doing the right thing.
BTW: The saracastic and defensive tone of these comments by you and Randy make me wonder how sincere this really is. It makes it look as though you did it to mainly to get your critics to lay off — not because God finally convicted you of your error.
Sarcastic? Ok maybe a little. You are pretty good at sarcasm yourself. I sincerely apologize for mine. Defensive? not at all. Alan did a great job on this post. I am confident in his leadership and in this post.
I should add that Alan wasn’t getting high pressure from critics (that I am aware of.) He did this because he prayed about it and felt like it had to be done. I love the humility he walks in and that is one of the reasons I enjoy working with him. Alan is a great leader.
I totally admit it. I AM sarcastic. But I am not the one offering the “sincere apology” a year after the fact — after months of stubbornly refusing to do so.
If Alan did it because he “prayed about it”, it makes me wonder how closely he listens to God. Other believers got the message over a year ago. Alan admits he ignored the warnings partly because of WHO was warning him.
” I am disappointed that some of my reasons for not heeding warnings was due to who was issuing them.” — Alan Chambers.
My personal belief is that you and Alan have been stubbornly REFUSING to do the right thing because of PRIDE — which is clearly a sin. You resent being told what to do by “sinners”. The truth is Alan has been brushing me (and many others) off about this for a year and you have been blocking my comments.
Druing the past 12 months, didn’t either of you sit down and say, “Hey, maybe we really BLEW IT. Maybe we SHOULD apologize and post clear statments. Let’s pray.”???
My firm belief is that if you hard REALLY done that, God would have spoken CLEARLY — especially since your carelessness and stalling put REAL lives at risk in Uganda. How come God waited a FULL YEAR to talk to the two of you? How come Throckmorton heard God a year ago?
The snarky tone of Alan’s and Randy’s comments here in response to me do not come across as the comments of Godly two men who are sincerely and humbly SORRY for their carelessness. It’s more like, “We did it already!!! — sure it’s a year late — but what do you epect? God didn’t talk to us before now.”
All butt.
Dear Alan,
Thank you. I’ve quietly wondered about what went on in the decision making processes and you’ve answered 99% of my questions nicely. I’d high-five you if you didn’t need a good long hug. That had to be hard, but it needed doing in a big way. Go up one peg.
I can’t get the trash out to the alley on time so I need to go preach to my own self about timing.
Honestly (and I don’t mean this as an attempt at meanness or any such negativity), to think that someone would have to pray about how to respond to, or policy-setting issues over, the condemnation, criminalization, and killing of ANYONE for being gay (OR straight, for that matter) just boggles the mind. I have to say, I’m with Mike. This one should have been a slam dunk.
Despite the lateness of this statement and policy-setting effort, thank you! You’ve very definitely done the right thing, the Christ-like thing.
Rick,
Thanks for your comment. I didn’t have to pray about how to feel about these things or even how to respond. We responded a number of times to all of these issues, including a letter directly to the President and First Lady of Uganda which was read in Parliament and swayed a vote, and anyone can look at any number of places on our website to see that we aren’t for the things we have now clearly stated we are against. But, as I said in my post, I was late.
Again, thanks for your comment. I didn’t see them as mean or negative.
Rick, in case you are interested, there is a link list of all our previous posts and statements concerning this issue at the end of the post above.
thank you for your gracious comment to Alan.
While I acknowledge Michael’s well-founded frustration over the fifteen month’s delay in issuing this statement, I also have to recognize that we haven’t yet been able to perfect a time machine. Absent one, this is easily the next best thing. This doesn’t leave Alan or Exodus off the hook for the delay (and nether does Alan), but it is as complete a statement, if not moreso, than I ever hoped to see. Thank you very much for this. And thank you for posting the new policy statement on the Exodus web site alongside the other policy statements. Again, overdue, but very much appreciated.
Thanks, Jim.
Has the delay been fifteen months or 30-some years too late?
Sorry I am having trouble being as gracious as others are being here. I agree with Jim Burroway. I DO appreciate that it was FINALLY done.
Alan,
I like your statement. It is clear, unambiguous, and not weighted with qualifiers.
Thanks, Timothy.
I believe this statement is an honest one, and that is one of my highest compliments. Alan addresses the unconscionable delay and I don’t see what more one can ask for on that except that he and Exodus remain true to their promises. Michael, while I agree with you on the delay, at what point does rubbing their noses in that move from a call to accountability to an act of anger and vengeance?
There is some worldview expressed with which I differ, but then we will always disagree on that. To me, the important thing I take from this post and the policy statement is that Exodus will not likely become involved in a similar situation again. If they do, then my trust was misplaced and there will be hell to pay for them I am sure. Until and if I am proven wrong, I chose to acknowledge that Alan is being honest and candid here, flaws and all, and that he has learned something from the experience.
Let’s all pray the price for this lesson does not get any higher.
Alan and randy
Just wanted you to know how much I appreciate you and your ministry. I pray for exodus alot.
I know that gay activists like Wayne Besen, Evan Hurst and Mike airhart have been viciously
attacking you and your ministry alot, in fact I think that Besen has really gone off the deep end
latley with his attacks on you. Take comfort in God’s word (Matt 16:18), you have the truth of
God’s word on your side
God bless
I lost my temper today and I apologize. This issue is a passionate one for me and has consumed me for more than a year now. I thank Alan and Exodus for finally doing the right thing. Perhaps I can move on now. Perhaps we all can.
Michael,
Thank you. Someone emailed me privately and asked about you and I said, “Though I usually want to wring his neck, God loves him dearly and I honor him as a founder of the ministry that saved my life.” I, too, hope we can move on.
Alan
It’s just a little too bad that Uganda and her gay citizens had to be the proving ground for this statement by Exodus. It seems that Lawrence v. Texas would have been the trigger for such a statement. But it was then that Randy Thomas wrote in Exodus news:
And in support of that position Thomas provided a link to an FRC article about their brief supporting criminalization. The FRC claimed:
What has changed in the intervening seven years? Certainly not the Christian religion.
The above is full context of the quote from 4/1/2003. The bolded part is what was left out of Lynn’s quote in the above comment.
I quite frequently state that there are some things I have said in the past (along public policy lines), that I wished I had not. The conjecture about the case above is one of them. My opinion on Lawrence v. Texas changed a long time ago. I am glad the court struck it down. I apologize for not following up when my opinion did indeed change.
I will remove the article or combine it into an updated blog-post… Probably the latter. Thanks for the reminder… I had forgotten about that. Reading the quote from the FRC link upsets me too. Rest assured, that is no where near where I am at today or even five or six of the past seven years.
But I do uphold what I said about everyone deserving dignity and respect.
Thank you.
Well, I’m glad you’ve said this, but I’ll not be applauding you for finally behaving like a decent human being.
TRiG.
Lynn,
I was thinking about the Lawrence v. Texas case in all of this, as well. There has been a change in belief, for me, about many policy issues that legislate morality. I am not pro-sodomy–heterosexual or homosexual–but I don’t believe sodomy laws are helpful or necessary. That change might be welcome to some we’ve been at odds with but it goes hand in hand with the fact that I am also opposed to discrimination in a way that I previously wasn’t. Yet, I am still opposed to laws that prohibit discrimination–even discrimination against white, evangelical ex-gay leaders. I think we should all be able to legislate this morally on our own without the help of lawmakers and the courts. I realize that is a bit Utopian, but I don’t think it would be too hard to learn.
Alan
I appreciate that, but ‘personal moral discrimination’ in the public sphere? That doesn’t fit with the overall teachings and example of Jesus I learned as a Roman Catholic.
Alan: “Though I usually want to wring his neck, God loves him dearly…”
Wow! It seems we have very similar feelings about each other! Your delay in doing this simple, MORAL act — one that really could and should have been done within days of your blunder — has made me want to “wring your neck” for 15 months now.
At every turn, you seemed to resist doing the right thing — because the “wrong” people were urging you to do it. I really think the founders of Exodus would have issued this statement with lightning speed — and we didn’t have the internet, cell phones or conference calls to communicate with each other.
I would have talked to Jim and Gary, then we would have called Frank, Robbi, Greg and Ron the very same morning. We would have said, “Look, guys. This is too important for any delay. Our reputation is at stake. More importantly, lives are at stake in Uganda because we didn’t heed the warnings. I blew it. We blew it. We need to act NOW.”
It could have been done. It should have be done. And it WOULD have been done — without pressure from friends or critics and without delay. I believe this with all my heart. That is why I have been so angry with Exodus and with you. The resistance and delay were unconscionable, in my opinion.
But you have finally done what I have asked you to do, what Dr. Throckmorton wanted you to do and what so many others have been urging you to do for over a year. Randy says pressure from all of us had nothing to do with it. He says you only did it because you prayed about it and God told you to do it. If that’s true, that’s OK with me.
The “coulds”, “woulds’” and “shoulds” don’t really count now. You finally listened to Him — and that’s what really matters. Now, I would value the opportunity to finally meet you in person, since we are both going to be in Irvine later this month. Instead of aruging with each other through the Press, actual dialog would be a nice change at this point — and we might be able to put some of the “I’d like to wring his neck” feeling behind us. Are you willing?
You’re right, Mike, the “coulds”, “woulds”, and “shoulds” don’t count now, which applies to present time as well as to decades ago. Exodus was a smaller organization then and I am sure easier to navigate. Who knows what you would have done—maybe you would have acted faster. Hindsight is 20/20. And yet, Sodomy Laws were on the books in the USA in the mid-late 70′s and you didn’t write a policy statement opposing them—again, hindsight. No stones.
Mr. Bussee, who is this “Him” to which you refer?
Because, given the organizations like Truth Wins Out that you endorse and support and their positions, it certainly isn’t God.
http://www.truthwinsout.org/blog/2010/05/8855/
Actually, Bob, most “reasonable” people, if we’re using the word with a respect for its root word, “reason,” agree that there is no evidence for God’s existence, and thus no rational REASON to believe that any god or gods have determined ANYTHING, much less morality.
Comment by Evan Hurst — May 27, 2010 @ 7:13 pm
Hahahahaha, um. Dude. Seriously? No one in the history of the universe has ever been able to prove that the idea of “gods,” which have always been used to control populations, ever existed. It’s a ridiculous idea, created by uneducated nomads from thousands of years ago.
GROW UP>
Comment by Evan Hurst — May 29, 2010 @ 4:13 am
They all rank “10″ because they’re all retarded and none of them can be proven by any human who’s ever lived.
God, your questions are really stupid.
Comment by Evan Hurst — May 29, 2010 @ 4:29 am
Bob. That means your god is a weak minded little bitch who changes his mind and is definitely NOT eternal or omnipotent. He’s merely a reflection of humanity’s most disgusting instincts.
Grow the hell up.
Comment by Evan Hurst — May 31, 2010 @ 4:20 am
Of COURSE, their idea of god is as a serial rapist. Fundamentalist religious people ARE essentially battered wives. They just act it out on a grander scale without such visible bruises. The really screwed up thing is that their abuser is an imaginary friend.
But it’s a rapist just the same.
Comment by Evan Hurst — May 31, 2010 @ 4:22 am
Ben, everything you said was spot on. Bob’s idea of “god” is a moral reprobate, and a child at that. I wouldn’t worship a sniveling ass like that if you paid me.
Comment by Evan Hurst — May 31, 2010 @ 4:25 am
Please note that “Evan Hurst” is not merely a commenter; he is one of the primary authors of the blog and is certainly considered to be a representative of Truth Wins Out and its worldview. His views are supported and endorsed by David Roberts, Timothy Kincaid, Jim Burroway, and others who have posted here in addition to Michael Bussee.
When one realizes that Michael Bussee endorses and supports such antireligious hatred and contempt for Christians, and actively works with organizations that do and repeat these type of statements, his own motivations for his behavior become far clearer.
For what it’s worth, I think it’s not a bad statement.
But I think it’s too late. Michael Bussee said, \Should have taken no more than ONE WEEK to do this.\
Me, I would have said a month, but to wait this long just gives the impression you’re only releasing the statement under public pressure, so I’m having a bit of trouble believing the sincerity of it.
Scott,
Thanks for weighing in. Had I caved to pressure I would have released it months ago. And, if I didn’t mean it I could have said a lot less than I did. Honestly, I didn’t write it to appease anyone I wrote it because it represents the heart of Exodus and me and it challenges others who look to us for guidance to consider the importance of what was expressed.
Alan:
I think you make an excellent point when you say that the founders of Exodus did not adopt and post Official Policies against Sodomy laws in the mid 1970′s. I take full blame for that. In retrospect, we really should have posted a clear Anti-Criminalization Policy way back then. Having done that, you might not be cleaning up our mess now — 30 years later. It would have been Exodus policy for 30 years.
Of course, times were different then. In fact, I am pretty sure that the all of the Founders of Exodus were pretty much oblivious to the Sodomy laws that were still on the books in some states. We should have been better educated. That said, I can’t recall the USA calling for executions, life imprisonment or forced “treatment” in the early days of Exodus.
Gay Rights and Civil iIghts organizations were actively fighting for their repeal — and I am sure all of the Founders thought they should be repealed. We were all against Criminalization. Had anyone been pushing for such things — and if one of our Board Members had attended a conference that supported it — I am very confident that we would have clearly stated our position as Official Policy without delay.
As I said, we should have done it anyway. As I recall, you were lamenting the end of Sodomy Laws in the USA only a few years ago:
“As a result of today’s ruling, young people will be led into further confusion. Alan chambers states, “Our young people are not going to grow up under the same teachings about morality that we did. The school books will simply state that homosexuality was legitimized by the Supreme Court on June 26, 2003.”
I any event, you have now made Exodus’ position clear. There seems to have been an evolution in your thinking about these matters — as well as an evolution in Exodus’ thinking about terms like “ex-gay” and what “change” really mean. These are steps in the right direction — and you deserve credit for making them, for whatever the reason.
As I see it the law that was trying to be put into place by overwrought pastors and legislators (which Exodus attended) that law and the push for it was pure evil. Evil in the sense that they portrayed gay men and lesbians as predators waiting for weak and poor kids to come by and seduce. That in itself is something to condemn early on for everyone in Exodus and most of the world know this not to be true. As well one of the pastors went around the country wiping crowds up into anger and hate speaking about gay men eating one another’s pooh pooh.
I have to ask why is it so hard for so many of us in the church to apologize for wrongs or even representation of wrongs that have occurred. Look at the Catholic Church and the abuse scandal due much to their man made law of celibacy for the priests. Rick Warrens slow response to the law in Uganda (and he has huge favor with pastors and government leaders) and now the pastors there are saying he is bucking into political pressure in the states. And Exodus not owning up to the participation and then stonewalling on what is it’s policy and beliefs are. We as Christians really should be at the forefront not only of transparency and seeking forgiveness when any harm could or has occurred, but we should be torchbearers to truth and when erroneous laws and lies are trying to be displayed as truth condemn it.
The other thing that is of little notice is what about the effects this had had on gay men and lesbians in the country of Uganda and continues on till this day. It was noted about a month after the conference the climate changed and a lot of hate (and it is truly hate) speech appeared. People had to hide, people were beat up , houses destroyed and fear permeated the lives of those men and women who are gay or just happen to be attracted to people of their sex.