How Do you Pick Up The Pieces After A Child “Come Out” During the Holidays? – Real Answers for January 2011 by Terri Brown

QA

This article appears in both our offline and online newsletters.  To receive articles like this along with the full newsletter online via email or offline through the postal service please sign up here. --- It is quite common for gay-identified individuals to “come out” to their family during the Christmas holidays. Many parents may now be left with a plethora of emotions and questions. How do you pick up the pieces, face the New Year and return to some kind of normalcy while reeling from what is perhaps shocking news? First, understand that while this may have taken you by … [Read more...]

New Resource from Exodus International

Homoin18min

Discussing Homosexuality In 18 Minutes (DVD) "How do we talk about homosexuality?"  Pastors, church leaders and ministry workers everywhere are asking this question.  In this strategic DVD distributed by Exodus International, Jeff Buchanan will address topics such as: "Can sexual orientation be changed?" "Can you be a Christian and still be gay?" "How can I reach out?" Discussing Homosexuality In 18 Minutes is designed for group interaction.  Questions are provided for group participation once the video is completed.  Participants will have the opportunity to share personal … [Read more...]

Anne Rice Rejects Christianity

Click Image to Visit Anne Rice's FB Page

Anne Rice is the author of many books on Vampires (now Angels) and whatnot starting with Interview With The Vampire.  Her son, Christopher, has also become an author and has embraced a gay identity/worldview.  Recently Anne posted on her facebook page: As I said below, I quit being a Christian. I'm out. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity … [Read more...]

Some Thoughts On Church/Denominational Conflict

pastorhands

This post was inspired by Matt Kaufman over at the Boundless Line.  He wrote, in response to the ELCA decision, a good question (emphasis mine): ... When should you leave a church on principle -- not for personal reasons (which we've talked about elsewhere on this blog), but for reasons of its doctrines or practices? And a follow-up question: Have you ever had to wrestle with this decision? That is definitely a tough question with plenty of potential variables.  In the 18 years I have been a Christian I haven't ever left a church on "principle" (when I have it has been for personal … [Read more...]

The Complete Christian Guide to Understanding Homosexuality – New Book by Joe Dallas and Nancy Heche released

Understanding Homosexuality

Joe Dallas and Nancy Heche have worked with Harvest House Publishers to release The Complete Christian Guide to Understanding Homosexuality - A Biblical and Compassionate Response to Same Sex Attraction. This book is amazing.  Covers everything from "The Church in Crisis, A History of Gay Rights in America, Understanding Pro-gay Theology, Theories of Origin," Counseling, Sexual Addiction, Parents, Spouses, Gay Parenting, Transgender issues ... and more!  Input was given by many leaders including yours truly and Exodus President Alan Chambers. Chapter 13 - Change, Growth, and the … [Read more...]

British Comedienne, and Former Lesbian, Becomes Happily Married Mother of Four

Jackie Clune

From How I Went from Committed Lesbian to a Happily Married Mother of Four: Looking at my four children racing around the garden with their father, it seems almost impossible to believe that only a few years ago I never imagined having a family. Or rather, when I did stop to think of myself as becoming a mother, I imagined the only way I'd do so would be through an anonymous sperm donor. Today, with five-year-old triplets, Thady, Frank and Orla, and a seven-year-old daughter, Saoirse, a husband and a home in a leafy London suburb, I could be viewed as the archehtypal wife and mother, … [Read more...]

Conference Update – Leadership Arrives, Meetings Underway, Set-up On Schedule

Exodus Lanyard

Galatians 6:2 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Today is our third full day here at the Exodus Freedom Conference site in Irvine (I can traveling all day as one  :)) and everything is on schedule.  We had a little coffee crisis this morning but if that is the biggest hiccup we have ... we are doing really well! The Exodus Board of Directors and Regional Coordinators came in yesterday and last night for their respective meetings.  Today we are getting a good workout in for setting up the Bookstore. Putting the signage around campus and helping our … [Read more...]

Leaving Homosexuality Book Review on Associated Content

LeavingHomo_LRG

I got a google alert about this book review.  I had never heard of Associated Content before but I really like their premise: Associated Content is an Open Content Network. AC's platform enables anyone to participate in the new content economy by publishing content on any topic, in any format (text, video, audio and images), and connects that content to consumers, partners and advertisers. Pretty cool.  And Becky Whitmore decided to do a book review of Alan's new book Leaving Homosexuality.  At the end of her review Becky writes: I found Leaving Homosexuality: A Practical Guide for … [Read more...]

Transforming a Worldview – Testimony of Karen Booth

Karen Booth

Testimony originally posted on the Exodus website: ***Begin*** Transforming A Worldview By Rev. Karen Booth, Executive Director of Transforming Congregations* Since many folk involved in Exodus-related ministries have struggled with same-sex attraction, I have been asked many times if that is true of me. It isn’t. My desires and behaviors since my adolescent years have been consistently heterosexual. In the past, however, those desires and behaviors haven’t been pure; I’ve hurt myself and I’ve wounded others through sexual sin, and I praise God that He has forgiven and … [Read more...]

PBS Interview on Churches and Gay Youth

Perdue

In a recent PBS Religion & Ethics segment on "Churches & Gay Youth," Pastor Bob Perdue of Old Dominion Baptist Church, an Exodus Church Association church in Bristow, VA, was interviewed by PBS correspondent Lucky Severson.  While the segment is generally unbalanced and one-sided in its perspective, Bob responds with a gracious and truthful point of view.  In preparing to post this article, I asked Bob to share a little of his personal story: I grew up in church and I grew up struggling with same sex attraction.  While the problem was not spoken about specifically, the concept of … [Read more...]