Joe Dallas, former leader of Exodus International and self-professed “ex-gay,” was on the Janet Mefferd Show to express his disapproval of Christians who support equality and of Christian members of the Queer community. Dallas, long an opponent of so-called “gay theology” (that is, Biblical exegesis that is affirming of the benign reality of homosexuality in humanity), declares that Satan has a clear role in leading people “astray” to homosexuality in his book When Homosexuality Hits Home.
Satan’s strategy is leading humans astray, whether the arena is doctrinal or moral, is to deceive an individual into thinking that what God has forbidden is not really wrong or destructive, but is, in fact, life enhancing. So it was I the garden when Satan tempted Eve; so it may well be with your loved one. The sin of homosexuality is human nature, but the belief that sin is not really sin comes not from human nature alone but from an ancient and evil messenger.
He is especially concerned for openly gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, whom he “trembles for,” and worries about how “young people” will be affected by the Gospel that Bishop Robinson preaches - fearing that they will be told that “homosexuality is legitimate” and can “embrace their homosexuality and do so with God’s approval.”
I suspect that it will be a message to young people stating that homosexuality is legitimate, therefore they can embrace their homosexuality and do so with God’s approval. I am reminded of the warning to those who call good evil and evil good and darkness light. There is a particular judgment, and this is the heart of the matter, there is a particular judgment that is placed biblically on leaders who teach falsehood, it is of course serious when any Christian goes into error, whether moral error or doctrinal error, but you remember James said, ‘my brethren let us not be many teachers because we will receive the greater judgment.’
Dallas also invokes Godwin’s Law while unironically warning people that the Bible can be used to justify just about anything, if you twist it enough:
And as you know, if you took the Bible hard enough you could make it say whatever you want it to, cults can do that, Nazis did that and I’m afraid it’s being done today under the guise of civil rights and gay liberation.
Comparing gays to Nazis and indeed blaming National Socialism on gays is nothing new, but it is still amazing when such hyperbole is spouted by prominent ex-gay figures. His own ministry, Genesis Counseling, claims to help people who are struggling with sexual addiction and homosexuality by having them reclaim their “Godly sexuality.”
We’re a few days behind, but better late than never in wishing long-time Ex-Gay Watch friend and ally Wayne Besen, of Truth Wins Out, the very best with his new husband, Jamie Brundage. The happy couple married in Burlington, Vermont, on December 8.
-The Puerto Rico legislature moves toward eliminating several categories, including sexual orientation and gender identity, from the local hate crimes statute.
-A gay couple in Ohio is targeted by anti-gay graffiti.
-The Raleigh, NC city council passes a resolution opposing the state’s anti-marriage equality amendment.
-A Republican mayor resigns after being outed by a male escort.
-Rob Tish demonstrates how statistics can be used to support either side of an argument.
The evangelical media is silent on recent scientific research into sexual orientation, according to Dr Warren Throckmorton.
The Grove City College psychology professor says his Christian audience routinely confirms there’s a blackout on up-to-date information on sexuality in the Christian media:
They know there is no gay gene but they don’t know about the significant brain, perceptual and cognitive differences reported within the past six years by various researchers around the world. … Many evangelicals believe homosexuality is due to abuse. Some will say with confidence that gays are more likely to be abused than straights but they are unaware of the actual magnitudes of difference. … Many evangelicals I speak to think that change of orientation is pretty common and the evidence is being suppressed by the gay-friendly media.
This is well worth watching in it’s entirety. LGBT rights are of course human rights, as Secretary Clinton so eloquently illustrates to the United Nations in Geneva. There are times when we manage to get it right, and this looks like one of those times. This speech follows the release of a memorandum by President Barack Obama “to ensure that U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons.”
Full transcript from the State Department below:
CLINTON: Good evening, and let me express my deep honor and pleasure at being here. I want to thank Director General Tokayev and Ms. Wyden along with other ministers, ambassadors, excellencies, and UN partners. This weekend, we will celebrate Human Rights Day, the anniversary of one of the great accomplishments of the last century.
Beginning in 1947, delegates from six continents devoted themselves to drafting a declaration that would enshrine the fundamental rights and freedoms of people everywhere. In the aftermath of World War II, many nations pressed for a statement of this kind to help ensure that we would prevent future atrocities and protect the inherent humanity and dignity of all people. And so the delegates went to work. They discussed, they wrote, they revisited, revised, rewrote, for thousands of hours. And they incorporated suggestions and revisions from governments, organizations, and individuals around the world.
At three o’clock in the morning on December 10th, 1948, after nearly two years of drafting and one last long night of debate, the president of the UN General Assembly called for a vote on the final text. Forty-eight nations voted in favor; eight abstained; none dissented. And the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. It proclaims a simple, powerful idea: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. And with the declaration, it was made clear that rights are not conferred by government; they are the birthright of all people. It does not matter what country we live in, who our leaders are, or even who we are. Because we are human, we therefore have rights. And because we have rights, governments are bound to protect them. Read more…
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. Read more…
We’re a few days behind, but better late than never in wishing long-time Ex-Gay Watch friend and ally Wayne Besen, of 
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