Ex-Gay Watch

Anglican Mainstream has once again demonstrated its deep-rooted homophobia. The British-based organization teamed up with ex-gay group Core Issues to coach a disappointingly small audience on how to treat gays and lesbians — and it took the opportunity to deliver vile smears against the LGBT people it claimed to help.

According to Changing Attitude‘s report, American lawyer and pastor Jim Reynolds, came across the most gracious at The Lepers Among Us, the conference held in London last weekend. The level of compassion declined considerably when Anglican Mainstream’s Lisa Nolland took to the stage:

We were then treated to what can only be described as a lip-quivering and blazing-eyed rambling rant from Ms Nolland about the evils of sex education. She seemed set on outdoing all previous speakers in the smearing of the LGBT community. We had already heard about gays as paedophile child molesters, gays as threats to the family and marriage, gays as spreaders of disease.

But now Ms N was going for gold with her bitter denunciation of LGBT organisations, and especially the Terrence Higgins Trust, for producing perverted and obscene curriculum materials intended to corrupt the innocence of children. Apparently gay activists have conned their way into schools to tell kids that ‘eating faeces’ is great sexual fun (Lisa taught us to call this ‘scat’) and to teach them how to do ‘cock and ball torture’ really well (Lisa said we should refer to this as ‘kink’).

Ms Nolland is also an enthusiastic advocate of the spurious slippery slope argument: tolerate homosexuality and we will be engulfed by all manner of perversions and we will drown in vile pornography. She distributed several ‘information’ sheets including a list of the most popular acts advertised and depicted on the internet such as ‘double anal’ in which ‘a woman is penetrated anally by two men at the same time’, ‘multiple men ejaculating onto a woman’s face’, ‘a penis thrust so far down a woman’s throat that she gags’ etc etc.

Ms Nolland seems to be a world class scaremongerer, alarmist and demoniser. Her presentation was very ugly indeed. Methinks the lady doth protest too much. I suspect that even amongst her own constituency there was embarrassment about a lack of balance which appeared to border on pathological obsession.

Even conservative Anglican Peter Ould describes the damning account, which you can read in full here, as “sobering reading.”

As I have written before, Anglican Mainstream is anything but mainstream. By slandering gay men and women, and promoting myths and misconceptions about homosexuality, it proves itself hateful and homophobic.

There has been a lot of discussion lately over the attendance of Exodus President Alan Chambers at a recent Gay Christian Network conference (GCN).  Chambers participated in a panel discussion with former Love In Action director John Smid, Courage UK founder Jeremy Marks, and  Wendy Gritter, Executive Director of New Direction ministry in Canada (a former Exodus affiliate, now gay affirming).  This was Friday evening, January 6, 2012.

Controversy exists over a number of issues.  Among other things, GCN serves as a refuge of sorts for gay Christians who had bad experiences with ex-gay ministries or who have simply reconciled their faith and their sexuality and seek a place to fellowship with others in similar circumstances.  This is a simplistic and incomplete description but more detail will come with subsequent posts.

The purpose of this post is to provide a copy of the email which was sent out to conference attendees on December 29, 2011.  You may have heard this discussed as you read over accounts of the event.  It has been claimed by some that this email was sufficient to warn those attendees who might be traumatized, hurt or made uncomfortable by the presence of any of those mentioned above and therefore give them a chance to avoid the conference.  The email was sent after registration was over and travel arrangements had been completed.

We provide this for those wishing to evaluate the facts surrounding this incident to judge for yourselves if this email constitutes sufficient warning.  Since we have not seen it posted in any other convenient locations, we are doing so at XGW.  Please feel free to discussion your opinions.  Keep in mind that it was certain long before this email went out that at least some if not all of the panelists would be in attendance.  Also, we were told that no one contacted GCN as a result of this email.

The entire email is available in PDF format here..  Or you may read the germane section below:

AN IMPORTANT NOTE

The vast majority of the attendees of the GCN conference are typically in agreement with GCN’s mission, purpose, and values. However, GCN’s conference has always had an open-door policy, so you may encounter people at the conference whose beliefs, values, and views differ markedly from your own and/or from GCN’s.

Because Orlando is also home to the world’s largest “ex-gay” organization, there may be people affiliated with the ex-gay movement who decide to register and attend part or all of the conference this year.

Our policy remains unchanged: Anyone is welcome to attend the conference, even if they don’t agree with GCN’s mission, but we do ask them to respect the conference’s purpose and behave accordingly. As always, we reserve the right to remove anyone whose behavior, in the sole discretion of GCN’s conference team, is distracting from or working against the stated purpose of the event.

What should you do if you encounter someone whose views are different from GCN’s? Whether that person is a concerned Christian parent, a curious non-Christian, or a member of the ex-gay movement, we encourage you to welcome them with generosity and compassion. The GCN conference is a life-changing experience for many, and it just might change that person’s perspective.

However, in the unlikely event that you encounter someone who is making you uncomfortable or engaging in inappropriate behavior (seeking sexual contacts, advocating a message contrary to GCN’s, etc.), please notify a member of the conference team immediately.

We are also aware that some members of our community have strong emotional reactions to the topic of ex-gay ministry, due to their own painful experiences. If you are concerned about the possibility of encountering someone who might trigger something painful for you, please contact our office in advance of the conference, and we will work with you to address your specific needs and ensure that you are able to attend the conference safely and happily.

In all of our interactions at this year’s conference, let us continually strive to embody our theme, “Ambassadors of Reconciliation,” seeking out ways to build bridges and change lives without compromising our faith or our integrity, as we share Christ’s light and love for all.

We have learned that Exodus president Alan Chambers will be attending the Gay Christian Network conference this evening in Orlando, Fl.  He will be participating in a panel discussion with Jeremy Marks, John Smid, and Wendy Gritter at 8:30 EST.  This is all the information available at the moment.

From the GCN website:

The Gay Christian Network (GCN) is a nonprofit ministry supporting Christians worldwide who happen to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). Our mission, “sharing Christ’s light and love for all,” is carried out in 5 primary directions, to impact individuals, families, communities, churches, and the world.

GCN has acted as a refuge of sorts for some gay Christians who have become disillusioned with ex-gay ideology and seek a community that shares their faith and experience.  There are two major groups in GCN, called Side A and Side B.  From Wikipedia:

Members of the Gay Christian Network have expressed a wide variety of opinions concerning gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender life and how it should be lived from a Christian perspective. For instance, the site is committed to being a safe haven both for members who believe it is okay for gay Christians to enter into healthy, committed relationships (including sex) and for those who believe that the Bible prohibits such behavior and requires chastity. On the site, these two positions have been nicknamed Side A, i.e., those members who believe that homosexual activity is not sinful, and Side B, i.e., those who believe that God does love gay people but does not accept homosexual activity.

It is not clear what motivates this or what can be accomplished, but certainly it must be difficult for some who have been deeply hurt by Alan’s ministries to know he has been invited.  We have certainly heard from many who are upset so far this morning.  Apparently he will only appear on the panel and that is an optional event.  No doubt more is to come.

Could this be a venue for Alan to effect some of his promised “re-branding“?  He was impressed by the positive press John Smid received from his recent pronouncements.  Good or bad, watch this one closely.

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.”

Hat tip: Right Wing Watch

One aspect glossed over in recent media reports about Liverpool Frontline Church and its ex-gay ministry is its roots in an American ministry, LIFE. Here’s how I summarized the issue back in July, for The Guardian‘s Comment is free:

But let’s be clear that concern over the Life connection is not a simple matter of guilt by association. Joanne Highley, a woman who teaches that homosexual orientation is a sin that can be cured by a combination of psychological therapy and prayer, personally visited Frontline multiple times to help establish an ex-gay ministry based explicitly on her teachings and methods.

Oklahoma-born Joanne Highley founded LIFE in New York City with her husband (now deceased), Ron Highley. She continues to run the ministry from her Manhattan offices — and Liverpool Frontline Church continues its ongoing association with LIFE NYC and Joanne Highley, the preacher and teacher who helped them found their own version of LIFE in the UK.

Highley describes herself as a former lesbian who was delivered from her homosexuality through, among other things, having demons cast out of her. Here’s a clip of Highley sharing her own testimony of deliverance, as shown in the 2008 documentary Chasing the Devil: Inside the Ex-Gay Movement:

In all its complaints about how the media has misrepresented its ex-gay ministry, Frontline has yet to address the question why it chose to align so closely with Highley, an obvious extremist. Frontline has failed to explain why it continues to foster such an association. Why, if the church, as it claims, is lovingly supporting gays and lesbians in a way that simply reflects the same traditional beliefs held by millions of orthodox Christians, has it decided to throw in its lot with Highley — and why is it saying nothing about that deeply troubling connection? Read more…

Local government, police and community investors have distanced themselves from Frontline Church in Liverpool, England, after details of its “gay conversion” ministry were publicized.

In July, I wrote for The Guardian‘s Comment is free about Liverpool LIFE ministry, a group patterned after LIFE NYC, an extreme, anti-gay organization founded by Joanne Highley.

Although Frontline’s defenders are quick to claim they’re only following traditional Christian teaching, Joanne Highley’s teaching goes far beyond the “orthodox” Christian view of homosexuality. Among other things, she believes and practices casting demons out of any bodily orifice that has been penetrated and received an “ungodly deposit of semen.” For Highley, gay sexual orientation in itself is sinful, and it’s something that can be completely cured through prayer, exorcism and dealing with the emotional wounds that supposedly caused it in the first place. She tells her clients to cut off all gay friends completely, as they were never true friends in the first place.

Frontline Church has said it doesn’t follow all of Highley’s teachings, but it has not explained why it made and retains such close ties with an obvious extremist.

The church’s allies in the community are evidently not impressed by the revelation of Frontline’s ex-gay ministry. According to the Liverpool Echo, Merseyside Police has asked the church to stop referring to the regional police force as an “official partner.” Housing association Plus Dane has pulled funding from the church’s Food Bank. And Liverpool Council has said it “would not fund an organisation or its activities where they contradicted our equalities and cohesion policy in the way alleged in this case.”

The story has also been picked up by national newspapers The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mail. Also, check out Ex-Gay Watch’s previous coverage of the backstory on Liverpool Frontline Church’s promise of a gay cure.

________

Correction (11/17/11): The original article incorrectly stated Plus Dane would continue to fund the church’s Food Bank. Plus Dane has, in fact, withdrawn all funding from Frontline.

The Toronto-based ministry New Direction is controversial. As a former Exodus organization that now aspires to “bridge the gap” between Christians and LGBT people, both Christian and non-Christian, it invites suspicion from both sides.

On Saturday, I was honoured to be a guest at Relevant Engagement, New Direction’s annual fundraiser. Last year, I joined the event via livestream and later blogged about sociologist and evangelical pastor Tony Campolo’s message. This year, the format was different. There was no big-name speaker; instead, Executive Director Wendy Gritter invited a handful of people to join her in comfy armchairs on stage, and she interviewed them about how the work of New Direction had affected their lives.

After hearing those testimonies — in a room full of conservatives and liberals, gays and straights — I knew there was no doubt New Direction was doing good things for the LGBT people who came to it.

Hanan, a once-judgmental mother, bewildered and distraught when her child came out, said she had “learned to be accepting of people who are different than us.” She recalls:

At the first meeting, we were at the parents’ meeting … [and] one of the parents was introducing herself and her son, and she said … she is so grateful that the Lord has a gay child in her family. And I thought that was so odd to me at that time. But right now I’m at that point. I am thankful the Lord has put our son in our family.

Not long ago, Alison was a biological male named Bob. New Direction supported her through her transition. She isn’t a Christian and “may never end up being something anyone would recognize as a Christian, but it’s a moving journey right now, and it’s actually pretty wonderful.” As she left the stage, Wendy congratulated her: “You’re a woman of great courage.”

Sandy came out as lesbian in her twenties and became a Christian in her thirties. Believing her homosexuality was immoral and encouraged by her pastor to believe God could change her sexual orientation, she pursued change through Living Waters and went through years of denial. She became heavily involved in a Pentecostal church and eventually found her “connection to Jesus” was fizzling out, leaving her feeling “suffocated” by the burden of church and religion.

Now in her late forties, and with the support of New Direction, Sandy has returned to a liberating faith and has come to admit that “I’m just as attracted to women as I ever was, and I like guys, but it’s just not the same thing.” She has discovered that she “pushed down this really integral part of me,” and it did her a lot of damage. She is single, but after decades denying her sexuality, she is open to meeting a woman and having a relationship.

A mother learns to love and accept her gay son. A transgender woman finds support and affirmation. A lesbian puts aside denial and learns to be happy how she was created.

I didn’t need convincing that New Direction was doing good things. I’ve corresponded with Wendy for a few years and gotten to know her as a friend since I moved to Ontario a couple of years ago. I’ve never felt less than fully affirmed by Wendy in every aspect of my person, including my sexuality and my spirituality, as much as they both differ from the Christian norm. I hope others will take a look and consider what New Direction is about, however.

Watch the full video of Saturday’s Relevant Engagement 2011 below. The live interviews are at around the 1-hour mark; the broadcast also includes a talk by Wendy, some pre-recorded interviews and some amazing live music (kinda folky) by Canadian singer-songwriter Miranda Stone.

Video streaming by Ustream

Read more about New Direction in the Ex-Gay Watch archives, or visit the official website at www.newdirection.ca.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

full transcript / msnbc video

—

Ron Reagan Jr. was filling in for Chris Matthews last week on Hardball. In the “Let me finish” portion at the end of the show, Ron refutes (fmr. Sen. (R)) Rick Santorum’s (et al), claim that gay marriage will lead to polygamy — the “slippery slope” fallacy/argument.

The pith of it is this:

Ron Reagan Jr.: “Santorum and many of his anti-gay colleagues can do a lot better than paper towels. They’re fond of claiming that if gay people would be allowed to wed, we’d also have to allow polygamy, incest and bestiality. This assertion is so absurd some people find it difficult to argue against.

If you find yourself similarly flummoxed, just point out this very simple distinction. Laws against polygamy are non-exclusionary. Whether you are gay or straight, black or white, Christian or Muslim, you can’t be married to more than one person at a time. Preventing gay people from exercising the same right as their fellow straight citizens creates a separate unequal class of people, it is exclusionary. That is the only meaningful distinction you need to keep in mind when arguing with people like Santorum.”

Not so slippery a slope after all.

Now let’s add some glue to that slope:
Read more…

In the Wavertree district of Liverpool, England, Frontline Church has a ministry to gays and lesbians. It’s an ex-gay ministry, LIFE Liverpool, that they say helps people work through childhood pain to overcome their homosexuality.

It was founded in 2000 with the help of Joanne Highley, head of LIFE New York City, whose unusual teachings and practices include exorcizing demons out of bodily cavities such as the anus, the mouth and the uterus. She says that the homosexual orientation is itself sinful and can be overcome by a combination of counseling and prayer. Writing for The Guardian‘s Comment is free last week, I described LIFE Liverpool’s relationship to Highley:

I spoke to Frontline about the Life connection. They said they were “relationally connected” rather than “formally affiliated” to the New York ministry, which had no official authority over the Liverpool ministry. They have a “positive, ongoing friendship” with Highley’s organisation, and they adapt Life materials, combining them with their own resources, to reflect Frontline’s own beliefs.

Questioned about specific statements by Highley, Frontline said as they were not aware of everything Life publishes, they couldn’t say for sure they agreed with all the teaching. Demonic influence can play a part in homosexuality, but not always, and Frontline discourages members and leaders from identifying themselves as “gay”, preferring the descriptor “Christian who struggles with homosexual feelings”.

But let’s be clear that concern over the Life connection is not a simple matter of guilt by association. Joanne Highley, a woman who teaches that homosexual orientation is a sin that can be cured by a combination of psychological therapy and prayer, personally visited Frontline multiple times to help establish an ex-gay ministry based explicitly on her teachings and methods. The church runs that ministry to this day, although it says very little about it publicly.

An Ex-Gay Marriage Machine?

I first encountered LIFE Liverpool in 2006, when I was researching an article for Third Way magazine about ex-gay ministries in the UK. I’d heard about it from someone else involved in another type of ex-gay ministry in the area, who told me of its existence in a raised-eyebrow sort of way. So I phoned Frontline Centre myself to find out more. Pastor Dan was startling in his boldness. Read more…

The ex-gay LIFE ministry, in New York City, teaches gays and lesbians that their sexual orientation is sinful and must be changed.

Homosexuality is a psychological, emotional and spiritual disorder that can be overcome with prayer, deliverance and counselling, it says. It often comes with demons attached, according to leader Joanne Highley; if you’ve had any form of immoral sex, evil spirits have infected any cavity that has received an ungodly deposit of semen, whether it’s the mouth, the anus or another orifice. Once you’ve confessed the sin of homosexuality, your repentance is a process that ends with complete healing of all your gay desires. The journey involves breaking off all contact with gay friends, as they were never true friends in the first place.

LIFE is not the kind of ministry you get involved with, as a church, without some knowledge of just how extreme its message and its ministry really are.

In the Guardian‘s Comment is free today, I shed light on a major Liverpool church whose ex-gay ministry has its origins in LIFE. Joanne Highley visited the city multiple times to help establish it — and the connection is troubling.

Read: How Liverpool’s Frontline Church ‘Struggles’ with Homosexuality