Three Australian Ex-Gay Leaders Apologize

Jim Burroway

August 16th, 2007

Last June, we reported on three former Exodus and Exodus-affiliated leaders who apologized for their parts “in the message of broken truth we spoke on behalf of Exodus and other organizations.” Today, Beyond Ex-Gay and Soulforce have announced that three former Australian Ex-Gay leaders have issued statements of apology for their roles in ex-gay ministries.

Kim BrettKim Brett is a former Exodus associate and leader of Living Waters and Liberty, Inc. Since 2005, she grew increasingly uneasy that the things she was teaching was harmful to people. She saw her clients frustrations that “no matter how repentant, prayerful and committed we all were to living a life as an ex-gay Christian, the changes we all sought and were taught possible never really materialised for most.”

Wendy LawsonWendy Lawson is a former Exodus ministry leader. She says that she is aware of only one member who is living in a heterosexual relationship. The others, about twenty, are gay, and have abandoned their struggles. She describes her own personal sense of failure as a Christian and of not being accepted as a part of her church family.

Vonnie PittsVonnie Pitts was a heterosexual pastor at a church in New South Wales. She and two other pastors set up an ex-gay ministry based on the Living Waters program. After four months of training, they took three lesbians and two gay men through the intense six month program. When that didn’t work, they looked at other ex-gay resources for help. But over time, she learned that “anyone who claimed to be ‘cured’ had just gone into denial about his or her sexuality.” She concludes:

If I were to see any of the people that I took through the ‘Living Waters’ program again, I would say sorry. My intentions were to help you through your struggle but I acted in ignorance.

AM

August 18th, 2007

I received some of the remnants of my ex-gay days in my mailbox yesterday and while reading a denominational ministry’s newsletter on why homosexual behvavior is wrong and how it can all be healed, I came up with an interesting thought.

Much of the appeal had to do with Scripture and the traditonal interpretation along with creative intent thrown in. Nothing new there.

However, I got to thinking: Why not have support groups for lifetime celibates — those who Scripturally cannot have sex again — the “lifers” along with the gay Christians who cannot change (most of them)?

Of course, I am referring to the divorced and remarried crowd — many of whom did not have the Scriptural authority to marry.

Now, I am hypothetically suggesting this not because I believe it is necessary, myself, — this concept, but because in all this intentness to provide “help, healing, and hope” to “strugglers”, we can put some real strugglers in there, too: the straights who are now Biblically consigned to a life of celibacy.

Because the end game is where I see the fallacy of the Biblical “seriousness” in this issue:

If such groups did exist and the church used lifetime celibacy vis a vis’ support groups to restrict straight divorcees, I do believe the reality check would set in of what they are asking gays to do.

Imagine a Living Waters populated year after year with such people: straights who are required to be lifetime celibates. Probably the same tune of untenability would ring out with their stories that we have heard from gay Christians now for decades.

Ken R

August 19th, 2007

I agree with you AM. They are constantly inconsistent with their beliefs. They demand celibacy for gays without question but would never hold to those same demands for straights when it came to divorce and remarriage. You would most likely get funny looks if you demanded that they adhere to the celibacy rule. Jesus himself spoke against divorce and remarriage except in cases of adultery. And only adultery. Would you hold a battered wife that had no recourse but to divorce her husband to this same celibacy rules? You would have to if one is to take scripture literally. That wife must now live a lifetime of celibacy because leaving a spouse because of abuse is not one of the options Christ allowed for divorce and remarriage to occur. The Bible doesn’t say it is ok, so it must wrong. I can see many Christian heads spinning on this all the while they try to justify the sin.

I would love to see support groups for those divorced straights that have to remain celibate. It would be like a cold bucket of ice water in their faces when they realize that they themselves cannot possibly live up to their own religious interpretations.

Leave A Comment

All comments reflect the opinions of commenters only. They are not necessarily those of anyone associated with Box Turtle Bulletin. Comments are subject to our Comments Policy.

(Required)
(Required, never shared)

PLEASE NOTE: All comments are subject to our Comments Policy.

 

Latest Posts

The Things You Learn from the Internet

"The Intel On This Wasn't 100 Percent"

From Fake News To Real Bullets: This Is The New Normal

NC Gov McCrory Throws In The Towel

Colorado Store Manager Verbally Attacks "Faggot That Voted For Hillary" In Front of 4-Year-Old Son

Associated Press Updates "Alt-Right" Usage Guide

A Challenge for Blue Bubble Democrats

Baptist Churches in Dallas, Austin Expelled Over LGBT-Affirming Stance

Featured Reports

What Are Little Boys Made Of?

In this original BTB Investigation, we unveil the tragic story of Kirk Murphy, a four-year-old boy who was treated for “cross-gender disturbance” in 1970 by a young grad student by the name of George Rekers. This story is a stark reminder that there are severe and damaging consequences when therapists try to ensure that boys will be boys.

Slouching Towards Kampala: Uganda’s Deadly Embrace of Hate

When we first reported on three American anti-gay activists traveling to Kampala for a three-day conference, we had no idea that it would be the first report of a long string of events leading to a proposal to institute the death penalty for LGBT people. But that is exactly what happened. In this report, we review our collection of more than 500 posts to tell the story of one nation’s embrace of hatred toward gay people. This report will be updated continuously as events continue to unfold. Check here for the latest updates.

Paul Cameron’s World

In 2005, the Southern Poverty Law Center wrote that “[Paul] Cameron’s ‘science’ echoes Nazi Germany.” What the SPLC didn”t know was Cameron doesn’t just “echo” Nazi Germany. He quoted extensively from one of the Final Solution’s architects. This puts his fascination with quarantines, mandatory tattoos, and extermination being a “plausible idea” in a whole new and deeply disturbing light.

From the Inside: Focus on the Family’s “Love Won Out”

On February 10, I attended an all-day “Love Won Out” ex-gay conference in Phoenix, put on by Focus on the Family and Exodus International. In this series of reports, I talk about what I learned there: the people who go to these conferences, the things that they hear, and what this all means for them, their families and for the rest of us.

Prologue: Why I Went To “Love Won Out”
Part 1: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Part 2: Parents Struggle With “No Exceptions”
Part 3: A Whole New Dialect
Part 4: It Depends On How The Meaning of the Word "Change" Changes
Part 5: A Candid Explanation For "Change"

The Heterosexual Agenda: Exposing The Myths

At last, the truth can now be told.

Using the same research methods employed by most anti-gay political pressure groups, we examine the statistics and the case studies that dispel many of the myths about heterosexuality. Download your copy today!

And don‘t miss our companion report, How To Write An Anti-Gay Tract In Fifteen Easy Steps.

Testing The Premise: Are Gays A Threat To Our Children?

Anti-gay activists often charge that gay men and women pose a threat to children. In this report, we explore the supposed connection between homosexuality and child sexual abuse, the conclusions reached by the most knowledgeable professionals in the field, and how anti-gay activists continue to ignore their findings. This has tremendous consequences, not just for gay men and women, but more importantly for the safety of all our children.

Straight From The Source: What the “Dutch Study” Really Says About Gay Couples

Anti-gay activists often cite the “Dutch Study” to claim that gay unions last only about 1½ years and that the these men have an average of eight additional partners per year outside of their steady relationship. In this report, we will take you step by step into the study to see whether the claims are true.

The FRC’s Briefs Are Showing

Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council submitted an Amicus Brief to the Maryland Court of Appeals as that court prepared to consider the issue of gay marriage. We examine just one small section of that brief to reveal the junk science and fraudulent claims of the Family “Research” Council.

Daniel Fetty Doesn’t Count

Daniel FettyThe FBI’s annual Hate Crime Statistics aren’t as complete as they ought to be, and their report for 2004 was no exception. In fact, their most recent report has quite a few glaring holes. Holes big enough for Daniel Fetty to fall through.