Alan Chambers supports same-sex marriage

Timothy Kincaid

September 29th, 2015

Over the past few years, Alan Chambers, the former head of ex-gay umbrella group Exodus International, has made significant changes in the way in which he sees the world and his own spirituality. In his new book My Exodus: From Fear to Grace, he discusses how letting go of fear-based theology allowed him to see the image of God in places he once was afraid to see and in his book he encourages other Christians to do the same.

Although they are but a part of Alan’s transformation, the change in his views about sexuality are the most notable due to his past. Alan has not rejected his faith and it remains the center of his focus. But he has definitely changed the way in which he sees God and what is holy.

From Eliel Cruz’ interview with Alan in Religious News Service:

Where do you stand on same-sex relationships? Are you affirming of them?

I do believe that same-sex relationship can be holy. As a Christian, I think marriage is best. That is why I’m supportive of the Supreme Court decision for the legal recognition of same-sex marriage. I think same-sex marriages can reflect, and often do, God’s image. Many people in the church either do not know of Christ-centered same-sex relationships or refuse to see them. Leslie and I have met so many individuals who have awesome stories and are doing amazing work. Their marriages absolutely reflect the image of God.

Ben in oakland

September 30th, 2015

In one very, very positive sense, he hasn’t changed.

He used to say that the goal was not heterosexuality, it was holiness.

Now he is saying that the goal isn’t heterosexuality, it’s holiness.

Thank you, Alan Chambers.

Alan Chambers

October 4th, 2015

Thanks for posting this, Timothy. And, thanks for that comment, Ben. Nice play on words.

Eric Payne

October 4th, 2015

Yet, Mr. Chambers, you still just could not say “Yes, I do” and be done with it, could you? You had to throw in those qualifiers of “holy” and “Jesus-based”… even though, in your own words, you were talking about the Supreme Court’s decision concerning American states’ laws for civil marriage.

And, pray tell, just what is an unholy same-sex… no… you know what… never mind. Asking you a question may lead you to believe I want you to answer it.

Peddling a new book, huh, Alan? Yep, that figures. Media whores do need their occasional fix. Even Monica Lewinsky if making the rounds again…

Ben in oakland

October 5th, 2015

Eric….

Credit where credit is due.

Eric Payne

October 5th, 2015

Ben…

Credit? To moi?

Well… shucks… where;s that “blush” tag?

Priya Lynn

October 5th, 2015

Eric, someone comes as far as Alan has and you attack him? Not cool and highly counterproductive.

Eric Payne

October 5th, 2015

Priya,

Read Chambers’ statement, and his statements in the past. Then look at his comment, here, about civil marriage. He still qualifies his “acceptance” with Christian ideals.

Alan Chambers

October 7th, 2015

Eric, the answer I gave about same-sex marriages being holy was asked by a bi-Christian reporter. HIs actual question to me in the interview was, “Can gay relationships be holy?” I answered him with what you see above. The question that he used with my answer in this piece wasn’t the original question that prompted my response.

Eric Payne

October 7th, 2015

Mr. Chambers,

If what you’re saying is true, then I owe you an apology.

But since what you’re saying is completely unverifiable, unless the original reporter steps forward and volunteers that between the interview and publication, he deceptively edited his questions so the answers to those questions are more… dramatic…, and given your history… I don’t believe my response was unwarranted.

Sir, I realize yours is a… difficult… position in which to find oneself; you have your faith (which, obviously, is of great importance in your life) and your faith has, to be blunt, failed you in what you, very publicly, believed to be true (or wanted to believe to be true).

Everyone alive has faith in something. It may not be “faith” in the more traditional sense of belief in a Supreme Being from whom all life springs, but instead a more subtle faith — belief in their doctors, or their government, or just the friends and family in their lives. And everyone eventually comes to a crisis of that faith.

But you, sir, used your personal faith not just as a barometer against which the persons in your personal life were gauged, but against which the populace, especially that of the “gay community”, were judged.

You, personally, preyed against the weak-minded, urging their capitulation to the strictures of your faith via coercion and ethereal threats of eternal damnation.

And all the while you did these things, you knew that everything you were saying was a lie; the life you were living was a carefully constructed stage set.

You may not have actually tortured the young men, and their families, who turned toward your production, but you were an active participant in the creation of the cultural mindset that allows for the ongoing “conversion” torture to continue.

Long after you, yourself, have died, there will still be the very real fallout of mens’ lives being torn apart by the policies and practices you helped institutionalized.

Back in the early 1990s, I was a free-lance newspaper reporter in the Bay Area. I was, also, a daily, falling-down drunk who, any night of the week, could be found at “Renegades” or “A Tinker’s Damn” tossing back beers and whatever the shot of the night was, until I’d pass out. During that same period of time I was, very briefly, the treasurer of the San Jose Pride Celebration Committee.

I say “very briefly” because I stole about $1,500 from the Committee’s coffers to stay in booze. I got caught, got sent to prison for 18 months (served, on a sentence of 3 years), lost everything and became permanent persona non grata in the Bay Area.

My own actions took me from “the persons everyone called, first” to “the person no one would talk to.” When I was released from prison, I had to rebuild my life (since I was paroled to Santa Clara County and living anywhere but within my parole district would have been a violation of parole). It was a challenge, but I did it.

You can, too, Alan, but your road is going to be exponentially more difficult. One of the things that aided in rebuilding is a piece of advice I give you, freely: struggle to regain your anonymity.

Change your phone number, your e-mail address, your internet provider, your physical and IP addresses. When (if) someone gets through those changes, and asks you for an interview… just say no. Don’t follow the links when you Google yourself.

Just take a break for awhile.

Priya Lynn

October 7th, 2015

Eric said “Priya,

Read Chambers’ statement, and his statements in the past. Then look at his comment, here, about civil marriage. He still qualifies his “acceptance” with Christian ideals.”.

I don’t care. He’s come a very long way from where he started from, if he wants to see marriage as a religious thing for gays, lesbians, and heterosexuals that’s nothing given where he used to be.

When someone has come as far as he has and rather than take delight in the great distance he’s travelled you beat him over the head for the little ways he hasn’t gone you’re being counterproductive, you’re discouraging others from making the same trip he has.

Eric Payne

October 7th, 2015

Priya,

I, honestly, thought you were being sarcastic in your first posting. Obviously, you were being sincere.

To which I respond: It doesn’t matter that, in the last half of his life, George Wallace managed to be photographed with numerous black children; it matters that in the first half of his life he publicly used his personal racism to derail the lives of those children’s parents and grandparents.

Priya Lynn

October 7th, 2015

I couldn’t disagree with you more Eric.

Priya Lynn

October 7th, 2015

And its a bad idea for Alan to remain silent about his changed positions. Him talking about his change in position publicly benefits gays and lesbians, him being silent does not.

Eric Payne

October 7th, 2015

Priya,

And that’s where we differ.

I, personally, don’t understand why Chambers would welcome any publicity or notoriety. Why the need to continuously excoriate oneself, publicly? That’s masochism.

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.