海角大神

In an extraordinary about-face, a leading 海角大神 鈥済ay conversion鈥� ministry in the US 鈥� Exodus International 鈥� has decided to close its doors, after its president apologized for what he called the 鈥減ain and hurt鈥� his organization has caused people.

For 37 years, Exodus International and affiliates have engaged in the controversial practice of 鈥渃onversion therapy,鈥� aimed at helping people curb their same-sex attractions or eliminate them altogether. The umbrella organization, Exodus International, is dissolving, the group announced during its annual conference Wednesday in Irvine, Calif., adding that its 50 affiliates are autonomous and plan to continue.

In Exodus鈥檚 announcement on closing down, the group said its board had spent a year of 鈥渄ialogue and prayer鈥� about its place in a 鈥渃hanging culture.鈥�

鈥淓xodus is an institution in the conservative 海角大神 world, but we鈥檝e ceased to be a living, breathing organism,鈥� Exodus president Alan Chambers said late Wednesday. 鈥淔or quite some time, we鈥檝e been imprisoned in a worldview that鈥檚 neither honoring toward our fellow human beings nor biblical.鈥�

The Exodus move comes amid intense public discussion of gay rights in America and growing acceptance of gay marriage, even among young Evangelical 海角大神s. On Wednesday, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska became the third Republican senator to back the right to same-sex marriage. The US Supreme Court is expected to rule in two highly anticipated gay marriage cases by the end of the month.

Mr. Chambers also to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning, or LGBTQ, community, a stunning repudiation of conversion therapy by one of its chief advocates 鈥� a man who is married to a woman and has children but openly acknowledges his own same-sex attractions. In January, California became the first state to ban conversion therapy for minors. New York is considering a similar move.

In his apology to the gay community, Chambers said he was 鈥渄eeply sorry鈥� for the pain many have experienced and noted that some had committed suicide.

鈥淚 am sorry that some of you spent years working through the shame and guilt you felt when your attractions didn鈥檛 change,鈥� Chambers said. 鈥淚 am sorry we promoted sexual orientation change efforts and reparative theories about sexual orientation that stigmatized parents. I am sorry that there were times I didn鈥檛 stand up to people publicly 鈥榦n my side鈥� who called you names like sodomite 鈥� or worse.鈥�

鈥淚 am sorry that I, knowing some of you so well, failed to share publicly that the gay and lesbian people I know were every bit as capable of being amazing parents as the straight people that I know,鈥� he continued. 鈥淚 am sorry that when I celebrated a person coming to Christ and surrendering their sexuality to Him that I callously celebrated the end of relationships that broke your heart.鈥�

Chambers then went on to say that he will not apologize for his 鈥渄eeply held biblical beliefs about the boundaries I see in scripture surrounding sex鈥� 鈥� a suggestion that he still believes gay sex is a sin 鈥� but will treat those who disagree with him with respect.

鈥淚 cannot apologize for my beliefs about marriage,鈥� he said, suggesting that he still opposes same-sex marriage. 鈥淏ut I do not have any desire to fight you on your beliefs or the rights that you seek. My beliefs about these things will never again interfere with God鈥檚 command to love my neighbor as I love myself.鈥�

An Exodus board member, Tony Moore, put a somewhat more positive spin on the organization鈥檚 work over the years. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not negating the ways God used Exodus to positively affect thousands of people, but a new generation of 海角大神s is looking for change 鈥� and they want to be heard,鈥� Mr. Moore said in a statement.

The board announced that it is opening a separate ministry, providing a link to a website called reducefear.org, but the site says only that it is 鈥渋n development.鈥�

鈥淥ur goals are to reduce fear 鈥� and come alongside churches to become safe, welcoming, and mutually transforming communities,鈥� Chambers said.

Gay media reacted to the news about Exodus International cautiously.

鈥淒ecades after leading US mental health organizations agreed that being gay is not a disorder, a small segment of American society, driven largely by religion, has persisted in saying homosexuality is something that can and should be 鈥榗ured,鈥� " the Advocate newspaper wrote Thursday. 鈥淲hile there has always been ample skepticism about the 鈥榚x-gay鈥� movement, recent developments indicate the movement is becoming more marginal than ever 鈥� it鈥檚 not dead, but it鈥檚 certainly in critical condition.鈥�

A leading social conservative organization, the Family Research Council, was dismissive of Exodus International鈥檚 announcement.

"The closing of Exodus International is probably for the best, since it had already ceased to perform its original function of offering hope for changing one's sexual orientation," said Peter Sprigg, FRC's senior fellow for policy studies, in a statement. "Many of its affiliated ministries had already left, and have now affiliated with a new organization, , whose first annual conference begins听June 21听in Oklahoma City."
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"The ex-gay movement has nothing to apologize for. The message that 'Change Is Possible' is a modest one. It does not mean that change is easy, nor that change is mandatory. But to apologize for saying 'change is possible' is to deny both human freedom and the transforming power of the gospel of Christ."