A BLOG BY ALAN CHAMBERS

GLBTQ? Oh yeah, and I.....

I am not sure how many more letters the GLBT community is planning to add their list, but hopefully they think the next one through better than they did the last one. 

Q=Questioning.

Forgive me, but doesn't "questioning" imply that they are unsure whether homosexuality is fixed? That one who identifies as gay or lesbian might possibly be mistaken?  That gender is fluid?  That homosexuality is far from inate or immutable?  Changeable even? 

The activist homosexual community spends so much time, effort and energy trying to debunk stories like mine while seeking to convince the world that homosexuality is genetically fixed and unable to be changed. 

The letter Q for questioning seems to indicate that they aren't so sure homosexuality is what they have tried to convince our culture that it is.  Moreover, the "Q" is more like an exclamation point on the statement we use at Exodus: QUESTION HOMOSEXUALITY!

No Apology Necessary, General Pace

Unlike Ann Coulter's comments at the CPAC event earlier this month, General Peter Pace's personal beliefs about homosexual behavior as stated in an interview with the Chicago Tribune this week need no qualification or apology.  While I will defend Ann Coulter's right to say what she did to the death, I think our society needs to treat others like we'd like to be treated.  Ms. Coulter's remarks were rude and unnecessary.  General Pace's comments were true and firmly rooted in his upbringing and faith.

I am thankful for the fact that we still have leaders in high posts who are willing to be respectfully honest about their beliefs and opinions without regard for what is politically correct.  I am tired of our leaders caving into the intimidation that comes from the heavy handed gay activist community.  There is still room in the debate over homosexuality for the Judeo-Christian perspective.

Surgery to Prevent Homosexuality?

The 'Sheep Study' of 2005 has resurfaced.  For those of you who don't recall the 'Sheep Study' don't worry---I barely remember the details.  Suffice it to say, some researchers were trying to once again prove that homosexuality is genetic this time based upon a group of rams within the Corvallis herd that " consistently ignore females and bestow all their amorous attentions on members of their own sex".  This herd resides at Oregon State University.

Fast forward to 2007.  Not only has the study reared its baaaaad self  again, there are new questions being raised over whether or not in-utero surgery should be considered to manipulate a gay gene if it were found in a pre-born child.

WHAT?? 

Pardon me while I take a deep breath and try to remain calm. 

First of all, would we even be talking about this if a genetic link to heterosexual pornography had been found?  I think not.  There has been some credible evidence to support that there is a genetic link to alcoholism.  Have we seen any news articles discussing whether or not we should "fix" this problem in-utero?  Uh uh.

I am not sure whether or not homosexuality has a genetic link or not.  Frankly, I don't care.  What I do know is that I can logically look back at my development and understand why I struggled with homosexuality.  From my inborn personality traits to how I perceived and responded to the environment in which I was raised, I believe that most of my issues were developmental in nature.  Regardless of the roots, I believe that homosexuality is a sinful condition like so many others and my choice, based upon unchosen circumstances and feelings, was to pursue a life that lined up with my faith. 

I think that like everything else, homosexuality is multi-causal.  To simply pawn it off on genetics invalidates its complexity and my story.  To say that it is all developmental might invalidate your story and any sound genetic research that has or is being done.  To say that homosexuality is simply caused by a gay demon, in my experience and opinion, is ridiculous. 

I was asked this morning if I would have supported my mother's decision to fix any genetic mutation that might have caused homosexuality had she been made aware of the problem before I was born.  The answer is no.  And, I am sure that is what my mom would have said, too. 

In fact, as an almost 41 year old woman mom found out that she was pregnant with her 6th child about the same time she was becoming a grandmother for the 3rd time.  My mother's doctor told her that she was too old to go through with her pregnancy and that if she did she would most likely have a mongoloid baby.  My mom decided that this was her last pregnancy, she wasn't going to worry for 9 months and that she would love a mongoloid baby as much as a healthy one.

The truth is that we all have to take responsibility for ourselves.  When someone realizes that they have same-sex attractions they have to decide what to do about that.  Of course, I believe that homosexuality is changeable and I believe, based upon my own story, that it is preventable.  But, I don't believe that a pill or surgery or holding someone will provide the results that some hope for---there is no quick fix or formula to changing one's sexuality.  Instead, most successful and longterm change occurs when one decides to daily submit their mind, will and emotions to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Some find freedom from feelings and attractions while others simply find freedom from an identity that was incompatible with their faith.

Alan on NPR

The Fresh Air interview I taped in August with Terry Gross aired yesterday nationwide.  The Exodus office received numerous calls, emails and new hits to the website as a result. The majority of the feedback was extremely positive, but there was negative feedback, as well.  I listened to the interview yesterday afternoon and, prior to getting any feedback at all, realized that I said one thing that I wished I could have clarified.  Thus, I want to do so here.

Without listening to the entire interview again I won't be able to give the exact quote, but I said something like, "One of the greatest myths operating in our culture today is that the majority of the gay community is interested in anti discrimination laws."

I have to say that my experience is anecdotal.  The majority of everyday gay and lesbian folks I meet or hear from (a significant number) do tell me that they aren't interested in the gay rights battles for anti-discrimination laws, benefits for same-sex couples or marriage.  I have several activists friends who regularly tell me that they are angered by the majority of their gay friends because of their ambivalence to the gay rights issues and politics in general.

An activist friend (on the other side) emailed me some stats from a 2003 Gallup Poll that stated 9 in 10 Americans (88%) support "equal opportunities for gays and lesbians in the workplace."  I would like to see the questions that were asked, how many people were sampled and who those people were.  Depending on the questions asked that poll might have included me as one of those making up the 88%---but I am far from a proponent of anti-discrimimnation laws.

According to another poll conducted by the LA Times, 72% of Americans favor "laws to protect gays against job discrimination."  Again, what was the question that was asked?  Who were the people polled?  What area of the country were they from?  I know that a lot of Christian and conservative people might fall into the 72% depending on how the questions were phrased---like I said above, even I might fall into the category.

I also received an email with some survey results from a survey that was conducted by the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force this year.  The results were that the two top policy priorities for LGBT people were 1) Marriage equality and 2)Non-discrimination laws.  In this survey conducted at 7 gay pride events, 1440 or so people were polled.

Unless there is more to the study than I saw, this information is much the same as mine: anecdotal. Those who attend gay pride events are ones who, for the most part, are politically and socially active.  They are a good representation of the activist community, but not of everyone who is gay or lesbian. What cities were these events in?  Who was polled?  The results aren't surprising given the events and the typical attendees.

Nonetheless, I wish I had stated clearly that the information I was giving was based upon my own experience and was in fact my opinion.

Thanks to those of you who weighed in on both sides of the debate.

THANK YOU, Mr. President.

Finally, someone addresses the fact that trust was breeched and that children were violated.  Why did it take nearly a week for someone to focus on our number one priority: the children?

Read the President's statement released this morning at 10:28 PDT.

Hopefully we will hear more of this from other leaders.

Seriously, Congressmen, What About the Children?

Everyone is trying to cover their own butt related to the Mark Foley scandal.  Nancy Pelosi and other House Democrats are calling for investigations to see "who knew" about the predatory emails that former Rep. Foley (R-FL) was sending to high school age Congressional pages.  I just read that Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert said there was nothing more he could have done and House Majority Leader John Boehner say that he thought the "ball was in (Hastert's) court" concerning the 2005 allegations. 

Regardless of who is talking about this situation, be it the media, Republicans or Democrats, NO ONE is mentioning the children.  Frankly, I care far less about who knew than I do about these young men who were violated by Mr. Foley.  Where is the apology from the House leadership of both parties to these young men and their families?  Where is the assurance that this won't happen again? This shines a spotlight on the absolute selfishness of our leaders and highlights their lack of regard for anything but their own personal wellbeing.

The little faith that I had in our elected leaders is quickly dwindling.

Shame on Good Morning America, Democrats & Republicans! What About the Children?

Former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) is in big trouble for his alleged inappropriate (at best) emails to underage congressional pages.  As if the story isn't shocking enough, it just keeps getting worse.

This morning Good Morning America's Chris Cuomo reported that there is a chance that Republican Leadership has been aware of Rep. Foley's issues  for the last 5 years and that Congressional leaders had reported inappropriate behavior as recent as 2005.

The anchors, reporters and contributors of GMA seemed almost giddy when reporting that this case might have negative political implications for Republican leadership, the President and that it could cause the Democrats to win control of both the House and the Senate when the people go to the polls in 36 days.  It seems that the Dems are going to milk this crisis for all the political capital that it is worth in an attempt to win seats.

Regardless of who knew what and when, this is about wrong vs. right.  Rep. Foley has a problem that is far bigger than his public office or whether or not this will hurt his fellow Republicans at the polls in November.  Shame on GMA, Democrats and Republicans alike for even thinking about politics at a time like this.  That is disgusting.

Rep. Foley is accused of attempting to molest children---possibly having succeeded in his attempt(s).  Pedophilia is a sickness that needs to be addressed in our over sexed culture.  If Rep. Foley is found guilty of these charges then he needs to go to jail and to seek therapy. 

If Republican leadership did indeed know of Rep. Foley's past indiscretions then they should also resign and face charges for withholding information on crimes against children.  If that means Republicans lose seats this year or even the White House in 2008 then so be it.  Children come first.  End of discussion.

Lastly, this morning I was reading a gay weblog where the blogger "hoped" that Foley was innocent because being found guilty might not bode well for the GLBT community.  As with the Dems and Republicans, who cares how this affects the GLBT community or any other group for that matter.  How about hoping that Foley is innocent for the sole purpose that it means children weren't hurt.

Pennsylvania Judge: Gospel is Hate Speech

On October 10, 2004 during Outfest a Philidelphia gay pride event, 8 Christians decided to peacefully demonstrate via praying, singing and reading scripture.  Of course many Christians opt for this kind of evangelism during such events.  Some Christians that decide to demostrate at gay rallies and parades are vocally hostile and misrepresent Christ.  However, from the video showing the OCtober 10 event, it is clear that these Christians simply wanted to share their faith peacefully. The Christians were surrounded by Outfest event  goers and police were called in.  The end result was the arrest of the peaceful Christians.  The possible penalty: 47 Years in Prison because an anarchist municipal court judge believes that the Gospel is hate speech. Hmmm, the oppressed will become the oppressors it seems.  Check out the full story by Agape Press. It is time to get active!

Dear Mr. President

Dear Mr. President,

Thank you for your courageous leadership over the past 4 years. My family and I are better off today than we were before you became Commander in Chief. It will be our pleasure to affirm your excellent leadership on November 2 when we vote to make you our President once again; I honestly believe that the majority of American voters will do the same.

My purpose in writing today is two fold: one, I want to address a specific question brought up in last night's debate and two, I want to encourage you to meet with me.

First the question. Bob Sheafer asked you and Senator Kerry if you believe homosexuality is a choice. I appreciated your sincere answer and your compassionate call to treat all people with dignity and respect. Everytime you mention homosexual people I believe you honestly care about them and want others to treat them as fellow human beings. The liberal media will never give you any credit for this because simple dignity isn't their desire, a no holds barred sexual revolution is what they are after.

And while I believe you to be sincere and earnest in your desire to serve all people I also think that you could know more about the issues surrounding homosexuality than you do--that is why I think you need to meet me and others like me.

I am, for political and news clip purposes, what others call 'ex-gay'. I prefer to reference myself by what defines me: my faith in Jesus Christ, the fact that I am a husband and expectant father, a loving son, brother and human being, a man. However, in this sex-defined culture I am pigeon holed by many on both sides of the debate by what I used to do.

I was involved in homosexuality for a number of years starting in puberty and extending through about age 20. I had numerous sexual encounters and emotionally volatile relationships, attended a gay church, went to pride rallies and parades, worked on the AIDS quilt, volunteered at AIDS organizations and tried desperately to reconcile my faith with my sexuality. I could not.

When I was still a teenager I was referred to a Christian ministry that helped those struggling with homosexuality. This local ministry was a member of Exodus International, the world's leading outreach to men, women, youth and families affected by unwanted homosexuality. And even though I dabbled for two years after finding out about Exodus, I did faithfully attend meetings, counseling and seek to make a change in my life. Because of my faith in God and His unending grace, change won out.

As I inferred above, I am married today; a benefit not cause of my healing. Since 2001 I have been the President of Exodus International because I believe the world needs to know not only that change is possible, but that hundreds of thousands of men and women have sought and made that change. I lived as a homosexual and the world, especially young people and parents, need to know that it is not a healthy path or the optimal option. Which brings me back to last night's question.

Homosexuality is and isn't a choice. I did not wake up one morning and choose to 'feel' gay. At that time I would have rather died then felt what I felt. However, at a time when I was old enough to make wise decisions I did choose to act on my feelings. For those who say they have no choice, that is not true. We all have a choice to do what is best and with regard to acting on my homosexual feelings and inclinations, I did not choose God's best for me or for society when I chose to act upon them. However, I did finally choose to live beyond those feelings and today I am not a homosexual nor am I tempted to be one.

Mr. President, it is my sincere hope that you will choose to meet me, along with my wife Leslie. In fact, I think it would benefit you to meet the many men, women, youth and families that have been personally affected by this issue. I am sure you both know and regularly meet people actively pursuing a homosexual path--a path that they have every right to walk. However, how often do you meet people that made the very difficult choice to pursue the harder road and more unpopular path in today's society? Please take me up on this and choose to meet someone that has found freedom from homosexuality.

Again, it is my sincere pleasure to support you and to pray for you regularly. I believe you are an honest man and an honorable man. I look forward to being led by you for four more years.

Most Sincerely,

Alan Chambers
407-599-6872

Swaggart’s Short Memory

You’d think that the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart’s message for those needing grace and redemption would be one of compassion and empathy mixed with the truth. After all it was Jimmy Swaggart that begged for grace and forgiveness more than a decade ago after it was revealed to the world that he had an active sexual addiction and was caught soliciting a prostitute. However, last week Rev. Swaggart made the anti-Christ statement that he would, “kill any gay man who looked at him romantically”.

It never ceases to amaze me how insecure some men are with their own manhood and masculinity that being the object of same sex attraction threatens and frightens them to the point that they would consider murder. Unnatural as same-sex attraction is, it is as repulsive to God as every other sin and just as forgivable.

As the President of the world’s leading outreach to those affected by unwanted homosexuality and a key educational resource for the church at large, I am thankful that Rev. Swaggart’s message of hate is now more the exception than the rule in Christendom. I believe that the years of irrational anger and hatred for the same-sex attracted is coming to an end within the Body of Christ. I am proud that ministries like Focus on the Family through their Love Won Out Conference and Exodus International have helped make a life changing difference in the Church.

It is my prayer that Jimmy Swaggart and all others who have been the undeserving recipients of grace will in turn offer grace to others and that the hateful rhetoric that God abhors will end. After all it is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance.

Mr. Swaggart, I think you should apologize for misrepresenting Christ and hurting a group of people that already hate the Church for this very reason.