Gay Conversion Therapy still successful

As a clinician within a Victoria police unit for mental health emergencies, Ahern, 46, deals with people who are suicidal, acting erratically, or in a state of crisis.

But 10 years ago, he was in a mental health crisis of his own. Ahern was taught that the sin of homosexuality could be repented of and that walking in the Spirit daily, seeking to obey Christ would enable him to resist his homosexual lust. Fleeing from any form of temptation, focusing on worship and prayer, acknowledging the need for the power of the Holy Spirit were all part of the biblical teaching on sexual purity and spiritual health.

Unfortunately he thought all he had to do was pray harder. Ahern received biblical counselling sessions at a Sydney Christian Life Centre, part of a group of churches associated with today’s Pentecostal Australian Christian Churches.

In his early twenties, he married a woman, encouraged by the idea that if he settled down and got married, refused to act out his lust everything would be okay. Ahern was battling between the truth of the Bible and his homosexual lust. He gave into his lust but then had to justify his action by saying:

“If you can work so hard and ask God to change you and fix you and he doesn’t, there are two outcomes of that: one, he’s a cold-hearted bastard; or two, there’s actually nothing wrong with me.”

Such a poor justification to move away from the Holy Spirit and to pursue his sexual lust is to vilify God himself and blame God for his lack of love and compassion, not realizing that all believers have to walk in the Spirit daily fighting the flesh. His spiritual immaturity led to his falling into homosexual sin again.

A new Victorian Orwellian watchdog will be formed by the pro-homosexual government to close providers of homosexual counselling in the State of Victoria.

The current health services commissioner will be replaced by a new health complaints commissioner (HCC) who will have greater powers to investigate complaint from anyone, not just the person treated. This means false complaints, serial complaints, made up complaints call all be lodged in order to intimidate people who speak out against the homosexual zealots.

The Victorian health minister Jill Hennessy told parliament the bill would mean the HCC can “investigate and crack down on anyone making dangerous and unproven claims that they can ‘convert’ gay people”. 

Homosexuals have repented of their sins for millions of years coming under the grace and mercy of Christ. Their old lives have gone and they have been made new. This is the gospel. The government wants to change the gospel.

But the increasingly successful nature of gay conversion therapy in Australia – also known as “ex-gay therapy” and “reparative therapy” – has led immoral homosexual groups to question whether any legislation could properly wipe out the practice. Homosexual groups do not want to be told their actions, lifestyle, lust and sexual desires are sinful. So in response, they make false claims such as gay torture, electric brain shock therapy to convert homosexuals etc.

Timothy Jones, a researcher and gay supporter at La Trobe University in the final stages of a study into conversion therapy, said he was surprised by how common the practice is in Australia. “It is much more widespread than we thought it was, and much more pervasive than we would have expected,” he said.

Jones and co-researcher Liam Leonard found the practice of gay conversion therapy in Australia has continued, mostly in Protestant churches and to be successful.

The study found a range of therapies, including pastoral counselling, sessions with professional psychologists, online counselling, and group activities.

Secular counselor Matt Glover, who specialises in treating LGBTI people from church backgrounds, said the successful nature of ex-gay ideology is particularly concerning when young people are involved. 

Because we don't want the Bible being taught to those young people confused by the gay ideology.

Glover said Victoria’s expanded powers to tackle conversion therapy will “knock off some of the rougher edges”, but that the insidious nature of ex-gay therapy is tougher to tackle.

Glover claims the "insidious nature" of Christ drawing repentant sinners to himself, bringing healing and peace and the Holy Spirit renewing the mind of a person lost in homosexual lust... is shocking.

Victoria’s crackdown on conversion therapy is unprecedented in Australia, and comes after 1 call to make the practice illegal.

Unfortunately these calls are by one person Tony Venn Brown a homosexual who has rebelled against God himself, seeks to confuse Christians about the sin of homosexuality. Having lost his AOG credentials because of his homosexual sins is hitting back saying the Bible is wrong because the APA says so.

About 10 years ago, Ahern decided things had to change. He started to see a psychologist outside of the church to talk about who he was and what he had experienced. This means the psychologist would NOT bring up moral restraints or limitations as would the Christian counselling. This is very attractive to a person who wants to justify their own lifestyle choice. In fact, a psychologist would say to a person like this...you are homosexual - you are normal.

“That was incredibly helpful to talk to somebody who was outside of the church and outside of my friends and family,” he said. “That started the journey of thinking ‘There’s nothing wrong with me’.”

Of course, if you choose a counselor who agrees with your homosexual lifestyle choices you will feel better but ultimately you are in denial with regards to scripture and Christ.

We are all born in sin. Christ saves us from sin. We now have a choice to walk in the Spirit to be empowered by the Spirit OR we walk in the flesh until we get to a place of habitual sin and we are forsaken of God because we chose a lifestyle prohibited by God. But grace is available for the repentant sinner.....

Three years ago, Ahern moved to Melbourne. Two years ago, he abandoned his wife after a relationship spanning 25 years and five kids for another lifestyle choice. Progressively I told her more and more of my story and we worked out how we were going to move forward. “It wasn’t acrimonious at all. We had and still have a wonderful relationship.”