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Exodus International president Alan Chambers has, explained the Orlando-based ministry's recent U-turn on reparative therapy. And while the organization's stance remains acceptable to most evangelicals, some scholars fear that Chambers's theological convictions—sprinkled throughout those interviews—have not. "It's not that he is simply not saying the warnings [against homosexual activity] in Scripture. I could live with that," Pittsburgh Theological Seminary professor Robert Gagnon said of Chambers's recent comments. "It's that he is saying the exact opposite of what Scripture clearly teaches … . He's preaching an anti-gospel." The theological heresy in question is antinomianism. The term was coined by Martin Luther to refer to those who believe that since faith is sufficient for salvation, Christians are not obligated to keep God's moral law. Gagnon, author of The Bible and Homosexual Practice and a plenary speaker at Exodus...

The leader of a renowned ministry dedicated to helping those with same-sex attractions leave the homosexual lifestyle has done an about-face, apologizing to the gay community and announcing his ministry will be closing down. Alan Chambers , 41, announced on Lisa Ling ’s “Our America” program on the Oprah Winfrey network that he is “deeply sorry” for his involvement in promoting reparative therapies aimed at changing sexual preferences. He now denounces reparative therapy as damaging and traumatic. Just hours after Chambers’s apology was made public, Exodus International announced it would close its doors after three decades of ministry. “Exodus is an institution in the conservative Christian world, but we’ve ceased to be a living, breathing organism,” Chambers said in a statement announcing the group’s disbanding. “For quite some time we’ve been imprisoned in a worldview that’s neither honoring toward our fellow human beings, nor biblical.” “For these reasons,” wrote Chambers, “t...

Christianity Today: Ex-gay coalition shifts from reparative therapy to discipleship after losing prominent partners. When California became the first state to ban reparative therapy for minors this fall, the public scrutiny of the treatment drew attention to Exodus International , the nation's largest ex-gay ministry . But Exodus had already stopped promoting the practice, saying it was largely ineffective. Exodus's shift on reparative therapy has been only one of several therapeutic and theological controversies that divided the ministry this year. Top leaders and dozens of affiliate ministries have defected from the 37-year-old umbrella ministry as it has attempted to reshape its mission and public image. Board member John Warren, a 53-year-old Florida banker who publicly defended Exodus president Alan Chambers in the face of this summer's criticism, reversed course and parted ways with the Orlando, Florida, ministry in September. Warren said he became uncomfortable w...

Exodus International president Alan Chambers has, in the past week, explained the Orlando-based ministry's recent U-turn on reparative therapy to everyone from  The New York Times  to  NPR  to MSNBC 's  Hardball . And while the organization's stance remains acceptable to most evangelicals, some scholars fear that Chambers's theological convictions—sprinkled throughout those interviews—have not. "It's not that he is simply not saying the warnings [against homosexual activity] in Scripture. I could live with that," Pittsburgh Theological Seminary professor Robert Gagnon said of Chambers's recent comments. "It's that he is saying the exact opposite of what Scripture clearly teaches … . He's preaching an anti-gospel." The theological heresy in question is antinomianism. The term was coined by Martin Luther to refer to those who believe that since faith is sufficient for salvation, Christians are not obligated to keep God's ...

Thirty years ago, Alan Chambers was a Christ-loving 10-year-old with a terrible secret. He knew he was attracted to other boys. He also knew that the Bible called homosexuality an "abomination." After nearly a decade of hiding his feelings (and his love of shopping and decorating) from family and pastors, he discovered a ministry called Exodus International . Today, Chambers is the president of Exodus and the author of the book  Leaving Homosexuality . He oversees more than 260 ministries, spearheads large annual conferences, and is married to a woman. Christians who consider themselves "ex-gays" have become a  source of ridicule  in popular culture. Although the evangelical leader  Ted Haggard  isn't affiliated with Exodus, it didn't help the cause when he was outed by a male prostitute he'd been frequenting for years -- and then deemed by his pastors, after just three weeks of therapy, to be  "completely heterosexual."  For many, though,...