In a blog post on June 1, Exodus International blames the Old Testament for the emergence of a fundamentalist Christian punk-rock music group which espouses Islamist-style genocide against homosexuals. Thomas also denies any responsibility — at headquarters or locally — for the decision by its Exodus affiliate in Minnesota to host that same music group.

Exodus executive vice president Randy Thomas says:

Using Old Testament scriptures to condemn a person to death is not “loving” … it is incomplete theology and powerfully irresponsible.

In other words, Thomas is saying: Don’t blame conservative Christians for the Jewish words of Leviticus — or for preoccupations with the Old Testament that result from Exodus’ own decades-long exploitation of politically selective Old Testament verses. Thomas tries to explain away Exodus’ literalist misuse of the Old Testament by diverting reader attention to the New Testament.

He (Jesus) died and paid the price for all of our sin, including those of us who have or do struggle with homosexuality.

Thomas is speaking of conservative Christians when he says “our” and “us” — not liberal Christians, not Jews, and certainly not atheists, Buddhists or anyone else whom Thomas deems to be spiritually unclean and ostracized.

In rejecting the literalism of music group You Can Run But You Can’t Hide (YCR) as “incomplete,” Exodus is in fact projecting its own incomplete literalism upon YCR. Exodus mandates belief in a literal Bible while averting public attention from the Bible’s numerous literal endorsements of rape, incest, polygamy, slaughter of innocents, bodily dismemberment, stoning, slavery, and ethnic and sexual bigotry. The legalism of YCR reflects the completion of Exodus’ own incomplete and politically neutered fundamentalist theology.

Regarding YCR’s youth outreach events (of which Exodus knew the content), Ex-Gay Watch observes:

At least from this writer’ understanding, there didn’t seem to be any trace of orthodox Christian theology present ‚Äî just constant worship of a nebulous idol called “the law.” These are the extremes of our age, and Dean in particular seems never to have met a conspiracy theory too wild to be considered seriously.

Exodus hosted YCR because it shares much of YCR’s legalism and its abusive “scared straight” attitude toward sinners. How, one may ask, is Exodus legalistic?

  • Exodus practices religious legalism when it hosts a punk-rock group that is notorious in Minnesota for its legalism and its arrogant hatred of “sinners.”
  • Exodus practices religious legalism when it routinely cites proof-texted Bible verses to justify discrimination and harassment against LGBT people, regardless of what the U.S. Constitution says about individual rights or the freedom of religious minorities.
  • And Exodus practices religious legalism when it uses word games to dance around its responsibility for hosting the group — and for its “ministry” guidelines which encourage affiliation with abusive organizations and counselors.

For all his belated and elliptical criticism of the kill-the-gays group, Thomas declines to oppose antigay discrimination and imprisonment. He does not criticize either LWCC or Exodus representative Janet Boynes — a key ally in Exodus HQ’s battle against inclusion of sexual orientation in hate-crime laws — for hosting a notorious hate group, nor does he demand change in Exodus affiliate guidelines for hosted events.

At Exodus, no one is ever held responsible — except, of course, the supposed homosexual sympathizers who expose Exodus’ wrongdoing.