According to David Roberts of Ex-Gay Watch, member ministries are in their own exodus from Exodus, which is the world’s largest umbrella group for so-called “ex-gay” programs. The problems may have started after the group’s leader, Alan Chambers, told a group of gay Christians early this year that his fraudulent product does not work for 99.9% of clients (I’m presuming the .1% success stories are on the Exodus’ payroll). Here is an excerpt from Ex-Gay Watch :
Random references to groups that had left them led us to compile a detailed comparison of the current Exodus member ministry listings to that of a year ago. Previous to this, Exodus never had much churn from year to year, so losing 20 (or roughly 22%) in one year, many in recent months, is really unheard of. We can’t be certain how or why all these groups came to be delisted, but some of them have been with Exodus since almost the beginning. At least a couple seem to have shut down, perhaps due to the same forces affecting Exodus.
A number of these ministries appear to now affiliate with Andy Comiskey’s Desert Stream Ministries, which also no longer appears on the Exodus list. Comiskey has been critical of Exodus president Alan Chambers whil
e expressing support for the reparative drive model of ex-gay therapy touted by NARTH and Joseph Nicolosi. It is reasonable to speculate that Desert Stream might become the new “umbrella” for groups who, for whatever reason, no longer agree with or have faith in the current leadership at Exodus.
Go to Ex-Gay Watch for a full list of Exodus dropouts.
What we will likely see in the future is Exodus shrink, wither, or replace its current Executive Director Alan Chambers with someone who is even more delusional and hardcore. Or, we will see a rival faction of dead-enders and nuts like DL Foster, Anne Paulk, Janet Boynes, Richard Cohen, and Andy Comiskey. We can only hope the crazies come forward to challenge Exodus, as it makes it so much easier to prove “ex-gay” activists are off their rockers. If a mutiny takes place, it may occur at this month’s Exodus conference in St. Paul. Personally, I’ll be bringing popcorn to the event.
For instance, cabal leader Andy Comiskey (Pictured in funny farm looking orange jumpsuit) has curious views on LGBT people. In his book “Pursuing Sexual Wholeness,” he calls homosexuality “spiritual disfigurement” and believes that “Satan delights in homosexual perversion.” I’m sure this will play well with moderate TV audiences. Boys and girls — time to get out the butterfly net.
