June 20, 2012

Here are excerpts from Alan Chambers’ interview in the Atlantic:

Interviewer Jennie Rothenberg Gritz: “Does that mean a person living a gay lifestyle won’t go to hell, as long as he or she accepts Jesus Christ as personal savior?”

Chambers: “My personal belief is that everyone has the opportunity to know Christ, and that while behavior matters, those things don’t interrupt someone’s relationship with Christ. But that’s a touchy issue in the conservative group I run with. And there are definitely differing opinions on it. I don’t think you could even look at any one denomination and find that everyone believes exactly the same thing. On the other hand, I do believe there is a right and wrong. I believe there is clarity on the issue of all sexuality in the Bible — on every aspect of it.”

Gritz: “As someone who knows what it’s like to be a confused gay teenager, how do you react when parents bring their own kids to Exodus in the hopes that you can make them straight?”

Chambers: “That’s absolutely not what we’re trying to do. In the past, we’ve been aligned with organizations that believe feelings can completely change, temptations can completely go away. We now believe that’s an unrealistic and unhealthy expectation that can cause a lot of damage.”

“That’s been part of the evolution for us at Exodus, to say, “Yes, there have been times in the past when people did come to us expecting they would be fixed, cured, healed.” In fact, many of those words or realities aren’t things we agree with now. But sometimes not being clear enough leaves people assuming that that is what you do believe.”

The full text can be found at http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/06/sexual-healing-evangelicals-update-their-message-for-gays/258713/.