Exodus: Live Out Loud

Media Coverage of A New Day

Below are some links to media coverage of the 2008 Exodus International Freedom Conference that was held in Ridgecrest, NC July 15-20.

Asheville Citizen Times - Exodus Meeting Promotes 'Freedom From Homosexuality'

TV Coverage on WLOS (ABC) Asheville

Additional Coverage by WLOS ABC 13

CitizenLink: Exodus Conference Spreads Message of Hope

Christian Post: Exodus Offers "A New Day" for Hundreds Impacted by Homosexuality

North Carolina Baptists: Homosexuality and the Local Church

Teen-Targeted Books Promote Alcohol, Drugs and Sexual Experimentation

From WorldNetDaily:

Publishers Weekly calls it "A nasty, guilty pleasure." So what is this book filled with shocking profanity, characters guzzling alcohol and smoking cigarettes throughout, taking illegal drugs, glorifying hedonism and selfishness, and where sex (including homosexuality) is always on their minds? Is this book and others like it tucked away at an "adult bookstore"? No, it is a novel from the No. 1 best-selling series titled "Gossip Girl," and it is probably at your local library and bookstore in the teen section. Teen People magazine dubs these books "'Sex and the City' for the younger set."

Read the whole article >>

In addition, groups that promote homosexuality to youth also offer dangerous influence through reading materials. GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), which is the group behind the Gay-Straight Alliance club network, promotes a list of gay-affirming reading materials for students. Here are some of the selections they suggest for 7th to 12th grade readers.

Revolutionary Voices by Amy Sonnie is comprised of interviews with LGBT-identified youth from around the globe. One of the individuals showcased describes “his journey into sex work as a way of uplifting his self esteem.” The interview talks about how “doing sex work in drag” and sadomasochism can be “empowering” experiences.

Free Your Mind by Ellen Bass and Kate Kaufman is a guide-to-life for youth who think they may be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. In truth, this book is full of deceptive, dangerous advice. Teens are encouraged to find “meaningful” new “relationships” via gay and lesbian chat rooms on the internet. The book also greatly overstates the protection offered by condoms, and lists “bathing together” and mutual masturbation as “safe” sexual practices.

Find out what books are available to teens in your public schools and libraries. If the only books addressing these topics are like the ones listed above, consider donating books from the Exodus Bookstore, so they will be available to questioning teens who go browsing in the libraries for answers.

Exodus Youth Releases Outreach Guide

Exodus Youth has just released its latest resource in the Truth and Tolerance series: the Outreach Guide. This booklet is a comprehensive resource for reaching out to LGBT-identified youth and young adults with the truth and grace that is only found in Jesus Christ.

The Outreach Guide is for youth groups, Christian clubs and student organizations who are looking for a way to speak Biblical truth about sexuality while also befriending, loving and sharing Christ with those who are struggling with or embracing homosexuality, bisexuality or transgenderism.

The Guide contains outlines for various types of events, tips for sharing and communicating well, important legal information, and more. Click here to find out how to get this FREE resource.

Boston Herald Reporter Chuckles Over Change

***Welcome PJ Media Readers***

Yesterday I was taking notes at the press conference for the Liberty Sunday Simulcast.  As fortune would have it, I sat behind a reporter and a photographer for The Boston Herald.  She was leafing through the biographies of all the speakers, I noticed that she stopped on the biography for Exodus President Alan Chambers.  She leaned over to the photographer, pointed to his biography, said with a slight grin, "ex-gays..." and they both had a slight chuckle that made it appear they thought Exodus was a joke.

After the press conference, David Fountain ( Exodus Conference Director ), not having known what I had witnessed went up and offered the reporter our information piece and she quickly said "no thank you."

Given the chuckling I witnessed earlier ... one might think that she doesn't have much respect for our beliefs and the truth behind our testimony.

If I am going to be held accountable to practice what I preach, which I do not mind, I would hope reporters would be held  accountable for their actions as well.  The Society of Professional Journalists* say, "Seek Truth and Report It."  Here is the preamble to their Code of Ethics:

Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Society's principles and standards of practice.

Whether the above mentioned reporter believed we were truly "ex-gay" or worthy of being laughed at really isn't the point.  The Exodus message was a major element of the press conference yesterday and this reporter laughed at our presence and refused our information.  This dismissal of our message was not fair, comprehensive or truthful to the entirety of the event.

People like Alan, including myself, are not gay whether the Boston Herald tolerates that fact or not.  Diversity and tolerance includes people like us.  If that fact is denied, then true diversity and/or tolerance is not displayed.  We have a place in the public square whether media outlets choose to pay attention and be coscientious to report the whole story or not.

I have invited this reporter to read this post and will let you know if I get any feedback.  It is my genuine hope that my observations of her actions are wrong.

---
* I don't know if this reporter belongs to, or ascribes to the same beliefs as the SPJ or not.

The no-longer-gray lady indulges its taste for not-fit-to-print news.

http://www.city-journal.org/html/eon_09_22_05hm.html

"

Just wondering—what exactly was the news value of the New York Times’s huge front-page Metro-section spread yesterday: A Sex Stop on the Way Home? Subtitled Just Off a Park’s Playing Fields, Another Game Thrives, with an eye-catching cropped photo of the gut (but not the shoulders or head) of a beefy man in shorts and pink socks standing just inside his SUV’s open door, the story recounted in jaw-dropping detail the pick-up rituals of anonymous homosexual sex in a Queens parking lot. The lot adjoins athletic fields used by both youth and adult teams."- Heather MacDonald, Gay Times, City Journal, Sept. 22, 2005

New book promotes sex with children

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46394

Ph.D. 'expert' claims pederasty good
for 'nurturing,' 'mentoring' young boys

"A new book published by Haworth Press features multiple Ph.D. "experts" claiming that sex with children "can benefit" boys and even serve a "mentoring function."

"Same-Sex Desire and Love in Greco-Roman Antiquity and in the Classical Tradition of the West" features "scholarly" treatises by a raft of mostly-PhD academics, all praising earlier civilizations – particularly Greece and Rome – for the role homosexuality played in those ancient cultures." WorldNetDailey, Sept. 19, 2005

Gay Children's Book Author Writes Coming Out Book For Teens

http://www.narth.com/docs/author.html

"August 25, 2005 -  David LaRochelle, a gay children's book author/illustrator has recently written Absolutely, Positively Not, published by Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic.

The book was recently reviewed by Mary Ann Grossman with the Saint Paul Pioneer Press.

Absolutely, Positively Not tells the story of Steven who tries to convince himself he's not gay, but without success. When Steven finally comes out to his best friend, Rachel and her mother, they're not surprised. When he admits he's gay to his father, his dad recalls that gay males who served with him in the military service were some of the bravest he knew." - NARTH.com

Canada National Broadcaster Reports One Million at Gay Pride - Ten Times Actual Size

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/jun/05062801.html

The Canadian National Broacaster, a publicly funded network, is known for it's gay bias when reporting numbers of persons at events supporting or denouncing 'politically correct ' issues. Case in Point: The recent gay pride event  vs. the annual March for Life. Christian and Family Organizations are aware of and expect this. They were not surprised when the March for Life crowd was drastically underreported.. but were astounded when the recent gay pride parade participant numbers were inflated ten times to make them over a million strong. This number has been refuted by other media in Canada and more realistically announced at approximately 125,000. Campaign Life Coalition's Aidan Reid told LifeSiteNews.com he saw the CBC report on the evening news Sunday night. "When I saw they had reported the crowd at nearly ten times the actual number, it reinforced my belief that the CBC is not interested in reporting truthfully, but rather is simply a puppet of the radical homosexual lobby," said Reid.

Campaign Life Coalition's Aidan Reid told LifeSiteNews.com he saw the CBC report on the evening news Sunday night. "When I saw they had reported the crowd at nearly ten times the actual number, it reinforced my belief that the CBC is not interested in reporting truthfully, but rather is simply a puppet of the radical homosexual lobby," said Reid.

Book Review: Outrage

http://www.townhall.com/bookclub/sprigg.html

"How Gay Activists and Liberal Judges Are Trashing Democracy to Redefine Marriage" Peter Sprigg -Author

"Veil of Deception"

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/05/26/212909.php

Review of "Veil of Deception"- documentary video produced by Mission America.

"This documentary takes you through how activists are circumventing the will of the people by using courts to impose their views. Marla D’Amico-LaBelle of the W. Massachusetts Faith in Action Team, puts it this way, “They wish to impose their will by persuading the courts to enact law, without the consent of the governed, without the consent of the governed.” -Lennie, May 26, 2005