Exodus: Live Out Loud

Synopsis on Hiatus

Greetings!

In an effort to devote our time and resources to our national conference The Exodus Synopsis will be on hiatus for the remainder of the month of July. We will return to the regular posting schedule in early August. We regret any inconvenience this may cause, and hope that you will continue to stay tuned.

-Synopsis Team

Same-sex marriage will divide church, UCC pastor says

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8526445/

"What it's going to cause is divisiveness. I can truly see instances where people are going to leave the church over this. Hopefully more people will stay than leave, but this is such a hot-button issue."-Putnam, pastor of St. Johns United Church of Christ in Butler Township, PA following UCC rule making body's decision to accept gay marriage.

"I would like to see us stay in the denomination and network for positive change. However, many of my members have expressed very clearly that this decision would cause great consternation and that, if this happened, they would want to see us leave....If we had put it to a vote of the people in the pews, it would have failed overwhelmingly. This is truly Independence Day for the UCC: We have declared ourselves independent from the teachings of Jesus and the clear teachings of Scripture."-The Rev. Brett Becker, Cibolo, Texas

Cookie Company Refuses to Crumble Before Homosexual Agenda

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/7/82005c.asp

A long time advertiser in the dairy industry trade publication, Dairy Field, Ellison Bakery of Indiana, has pulled a large ad campaign in response to the publication's decision to run a pro-homosexual editorial. Dairy Field ran an editorial critical of conservative pro-family groups for censuring Kraft Foods for its pro-homosexual policies. "This is not a personal attack against people who have chosen this type of lifestyle. Homosexuals, like all people "are created in the image of God. Nevertheless, I don't support things that would promote people making those bad choices."- Todd Wallin, general manager of Ellison Bakery

UMC Bishop Pulls Rank on Local Pastor for Denying Homosexual Membership

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/7/72005a.asp

Last month, Bishop Charlene Kammerer of the United Methodist Church (UMC) Virginia Annual Conference intervened in a case where a man was denied membership in a Methodist Church. Bishop Kammererey declared that Pastor Edward Johnson  of South Hill Methodist Church was obligated to accept the man who is homosexual, as a member, despite evidence that he is proud and unrepentant of his sinful lifestyle, and seemingly wants to make himself a test case against the church's teachings. After Johnson declined, Kammerer placed him on an involuntary leave of absence until he complies with her request.

"Most obviously she was compromising the ability of local clergy to make their own decisions as to whether or not someone is prepared to join the church and United Methodist teachings do say that when you join the church, you are expected to uphold the beliefs of the church and to show repentance in your life." -Mark Tooley, director of the United Methodist Action Committee for the Institute on Religion and Democracy,

Arkansas Gifted Program Angers Parents With Explicit Homosexual Curriculum

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/7/72005c.asp

Last month, a student who took offense when he and his classmates at the Arkansas Governors School for gifted high school seniors were asked to read from the script of a homosexual play, "Angels In America." He left the gifted program and a spokesman for Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee says students should not have been exposed to a sexually explicit play at a summer educational program. Some parents of students recently expressed outrage that their children were asked to read from the script. Chris Pyle, the governor's Family Policy Liaison, says the play violated the Arkansas Governor's School's policy on content standards for minors.

Uncommon Friends

http://www.off-the-map.org/mediacenter/

This site contains two video's "Uncommon Friends" and "Uncommon Friends: The Story Behind the Story" These video's can be viewed on the site and tell the story of Jonathon Gilbert, a drama student at a local university who was sued by local Christians when he attempted to direct a play entitled, "Corpus Cristi" (which portrayed Jesus as being "gay." ) and John Barce, a Christian who decided to reach out to Jonathon and subsequently became his friend. The videos address questions such as: "How do you know when to accept a person and when to challenge them? Aren't we encouraging their behavior by saying nothing? What do you have in common?"

New Christian Organization Launched To Provide Balance on Controversial Issues

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=30963

a new political organization, called the Christian Alliance for Progress,  launched Wednesday with the goal of reclaiming the issue of faith from the "religious right" and balancing the discussion on controversial issues such as abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and gay marriage. The Jacksonville, Fla.-based group aims to present a biblical justification for liberal ideas and stances. The organization is supported by private donations and has between 3,000 and 4,000 members.

ll thatNew Study on the Impact of the Media on Adolescent Sexual Attitudes and Behaviours

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/feb/04022006.html

The Medical Institute for Sexual Health recently released a study on teens entitled: Impact of the Media on Adolescent Sexual Attitudes and Behaviours.
The study reveals a woeful lack of knowledge about what the barrage of sex in the media really means for children and youth. This report is the most comprehensive review of the research into the impact of sexual imagery in the media on youth yet completed. "All we really know is that kids are over-exposed to sex. One thing this study makes clear - sexual imagery and content is finding children and teens everywhere. Even if they tried, kids can't escape it."- Joe S. McIlhaney, Jr., M.D., president of The Medical Institute.  Statistics showed among other things that:

•   The average teen watches 3 to 4 hours of television every day.

•   Every hour of television watched by teens averages 6.7 scenes including sexual topics, and about 10 percent of these scenes show couples engaged in sexual intercourse.

•   22 percent of teen-oriented radio segments contain sexual content; 20 percent of these range from rather to very explicit.

•   42 percent of top-selling CDs in 1999 contained sexual contact, 41 percent of which is either pretty explicit or very explicit.

•   61 percent of teens using computers "surf the net," and 14 percent report seeing something they wouldn't want their parents to know about.

Mass. Governor Nixes Pro-Homosexual Use of Taxpayers' Money

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/7/62005c.asp

The Massachusetts State Legislature recently approved two budget items that would have given $425,000 to the Governor's Commission for Gay and Lesbian Youth (GCGLY), a group that works with the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The funding would have been used in part for the support of homosexual clubs and pro-same-sex "marriage" assemblies in schools, and "suicide" and "violence" protection programs for homosexuals in public schools. After being flooded with phone calls and e-mails from angry taxpayers, Governor Mitt Romney vetoed the funding increase.

Press Release:

Global Evangelical Ex-gay

Organization Says UCC Church

Desision Lacks Compassion

July 5, 2005

Orlando, FL-

The largest evangelical network of former homosexuals in the world expressed disappointment with the United Church of Christ's decision to endorse homosexual unions and says this resolution lacks a truly compassionate approach to the issue.

Last December, both CBS and NBC refused to air a 30-second ad put out by the organization. The ad, intended to welcome homosexuals to the UCC Church, portrayed heavy-set bouncers behind a velvet rope line who turned away handholding homosexual couples outside church doors.

Alan Chambers, a former homosexual who served as an associate pastor before becoming President of Exodus International, says he agrees that the church needs to do more to reach out to homosexuals who feel alienated and excluded, but that the United Church of Christ's recent decision is not the answer.

"Embracing homosexual unions, but abandoning the very truth that could change lives may be politically correct, but it is not true compassion," said Chambers. "Homosexuals need to know they are welcome at their local church, but they also need to know that hundreds of thousands of us have found freedom from the isolation and emptiness we experienced in gay life through the power of Jesus Christ."

Chambers added, "Our existence as ex-gays is additional proof that homosexuality is not an immutable trait and therefore, marriage is not a civil right to be extended to any group of individuals who demand it. Preserving the public purpose of marriage sets a higher standard for future generations and defines its biblical intention to those who are confused and questioning their sexuality. As a former homosexual who is now happily married, I am grateful for the laws that protected and esteemed this life-preserving, authentic union."

Exodus International is a resource and referral organization with over 125 member chapters across North America. The organization has been in existence for 30 years and offers help to the over 400,000 people who contact the ministry each year.

To arrange for an interview with Alan Chambers, please call Julie Neils at: (321) 279-8965 or David Fountain at: (407) 599-6872.

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email: [email protected]