Exodus: Live Out Loud

Did Jesus Bless Homosexuality?

http://www.drthrockmorton.com/article.asp?id=169

"Many gay religionists insist that Jesus never mentioned homosexuality and thus could not have opposed it. Often conservatives counter that He taught against any form of sexual expression other than heterosexual marriage, so He did not need to specify every sexual act outside of marriage for condemnation. What is the correct position?..Certainly, Jesus did address the topic of sexual ethics and marriage. In Matthew 19:3-9, Jesus said: "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate...To the skepticism of the disciples, Jesus responded, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."(Matthew 19:11-12)...I have begun to wonder if the Greek word eunouchoi (eunuchs) might also include someone without natural attraction to the opposite sex..." Dr. Warren Throckmorton PhD, Oct. 28, 2005

'Ex-gay' ministry reaches out to Hub

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/10/28/ex_gay_ministry_reaches_out_to_hub/

"Brenna Simonds runs a small ministry less than a block from the State House for gays and lesbians who want to change their sexual orientation.

Simonds says she doesn't care who wins the political battles over same-sex marriage. She is a humble Christian, she says, focused on God's healing power. Those who seek her help are told that a heterosexual switch may never happen or that they may endure years of celibacy and struggle. But the stirrings of same-sex attractions can end, she says, as they did for her before she married a man two years ago."- Patricia Wen, Globe staff, Oct. 28, 2005

Answering Questions about Homosexuality

http://38.114.12.136/readTopic.asp?PostingId=1679973

"Regarding the question "Is homosexuality a choice?," I thought Tim hit the proverbial nail on its head. He made a good point in that we are never given a choice in what we are tempted with but that we are responsible for how we respond to those temptations. For example, there are a couple of people that just grate on my nerves. Seriously. Is it necessarily my fault that our personalities are so different or that I disagree with them? No, but I am ABSOLUTELY responsible for the times when I don't respond in love and when I don't treat them as Jesus would... with grace and compassion. I would like to clarify that Tim distinguished between the ideas of being tempted by something and being submissive to it because of a 'genetic disorder.' He fully acknowledges that he made the decision to engage in a homosexual lifestyle and does not believe that homosexuality is part of his genetic makeup; He also gave references to various medical/scientific studies. I'm runnin' short on time, so I'll try and post those later on."- Mrfixitonline.com

Gay Culture and the Riddle of Andrew Sullivan

http://www.albertmohler.com/commentary_read.php?cdate=2005-10-27

"

Andrew Sullivan is a man of ideas. In recent years, Sullivan has emerged as one of the most influential intellectuals in American public life. Furthermore, he has been identified with some of the most controversial issues of our times--a fact that is hardly surprising given his libertarian view of morality, conservative views of politics, Roman Catholic views of Christianity, and the fact that he is a prominent homosexual advocate.

Sullivan came to national and international attention as editor of The New Republic from 1991 to 1996. He came to this post after earning degrees at Oxford University (B.A.) and Harvard University (Ph.D.). Under his editorship, The New Republic became known as one of the nation's most lively, informative, and controversial journals of opinion. The courage and imagination demonstrated in Sullivan's editorship is the most likely explanation for the controversy that brought his downfall as editor. Nevertheless, Sullivan continues to contribute to the magazine as a senior editor."- Dr. Albert Mohler, Oct. 27, 2005

Homosexual-Related Cases on UMC's Front Burner

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/10/272005b.asp

"A conservative United Methodist activist is predicting the outcome of some high-profile cases before the denomination's high court today.

The United Methodist Judicial Council will hold oral arguments today in Houston, Texas, for a case involving self-avowed lesbian minister Beth Stroud of Pennsylvania. Stroud, an assistant pastor at First United Methodist Church in Germantown, was defrocked last December for violating the denomination's ban on "self-avowed, practicing homosexual" clergy. However, in April a church appeals court reversed and set aside the verdict and penalty decided by the trial court. The case now is being heard before the UMC's high court, whose decision -- expected next week -- will be final."-Jim Brown, Agape Press, Oct. 27, 2005

Letter from a San Antonio Jail

http://www.afa.net/mendozaletter.asp

"I went to the City Council as a citizen wanting to be heard on Proposition No. 2.  We had six minutes to speak and I told them that I had e-mailed them over a month ago and sent them individual letters, but that the letters were never acknowledged.  I spoke to them of the value of Proposition 2 and I asked them whether they would vote for or against it. Not a sound or a peep from any of them.  I said that as leaders in this city that they talk about the NFL Franchise, about bonds, about any other subject, but they wouldn't talk about the sanctity of marriage."- American Family Association , Oct. 21, 2005

WNBA's Swoopes Says She's Gay

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/sports/article.adp?id=20051026080609990020&ncid=NWS00010000000001

"Houston Comets forward Sheryl Swoopes is opening up about being a lesbian...she didn't always know she was gay and fears that coming out could jeopardize her status as a role model...Do I think I was born this way? No," Swoopes said. "And that's probably confusing to some, because I know a lot of people believe that you are."- Espn Magazine, Oct. 26, 2005

Psychological Cheerleading

http://www.pfm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=BreakPoint1&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=17083

"Yesterday I talked about the new book Raising Boys without Men by Peggy Drexler and Linden Gross, focusing on Drexler’s appallingly shoddy research...what Drexler is actually saying: that boys are better off without fathers. Over and over again, she points out that when you don’t have a father around, you don’t have father abuse or father neglect, or any number of other negative effects. “In our society,” she writes, “often we idealize and elevate the role of father in a boy’s life without giving credence to the fact that actual fathers can be destructive and a boy may be better off without his father. Sometimes a father can be an aggressor who berates the mother, is hypercritical of his children, or . . . is simply not a good model.”- Mark Earley, Breakpoint, Oct. 27, 2005

Granite State Stands Firm for Marriage

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0038369.cfm

"

A commission in New Hampshire has bucked the trend toward legalizing gay marriage in New England by strongly recommending the protection of traditional marriage to lawmakers.

In a contentious meeting Monday that at times degenerated into a shouting match, the panel set up to study and make recommendations on same-sex marriage roundly defeated proposals that would allow gays to marry, recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages or set up domestic-partner registration."- CitizenLink, Oct. 26, 2005

Notre Dame's Pro-Homosexual Focus Deserving of Criticism, Says Catholic Group

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/10/262005a.asp

"A Catholic pro-family group is protesting several programs at the University of Notre Dame that encourage students to declare their homosexuality.

"National Coming Out Day" became a weeklong event at the prestigious Catholic university earlier this month with several pro-homosexual activities with titles such as "Come Out of Your Closet!," "Speak Out! Sex and Gender at Notre Dame Rally," and a library exhibit on famous homosexual men and women. The week of October 10-14 kicked off with the school's second annual "Queer Film Festival," where one dissident Catholic nun is reported to have stated she was beginning to believe that "the greatest sin for lesbian and gay people is to want to be straight."- Jim Brown, Agape Press, Oct. 26, 2005