ORLANDO,
FL, February 19, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - As the issue of homosexuality
continues to be hotly debated in public settings across the country, Exodus
International, the largest worldwide support organization to those affected by
unwanted same-sex attraction, is seeing rapid growth within its organization.
In the last
five years, Exodus International has seen a 59% increase in its member
agencies, growing from 117 in 2003 to over 200 in 2008. This compared to more
spotty growth in years past. Requests for resources and speaking engagements
are also up.
Alan
Chambers, President of Exodus International, commented, "We believe that
the escalating growth we are seeing as well as the progress within our movement
is part of a countercultural revolution."
As Exodus
adapts to the demand, there has also been a dramatic shift in the types of
individuals interested in the Exodus message. Attendance statistics from the
ministry's 2007 annual conference show that more than half were first-time
conference attendees - a stark comparison to years past where the majority were
longtime conference attendees. That number was even higher at Exodus' Regional
Freedom Conference in Nashville, Tennessee this year as over 60% had never
attended an Exodus event before.
Exodus has also
seen tremendous growth in newer initiatives as well. In 2006, the ministry
created the Exodus Church Network, an interdenominational coalition of churches
that provides local support to those seeking freedom from homosexuality. In the
two years since its formation, it has grown to more than 70 churches, including
Chicago megachurch Willow Creek Church.
Chambers
concluded, "People are hungry for a hopeful message about homosexuality
that encompasses God's truth as well as His compassionate heart. We are
thrilled to be a small part of what God is doing to reach a new generation with
His liberating truth."
New
Study Finds Christian Counseling Effectively Assists Leaving Homosexual
Life-Style
Study also finds leaving the lifestyle not
psychologically harmful
By Meg
Jalsevac
NASHVILLE, September 18, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A new study, entitled the Exodus
Project and conducted by two psychologists, has determined that, through
"religiously mediated means", it is possible for homosexual
individuals to leave their old lifestyle and embrace the heterosexual
lifestyle. The study also determined that, contrary to mainstream
scientific thought, the effort to change one's inclinations away from
homosexuality does not appear to be psychologically problematic.
In the words of the authors themselves, "The study is the first on the
subject of sexual orientation change to be done in accordance with rigorous
scientific and ethical standards, and it is the first to produce reliable hard
data on whether it is possible to change sexual orientation through the
interventions delivered by religious ministry organizations."
The study authors are Mark A. Yarhouse, a professor of psychology at Regent
University in Virginia and Stanton L. Jones, professor of psychology at Wheaton
College in Illinois.
All participants of the study received counseling through Exodus International,
a Christian organization focused on ministering to individuals who want to or
have left the homosexual lifestyle.
The final results of the study show that, by the study's conclusion, 38% of the
participants had successfully left the homosexual lifestyle (either changed to
a heterosexual lifestyle or embraced chastity despite their homosexual
inclinations). Another 29 percent demonstrated only partial success in
departing from the homosexual way of life but vowed to keep up their
efforts. Of the remaining numbers, only 8 percent reverted to an active
homosexual life.
The timing of this study's release is especially poignant as the American
Psychological Association (APA) continues to appoint largely 'gay-affirmative'
individuals to the newly formed Task Force on Appropriate Responses to Sexual
Orientation. According to the APA website, the official position of the
APA is that homosexuality is neither a choice nor a changeable
characteristic.
Dr. Jones expressed hope that the results of the new study could at least spark
scientific discussion on the matter. "We hope our research will say to
people, 'Slow down. Let's have a civil dialogue. Let's talk about people who
are making autonomous adult choices about what they do.... Let's give people
the opportunity to exercise their religious freedom."
While the authors are adamant that no one can be forced to change their
orientation, they claim that their study offers hope to those who do want to
leave the active homosexual life.
"The study goes to the heart of a debate that is raging today and that is
not being investigated fairly. Is sexual orientation utterly fixed and
unchanging for all persons, or is change possible for some? The strident
argument that change is impossible seemed to us driven more by ideology than by
science. As scientists, we were excited to tackle such a big, important
question."
According to the InterVarsity Press website, Dr. A.D. Byrd of the University of
Utah School of Medicine commented on the work saying, "With this landmark
study, Drs. Jones and Yarhouse have made a major contribution to a
controversial area. The findings from their study support the importance of
client autonomy and client self-determination as therapists provide a range of
options to those who seek help for unwanted same-sex attraction. The book is
required reading for those interested in the best practices and evidence-based
care for this clinical population."
Some critics have expressed doubt about possible bias in the study results
since both authors are Christians themselves - possibly leading them to
highlight only the positive results of their study. Similarly, the
website of the APA has previously dismissed all comparable studies that claim
success in assisting homosexuals to leave the lifestyle for the reason, among
others, that the results "come from organizations with an ideological
perspective which condemns homosexuality[...]"
The authors of the Exodus study dispel such accusations by painstakingly
explaining their research process and analysis within the book. "We
pledged from the beginning to publish the true findings of the study regardless
of how positive or negative (for Exodus) the findings might be, and the written
report is scrupulously honest about positive and negative findings, as well as
about the strengths and limitations of the study."
"This study is the most scientifically rigorous to date, focusing on
ninety-eight subjects thought to be representative of those seeking change
through Exodus, following them prospectively (from early in the process) and
longitudinally (over multiple assessments), using multiple measures regarded as
"industry standards," and reporting explicitly on all aspects of the
findings. Previous studies have suffered from using idiosyncratic measures of
change, from looking at selective samples and from looking at subjects only at
one moment in time (a cross-sectional "snapshot"). No scientific
study is perfect, but this study uses the most rigorous methods to date."
Former APA President and current President of the Cummings Foundation for
Behavioral Health, Nicholas Cummings said, "This study has broken new
ground in its adherence to objectivity and a scientific precision that can be
replicated and expanded, and it opens new horizons for investigation."
The full results of the study will be published in the coming months by
InterVarsity Press in a book entitled 'Ex-Gays? A Longitudinal Study of
Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation.' According to the
publisher's website, the professors "sought publication of their
manuscript by nonreligious publishers, but found that those publishers would
not consider the project due to ideological sympathies with the GLBT community
and fear of negative repercussions of publishing a study that would likely be spun
as 'anti-gay.'"
Jones and Yarhouse have indicated that they will follow the subjects of their
studies to determine the long term outcome of their study. They have
expressed the hope that the scientific community will pay heed to their study
results as authentic, verifiable data.
"The present study produces significant scientific evidence that sexual
orientation is in fact changeable for some, and this should trigger a
considerable re-examination of many of the presuppositions about sexual
orientation and sexual identity that hold sway in contemporary Western
culture."
On the InterVarsity website, Associate Professor of Psychology and Fellow for
Psychology and Public Policy, Dr. Warren Throckmorton affirmed the significance
of this new study. "While the authors fully acknowledge that change
in sexual attractions did not occur for some individuals, they offer cogent and
compelling reasons to believe that participation in religious ministry resulted
in durable changes for others. The Jones and Yarhouse study will set the
standard for all future work in this field and demands a serious reading from
social scientists. For anyone interested in the study of sexuality, values and
human change, this book is a must-read."
Read reviews and to order the book from InterVarsity Press:
http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=2846