Gay ministries

That same year, U. Like most conservative Christian leaders at the time, Chambers considered the countercultural nature of his work a point of pride. During the latter part of the 20th century, Exodus and similar conservative groups promoted the idea that gay people could—and should try to—become straight. But Chambers would undergo a radical change of heart. Chambers, 43, was raised by an ex-military father in a Southern Baptist home and realized he was attracted to other males at a young age. Most of his early sexual encounters with men were anonymous, which bred in him a deep self-hatred.

Exodus International was a non-profit , interdenominational ex-gay Christian umbrella organization connecting organizations that sought to "help people who wished to limit their homosexual desires". Founded in , Exodus International originally asserted that conversion therapy , the reorientation of same-sex attraction, was possible. In , then president Alan Chambers renounced conversion therapy, saying it did not work and was harmful. The following year, Chambers closed the organization and apologized for the "pain and hurt" participants of their programs had experienced. While Exodus International no longer operates, many of its member ministries continue to do so, either forming new networks, joining existing ones such as the Exodus Global Alliance or operating independently. During the presidency of Sy Rogers in the s, Exodus International had offices on five continents and declared that "all homosexual relationships are sinful. In October , Exodus announced they would no longer support the event.

The FBI is investigating an explosion Saturday at a controversial anti-gay church that has been the target of angry protests in a community just east of Los Angeles. The First Works Baptist Church in the city of El Monte has drawn widespread outrage for its stance against homosexuality. Police are still investigating if the attack is related to the recent protests. El Monte police told local news outlets that officers initially thought the window had been smashed by a vandal, but they soon noticed smoke coming out of the building and realized it was an explosion.

An El Monte church that had been threatened this month with an arson attack over its condemnation of same-sex marriages was damaged early Saturday, Jan. The FBI and local police are investigating the explosion. Officers responding around am initially thought a vandal had broken the windows of First Works Baptist Church, said Lt. Officers then noticed smoke coming from inside. Protestors have repeatedly targeted the church headed by Pastor Bruce Mejia, who has condemned same-sex relationships.