Don't Believe Everything You Hear or Read -- Part 1

Please don't believe everything you hear or read!  I know we've heard that all our lives but we often get sucked into articles or conversations that appear reasonable but are not.  I want to focus on this in several posts in the coming days because of how dangerous this can be and because we are all susceptible to being guilty of doing it. 

An example would be the New York Times article on July 6, 2012:  "Rift Forms in Movement as Belief in Gay 'Cure' Is Renounced," by Erik Eckhom. 
 
Horrible Wording:  "Gay Cure!"  Where in the world did that come from?  Exodus International has never ever used that wording in its entire history.  But this is commonly used by media as they strive to identity who we are and what we do.
 
There is a statement that is passed around in Exodus circles that is profound:  "The opposite of homosexuality is not heterosexuality . . . its holiness!"  We primarily focus on spiritual truth as we walk with individuals and their family and friends who have been impacted by same-sex attraction issues.  We focus on Christian discipleship and on walking with others toward a deeper authentic love relationship with GOD.  Our view is that we are not primarily physical beings or sexual beings but that we are primarily spiritual beings created for the glory of GOD.
 
Another example is the MSNBC interview Alan Chambers, the President of Exodus International, conducted on Monday, July 9, 2012.  As the program was coming on the host introduced the segment by saying, "The leader of the 'pray the gay away' organization now believes there is 'no cure for being gay.'"  That is totally erroneous!  Exodus International has never ever identified itself as a "pray the gay away" organization.  That does not at all describe who we are and what we do, though we certainly believe in the power and effectiveness of prayer in dealing with all issues of life. 
 
I understand we may have misunderstandings and even disagreements but it is critically important that what we communicate is true and not false or misleading whether intentional or not.
 
More to come!