Dear Sight Ministry Partners:
Please, when you read the following article, allow the Holy Spirit to produce in you a spirit of authentic love and compassion toward the family of Harvey Milk rather than being judgmental and condemning. I would ask that you pray for Gov. Schwarzenegger and do not allow your flesh to enter into anger and hatred. It is important that as followers of Jesus that we always die to our flesh and submit to the Holy Spirit. Anger, condemnation, judgmentalism, and hatred are not included in the characteristics of Spiritual fruit listed in Galatians 5:22-23.
There are many people who have been blinded by the true enemy concerning same-sex attraction issues. This is why the LORD raised up the SIGHT MINISTRY. The LORD has called us to follow His example in “preaching the gospel to the poor, proclaiming release to the captives, and recovery of SIGHT to the blind” and “to set free those who are downtrodden” (Luke 4:18).
I wanted to share this article with you so that, primarily, you would be aware of what is going on in our culture so you can pray for a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit in the Church. It is not our calling to enter into the political arena and take up the fight against the gay movement, but rather, it is our calling to bring glory and honor to the name that is above all names and to focus on the fact that we find ultimate delight and joy in Who God is and that we point others to Him Who alone can bring lasting fulfillment and life that nothing in this world can offer including same-sex expressions of love and sex.
An important dynamic of why our culture is at this place is because an overwhelming number of believers have not experienced true redemption that resonates from a personal love relationship with our God, Creator & Father in Heaven. The day of “accepting Jesus as our Savior so that when we die we will go to Heaven” is over. That is only a part of redemption but it is not the whole story. Redemption certainly includes addressing our eternal destiny but it also addresses life now in this broken and fallen world where we are searching for the meaning and purpose of life. We have the answer but we have not always lived as though we believe it. We really don’t seem all that different from anyone else in the world. The world is not at all interested in seeing a local congregation or Christian leaders build their own little kingdom. Wearing a t-shirt and jeans and singing rock’n roll on Sunday morning does not make one necessarily culturally relevant. Submitting our self-centeredness to the Holy Spirit who then lives out the radical life and truth of Jesus through us where ever we are and where ever we go truly connects with culture. That is being culturally relevant indeed! Just simply read the words of Jesus and you will be reminded of how radical His teaching and call to life really is.
John Piper says it well: “The chief purpose of man is to glorify God BY enjoying Him forever” and also, “God is most glorified in us when we are MOST satisfied in Him.”
Don’t forget to check out the article below then pay attention to how you respond in your heart towards those individuals mentioned in the article.
Richard Holloman
The Sight Ministry
PO Box 140808
Nasvhille, TN 37214
615-509-0782
www.thesightministry.org
"How can we dare to be so absolutely unbelieving when God totally surrounds us?" - Oswald Chambers
Calif. students to learn about gay pioneer
By: Michael Foust
Original article can be found here, http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?Id=31452.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (BP)--Students in many of California's public schools next year will be learning about homosexual pioneer Harvey Milk under a bill signed into law Sunday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that commemorates the life of the late politician and makes May 22 "Harvey Milk Day."
Schwarzenegger signed the bill, S.B. 572, on the last possible day he could, frustrating conservatives who had lobbied the Republican governor to veto it. Schwarzenegger vetoed an almost identical bill last year but was under more pressure to sign it in light of a movie about Milk and after President Obama awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to Milk, the nation's first openly homosexual person elected to public office. Milk was a San Francisco city supervisor who was assassinated in 1978 by another supervisor.
Although observation of Harvey Milk Day is optional, many schools and teachers in the left-leaning state no doubt will take advantage of the opportunity. The text of the new law says "all public schools and educational institutions are encouraged to observe" the day.
The law further says it would be appropriate to have "exercises remembering the life of Harvey Milk, recognizing his accomplishments, and familiarizing pupils with the contributions he made to this state." The law commemorates Milk with what the state calendar calls a day of "significance." The only other such days are the Day of the Teacher (second Wednesday of May), John Muir Day (April 21) and California Poppy Day (April 6). May 22 is Milk's birthday.
Schwarzenegger also signed a bill, S.B. 54, that allows the state to recognize "gay marriages" from other states if they were performed during the nearly five months it was legal in 2008.
The Harvey Milk bill, in fact, could impact any future debate about "gay marriage" legalization in California. Public schools -- and what is and is not taught in them -- were at the forefront of last year's campaign to pass Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment that prohibited the redefinition of marriage.
Ron Prentice, the executive director of ProtectMarriage.com, which promoted Prop 8, sent an e-mail to supporters Monday telling constituents, "You may remember that during the Prop 8 campaign those pushing for homosexual marriage proclaimed that school children would not be forced to learn about homosexuality and same-sex marriage. But now, every school district in California is encouraged to honor Harvey Milk specifically for his sexual orientation."
Prentice added, "Governor Schwarzenegger, instead of acting on behalf of children and the vast majority of parents who want their children protected from indoctrination in the public schools, has instead folded his tent to the pressures of special-interest."
Schwarzenegger did not issue a signing statement, although spokesman Aaron McLear told the Associated Press that Milk "has become much more of a symbol of the gay community than he was a year ago because of those things [the movie and the White House recognition]. That made the difference from last year: he's really come to symbolize the gay community in California."
Randy Thomasson, an opponent of the law and the president of SaveCalifornia.com, had said Milk's sexual escapades made him unfit to be pushed as a role model. Thomasson's press release quoted from "The Mayor of Castro Street," a popular biography about Milk. Milk was 48 when he died but always had a desire for teen boys and men in their early 20s, the book says. He also advocated having multiple partners, it says.
Although Schwarzenegger pleased conservatives in past years by twice vetoing bills that would legalize "gay marriage," he now supports "gay marriage." He opposed Prop 8 and has done little in the past year that social conservatives support.
--30--
Michael Foust is an assistant editor of Baptist Press.
Copyright (c) 2009 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press. Visit www.bpnews.net. BP News -- witness the difference! Covering the critical issues that shape your life, work and ministry. BP News is a ministry of Baptist Press, the daily news service of Southern Baptists.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Truth About Exodus Ministries
The following article does a good job setting the record straight concerning the mission, beliefs, and methods of Exodus International ministries. I hope you will read the article. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or if you need assistance. Phone: 615-509-0782. Email: richard@thesightministry.org
October 7, 2009 by Julie Neils
Filed under Culture, Educate, Featured, Homosexuality, Pop Culture, Post-gay, Youth & Young Adults
I’m always curious to see what people are saying about Exodus and as the PR person, I’m pretty sure there’s something in my job description about that too. I’ve heard some winners in the years I’ve spent working on and around this subject. Hmm . let’s see. According to some, Exodus believes in inhumane psychiatry that harkens back to the Dark Ages. Others say we peddle nonsensical, mind-altering remedies to unsuspecting prey that erases any and all attractions. Still others’ seem to think we hold mysterious camps with all the security measures of the FBI training facility in Quantico – just in case anyone would think of escaping. Of course, none of that is remotely true and all of it is wholly laughable, but it is amazing how hearsay begats rumors and rumors begat hard news. So, here’s the 411 on the top myths about Exodus International to set the record straight (no pun intended):
THE CURE . . . and I don’t mean the 80’s band:
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard the words, “Exodus International” and “religious group that claims to cure gays” in a sentence I’d be rich . . . and in Tahiti right now. Seriously, though, the Bible teaches that the only form of sexual expression God intended for His creation is between a man and woman married to one another. All else, heterosexual or homosexual, falls outside of His plan and constitutes as sin. That said, not many wake up one morning, down their coffee and decide to be gay. As complex human beings, sexual attractions develop for many known and unknown reasons and no one chooses those, but as sexual beings, we all make decisions about how to express ourselves. For those who consider the Bible to be life-giving truth, homosexual attractions and the desire to act on them are at odds with the desire to live a life that reflects the Christian faith and often results in moral tension. We know, though, that pursuing a relationship with God over these attractions, won’t always make the feelings go away. They may stay the same, lessen or possibly shift towards the opposite sex. That’s not the point. The point is to pursue a life beyond attractions, feelings and societal labels that is guided and defined by Jesus Christ and truth of Scripture. And for the record, living with conflicted desires is not the same as living a life dominated by them! So, to sum up, we don’t believe there is a “cure” for homosexuality, adultery, arrogance, gossip or any other sin. There is, however, Jesus who paid the price for it all when He died on the cross. Then there is the daily, sometimes moment-by-moment, decision to live a life congruent with His teaching.
AVERSION, I mean CONVERSION THERAPY:
“So, how does it work, conversion therapy, I mean?” is an all-too-common question most Exodus staffers are asked on a routine basis. Truthfully, most of us don’t know. Furthermore, most of us don’t know anyone who has actually undergone this type of therapy. It’s only used by a handful of professionals, but for some reason, folks seem to think that it’s the primary function of Exodus. It’s not. “Reparative or conversion therapy” is a counseling method used in addressing unwanted same-sex attraction to repair the damage of past relationships that may have contributed to its initial development. In general, we think every professional and their client ought to be able to determine the methods and options most helpful in accomplishing their joint goals, including this one, but it isn’t the sole approach used, nor is it essential. That’s because the decision to leave a gay identity behind isn’t necessarily about one method, one program, one counseling approach our even about becoming straight. It’s about pursuing a Christ-centered identity rooted in God’s definition of us as individuals.
U.S.S. PRAY THE GAY AWAY:
Prayer is certainly an important part of a Christian’s life, but it’s not a magic formula. If you find one let us know. J This mantra ignorantly dismisses the complicated issues that often underlie attractions and deeper still – identity. As I said before, we don’t think many, if any, wake up one morning, down their coffee and decide to be gay. Sexual attractions develop for many known and unknown reasons and no one chooses those. As complex individuals, we must also take into account the way others hurt us and the way we hurt ourselves. For many who contact Exodus, hurt has become a familiar, but unwelcome fixture in life. Talking to God about these things is part of a dynamic relationship with Him, but it doesn’t always change the fact that dealing with it is just plain hard work.
CAMP GAYBEGONE:
As for those mysterious gay-to-straight “boot camps,” they don’t exist. And neither do any other Exodus camps – mosquito infested or otherwise. We do have an annual conference and some local ones too – held at churches, conference centers and Christian college campuses -just like other Christian conferences, though I’ll freely admit that the content is eye-poppingly unlike most other Christian conferences. We aren’t interested in bludgeoning others with our big black Bibles or our views. Truth be told, we can barely keep up with the 300,000 calls and e-mails we get every year from those who do want our input.
Exodus International doesn’t exist to make gay people straight, promote a formula for “success,” to make money or even to pass legislation. We exist to help others live a life that reflects the Christian faith. We’ve found that the opposite of homosexuality is most certainly not heterosexuality. It is holiness. It is loving God and being loved by Him. It is accepting His identity for us, instead of everyone else’s. But those things don’t often make headlines and I suspect that, unfortunately, we’ll continue to see more crazy things out there churning around in the rumor mill.
October 7, 2009 by Julie Neils
Filed under Culture, Educate, Featured, Homosexuality, Pop Culture, Post-gay, Youth & Young Adults
I’m always curious to see what people are saying about Exodus and as the PR person, I’m pretty sure there’s something in my job description about that too. I’ve heard some winners in the years I’ve spent working on and around this subject. Hmm . let’s see. According to some, Exodus believes in inhumane psychiatry that harkens back to the Dark Ages. Others say we peddle nonsensical, mind-altering remedies to unsuspecting prey that erases any and all attractions. Still others’ seem to think we hold mysterious camps with all the security measures of the FBI training facility in Quantico – just in case anyone would think of escaping. Of course, none of that is remotely true and all of it is wholly laughable, but it is amazing how hearsay begats rumors and rumors begat hard news. So, here’s the 411 on the top myths about Exodus International to set the record straight (no pun intended):
THE CURE . . . and I don’t mean the 80’s band:
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard the words, “Exodus International” and “religious group that claims to cure gays” in a sentence I’d be rich . . . and in Tahiti right now. Seriously, though, the Bible teaches that the only form of sexual expression God intended for His creation is between a man and woman married to one another. All else, heterosexual or homosexual, falls outside of His plan and constitutes as sin. That said, not many wake up one morning, down their coffee and decide to be gay. As complex human beings, sexual attractions develop for many known and unknown reasons and no one chooses those, but as sexual beings, we all make decisions about how to express ourselves. For those who consider the Bible to be life-giving truth, homosexual attractions and the desire to act on them are at odds with the desire to live a life that reflects the Christian faith and often results in moral tension. We know, though, that pursuing a relationship with God over these attractions, won’t always make the feelings go away. They may stay the same, lessen or possibly shift towards the opposite sex. That’s not the point. The point is to pursue a life beyond attractions, feelings and societal labels that is guided and defined by Jesus Christ and truth of Scripture. And for the record, living with conflicted desires is not the same as living a life dominated by them! So, to sum up, we don’t believe there is a “cure” for homosexuality, adultery, arrogance, gossip or any other sin. There is, however, Jesus who paid the price for it all when He died on the cross. Then there is the daily, sometimes moment-by-moment, decision to live a life congruent with His teaching.
AVERSION, I mean CONVERSION THERAPY:
“So, how does it work, conversion therapy, I mean?” is an all-too-common question most Exodus staffers are asked on a routine basis. Truthfully, most of us don’t know. Furthermore, most of us don’t know anyone who has actually undergone this type of therapy. It’s only used by a handful of professionals, but for some reason, folks seem to think that it’s the primary function of Exodus. It’s not. “Reparative or conversion therapy” is a counseling method used in addressing unwanted same-sex attraction to repair the damage of past relationships that may have contributed to its initial development. In general, we think every professional and their client ought to be able to determine the methods and options most helpful in accomplishing their joint goals, including this one, but it isn’t the sole approach used, nor is it essential. That’s because the decision to leave a gay identity behind isn’t necessarily about one method, one program, one counseling approach our even about becoming straight. It’s about pursuing a Christ-centered identity rooted in God’s definition of us as individuals.
U.S.S. PRAY THE GAY AWAY:
Prayer is certainly an important part of a Christian’s life, but it’s not a magic formula. If you find one let us know. J This mantra ignorantly dismisses the complicated issues that often underlie attractions and deeper still – identity. As I said before, we don’t think many, if any, wake up one morning, down their coffee and decide to be gay. Sexual attractions develop for many known and unknown reasons and no one chooses those. As complex individuals, we must also take into account the way others hurt us and the way we hurt ourselves. For many who contact Exodus, hurt has become a familiar, but unwelcome fixture in life. Talking to God about these things is part of a dynamic relationship with Him, but it doesn’t always change the fact that dealing with it is just plain hard work.
CAMP GAYBEGONE:
As for those mysterious gay-to-straight “boot camps,” they don’t exist. And neither do any other Exodus camps – mosquito infested or otherwise. We do have an annual conference and some local ones too – held at churches, conference centers and Christian college campuses -just like other Christian conferences, though I’ll freely admit that the content is eye-poppingly unlike most other Christian conferences. We aren’t interested in bludgeoning others with our big black Bibles or our views. Truth be told, we can barely keep up with the 300,000 calls and e-mails we get every year from those who do want our input.
Exodus International doesn’t exist to make gay people straight, promote a formula for “success,” to make money or even to pass legislation. We exist to help others live a life that reflects the Christian faith. We’ve found that the opposite of homosexuality is most certainly not heterosexuality. It is holiness. It is loving God and being loved by Him. It is accepting His identity for us, instead of everyone else’s. But those things don’t often make headlines and I suspect that, unfortunately, we’ll continue to see more crazy things out there churning around in the rumor mill.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Middle School Youth More Open to Coming Out Sooner, Article Reports
October 1, 2009 by Randy Thomas
Filed under Bi-sexuality, Educate, Featured, Gay, Homosexuality, Lesbian, Pop Culture, Post-gay, Schools, Sexuality, Youth & Young Adults
Comments (0)
Middle School Youth More Open to Coming Out Sooner, Article Reports
Written by: Chris Stump | September 29th, 2009 – Cross-posted at Exodus Youth.
An article was recently published in The New York Times reporting that middle school youth are more open to coming out earlier. It’s a rather lengthy article focusing on several middle school teens who have come out in their schools and to their families. It’s interesting to see how the climate has changed in middle schools even since I was there a little over ten years ago. Being gay was still somewhat taboo. It was only used as a humiliating term. You were labeled, but never did you claim that identity. I remember middle school being a very confusing time period for me and everyone else. In my day (which wasn’t too long ago), little identity clusters started to form in middle school. You had the “cool” kids, you had the “preppy” kids, and there were the nerds, and the unpopulars. Everyone was looking for an identity – wanting to fit in…somewhere.
Something that concerns me about what this article reports is all the kids who come out at twelve and thirteen years of age are embracing an identity based on their feelings. I don’t know about you, but I know when I was a middle schooler, my feelings were all over the place. They weren’t a trusted source for my identity. But that is what these youth are going by – how they feel towards others of the same-sex. They label and trap themselves in a sexual identity. Being gay becomes who they are entirely.
The article discusses how the climate has changed over the years, making it “easier” for middle school youth to come out. Popular culture has most certainly paved the way towards affirmation and acceptance with positive portrayals of gays and lesbians. But does that make it ok? I believe it pushes youth to an even greater identity crisis, urging them to accept an identity they may not even fully understand at the age of 11 or 12. With the glamorizing of bisexuality in the media with pop songs such as Katy Perry’s infamous “I Kissed a Girl”, it has become trendy and even posh for girls to be bisexual. Many of the students in the article mention a larger population of bisexual girls who seem to become more popular after they’ve divulged their sexual preference.
When there is positive reinforcement by peers, it’s hard not to embrace a label. Instead of encouraging the expression of their sexuality, we need to be concerned with the motivation of girls who claim to be bisexual. The media is saying it’s cool and hot. But it really only musters up more gender confusion.
Another thing that stuck out to me was when the author mentioned fluidity in sexuality. So many in the secular world agree with the idea that sexuality is a fluid thing. But how is it so hard to embrace the idea of people moving from a homosexual identity to a post-homosexual identity? That’s just another “expression” of sexuality being fluid. But, yet, it is scorned and ridiculed for being absurd.
Why is popular culture the most influential medium on youth today? It certainly does not have any moral compass. The message of pop culture is “be who you want to be/you are how you feel/do what you want”. Where it seems from this article that these middle school youth have found clarity in who they are, I believe it has only brought more confusion. Middle School could be described in my life by this one word: chaos. Feelings are swirling around, hormones are going haywire, and we’re desperately looking for an identity. This is the time in a young person’s life to not jump to any conclusions, and embrace an identity they don’t even quite understand. We are more than just our feelings. We are more than just who we are attracted to.
Instead of celebrating the earlier embrace of a gay identity, we need to be cautious and concerned. Embracing an identity based on feelings as an 11-13 year old child, whose brain is still developing and hormones are raging, is jumping the gun. Pop culture is steering the trends in our youth today, without a moral compass. Are we going to allow pop culture to be the only wisdom our youth hear?
October 1, 2009 by Randy Thomas
Filed under Bi-sexuality, Educate, Featured, Gay, Homosexuality, Lesbian, Pop Culture, Post-gay, Schools, Sexuality, Youth & Young Adults
Comments (0)
Middle School Youth More Open to Coming Out Sooner, Article Reports
Written by: Chris Stump | September 29th, 2009 – Cross-posted at Exodus Youth.
An article was recently published in The New York Times reporting that middle school youth are more open to coming out earlier. It’s a rather lengthy article focusing on several middle school teens who have come out in their schools and to their families. It’s interesting to see how the climate has changed in middle schools even since I was there a little over ten years ago. Being gay was still somewhat taboo. It was only used as a humiliating term. You were labeled, but never did you claim that identity. I remember middle school being a very confusing time period for me and everyone else. In my day (which wasn’t too long ago), little identity clusters started to form in middle school. You had the “cool” kids, you had the “preppy” kids, and there were the nerds, and the unpopulars. Everyone was looking for an identity – wanting to fit in…somewhere.
Something that concerns me about what this article reports is all the kids who come out at twelve and thirteen years of age are embracing an identity based on their feelings. I don’t know about you, but I know when I was a middle schooler, my feelings were all over the place. They weren’t a trusted source for my identity. But that is what these youth are going by – how they feel towards others of the same-sex. They label and trap themselves in a sexual identity. Being gay becomes who they are entirely.
The article discusses how the climate has changed over the years, making it “easier” for middle school youth to come out. Popular culture has most certainly paved the way towards affirmation and acceptance with positive portrayals of gays and lesbians. But does that make it ok? I believe it pushes youth to an even greater identity crisis, urging them to accept an identity they may not even fully understand at the age of 11 or 12. With the glamorizing of bisexuality in the media with pop songs such as Katy Perry’s infamous “I Kissed a Girl”, it has become trendy and even posh for girls to be bisexual. Many of the students in the article mention a larger population of bisexual girls who seem to become more popular after they’ve divulged their sexual preference.
When there is positive reinforcement by peers, it’s hard not to embrace a label. Instead of encouraging the expression of their sexuality, we need to be concerned with the motivation of girls who claim to be bisexual. The media is saying it’s cool and hot. But it really only musters up more gender confusion.
Another thing that stuck out to me was when the author mentioned fluidity in sexuality. So many in the secular world agree with the idea that sexuality is a fluid thing. But how is it so hard to embrace the idea of people moving from a homosexual identity to a post-homosexual identity? That’s just another “expression” of sexuality being fluid. But, yet, it is scorned and ridiculed for being absurd.
Why is popular culture the most influential medium on youth today? It certainly does not have any moral compass. The message of pop culture is “be who you want to be/you are how you feel/do what you want”. Where it seems from this article that these middle school youth have found clarity in who they are, I believe it has only brought more confusion. Middle School could be described in my life by this one word: chaos. Feelings are swirling around, hormones are going haywire, and we’re desperately looking for an identity. This is the time in a young person’s life to not jump to any conclusions, and embrace an identity they don’t even quite understand. We are more than just our feelings. We are more than just who we are attracted to.
Instead of celebrating the earlier embrace of a gay identity, we need to be cautious and concerned. Embracing an identity based on feelings as an 11-13 year old child, whose brain is still developing and hormones are raging, is jumping the gun. Pop culture is steering the trends in our youth today, without a moral compass. Are we going to allow pop culture to be the only wisdom our youth hear?
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