Peter Sprigg of the Christian
conservative Family Research Council (FRC) has criticized 'ex-gay'
leader Alan Chambers for apologizing to the gay community.
Last year, Chambers began leading
“ex-gay” ministry Exodus International away from supporting
therapies aimed at “curing” gay men and lesbians of their sexual
orientation. Chambers, who at one point starred in ads for the
ministry touting “change is possible,” reversed course, saying
such therapies do not work and revealing that his attractions to
other men have not faded.
Last month, Chambers apologized for
promoting such therapies and announced the shuttering of Exodus,
which billed itself as the world's oldest and largest “ex-gay”
ministry.
“I wish we had been a whole lot more
honest,” Chambers said in a Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN)
interview. “I wish we had shared the depth and the complexity of
our stories. That I follow Christ in the mist of the reality that I
live in. That I have an amazing marriage, even in the reality of
temptations and struggles and attractions that are still there. And
I think we've tried far too often to minimize that discussion. And
it's hurt people in the process.”
(Related: 'Ex-gay'
survivor to Exodus' Alan Chambers: You preyed on the vulnerable.)
“I don't think anyone in the ex-gay
movement has anything to apologize for,” Sprigg said. “The
overall message of the ex-gay movement has been change is possible.
That a very modest statement.” (The video is embedded on this
page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)