Thoughts on Alan Chambers

Different people have different quirks, mine is listening to Christian radio (usually when the other stations are not playing the music I like). It always fascinates (or amuses) me to hear their point of views, which are of course completely opposite to mine.

My local Christian Station had Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International, on their Primetime America program to promote his new book, "Leaving Homosexuality". He sounded like a real genuine guy, openly admitting to the fact that he still struggles with his attraction to men on a daily basis, which he said is more common than not among the "ex-gays".

He talked about how he keeps his "demons" in check, by always traveling with another person and having the hotels turn off their onDemand movies before he arrives.

Whether he realizes it or not, Chambers is basically refuting with himself as the example the evangelical argument that sexuality is a choice, or a different "life style" that hedonistic people indulge themselves in out of moral corruption. After all, if it's indeed as simple as that, a good Christian like Chambers would have "snapped out of it" long ago. But sadly, the conversation never went there. Not once was he asked, "Were you born gay or did you choose to be gay?"

So basically what Chamber preaches is not the change of a "lifestyle", but rather the suppression of one's sexuality to achieve "christian standards". In other words, he advocates celibacy from gay sex, but doesn't guarantee that one would be free of it.

Listening to him talk I really feel for the guy, for not being able, in this day and age, to accept the fact that being gay has nothing to do with morals. But I don't count on him coming around soon. After all, had he not become a part of the "ex-gay" movement, Chambers would just be a regular gay guy doing whatever makes him happy. Now, he's president of a well-known organization making a bunch of money writing books. Maybe from his perspective it's all worth it. And as long as he's miserable and unfulfilled in love, might as well make sure he's in plenty of company by selling this ridiculous idea of "ex-gay".