WHAT?! Leaders of Exodus International, which announced it is closing this week, are starting a new group aimed at finding common ground within conservative churches and fostering ACCEPTANCE OF ALL SEXUAL ORIENTATIONS!

Exodus International, a longtime leader in the Christian "gay conversion therapy" movement, is closing its doors, having concluded that trying to counsel people out of same-sex attractions doesn't work and can do grave harm. The group's president, Alan Chambers, issued a lengthy apology this week at the organization's final conference.

But the debate within the conservative Christian world over homosexuality is far from over, and it may well get sharper as the politics of gay rights – especially gay marriage – intensifies.

Most of Exodus's affiliates had already left before Mr. Chambers's announcement and are expected to keep doing conversion therapy. A new umbrella group is already in place, the Restored Hope Network, which its website says is "dedicated to restoring hope to those broken by sexual and relational sin, especially those impacted by homosexuality." On Friday and Saturday, the group is having its first annual conference in Oklahoma City.

MORE http://news.yahoo.com/interview-leaders-defunct-gay-conversion-group-planning-124026455.html

Michael D. Shoesmith

Social Networking Director

Ministry Coordinator

PPSIMMONS/CGM