The Underground -- Willow Creek announces parting of ways with ministry for ex-gays, Exodus International

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Willow Creek announces parting of ways with ministry for ex-gays, Exodus International Posted: 24 Jul 2011 09:17 AM PDT A megachurch in Chicago announced recently its parting of ways with an “ex-gay” organization that it had worked with for several decades. Willow Creek Community Church, with a membership of 30,000, announced recently that it is parting ways with Exodus International. However, the decision to sever ties was actually made in 2009. Susan DeLay, spokeswoman for Willow Creek, told Christianity Today that people who have same-sex attractions are welcome to the church. “Willow Creek has a whole host of ministries for people dealing with these issues, and we would never intend for them to feel sidelined.” Exodus International was disappointed with the decision of the megachurch.  Alan Chambers, president of Exodus told CT, “There are Christians who believe like one another who aren’t willing to stand with one another, simply because they’re afraid of the backlash people will direct their way if they are seen with somebody who might not be politically correct.” Exodus, the largest ministry globally that adheres to the belief that homosexuality can be healed through a relationship with Jesus Christ, has been experiencing some trouble lately. In New Zealand the ministry lost its tax exempt status, and there is a petition in Canada that is being forwarded by the New Democratic Party that seeks to do the same for all ex-gay organizations. Chambers told CT, “I really do think decisions like this, ultimately, highlight a reticence in the church to stand up for biblical truth, and they’re coming at a time when we’re going to have to stand up for what we believe. I think there’s a way to stand up. We have to find that way.” Last year, Exodus chose to cancel sponsorship of “Day of Truth,” which urges students to speak openly about their feelings of censure towards homosexuality. Chambers, taking note of the issues of bullying and gay youth suicide, said the approach was not appropriate. Instead, he told CT “a much more conversational, relational, service sort of way” is more suitable. Recently, the president of TOMS Shoes apologized for its participation in an event in collaboration with Focus on the Family, which also disagrees with homosexual behavior. Willow Creek says its decision to part ways with Exodus International is the result of a review of its relationship with various organizations. Scott Vaudrey, director of pastoral care in a statement told The Christian Post, “It is true that Willow Creek discontinued its formal relationship with Exodus. In making this move, we were not making a social or political statement. We were simply in a season of reviewing and clarifying some of our affiliations with outside organizations.”

Keeping the Faith: Time to Hit the Road Posted: 23 Jul 2011 06:04 PM PDT Nothing screams “summer” like a family road trip. Even with the explosion of easy-access-information, human beings still long to explore their world. We aren’t content to merely “Google” our surroundings and accept that as a genuine experience. So, families get up, get out, and get going; especially during these sacred months of warm weather and long days. To the beach, the mountains, the grandparents, the roller coasters, or the local state park, parents and children stream, their SUVs laden with fishing poles, tents, Weber grills, and luggage. Moms and dads relax, at least a little bit. Kids get sunburned, a lot actually. Relatives get visited and hugged, even those we don’t like. And gallons of ice cream, lemonade, and soda are consumed by thirsty hands and mouths as sugary-sticky as duct tape. I love these road trips as much as Clark Griswold and Cousin Eddie. I always have, though when I was a kid raised in a poor family, “vacation” consisted of a hot two-hour ride in a rattling station wagon to Aunt Francis’ house, an afternoon at a Civil War Memorial, and dinner at Bonanza. Still, I loved the road, and it felt like a great adventure (believe me, with that station wagon, every trip was an adventure). I’m traveling more and more these days, not so much out of love for the road – I like sleeping in my own bed – but out of love for old and new friends; out of love for what is happening all across North America. In Atlanta, Peoria, Detroit, Dallas, Paducah, Tucson, and everywhere in between, I find and spend time with people who are over-churched and religiously over-worked, but who are under-graced and under-gospeled. The practice of their faith has become an albatross around their neck and they want to be free of it, not because they suddenly have given up on faith or hate Jesus, but the contrary: They so love Christ and so value their faith, that to retain these things they love, they must let everything else go. They want simply to worship their God, follow Jesus, and help their neighbors. They hope to do this without all the ecclesiastical machinery we have created. They meet in coffee shops, in store fronts, around dining room tables, in pubs, and yes, sometimes in church sanctuaries. They have come to understand that church isn’t a place we go. It’s something we become. Church isn’t about buildings or organizations or sacraments. It’s about people and relationships. Church isn’t an institution that should complicate our lives further. Rather, it should set us free and focus our lives on Christ. I once heard Phyllis Tickle say that every 500 years or so, the church has a rummage sale. Paraphrasing, she said every few centuries Christians scrounge through everything we have stockpiled in our attics and collective storage boxes. We start sorting through it all and discover that some of it is too precious to ever let go. But much of what we find stashed away in moldy storage units has to be moved to the curb. After all, Christians are a pilgrim-people. This world is not our home and we are built for the wandering, open road. Hanging on to anything beyond what is truly essential will only weigh us down, and hanging on too long will cause us to sink roots where we do not belong. In my own travels, this – this – is exactly what I discover all over North America: People of faith who have had their rummage sale, and who are now neck-deep in the journey away from religious institution and toward becoming grace-filled, Jesus-following, baggage-relinquishing explorers. They are now light enough to hit the road, living out the great adventure of faith. What do you say a few of us get together along the way? A cup of coffee down at the corner, a pint at your favorite watering hole, Sunday morning at the red-bricked church-house: You just let me know when and where. I’ll meet you there, and we will hit the road together. Ronnie McBrayer is a syndicated columnist, speaker, and author. His books include “Leaving Religion, Following Jesus” and “The Jesus Tribe.” Visit his website at www.ronniemcbrayer.net.

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