Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily.
Advancing the stories and ideas of the kingdom of God.
Ex-Gay Movement
Since the American Psychological Association (APA) took homosexuality off the books as a psychological disorder in 1973, the debate over reparative therapy—an attempt to change someone’s sexual orientation to heterosexuality—has continued with little rigorous research. In 2009, the APA adopted a resolution stating that mental health professionals should avoid telling clients that they can change their sexual orientation. Many question the ethics of treating someone for a condition which is not considered a disorder and posit that reparative therapy risks traumatizing the patient. Therapists also disagree about what constitutes a return to heterosexuality—whether it is celibacy, an absence of homosexual attraction, or something beyond that. Amid these concerns, organizations such as Exodus International have run reparative therapy programs with mixed success.
All Articles
What Comes After the Ex-Gay Movement? The Same Thing That Came Before.
Old-school evangelical leaders once knew the value of “care” over “cure.”
News
‘Pray Away the Gay’ Has Gone Away. Why Are Governments Trying to Stop It?
Nations around the globe are pushing bans on conversion therapy, some without defining what it is.
How We Got to the Equality Act
The LGBT movement was shaped by the animosity of populist evangelical rhetoric and tactics.
News
Wheaton Students Protest ‘Train Wreck Conversion’ Speaker’s Ex-Gay Testimony
Chapel message becomes latest debate over how evangelical colleges approach sexual identity.
Our Eulogy for Exodus International
Its end feels like the death of a loved one with whom we’ve had a complicated history.
Exodus in the Wilderness
Alan Chambers’s impassioned apology reflects many elements of godly repentance, but it also goes awry in three key ways.
News
After Exodus: Evangelicals React as Ex-Gay Ministry Starts Over
(UPDATED) A roundup of responses to Alan Chambers’s apology and Exodus International’s shutdown and reboot after nearly four decades of ministry.
News
Former Ex-Gay Spokesman John Paulk Apologizes Amid Divorce
Wife Anne Paulk cites key differences in their walk and asks for prayer for him.
News
Exodus International Fragments Over Focus
Ex-gay coalition shifts from reparative therapy to discipleship after losing prominent partners.
Thoughts from a Simple-Minded Jesus Lover
The great gay Christian debate is never-ending, one-dimensional, and somewhat pointless.