I arrived today in Los Angeles for a weekend of shows with plenty of time to meet with cool people I've met on the web including folks from the Gay Christian Network, Eric, Jonathan Bullock, Reagan DuCass (who was just once again slimed on DL Foster's site), Ex-Gay Watch's Daniel Gonzales (also slimed by Foster), Steve Schalchlin, Joe G, Malcolm Boyd, Mark Thompson and rumor has it even Troy Perry.
My host, C. Todd White and his friend Bob have me in a lovely home in Encino with a super view, a pool and wi-fi. They will have trouble getting rid of me.
On the plane I began reading Tanya Erzen's book Straight to Jesus--Sexual and Christian Conversions in the Ex-Gay Movement. Erzen spent 18 months at the New Hope residential ex-gay program (formerly Love in Action) in San Rafael, CA. She digs into the lives of participants current and former, mostly white Evangelical males, and unearths motivations and complexities in the pursuit of an ex-gay life. I have completed a third of the book so far.
I've been thinking a lot about the ex-gays caught in the middle of the struggle between the public ex-gay program leaders and the gay activists. So many sincere people seeking change in their lives, struggling to do what they feel God wants them to do. Although I often explore the ex-gay experience through comedy, I know it is no joke, and I know that many adults involved in the process feel compelled to do so because of their love of God and their desire to do the right thing.
I remember being there myself for many years. I longed to please God and did everything in my power to serve God, to fill my life with Jesus, to let the Lord do a work in me. I saw myself in a heroic quest to surrender fully to God. And whenever I fell, bruised and filled with remorse, I turned to God and I trusted that Jesus would forgive me and give me strength for a new day as I fought the good fight.
I do not regret the years I sought change from my same-sex desires, well sought more than that, I sought to be whole in Jesus, to be a man of God. I do not regret the efforts in prayer, in church, in Bible study, in pastoral counseling sessions, in ex-gay support groups and residential homes and even the three exorcisms I endured. Perhap I regret some wasted time, years lost, but I do not regret seeking change with all my heart.
When I finally realized that such a change was not possible and I knew I had done everything in my power to make it right, I then was ready to do the work in my life of reconciling my faith in Jesus with my same-sex desires, with reconciling my distrust of the "gay community" with the reality that I somehow belonged in it, with reconciling the rejection I experienced from the church with my longing to still find my place in it, with reconciling the fragmented pieces of myself that did not seem to fit.
For anyone who is ex-gay, post-ex-gay or not even sure where they are in that process, this wrestling challenges us deeply and daily. For all that I criticize ex-gay programs and policies, I cannot help but feel a kinship with the women and men in these programs seeking to find their places in this world.
My host, C. Todd White and his friend Bob have me in a lovely home in Encino with a super view, a pool and wi-fi. They will have trouble getting rid of me.
On the plane I began reading Tanya Erzen's book Straight to Jesus--Sexual and Christian Conversions in the Ex-Gay Movement. Erzen spent 18 months at the New Hope residential ex-gay program (formerly Love in Action) in San Rafael, CA. She digs into the lives of participants current and former, mostly white Evangelical males, and unearths motivations and complexities in the pursuit of an ex-gay life. I have completed a third of the book so far.
I've been thinking a lot about the ex-gays caught in the middle of the struggle between the public ex-gay program leaders and the gay activists. So many sincere people seeking change in their lives, struggling to do what they feel God wants them to do. Although I often explore the ex-gay experience through comedy, I know it is no joke, and I know that many adults involved in the process feel compelled to do so because of their love of God and their desire to do the right thing.
I remember being there myself for many years. I longed to please God and did everything in my power to serve God, to fill my life with Jesus, to let the Lord do a work in me. I saw myself in a heroic quest to surrender fully to God. And whenever I fell, bruised and filled with remorse, I turned to God and I trusted that Jesus would forgive me and give me strength for a new day as I fought the good fight.
I do not regret the years I sought change from my same-sex desires, well sought more than that, I sought to be whole in Jesus, to be a man of God. I do not regret the efforts in prayer, in church, in Bible study, in pastoral counseling sessions, in ex-gay support groups and residential homes and even the three exorcisms I endured. Perhap I regret some wasted time, years lost, but I do not regret seeking change with all my heart.
When I finally realized that such a change was not possible and I knew I had done everything in my power to make it right, I then was ready to do the work in my life of reconciling my faith in Jesus with my same-sex desires, with reconciling my distrust of the "gay community" with the reality that I somehow belonged in it, with reconciling the rejection I experienced from the church with my longing to still find my place in it, with reconciling the fragmented pieces of myself that did not seem to fit.
For anyone who is ex-gay, post-ex-gay or not even sure where they are in that process, this wrestling challenges us deeply and daily. For all that I criticize ex-gay programs and policies, I cannot help but feel a kinship with the women and men in these programs seeking to find their places in this world.
Comments
Thank you for sharing your story. I'm so grateful you survived that.
Reading yours and others' stories always makes me think of a song. Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain) by INXS.
Playing in the dirt
We find the seeds of doubt
Don't water them with your tears
Don't think about all the years
You'd rather be without
Eden lets me in
I find the seeds of love
And climb upon the highwire
I kiss and tell all my fears
Falling down the mountain
End up kissing dirt
Look a little closer
Sometimes it wouldn't hurt
Playing in the dirt
We find the seeds of fun
And we scream like alleycats
Tearing down what we attack
To prove that we are one
Cutting through the night
And we find the seeds of lust
And lose our minds on one intent
These passions never seem to end
I look forward to meeting you on Friday--and also to your host. Feel free to invite others, also.
I am simply accommodating.
Eric
I am simply accommodating.
Careful, honey, or I might steal that and put it on a T-shirt! :-)
Great post, Peterson. You're right, it's important not to forget the people stuck in the middle.
Nice digs they've got you in!
I'm so looking forward to meeting you in person! My friend Scott and I were chatting over the weekend and I believe we will be heading over on Sunday. I'll need to confirm! Anyway...great to have you in town!
j.
It reminded me of the years I spent in 'ex-gay' mode, and the friends I knew during that time - some of whom are still travelling on that road. I'd like to think that there is still some mutual respect.
I love the tenderness you share in this post--both toward yourself and others. Thanks.