gay lite with half the calories

A few years back I got into it with a blogger for the Assemblies Of God church over the issue of gay Christians with the group Soulforce that were being booted off Christian school campuses. Out of the blue the blogger brought up a man's story who identified as an "ex-gay" and how he was "delivered" from homosexuality.

Now I've come across people like this before and at one time I was even a frequent poster at exgaywatch.com. I told the AoG blogger that if you look closely at the stories (like with the man he brought up) of these 'ex-gays,' you find a pattern of same-sex sexual abuse, forced same-sex prostitution and just horrible same-sex sexual experiences that led them to want to leave homosexuality. I questioned if many of these people were really even gay and by getting out of these damaging circumstances and getting over these traumas related to homosexuality, they went back to their true nature of heterosexuality (I don't see many heterosexual men and women running from being straight just because they've had bad opposite-sex experiences).

The big 3 who toot this "gays can change" line for the self loathing are Narth, considered the largest 'medical' organization touting the ex-gay myth with mental health quakes held over from the era when homosexuality was considered a mental disorder. Exodus International, the largest umbrella group for ex-gay ministries across the nation who's founder ran off with another man and renounced the organization and topping off the unholy ex-gay trinity is PFOX (a slap in the face to the friends and families gay affirming group PFLAG), a group with a persecution complex who's president is a mother who resents her son being gay so much, she makes it her life mission to tell other parents it's O.K. if you don't accept your child's homosexuality and still love Jesus.

If you follow the money trails with these organizations you'll find they are funded by rabid anti-gay conservative groups who parade these supposed ex-gays out in the public to say; "See?! You aren't born gay and here's the proof. Now dance like a monkey for us you ex-gay freaks so everyone can see you!"

Recently it was big news when Exodus International reversed it's stance on gays "changing" that sent a blow to the whole ex-gay circus that followed various scandals of ex-gay leadership who couldn't stay on the opposite-sex love bandwagon and ex-gay groups getting caught twisting scientific data for their own agenda. Even my favorite anti-gay theologian Robert Gagnon got in on the fray when he wrote that the president of Exodus International, Alan Chambers, step down (Gagnon's over the top piping made many realize what I've said all along, the man is unbalanced (read; Loopy) when it comes to the issue of homosexuality) that forced Exodus to give a public response.*

In a way I feel sorry for these rare birds called "ex-gays." To me they are the walking damaged who believe that for God to love them, they have to hate a part of themselves that can love another.

VICE

Now that reparative therapy is finally seen for the horror it is since I first wrote this post way back in 2013, "ex-gays" are now changing their tune to; "GOD changed me, not a group that I joined to help me change." I also see they are becoming more strident with holding events and marches, but isn't that rubbing it in our faces? What anti-gays say gays do with Pride events and parades?

* Exodus International is now shuttered with their leaders either apologizing or running into the private sector without saying a word (Paulk is now a chef who makes his own béarnaise sauce from scratch) and that includes the Jewish equivalent of Exodus, JONAH, that the courts shut down. 

Jeff couldn't pack his Dior luggage fast enough when he saw the "Ex-Gay Camp" counselors on the brochure

Tutti Fruttuti

Italian Christians celebrate "Day Against Homophobia." Makes you wonder if French Christians, Belgium Christians etc, are celebrating the day hiding behind their sofas so you can't see them from the front window.

Post Mid-ern

“Well, while you were in the bathroom, I sat down at this picnic table here in Bumblefug, Kentucky, and noticed that someone had carved that GOD HATES FAG, which, aside from being a grammatical nightmare, is absolutely ridiculous. So I'm changing it to 'God Hates Baguettes.' It's tough to disagree with that. Everybody hates baguettes.”


-John Green, An Abundance of Katherines

Cult of Lance Armstrong?

Sometimes I check to see where my blog traffic is coming from. One source comes from this blog that wants to spotlight the heresy of 'Armstrongism,' Whatever THAT is, but my question is how my blog ended up on their site along side blogs named "leave it lay where Jesus flang it" and "Whiskey Preacher?"

Think my blog name is too harsh? Some of my critics are in the habit of calling me "rotten queer" and leaving out the 'Christian' part. I like to think it's unintentional.

Enjoy some gospel for a wednesday morning.

The Mark of the Taco Beast

Taco Bell is releasing these, I think Leviticus calls these an abomination...somewhere. A few years ago Del Taco released it's own un-holy horror when they did a campaign for their new mole tacos. Now me loves me some mole, but out of all the ad ideas shown to Del Taco corporate, they go with the brilliant idea of picturing their taco kicking me in the mouth. I don't know about you, but I try not to associate bad Mexican food with my teeth being kicked in.

Mia Alluim

Any guy worth his garlic salt should be able to make at least one good thing in the kitchen and mine is garlic cheese bread, the king of all pungent breads. The best you can buy (they ship it all over the globe) comes from the "Smoke House" steakhouse restaurant (What's floating around the net claiming to be the recipe from the restaurant is fake). The "Stinking Rose" is a garlic-centered restaurant that has a garlicky oil concoction on every table you smear on the warm bread they bring to your table (you can smell the stuff 3 blocks from the place) that can kick the butt of wasabi in strength. I'm waiting for garlic to take the place of bacon fervor in the hearts of America like it did in mine...but I'm not holding my breath.

Ingredients:
1 loaf French bread
1/2 cup butter room temp
1 cup shredded aged white cheddar or any good strong cheese (I use a double-cream feta I get at a local Armenian store).
1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 green onions -- chopped
1/4 cup shallots -- chopped
1 garlic clove-- pureed
*optional* One cheese powder packet from a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (rumored to be the secret ingredient in "The Smoke House" garlic bread).

Directions:
Split bread loaf into halves. Mix butter, cheeses, mayonnaise, green onions, shallots, garlic, cheese powder and in a bowl blend well. Spread the cut side of bread with spread. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes, then place under broiler til toasty.

Toxicita

I just got off another Bible/homosexuality debate. I swear, my spirit is sapped when I get off of one of these, it's like my life force is sucked out of me through the mouth. Now keep in mind I'm debating other "Christians" so you have to ask yourself; "What's wrong with this picture?"

Some of these people are just plain deceivers when it comes to the Gospel and homosexuality (Pastors, TikTok preachers, Theologians, Church leaders in some capacity). Debating them ends with them debasing themselves. The Bible is given very little attention or no attention from their part after they finish quoting all the clobber passages. Those I dread when I wake up in the morning to think of what they wrote back because lose face if the back down. Others are just dumb sheep who don't want to hear, or care, what I say because it means they have to do some actual work in finding out what the Bible really says to see if I'm right instead of just going by what they were told. Those are in the majority. One woman wrote me a very impassioned response with saying she didn't dislike me and she hopes I have a happy life, but she just didn't agree with homosexuality because of her Bible belief. When I wrote her back in an equally impassioned way with saying I am also a believer and she's wrong on the issue of homosexuality, all the kindness melted away with her second response and she went to the old lines of saying I live a "Lifestyle" and parroting other anti-gay talking points. That showed her true colors after she gave up the gig of trying to come off as a "Compassionate Christian" to a homosexual. One guy was like I was debating a robot, no emotion, just a cold systematic issue with homosexuality (I kept looking under my bed when he and I came to blows because he came off like the boogeyman) and then one day he just stopped writing like his battery died.

Now some will ask me why I bother with putting myself in the line of fire of these nobs people? I do it because if I don't give a counter-point to theirs, people will think their IS no counter-point. No Angel is going to float into a room and tell them; "You need to cut it out with reading into Scripture with what's your own hang-up on homosexuality and go bake some kind of pie for a soup kitchen." These folks won't go help their elderly neighbor who has no one in the world to be with them, but they'll sure spend all day typing away on their keyboard telling me God hates my sin. These people are a tangible example of the Bible talking about those who are so deep in darkness, they see the darkness as light. And It's never just one I debate, it's always a slew at a time or if I finish with one, another takes his place like some kind of Satanic whack-a-mole game.

 

2 Chicken Thigh Meal

Remember my initial Centurian post? It all started with an anti-gay blog (these types of personal hate of the LGBTQ with Bible blogs are tired, predictable, and boring as spit) and his twisting to make the Centurion's story void of any homosexual element. I challenged him on his blog about that. Now I find out the author of the blog attacked me personally with his own follow-up post much later with what might be deeper issues with him. He doesn't respond to my Centurion post I did here with answering him, but what I wrote on his blog ages ago he selectively edited and moved to a new post hoping people won't bother with our initial exchange. This is the original exchange without the editing. His only real refute was falsely claiming I lied on what Gagnon said in is book about the Centurion story and he's since been proven wrong, ironically, by one of his blog followers who wrote me. The only reason I go the extra mile with this is because when you Google my blog name, this twits blog pops up right after.

Anne Rice the author left Christianity because she said she couldn't take the nastiness and bigotry she saw from most Christians and she hightailed it out of Salvation. This thing of Christians coming off like Fun House monsters is getting tired.

Guest Blogger Tanya

I can't say enough about Tanya who my Saviour was kind enough to bring into my life in His perfect timing. I read a blog post of a man who was less than kind when it came to having the love of Christ for homosexuals. Out of the choruses of agreements it was one poster who asked him to show charity where there was lacking in this man's heart, the poster's name was Tanya. I sent an e-mail, not to the author of the blog, but to Tanya over at her blog "The Brown Bunch" thanking her for the small kindness she showed with what she wrote, we've been friends ever since. I'm privileged to have a guest post from this most gracious of women.



I am new to Church. I am new to Christ. I am sure that there are many mature Christians who would love the opportunity to lovingly shake me and say "WAKE UP, the Bible tells us that homosexuality is SIN!" I don't read the same message in the bible that those well meaning "God Fearing Christians" read. I read a Bible that tells me that I was once a massive, ignorant SINNER and that so is EVERYONE else. I read about the LOVE and the amazing plan that was put in place to SAVE us ALL from our sinful ways. I read about REDEMPTION! I read about GRACE.

A GRACE that is BIGGER than ANYTHING we can EVER imagine. I read about a WILD, SCANDALOUS LOVE, that ONE MAN has for us ALL! Is this the same message of the gospel that you read? I can't even begin to tell you, how unworthy that kind of LOVE makes me feel. YOU DIED FOR ME? YOU DID THAT FOR ME? There's NOTHING that I could EVER do to DESERVE that. It is a GIFT that is so GRACIOUSLY given, for FREE to EVERYONE who will listen and BELIEVE. This gift alone is enough for me to walk humbly with Jesus. He is teaching me about LOVE and how BIG and WIDE and DEEP that LOVE is.

I have been reading a very poignant blog, I would love for my readers to have the opportunity to see things from the writers point of view. That you would be brave and be open to his very brave message. I believe that humanity is filled with good intentions. I believe that some things have been indoctrinated into our belief systems and whether we believe these things or not, has absolutely NO baring on the LOVE that God has for us ALL. I believe that these beliefs can hinder so many from hearing about the AMAZING LOVE that God has for ALL of His children. I believe that EVERY man, woman and child is entitled to the LOVE that Jesus has poured out for ALL. How on earth can the "good news" of the gospel be shared if we bring the news in judgement and not in love? How can we share our own salvation with others, if all we share is the crystal clean version of who we are? The reality is that our lives are MESSY and GRIMY and PAINFUL and COMPLICATED, isn't this why we ALL NEED a SAVIOR?

Be OPEN & be BRAVE.

But most of all,

BE BLESSED!

Tanya At The Brown Bunch