Press Release from Dr. Brown: “Do Ex-Gays Have Human Rights?”
Filed under News, Sexuality & Gender on February 19th, 2009 by Marcus FrenchDr. Brown put out a press release this morning asking the question “Do Ex-Gays Have Human Rights?” The press release can be found at http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/280649512.html, and is reprinted below:
Charlotte Christian Leader Asks the Human Rights Campaign, ‘Do Ex-Gays Have Human Rights?’
Contact: Eric McCoy, 704-701-2886, eric@icnministries.org
CHARLOTTE, NC, Feb. 20 /Christian Newswire/ — Dr. Michael Brown, director of the Coalition of Conscience and a speaker at Focus on the Family’s Love Won Out Conference at Central Church of God in Charlotte this Saturday, February 21, claims that the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), has a history of “discriminatory and defamatory treatment of those who choose to leave the homosexual lifestyle.” (The HRC will be holding its annual fundraising dinner in Charlotte on Saturday night, less than one hour after the conclusion of the Love Won Out Conference.)
Over ten years ago, the HRC published a 28 page booklet designed to counteract ministries devoted to helping people come out of homosexuality, claiming that, “Most people who have been through these ministries . . . refer to their experience as psychological terrorism.” In the same publication, conservative Christian organizations were described as “religious political extremist groups.” The HRC also enthusiastically backed the recent anti-ex-gay movie, “For the Bible Tells Me So,” claiming on their website that the movie “examines how a select few biblical verses are used by right-wing extremists to deny gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people their basic rights.”
Brown, however, questions how an organization which claims to stand for the rights of gays and lesbians can so strongly oppose the rights of those within that community who are not at peace with their same-sex attractions and who choose to pursue change.
“How,” Brown asks, “can they be called the Human Rights Campaign? What about the human rights of ex-gays? And how can the HRC call for tolerance and understanding and yet be so intolerant and bigoted in their treatment of those with unwanted same-sex attractions? Why heap scorn on ex-gays and deny their very existence? Isn’t this the height of hypocrisy for an organization ostensibly devoted to the basic rights of gay and lesbian people?”
Sponsors of this year’s HRC Carolinas Dinner include Bank of America, Wachovia, Duke Energy, Food Lion, American Express, and Audi. Despite this high level of corporate sponsorship, Brown claims that the HRC hardly represents mainstream America, noting that Joe Solmonese, president of the HRC, has stated that all Americans who believe that marriage should be defined as the union of a man and woman are “right-wing extremists.” The HRC also calls on businesses to have special bathroom accommodations for employees undergoing sex-change operations.
“Who are the real extremists?” Brown asks.
Dr. Brown will be available to speak with the media between 1:00-2:30 during the Love Won Out Conference (5301 Sardis Road, Charlotte, NC). For further information, contact Eric McCoy at 704-701-2886 or eric@icnministries.org.
Tags: Coalition of Conscience, Dr. Michael Brown, homosexuality, Human Rights Campaign, Joe Solmonese, love won out
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Michael Brown, Radical Right-Wing Religious Extremist, Believes Gays Do Not Have Human Rights
Michael L. Brown is the founder and president of ICN Ministries, which he claims is devoted to taking the message of repentance to Israel while training Christian revolutionaries. He and his leadership team spawn dangerous “ministries”, where Brown serves as the leader in a war against Jews and gays. According to Brown, “graduates” of his “school” are now spreading their hatred and psychological filth throughout the United States and in more than twenty-five nations.
As a Jew who now believes that Jesus is the promised “Messiah”, in addition to making a career out of raising money to fight against equal rights for gay, lesbian and transgender citizens, Brown is also active in anti-Jewish Christian evangelism, debating rabbis on radio, TV, and college campuses, as well as presuming to teach churches about “God’s” “eternal purposes for Israel and the Jewish people.”
Incredibly, given his support for revolution and considering his militant and anti-Jewish stance (online class: “The Jesus Revolution” — CW114 (1 credit) Subjects covered in this course include: Jesus the Revolutionary, Revolution in the Church, Principles of Revolution, God’s Counterculture Revolution, Strategies for the Jesus Revolution, The Role of Music and Arts in the Revolution, and Knowing the Times and Seasons.), he is allowed to be a regular (paid?) speaker at Focus on the Family’s so-called Love Won Out Conference, and to speak for Christianity as a whole.
Brown has a long, profitable history of encouraging discrimination against gays, lesbians and transgendered people, and of telling defamatory lies about them.
Brown has accidentally stated truth before, as when he recently quoted the Human Rights Campaign: “Most people who have been through these ministries … refer to their experience as psychological terrorism.” Brown has started dozens of highly profitable religion-based political extremist groups and he sells them thousands of items through his ICN website and at all of the conferences he attends. All of these sales are tax free.
While, typically, Brown may not have even seen the documentary “For the Bible Tells Me So”, which the HRC says “examines how a select few biblical verses are used by right-wing extremists to deny gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people their basic rights,” he certainly is spending a lot of time whining about it, especially to raise his profitability profile once again on the backs of “x-gays” and gays, at this year’s anti-gay “x-gay” conference.
Brown should question himself: how does an organization which claims to stand for the equal rights of those so-called “x-gay” and “x-lesbian” Christians, conned into believing they need to change their sexual orientation, justify so strongly abusing and opposing the rights of people within that same gay and lesbian community who are at peace with their same-gender attractions – those who state factually (and can back it up with evidence, unlike Brown and the “x-gays”) their own enormously negative experiences about pursuing (or being pursued by) Brown’s touted failure: “the pray away the gay change therapy”?
What about the human rights of gay citizens? How can these so-called Christians call for brotherly love, tolerance and understanding for their decidedly minority, biased anti-gay pronouncements, actions, conferences, etc., and yet be so intolerant, unloving, deliberately ignorant and bigoted in their treatment of those with same-gender attractions?
Why continuously heap deadly scorn and lies on gays, choosing to remain in denial of their very normal existence throughout time in the human and animal, insect and plant worlds, except as some unnatural form of “sinner’s choice”? This is the height of hypocrisy for an organization ostensibly devoted to honoring the “Prince of Peace” by honoring people’s eternal souls. One’s biology is not a chosen factor of one’s existence. Religion and lying are completely human choices.
Sponsors of this year’s HRC Carolinas Dinner include Bank of America, Wachovia, Duke Energy, Food Lion, American Express, and Audi. Despite this high level of corporate sponsorship, Brown claims that the HRC doesn’t represent mainstream America.
Brown also perpetrates and stirs up anti-gay fears and anti-transsexual fears with worst-case scenarios based on extreme stereotypes.
He claims gays and lesbians are extremist for defending themselves against a much bigger, much more deadly enemy, which outnumbers them by the millions and has unlimited tax-free money which they choose to use against gays and Jews. Yet Brown chooses to resort to lies and intentionally anti-gay misrepresentations. He believes and encourages, preaches and teaches a “Christian Revolt” — and he wants to be a voice of revolution, not for peace or love, brotherhood or for the needy – against gays and Jews wherever he can earn a buck from doing so.
So, Michael Brown, who is the extremist? You are.
Allan,
Our commenting rules forbid personal attacks - especially those that judge people’s motivations - but since your comments were so over the top and inaccurate from start to finish, we decided to allow them to be posted for our readers, since your comments do, in fact, give insight into the level of libelous invective that some people are willing to engage in to make their point.
We wish you well and sincerely hope that you will come to find the truth. (For more on Dr. Brown’s participation in the showing of “For The Bible Tells Me So” during a forum here in Charlotte, see our article Queen’s University Event located here).
Marcus French
Editor: Voice of Revolution
Allan’s comment is a joke isn’t it? I mean he portrays the homosexuals as the persecuted minority and their opponents as “a much bigger, much more deadly enemy, which out numbers them by the millions and has unlimited tax-free money…..” Which side raised the most money for their respective Proposition 8 campaign, who has the overwhelming backing of the media and Hollywood, and who now has their preferred candidate in the White House?
Ewan,
If it had been a joke, it would have been very funny — honestly, it was hard not to laugh while reading some of it to my radio audience yesterday — but sadly, I assume Allan believes (at least in part) what he wrote, which is one of the reasons we decided to post it (despite the personal attacks, which are otherwise not allowed). This gives us a window into the souls of those on the other side of the issues, helping us to understand how they see people like me (allegedly motivatedly by greed and hatred, etc.) and helping us to pray for them to be delivered from their deception. In fact, just getting to know any of us personally would smash the false images put forth in Allan’s post, which is why I always try to interact face to face with those who oppose me. The negative stereotypes come crashing down pretty quickly.
That being said, the spending for Prop 8 was pretty close, and from the GLBT viewpoint, they remain the strongly oppressed minority. Let us pray all the more for God to touch and deliver them!
It was a rhetorical question. The GLBT community may be a minority but they have the ear of the majority and it is the Christian community that is becoming an oppressed minority. In the USA it is possible that Christians are still in the majority but here in Australia and it would appear in places like the UK, Christians are very much in the minority.
I see that Sean Penn used his acceptance speech at the Oscars as an opportunity to criticise supporters of traditional marriage and that he unsurprisingly received loud applause from the godless Hollywood crowd present.
Fully understood! The rhetoric was duly noted before I replied.
I look forward to listening to the show where you read out Allan’s comment. Which one was it?
Check out this latest bit of commentary from Bill Muehlenberg about the Australian federal government and homosexual activism.
Both of these articles and their authors are the problem. It is not funny in the least when people are dying and going to hell. I’ll say this, I believed I was gay my whole life and when Jesus saved me, my same sex attractions were still intact. I reached out to the Christian community when I realized that it didn’t disappear with salvation. I got the gammit, from condemnation to no response. I did however get a wonderful warm compassionate response from the Gay Christian Network. I continued to pursue, biblically and through prayer, whether it was right or wrong but an answer wasn’t clear.I was angry at God for not giving me an answer, but I got past that and eventually, with much mercy, grace and patience, He led me (although not through any scriptures either side uses, but other scriptures never touched on) to the conclusion that it is not His plan for samesex attracted people to be in physical relationships.
So here is what I don’t understand: Why is the church so focused on gay people? If a gay person truly gets saved and continues to pursue holiness, God is going to lead them where he or she needs to be. They don’t need ex-gay programs, they just need to seek His face and stay in the Word. I personally will never condemn a person that is seeking to be a gay Christian and neither should the church, just tell them to keep seeking, although I would and will explain how I came, by the grace of God, to my conclusion. But that is not enough, I was told when I was saved that being gay was wrong, but not until I personally got the revelation did it change my heart.
As for gay people that could care less what God thinks, it’s really simple, they just need to be saved! Divorce and adultery is much more prevalent in the world today than gay people, and much, much, more prevalent in the church! Why isn’t the church holding conferences, ministries, etc. about that? Why are you engaging in back and forth arguments in an un-Christlike manner with folks that are obviously unsaved? Being gay isn’t their problem any more than being a divorcee, or adulterous, or addicted to drugs! Their problem is they are lost without Jesus! That should be your focus, not their sex life.
As for so called ‘gay christians’, I found out that about 90% of them really don’t care to find ouy what God has to say, so until He draws them it really doesn’t matter. The other 10% are truly seeking, even if they are deceived that being gay is ok, they will be willing to stop when God gives them understanding. And the great thing about our long suffering, merciful Father is that He will, especially if the church is praying for them to get the revelation, rather than putting them in ridiculous programs that don’t work. Obviously you have no faith in Him or His faithfulness to His new children to be a lamp unto their feet. I truly believe if I had died while still seeking, and the other gay christians die while they are seeking, we will go to heaven to be with Jesus. God looks at the heart and sees our desire to be holy and he is not going to leave us in confusion forever. So stop being condemning to those who are seeking God’s righteous answers, be merciful and pray with them. In Corinthians, the guy that was sexually immoral knew it was wrong and didn’t care. These people care, they are just confused, especially by the churches response. And focus on getting the rest of them saved by Jesus redemptive power and grace and quit worrying about their behaviour or who they want to marry.
Kellie
Kellie,
Thanks for sharing your perspective. You mentioned: “They don’t need ex-gay programs, they just need to seek His face and stay in the Word.” What are your thoughts regarding the many people that have been blessed by ex-gay ministries and the accountability, encouragement, and information they found there? And what of the many that have been lead astray by pro-gay theology? Surely these ex-gay ministries provide an important service in rightly interpreting the scriptures with regard to this issue. Why do away with them all together?
Also, you mentioned: “He led me (although not through any scriptures either side uses, but other scriptures never touched on) to the conclusion that it is not His plan for samesex attracted people to be in physical relationships.” I noticed you didn’t put in there the disclaimer “same-sex physical relationships”, am I to take from this that you do not believe people with same-sex attractions ever change their orientation, and thus would be free to be in physical relationship with a member of the opposite sex within marriage?
With regard to your statement that we should “quit worrying about [the homosexual community's] behaviour or who they want to marry,” I would encourage you to read Frank Turek’s article Gay Marriage: Even Liberal’s Know it’s Bad, as well as his book on the subject. Why should the church raise its voice on these issues? Consider Dr. Martin Luther King’s words:
Marcus,
Thanks for answering. I understand that there are people that have been helped by ex-gay programs and if the Lord uses that then I’m all for it. But I also personally know of countless people who have been damaged by such programs and I would have to say my perception is colored by the pain that I have heard and felt from their experiences. And then there are all the ex-gay leaders who said they were helped and touted the programs for years, only to admit in the end that it didn’t work. As for those who have been led astray by pro-gay theolgy, or more accurately Christian pro-gay theology, there are many, I was almost one. But my whole point was that Jesus was faithful, He didn’t leave me there because I continued seeking His will! You mentioned accountability but in the end it comes down to personal accountability to the Lord. When I stand before Jesus, you won’t be there. We all have to decide whether obeying Him is more important than our flesh, and while I believe in seeking wise counsel, it can also become a crutch, a way to be ex-gay by ‘working the program’ rather than having a new heart and a new spirit.
Which brings me to your question about orientation. That has so many layers and I don’t have all the answers, and I don’t believe anyone does, except God. Some people are gay because of former abuse, some from experimenting and deciding they like it, and some, like myself who have always felt gay from my earliest memories. Can some of these folks change there orientation and be in successful opposite sex marriages? I absolutely believe that. Maybe the desire is already there, just buried beneath our experiences. And, our God is sovereign and He could take the most masculine female or a flaming queen and completely change their desires and behaviours. He’s God and He can do anything. But in my experience that is rare. With me, even if He caused me to be physically attracted to a man, it’s not something I want. I want to spend the rest of my life with no distractions of any type of relationship, I just want to focus on Him. But I also know that not everyone can deal with a life of celibacy or being without a loving relationship. So to reiterate, there isn’t one answer, it falls again to going where He leads us, which He will if we seek His will.
I will definitely read the article and while I appreciate the statement by Martin Luther King, I also know that he struggled with sexual immorality and was in many ways an ungodly man, so I don’t put a whole lot of stock in what he says. I do know that sexual immorality defiles the land, as does the shedding of innocent blood (abortion). But in the New Testament church I don’t see a whole lot of politics going on. I believe we have to do everything in our power, politically or otherwise, to stop abortion, to help the helpless. But secular gay people are not helpless, they are making a choice to not believe in God, and preventing them from getting married isn’t going to stop the behaviour that defiles the land. I also don’t believe that we are any longer a majority Christian Nation, for despite the polls of how many believe in God or identify as Christian, what percentage, even in our churches, do you really believe are wholeheartedly sold out to Jesus? Without Him, morality is just that, meaningless. I believe we are now at a point where those who truly belong to Him are in captivity in this nation. I believe His wrath is imminent and we need to be focusing our attention on the unsaved, gay or otherwise, asking for the same mercy and longsuffering He provided to us. Making people follow a law won’t change their heart, and that’s what it’s going to take, repenting and humbling ourselves and turning from unrighteousness so He can heal the land. That’s not going to happen by law, but by true revival and preaching the gospel in power. When we get saved we automatically want to follow the law that’s written in our hearts and He is faithful to continue to make us aware of any unrighteousness. Ever heard of the town where everyone got saved and they closed down the jail because they had no need for it? That’s what I’m talking about, we are no longer under the law, and unsaved folks especially aren’t, we need a heart change not more laws.
So I appreciate you Marcus, you and those who reach out to gays, I just don’t think you or Michael Brown have the full picture. I would to God that both of you could feel the pain and anguish gay people feel when their very being seems rejected by God, and when those in the church who purport to love like Christ, condemn and ridicule those feelings. Countless suicides and people forever turning from God because of how they were treated is not something I would want to be accountable for ( I’m not saying you, but the church in general). One of my favorite books is ’In His Steps’, the basic premise being “What would Jesus do?’. I don’t think He would put people in programs or try and change the laws of the land or stop people from changing them to suit their immorality, He certainly didn’t while He was here, nor did He preach that we should. Instead He was loving and gentle when He pointed out sin, (except to religous leaders, just sayin’) and when that overwhelming love and truth caused folks to turn to Him, He then He taught us to walk after the Spirit and not the flesh. And lastly He said, “Get involved in politics, that wil fix everything.”, I’m just kidding, He really did say to his followers, ” Go and make disciples of all nations.”
I don’t have the full picture either Marcus, we all have the perspective from where we sit, but we have to be willing to learn from each other and I’m open to being taught as long as it lines up with Scripture. And I do know this, if you truly love Jesus with all your heart, then you’re my brother and I love you.
Kellie
Kellie-
I want to thank you so much for posting. It was such an awesome letter and thanks so much for being so honest. I think you bring such a well-needed perspective and voice to this. My husband and I have really found there are many gays seeking, and many of their problems go much deeper than “being gay.” And many times after those inner areas are healed, the struggle with bring gay decreases. We also have found entering into those friendships with gays has helped break down the stigma they feel towards those who believe in God. Thanks so much for your post.
Mandy,
To hear that you and your husband care so much and that your love causes gay people to respond is making me cry, that’s what Jesus would do! I know that this is a very emotional issue and we all make mistakes in dealing with each other, but at some point the rhetoric has to stop and the real work begin.
Thank you so much for being like Him, it’s an example every Christian should follow. I pray that you will be fruitful in your ministry and that you will be blessed for reaching out to the ostracized, you will probably never know how much it means.
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love….
Thanks sister,
Kellie
Kellie-
Please correct me if I misstate your position at all in my post. I want to understand and discuss, not misrepresent and argue with a fellow believer. Some of this post may seem harsh, but I know no other way of stating my position on homosexuality and sin.
Sin is sin, whether it is stealing, extramarital sex, lying, etc. Practicing gays are unrepentant people continuing in their sins. Are you saying we shouldn’t confront them with their sins? Are we to be so worried about their feelings that we don’t address the issue? I mean, after all, the same justifications for being gay could be applied to unrepentant adulterers. They’re just following their sinful impulses. So are rapists and pedophiles. I know that’s not a fair comparison, but I say this to illustrate the slippery slope such approaches can lead to. Every sinner just follows his natural impulses. Gays shouldn’t be singled out to be handled with kid gloves.
Sin causes pain and anguish. Sin separates us from God. That’s why it causes pain and anguish. That’s why gays have pain and anguish when they feel God has rejected their total being. God has rejected sin. If they built their whole being upon their sin (being homosexual) which God rejects, then their whole being IS being rejected. If I built my whole being upon cheating on my wife, then it would be safe to say that God would reject that. If they are so entrenched in their sin that it is all they are, then they have nothing. I think that on the one hand you tell us to not treat them differently with special support groups, etc., and then it appears that you say we should treat them with kid gloves so they won’t feel bad about their sin filled lifestyle.
Your call to love is admirable, but our love and compassion should never make us look upon sin with less revulsion.
Your statements are true, that laws won’t change people. Only the Savior can. I agree. On the other hand, some reject Him. Most will. So while laws won’t change people, they are still needed to act as some sort of restraint on evil. We would be irresponsible to not fight evil by any and all means possible. Following this logic, we should not pursue anti baby murder legislation, because only the Savior can change people. I wonder how many Christians in 1930’s Germany thought the same thing about Hitler. “Don’t fight him, only God can change him.”
We should love people, to be sure. Sin should make us sick to the core. When we let love and compassion get in the way of fighting sin, we fail and become a big loving social club. When we let our revulsion for sin get in the way of loving God’s creation and the people our Savior died for, we become no better than the hate groups. The trend these days is towards becoming a big loving feel-good social club. That is why we have lost our message to the world.
Again, if I have misunderstood you or misrepresented you in any way, please let me know.
Blessings,
Justin
Deuteronomy 6:4-6