The Irish Times published a recent article on the work Exodus International does along with the ministry Core Issues, which is based in Ireland. The article gives Alan a chance to share some of his story since his trip to speak at the conference in Ireland was canceled due to the volcanoe eruption.

I love Jesus (but not in a gay way)

April 21, 2010

By Fionola Meredith

At the centre of this movement is an organisation called Core Issues, a Northern Ireland Christian initiative run by Mike Davidson, a married man who describes himself as having been “in conflict with unwanted homosexuality . . . before finally seeing the light”. Core Issues has brought a series of high-profile ex-gay speakers from the US to Ireland, and this week hopes to host a “Leaving Homosexuality Celebration” with Alan Chambers of Exodus International, a worldwide umbrella group for ex-gay organisations – that is, if the “act of God” volcanic ash situation allows Chambers to enter the country.

The author of Leaving Homosexuality: a practical guide for men and women looking for a way out , Chambers – like many in the movement – is unabashedly upfront, evangelical even, about his own struggle to overcome “unwanted same-sex attraction”. He says: “I first realised I had same-sex attractions at around age 11. I did not choose those unwanted attractions and did everything in my power to change them.”

Chambers admits that the faith-based approach advocated by Exodus isn’t a miracle cure: “While some do absolutely see an eradication over time of their same-sex struggles, most see a lessening. Some see no change whatsoever. In my case, I did experience a great shift in my attractions . . . and when I met my wife, Leslie, the connection I felt with her was unmistakable – a deep unselfish love, very different than the selfish, self-focused lust/love I’d had for the men I’d fallen for.”

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Read the whole article at the Irish Times