Exodus International - Archbishop of Canterbury's U-Turn on Homosexuality

Orlando, FL- The world's largest outreach to those desiring freedom from homosexuality is praising the Archbishop of Canterbury's seemingly public reversal of his position on homosexuality. Previously supportive of homosexual relationships, Archbishop Rowan Williams said in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph that he has backed a resolution that says homosexual practice is incompatible with the Bible.

"Ethics is not a matter of a set of abstract rules, it is a matter of living the mind of Christ," said Williams. "That applies to sexual ethics." The archbishop also denied that it was time for the church to accept homosexual relationships, saying that it should be welcoming rather than inclusive: "I don't believe inclusion is a value in itself. Welcome is. We don't say 'Come in and we ask no questions'. I do believe conversion means conversion of habits, behaviors, ideas, emotion."In 1989, while a professor of divinity at Oxford University, Williams founded the Institute for the Study of Christianity and Sexuality and said, "The pressure that some church figures put upon people of differing sexual identities is a greater disgrace than anything else seen in the church."

The reason for his change of opinion is unknown.

"We applaud the archbishop's courageous stand for the truth," said Alan Chambers, President of Exodus International. "The lack of biblical clarity on the issue of homosexuality is rampant in far too many congregations. Ours is a passionate call to the global church to extend the love and kindness of Jesus Christ, the hope of freedom for those who seek it and the steadfast truth of the Scriptures."Exodus International recently launched the Exodus Church Network - a ministry that provides training sessions and resources to educate churches leaders and their congregations on what the Bible has to say about issue of homosexuality. Men and women formerly identified as gay individuals are available to speak and encourage an attitude of compassion towards the gay community and church members who are conflicted by unwanted same-sex attraction.

Exodus International is linked with support groups in the United Kingdom. It is the largest organization dealing with homosexual issues in the U.S. and throughout the world.

To read more about the archbishop's interview with The Sunday Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/08/27/ngay27.xml