Exodus or Enslavement, by Daniel O. Snyder

Exodus is an inspiring story and has been used in countless sermons and spiritual writings. It is the founding narrative not only for Jews and Christians but its underlying archetypal image is found in nearly all religious traditions. I find it, therefore, deeply disturbing that The Exodus, of all narratives, would be used to describe a conference being held this week at Ridgecrest, the Southern Baptist regional conference center near Black Mountain. Exodus International is an organization for people who presume to ?heal? homosexuality. What I find particularly distressing, in addition to the obvious homophobia, is the desecration of a foundational narrative of a religious tradition I cherish. It is a sacrilege.

I?m choosing my words carefully. ?Desecration? means to abuse or destroy that which is holy or sacred. A ?sacrilege? is a crime. The word is derived from sacrum and legere and means, literally ?to steal sacred things.?

In my work as a pastoral psychotherapist and spiritual director I often work with people who are struggling to understand their sexuality in light of their faith. Regardless of orientation, faithful human beings want to grow in spiritual discernment. They also want to name the truth about who they are, and to know that their love and their sexual expression of it is blessed by God, and that they can live as whole beings in a committed, spiritually grounded partnership. We all have much to learn about sexuality and spirituality but this is a process that requires prayer and discernment, not ideology. For Exodus International, ideology trumps discernment and ?Exodus? becomes enslavement to the views of those who presume to speak for God.

Of the many powerful narratives in scripture, the Exodus story is perhaps one of the richest in its imagery of the journey from enslavement to freedom. As such it offers unlimited possibilities for spiritual practice. It is truly a sacred narrative precisely because it comes alive again and again whenever someone turns to God in prayer. It is therefore a sacrilege, literally a theft of the sacred, to force this narrative into the service of an ideology. That which is holy is desecrated, abused, and distorted when we reduce God to the measure of our fears. Inviting others to participate in such desecration, offering ?healing? in the name of ideology, and standing as gatekeeper to the sacred, is to distort the spiritual journey and to use sacred narrative as bait for entrapment. It is, frankly, abusive.

Like other forms of abuse, spiritual abuse is often delivered with warmth, kindness, and in the name of love. Exodus International will offer hugs, celebration, Eucharist. There will be pastoral prayers, hymns, and the joyful embrace of community. Nor will any of this be offered with any evil intent. Indeed, it will be offered in all innocence, with the best of intentions and good will, with heartfelt conviction and genuine desire ? all in the name of ideology. However innocently offered, it is still spiritual abuse.

To those at Exodus International I would say that, obviously, there are lots of ways to have this conversation. We could discuss the Biblical texts; we could debate what is ?Christian;? we could argue on the basis of theology, sociology, science, or psychology. But, as we all know, these conversations rarely lead to ideological agreement. So let?s forego the Scripture wars. Let?s not stake out ideological positions, invent gods to support them, and then force religious narratives into their service. Let?s just agree that God wants to lead us all to freedom, and that the Exodus is a journey that can be discovered again and again in the present moment. I have read the Exodus International website and considered your arguments; now I would invite you to consider the possibility that God might be calling you to an Exodus out of homophobia. I would invite you to hear the prophetic voice that is rising up in our gay and lesbian communities, telling us that homophobia is a fear that God seeks to heal, indeed that God has already healed it in a growing number of congregations. To those who presume to ?heal? homosexuality, I say let?s all heal our homophobia so that we can come to a common table where faithful people, gay and straight, can all grow and learn together about the wonderful diversity of God?s creation.

Daniel O. Snyder, PhD

Black Mountain, NC

(Snyder is in clinical practice in Black Mountain, and is an active member of Swannanoa Valley Friends Meeting (Quaker). For confirmation, his phone number is: 828/664-2014. Email: dansnyder@alumni.guilford.edu.