True Freedom Trust
True Freedom Trust is a religious organization based in Wirral , United Kingdom , that aims to encourage gays and lesbians to abstain . She views the spread of the belief that homosexual behavior, but not sexual orientation , is sin as a form of Christian service to the gay community.
History and viewpoints
The True Freedom Trust was founded in 1977 by Anglican clergyman L. Roy Barker and Martin Hallett, a homosexual who "had lived a homosexual lifestyle" for nine years. Martin Hallett has led the organization since Barker's death in 2004 .
TFT does not generally encourage homosexual Christians to expect a change in their sexual orientation, even if the organization believes such a change is possible. TFT was a founding member of Exodus International , the international arm of the ex-gay organization, but terminated its membership in 2000 based on statements by Exodus that they believed tended to "trick people into" illusions "by changing their orientation was promised. Due to its historical relationship with Exodus and attitudes towards homosexual behavior, True Freedom Trust is often viewed as part of the ex-gay movement , when in fact it is no longer the case.
When the evangelical organization Courage Trust announced in 2001 that it was now "gay-affirming", TFT director Martin Hallett said that the True Freedom Trust would not be affected and that the belief that homosexual "sexual activity" was maintained "is fundamentally wrong.
In 2004 the organization hit national and ecclesiastical headlines when the Holy Trinity Congregation in Barnet announced that it would transfer the money owed to the diocese to the True Freedom Trust instead of the diocese due to the nomination of Jeffrey John as bishop.
activity
TFT basically works on a referral basis by bringing dissatisfied homosexual Christians into contact with the main office, where they can receive advice and recommendations on what further path to take. Often this includes personal support from a Christian supervisor and recommendation to a "Barnabas" group. The Barnabas Groups are Christian self-help groups made up of homosexual and heterosexual participants, several of which exist in the UK and Ireland.
According to the Hendon & Finchley Times, TFT has helped 10,000 men and women since 1977.
True Freedom Trust is a member of the Association of Christian Counselors in the United Kingdom and a member of the Evangelical Alliance of Great Britain.
True Freedom Trust has the organizational form of a charity trust under English law.
Web links
- True Freedom Trust official website
- Out and Cowed? Ex-Gay in the UK Description on the Ex-Gay-Watch website
swell
- ↑ "Why TFT exists", TFT website ( memento of the original from April 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Director Martin Hallett, quoted in David L Rattigan, "Out and Cowed?" in Third Way (UK), May 2006
- ↑ Statement by Martin Hallett, July 2001 ( Memento of the original from April 18, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Telegraph: Rebel parish to fund 'cure' for homosexuals , May 16, 2004
- ↑ "What TFT offers", TFT website ( memento of the original from April 15, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Hendon & Finchley Times: Church is divided over gay clergy issue, May 18, 2004 ( Memento of the original of September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Association of Christian Counselors: Result member search ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Evangelical Alliance: Member search organization
