On the same day that an ex-gay activist who writes for the Christian Post was caught using a gay “dating” site, Linda Harvey of Mission America raved about a new book on ex-gay therapy during her radio alert today. Harvey encouraged listeners to read A Young Man’s Journey: Healing for Young Men with Unwanted Homosexual Feelings by ex-gay activist Floyd Godfrey. Godfrey calls A Young Man’s Journey a “workbook written for young men who want to understand the emotional needs and wounds which generate homosexual feelings” that provides “goals and healing activities” and cites ex-gay favorites like Joseph Nicolosi, Richard Cohen, Joe Dallas and Arthur Goldberg.
Harvey said she learned from the book that gay people’s “same-sex desires diminish” once they deal “with envy, grudge-holding and other sinful attitudes,” and gays will eventually develop “attractions to women.” She said that the book helped young readers who contemplated suicide and alienation.
What Floyd [Godfrey] writes makes practical as well as spiritual sense. He suffered from intense envy and admiration of other boys and wanted to be like them but felt different and inferior. As he hit puberty this envy took on a sexual dimension but it was the longing for a close, affirming male friendship that was at the root of these desires. Floyd knew he did not want to go down the road of homosexuality. His faith in Christ prompted him to keep praying for a change in his feelings but that change did not happen until he went to a conference of others who had overcome these desires. It was a major turning point, what he learned put him on the path toward healing of the many other issues that he believes God wanted him to recognize. Repentance and then transformation began to take place in Floyd’s life and as he dealt with envy, grudge-holding and other sinful attitudes, the same-sex desires diminished and he began to feel something entirely unexpected: attractions to women.
Listen to some of the comments from boys who’ve read this book. Kyle, age 15, says: ‘This book makes so much sense. I can see myself in so many of the examples. I wanted to hurt myself before, I used to hate who I was, I thought about suicide, now I feel hope, I think I can do it, I’m starting to like who I am.’ Skyler, age 17, says: ‘It was so comforting to know other guys have felt this way and to know I’m not alone. It’s given me a voice to things I couldn’t put into words. It’s really been helping, after trying to do the things in the book I’m now dating and love it!’
