Most Canadians know homosexuality is not an illness.
Most Canadians would agree at least to the level of somewhat that there is no ‘homosexual agenda’ that we often hear repeated by special interest groups in the US.

Most Canadians - straight or GLBT are aware that sexual orientation in Canada is not something Canada legally, politically, medically and socially accepts as needing to be changed.
Religious Tolerance has a section on how various religions in Canada view same sex attraction, and a good section on ‘reparative’ (ex-gay) therapy.
No professional medical association in Canada, the US, the UK or Europe condones the kind of wholeness healing and hope Living Waters offers.

Despite that, there are religious groups (mostly coming in from the US) such as Living Waters or the US based Focus on the Family sanctioned group Desert Stream Ministries which is under the umbrella of Exodus, who target gay and lesbian Christians (or their families) offering healing for their sexuality.
And what is profoundly sad is that there are churched Canadians who believe this is what they need to be Christian, to fit into a particular faith community and to be accepted by God.
Reparative or sexual reorientation therapy is not ethical, biblical or appropriate.
If anyone in Canada wants gender based therapy, it is available to them free of charge.
No one should ever have to go to one of these programs.

I’m a bit speechless.

It is with sorrow I watch what is occurring in the GLBT community in the US, we cannot go backwards here in Canada, not in any of our faith communities. We cannot.

Since 1991, more than 7,000 people across Canada have participated in programs offered by Living Waters.

I have no idea what that means.
I went through the Canadian site resource section, many ministers and priests in churches across Canada are familiar with some of the material. Of course the training materials aren’t shown, most thoughtful people would be shocked or angered.
Some of it is excellent and offers solid biblical relational teaching.
Just enough to draw in the vulnerable and the sincere.

I want to yell this: no Canadian Christian should have to believe they need to subject themselves to this program.

Living Waters is an ‘ex-gay’ ministry that is aggressively expanding around the world.
The Canadian headquarters is in Vancouver BC.
I wish more Canadian straight Christians would speak up against groups like Living Waters.
I am urging Canadian Christians to speak up.

While it sounds bizarre this ‘ex-gay’ ministry is offering a 25 week program for GLBT who seek ‘healing’ in Montreal. Integrity Montreal has sent the Anglican Minister that is allowing this group to set up shop an important letter.

Dear Revd Mr McVeigh :

It was with shock, sadness and dismay that I read the advertisement in the St. Stephen’s Anglican Church bulletin of September 9, 2007 for a Living Waters Montreal healing program being given on your Church premises starting on October 11 and running for 25 weeks. I noted that the program promises help for those, inter alia, struggling with same-sex attraction.

Living Waters is known as an American right wing evangelical organisation and I understand that the counsellors offering this program are not qualified psychiatrists or psychologists.

As you are undoubtedly aware, the American Medical Association delisted homosexuality as a disease in 1974. What you may not know is that in 2000 the American Psychiatric Association approved a position statement on « Therapies Focused on Attempts to Change Sexual Orientation (Reparative or Conversion Therapies) ». The preamble states « that the American Psychiatric Association (APA) opposes any psychiatric treatment, such as “reparative” or conversion therapy, which is based upon the assumption that homosexuality per se is a
mental disorder or based upon the a priori assumption that a patient should change his/her sexual homosexual orientation. I quote further : « In doing so, the APA joined many other professional organizations that either oppose or are critical of “reparative” therapies,including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, The American Counseling Association, and the National Association of Social Workers. » Here is a link to the complete document :

I am always dumbfounded when the Christian church acts regressively in social issues, and that we always have to leave progress in human rights to the secular fold. But I suppose that is just in keeping with the 1700 years of Church history from the time of Constantine!

Is your parish, or the Diocese for that matter, ready to accept the responsibility of the psychological damage that could be suffered by some of its members from misguided psychological advice, or heaven forbid, brainwashing? Does the Parish/Diocesan insurance policy provide coverage for this type of psychological damage?

I attend Christ Church Cathedral, and the message of love and compassion (as well as human rights for all) is a constant theme from that pulpit. If it weren’t, I’d probably stop going to the Anglican Church. Bringing this Living Waters program into your parish is just another sad example of how elements in the Anglican church continue to alienate gay and lesbian people.

Can you put a stop to this program before it’s too late? I don’t think that the majority of lay people and clergy who voted for the blessing of same-sex unions at the General Synod in Winnipeg would be encouraged by this program being offered in your parish. Do you think Bishop Barry would support it? What would the local press think? All the talk we hear about inclusiveness and compassion in the church. Would they say that you can go to such and such an Anglican church and, with proper counselling, shorten your height?

I look forward to your reply.

Yours in Christ,

Earl A. Love
Integrity Canada

I’ll be frank. I’m stunned. I cannot believe The Anglican Church of Canada would permit this group to work in one of their churches.
This is not an Anglican schism issue. St. Stephen’s is evangelical, I don’t know if they are aware of what they are inviting into their church.
This goes far deeper than any denomination. Most evangelical churches in Canada would not permit this. I cannot see a group like Living Waters being allowed to offer it’s program in a Catholic Church. No licenced Canadian minister would need to attend a Living Water training program.

I’m respectfully asking every Canadian Christian who reads my blog to bring yourself up to speed on the reparative ‘therapy’ Living Waters provides.
This is not a safe and professional ministry.
If you believe homosexuality is a sin, fine.
That is not the issue.
The issue is not religious freedom.
This is about none licenced, for profit (and sadly sincere) groups of religious fundamentalists using their faith to target people who may be hurting; a fresh market of unaware Canadians who under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms can receive value based respectful professional help if they wish it.

Once you’ve read up on reparative therapy, ( and even serious reading is only scratching the surface) I am asking every one of BDBO’s Christian readers to write Rev. McVeigh at St. Stephen’s church and ask him if he is aware of what he is letting into his church and into the lives of people he may well believe he is helping.
Tell him gracefully why reparative therapy dressed up in Christianity is harmful.
This is not AA. Ask him if he is aware this is unlicensed, and well documented in the US.

Our programs are led by men and women who have experienced relational and sexual healing in their own lives. They have been trained as volunteers.

Dear God, we cannot allow these groups to destroy more lives.

I don’t ask readers for much here at BDBO.
But I am asking for this. Every Canadian Christian that reads this blog: speak up for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Canada. Please.

You can contact:
Living Waters Canada at: info@livingwaterscanada.org
Rev. McVeigh, St. Stephens Church at: st.stephens@qc.aira.com
Bishop Right Reverend Barry Clarke Archdiocese of Montreal at: bishops.office@montreal.anglican.ca

The Canadian Psychiatric Association position paper - Gender Issues
Reparative Therapy: National and International position, safety efficacy, effectiveness

Reparative Therapy is denounced by:

American Association of School Administrators
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Counseling Association
American Federation of Teachers
American Medical Association
American Psychiatric Association
American Psychoanalytic Association
American Psychological Association
Council on Child and Adolescent Health
The Interfaith Alliance Foundation
National Academy of Social Workers
National Education Association
World Health Organization

Reparative therapy workers and former clients (including Living Waters) are doing everything they can to reach out the the GLBT and faith communities.
While former ‘ex-gay’ group participants have often been met with hostility in the US, remember religious reparative therapy groups work for profit, and as more former clients and former volunteer and paid trainees speak out, the profit margin goes down.
Their stories are powerful.
Glamour Magazine - They tried to cure me of being gay - Christine Bakke

If you know of other faith groups in Canada that speak out against reparative therapy, put their link in the comment section.