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Over the weekend of March 23-26, 2007, ZDF German Public TV correspondents interviewed Christopher Delaney, Nicole Delaney,
a client of Joseph's Coat Ministries and City Church of Chattanooga's Pastor Mike Chapman and members. On April 12,
2007, the documentary aired in Germany on prime time television to 4 million viewers.
Below we provide you with a link to the German news website's abbreviated/introductory version of the documentary as well as an English translation of the website article. Christopher Delaney owns a copy of the full documentary that was aired on April 12, 2007. Link to the abbreviated version of the documentary on the German news website Homosexuality as sin
(English translation of the ZDF German news website's abbreviated/introductory version of the documentary, April 10, 2007) The struggle of the evangelical church against homosexuality A topic that is not very controversial in Europe has stirred emotions especially in the more conservative parts of America: members of evangelical congregations in the South consider homosexuality a sin that is threatening the country as a whole. And they offer help – complete submission to Jesus Christ and a therapy tailored to this specific problem. Holding hands and smiling, Chris and Nicole Delaney sit in the garden of their home in Chattanooga, Tennessee. They are very happy, they tell us. For Chris, this was not always the case. Years ago he was gay – and unhappy. “I did not have any problems having relationships or being popular”, he says. “But after 12 years in the lifestyle I felt an emptiness. It was no longer satisfying for me.” Living according to Gods perfect plan Then God sent him his wife. Together they started a new life that was more reflective of His wishes. “In God’s perfect plan, a man’s body was made to fit a woman’s” Nicole explains. “These desires for the same sex do not fit into what we believe God had in mind for us.” And to bring others back to the right path, Chris and Nicole founded a ministry in Chattanooga. Through long conversations and bible study homosexuals can learn to understand that God’s wishes are what they really want for themselves – a heterosexual partnership. Reeducating homosexuals This is what [a male JCM client] believes... Like about 100 others per year he comes to the ministry for support. Chris’ ministry is supported by the evangelical community in Chattanooga. The town is located in the so called bible belt, a region in the Southeast of the country where life is influenced by a strict Protestantism after the puritan tradition. The goal: to push back homosexuality This is where you find a growing resistance against a lifestyle than many in the USA consider decadent. Mike Chapman, the pastor in Chris’ and Nicole’s congregation, believes that his country is losing its morality – in part because of the homosexual agenda. “The growing acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle in our culture and the western world is worrying us and many other evangelical churches in the country”, he says. “I think it is time to offer an alternative view.” This is an opinion that is shared not only by Chris and Nicole in their center in Chattanooga. Their ministry is part of a nationwide network that is supported by the evangelical church. They have a clear goal: to push back homosexuality. The success of their therapy is unclear. [A male JCM client] from Chattanooga has been living without a man for years. But so far he has also lived without a woman. “I am not there yet”, he muses, after nine years of therapy. |
