Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Wed, 03 Feb 2010
On Friday, February 12, Liberty University School of Law hosted a conference titled “Understanding Same-sex Attractions and Their Consequences,” and on Saturday, February 13, a symposium titled “Homosexual Rights and First Amendment Freedoms: Can They Truly Coexist?” The Saturday symposium was sponsored by the Liberty University Law Review.
On Friday, Alan Chambers, President of Exodus International, addressed the entire Liberty University student body during the convocation service held in the Vines Center on the University’s main campus. Following in the afternoon, in the law school’s Supreme Courtroom, Mr. Chambers joined a lineup of speakers who addressed various issues underlying same-sex attractions. They included: Dr. Julie Harren-Hamilton, President of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH); Dr. Tim Clinton, President of the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC); Rena Lindevaldsen, Associate Professor of Law at Liberty University School of Law, and Mathew Staver, Dean of Liberty University School of Law.
Friday’s program was planned for lay people, counselors, pastors, educators, attorneys, and those interested in learning more about the issues of same-sex attractions. Mr. Chambers shared personal, as well as ministry, insights gained as president of Exodus International. Fellow conference speakers discussed current research and therapies and also discussed the American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force Report on counseling people with same-sex attractions from the viewpoints of NARTH and the AACC.
Saturday’s symposium speakers focused on the legal implications arising from the clash between the quest for homosexual rights and the freedoms of speech, religion, and association. The day-long symposium speakers included: Professor Lynne Marie Kohm of Regent University School of Law; Professor Lynn D. Wardle of J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University; Elaine Donnelly, Founder and President of the Center for Military Readiness; Robert H. Knight, Senior Writer for Coral Ridge Ministries and Senior Fellow for American Civil Rights Union; Matt Barber, Associate Dean at Liberty University School of Law, and others. The symposium ended with a banquet in the Grand Lobby of DeMoss Hall on the University’s main campus, featuring keynote speaker Pastor Derek A. McCoy of the High Impact Leadership Coalition.