Former Homosexual Says 'No one is born gay'

CBN.com – Stephen Bennett is a former homosexual, who lived the "gay" lifestyle for 11 years. Today he's married and has two young children. He's also a born-again Christian who has a ministry to men and women who want to be set free from homosexuality. Whenever he's invited to appear on television news programs, though, Stephen says most won't let him tell his story truthfully. And they won't let him say that he's a former homosexual. He recently spoke with Lee Webb on The 700 Club.

Lee Webb: Stephen, I wanted to get into this interview that you did with CBS. They interviewed you on tape for a segment on same-sex marriage that appeared on one of their CBS Sunday morning programs. And I want to show our viewers how they identified you and your wife.

Let's look at that, it says that 'Stephen and Irene Bennett…say they will never endorse same-sex marriage for religious reasons.'

Now they went on to say, they included a sound bite with you saying that you could not…you said that homosexuality was wrong, but that's all that they said. Why do you say that that was the wrong way to identify you.

Stephen Bennett: Because the reason they brought me on to the show was to share that I was gay. They were doing a piece particularly on gay marriage and they wanted to understand our perspective. And as a person who is a former homosexual I wanted to tell the truth about the homosexual lifestyle.

I said to them specifically, 'I am living proof that there's no basis whatsoever for any kind of legislation equating homosexuality with heterosexuality.' For the fact that I was gay. I lived the gay lifestyle until I was 28 years old, probably for about 11 years. Well, with over 100 men sexually, many of whom are dead today from AIDS. I've buried countless boyfriends in the ground because of AIDS.

I was in love with another man who was going to be my partner for life, until a Christian woman showed up at my door one day with a Bible and said that I could be set free from my homosexuality. That was back in 1990 and my life has never been the same again.

Bennett: None of it whatsoever. And I shared my Christian testimony just for, maybe about two or three seconds, because I know when dealing with the secular media most of the media does not want to know about the Christian response. So we were able to bring a powerful, powerful message of deliverance. How no one is born gay, how people can completely change. But again the media is the major conduit today of the gay agenda. They are out there pushing their false agenda, that number one, a person is born gay, and number two, that no one can change, for example, just as a person cannot change their race or skin color. But I said to the producer at CBS and the interview, 'you will never have a former black man on your show, but today you have a former homosexual.'

Webb: Now, later on CBS responded to this by saying, 'look we were just looking for someone to represent the religious right.' Is that the way they portrayed themselves (to you).

Bennett: Not once, not once. They brought us on there particularly to hear a person's view who was a former homosexual. Again, I am living proof that homosexuals can change, that no one is born gay. We need to equate homosexuality with that of drug addiction or alcoholism. They are destructive behaviors that we would never encourage people to continue a life in -- we need to say the same exact thing about homosexuality.

Webb: Now unfortunately, this is not the first time this had happened. You say it even happened at Fox, which typically is considered a fairly conservative network.

Bennett: My friend Bill O'Reilly. I was brought on to the show to talk about homosexuality, as well as its effects on America's children, how it's being promoted. Unfortunately it turned out to be a debate about Bill O'Reilly and his theology. He did not receive me very well and unfortunately Bill O'Reilly is a bit confused on this issue. He came out in full support of gay rights last year.

All we want to get across to America is for people to understand the mainstream media is not giving them the truth. Thank God for people like CBN and other organizations who are out there sharing that no one is born gay. And especially through the power of Jesus Christ people can change completely. I am happily married now today for over 10 years to a beautiful woman who knew me when I was gay, who was praying for my salvation. I no longer am living a lie. I was playing house with my boyfriend back then. I have the real thing today. I may not be the mostly masculine person in the world, but, you know what, I don't need to be. I'm a man in God's eyes, in my wife's eyes, I'm the father of our two little beautiful children today. Jesus Christ has changed my life completely. He has taken a story that was a nightmare and turned it into a fairy tale and I am just so grateful to Him for doing that.

Webb: Stephen, the Supreme Court of Massachusetts is set to rule on same-sex marriage. Tell us why you think it would be a bad idea for America.

Bennett: You know, again, the only thing I can say is I am living proof that there is no basis whatsoever for any type of legislation equating homosexuality with heterosexuality. These people need to realize that change is possible. Encouraging someone to continue in a lifestyle that is false, that is a deception, is not going to do them any good. Giving them every right, it's not going to do anything. What they're looking for is that acceptance inside. And they feel that by getting acceptance from the states and government and everybody else, maybe homosexual people can find that acceptance within themselves and I tell you that will never, ever happen.

Webb: You have a ministry to homosexuals around the country. You speak to churches. You know when we interview homosexuals they appear to be happy, they say this is the lifestyle they want to lead but you have noticed something under the surface, haven't you?

Bennett: When I was living the gay lifestyle I portrayed that I was happy. I was in love with my boyfriend, had great gay and lesbian friends. But the problem with that was is that deep down I knew something was wrong. Again I firmly believe that no one is born gay, that homosexuality tragically happens early on in the childhood. For me it was a broken relationship with my father that was reconciled after I became a Christian. I love my father dearly, he loves me and I was able to move on from homosexuality to healthy heterosexuality. And what we want to share with men and women is when we go out trying to reach the homosexual for Christ -- is that God loves them. The Gospel is the most important thing that we can reach these people with, so we need to let people know that God loves the homosexual but he hates the sin. And homosexuality is a sin in God's eyes. And that is my heart's desire. And I'm sorry but I've got tunnel vision on this issue. We want to reach the homosexual for Christ in America and make a difference in this country.

Webb: Stephen, you mentioned earlier that you're now married. Your wife Irene and your two beautiful children are in the audience with us right now. Why don't you introduce your children to us.

Bennett: That's my beautiful wife Irene, and I'm very prejudiced, the most beautiful Christian woman in the world. And these cute little cuties, my little girl Chloe, born four years into our marriage, and my little boy Blakey. He was born on Chloe's birthday, Jesus gave her a little brother for her birthday. So this is what God's done for me. God has just turned my story into a fairy tale and I'm just so grateful, I just want to serve Jesus Christ all of my days now and share the truth that no one is born gay and through the power of Jesus Christ homosexuals can completely change.

Webb: Stephen Bennett, thank you for telling your story today. We appreciate it.

For more information on Stephen Bennett and Stephen Bennett Ministries please visit his web site at http://www.sbministries.org/.

While I do not know if there is a "gay gene", it woud be possible that having such a gene would only predispose someone to be gay. It is much like the children of alcoholics. It ran in my family, but I don't let myself fall in to the trap. Again, this is something that may, or may not, be genetic. The answer just isn't that clear.

Catholicism does NOT depend on the Bible for its teachings - hence the priest scandals etc..

That has got to be one of the most asinine assertions I've ever heard here. Would you like to hear a litany of scandal among sects that DO depend on the Bible for their teaching?

Check out this post directed to me on another thread about homosexuals having sex in public places. I guess I should be flattered that "Outandproud" (member since 7-27-03) aimed his (so far) first and only post at me. What struck me was his assertion that "most of us (homosexuals) are not perverts." I'm sure there's room for some discussion on that point!

How could anyone think that a good and loving God would let an innocent tiny helpless baby boy made in His own image be born a homo and then turn around and condemn him to an eternity of hell.

Only those who don't know God, His nature, and His character

His Catholicism blinds him to truth. He would NOT accept that being gay is wrong and Biblically incorrect. When someone goes beyond verses that can be interpreted in a humanistic way, O'Reilly is thoroughly confused. Catholicism does NOT depend on the Bible for its teachings - hence the priest scandals etc..

Since Catholicism teaches that sodomy is a mortal sin, and is condemned in the Bible, what can your point be? Since Catholicism teaches that Scripture is the inerrant, inspired Word of God, what can your point be? Since priests who are sexual abusers are unfaithful to Catholic teaching and unfaithful to Scripture, what can your point be?

"I was in love with another man who was going to be my partner for life, until a Christian woman showed up at my door one day with a Bible and said that I could be set free from my homosexuality. That was back in 1990 and my life has never been the same again."

I have a mean-spirited question (Hey, I can't help it! I was born mean-spirited and every year I live just reinforces it!). The mean-spirited question is: Why are there so many women eager to "rescue" some man with a problem -- they'll reject or dump a normal guy who doesn't have any, uh, "problems" and they will run to "save" some guy who has a drug or alcohol problem, can't keep a job (money problems), has a whole closet of sexual identity problems, or is abusive. I have worked very hard for a good career and a stable, secure life and I swear some women are turned off by that.

I'm happy for the guy that some beautiful woman just showed up one day on his doorstep and, uh, helped to "convert" him. I'm also thinking that I have usually had to work very hard for dates and here this guy is with "issues" and woman were beating a path to his door. Just damn!

No such thing as a former homosexual.

If the argument is that homosexuality is learned or a preference and not genetically inherited, just ask an alcoholic if he is ever a former alcoholic.

Case closed!!

To prove causation requires a chain of evidence

Causation of a behavior certainly is provable by confession, how do you account for people turning homosexual in prison or the existence of so-called “bisexuals" or the FACT that there are many more ex-gays in the world than Bennett?

Anyway, there is scientific proof that homosexuality is not genetic. The fact that the identical twin of a gay man has only a 52% chance of being gay proves there is no gay gene. If it were genetic the twin brother would have a 100% chance of being gay.

That's true. But it is still possible that being gay involves something that goes wrong during pre-natal development of the brain. This could happen to one twin and not the other.

If homosexuals were born that way, then God could never have said it is an abomonation to Him, for the genetic code would have been there from the beginning.

God didn't say it. A person wrote it down and then later some other people decided that the reason that first person wrote it down is because God told him to. Then they told everyone else that from now on, they should consider all these writings to have been Gods actual words. It was a decision made by a committee.

I understand that you believe that all of the bible is God's actual word, but I don't trust any human being to tell me what God is saying and what he isn't saying, whether that person was born 1400 years ago or 20 years ago.

where genetically identical twins, but only one has a disease.

More proof that the twin studies are erroneous.

to see what makes the genes flip on

Can you point to the genetic marker for homosexuality please?

If there were proof of a gay gene then the next step would be in utero identification of the unborn's sexuality. Some women/couples would choose abortion rather than going full term to give birth to a homosexual child (note I say some).

The left would go crazy screaming discrimination and driving to outlaw "gay" abortions. Problem is....to declare "gay" abortions illegal would give rights to the unborn that Roe v. Wade denies. Then we'd get to watch the gay left duke it out with the feminist left....over the rights of the unborn! I can't wait.

But it is still possible that being gay involves something that goes wrong during pre-natal development of the brain.

No proof of that either. If you’re referring to problems with androgen and testosterone production during gestation then you’d see a higher rates of homosexuality in intersex disorder victims and we don’t.

A person wrote it down and then later some other people decided that the reason that first person wrote it down is because God told him to.

Funny thing, Jesus believed in those silly writings…he refers to them often in the gospels.

Funny thing, Jesus believed in those silly writings…he refers to them often in the gospels

Once again, it goes back to the committee. What did Jesus really say? We know what some people wrote down many years after his death with what he was purported to have said. And the committee tells us that in their opinion, these writers were directly quoting God and that we should believe it and not question it. I'm sorry, but who decided that this committee was infallible? The same people on the committee?

Once again, I understand that you have chosen to believe this committee was infallible, but I'm not convinced.

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