I’m living proof that Truth can set you free," declared a full-page newspaper ad picturing Anne Paulk as a "wife, mother, former lesbian." The ad campaign was sponsored in part by Exodus International, which uses religious teaching and counseling to help gay people reverse their sexual orientation.

Paulk’s husband, John, a former homosexual and drag queen, is an Exodus board member. He says, "We believe homosexuality is a condition one grows into over many, many years of life experiences."

However, psychologists assert that homosexuality is genetic and that trying to change sexual orientation is futile and damaging. Professor Anne Fausto-Sterling accuses Exodus of "a deliberate campaign…to make homophobia acceptable."

Others see the ads as part of a public backlash against the fast progress of gay rights. Public figures have made anti-gay statements, and gay bashing is on the rise.

What’s your opinion of the ad campaign? Do you think Exodus has good or bad intentions?

Read Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:24-27; and Jude 1:5-7.

How do you characterize homosexuality: as a choice? a sin? an alternative lifestyle? other? Is homosexuality genetic? the result of childhood experiences such as an absent parent of sexual abuse?

Read Romans 7:14-20; 8:12-13; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; and 2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1.

Why would homosexuals want to change? Is it possible for them to permanently leave behind such desires, or will they always struggle? Is this any different from other sins people face?

Read Genesis 19:12-17; Psalm 101; and Philippians 4:8.