(Winter, 1997)
In Beaumont, Texas, Calvary Baptist Church sponsored TV commercials on the ABC affiliate that offer homosexuals a way out of their deathstyle. The commercial following comedian Ellen DeGeneres coming out as a lesbian, featured Michael Johnson, a former homosexual saying: "The subject matter of tonight's episode is not a laughing matter. Looking back at the emotional and spiritual consequences of homosexuality in my own life ... standing here tonight with AIDS, I find it difficult to relate to the humor." In a separate commercial, Johnson lays it on the line: "There is a lie out there. It promises acceptance, but delivers loneliness. It promises freedom, but delivers spiritual and emotional bondage. It promises life, but delivers death. Homosexuality ... it's full of broken promises. Hello, I'm Michael Johnson. I chose to believe those lies for years. Today, I've been set free. There is a key to freedom ... his name is Jesus Christ."
