A South Suburban minister will be keynote speaker at the annual convention of 'ex-gay' organization Restored Hope Network this summer.
Ron Citlau, senior pastor at Calvary Church in Orland Park, will speak at the event, which takes place in San Diego June 16-17, and was first reported Dec. 5 by San Diego Gay & Lesbian News. Citlau is Restored Hope Network's treasurer.
Restored Hope Network, based in Milwaukie, Oregon, is "a group of ministries and individuals committed to serving those seeking Christ-centered answers for sexual and relational problems," according to its Facebook page. It was formed in 2012 by many individuals from Exodus International as that organization underwent an institutional collapse. Restored Hope Network adapted even more hardline stances than the original organization on some issues, however. While Exodus International eventually distanced itself from anti-gay conversion therapy, for example, Restored Hope Network has defended the practice and said that opposition to it was hysterical overreaction. Such therapy is banned for minors in Illinois and several other states.
Exodus International folded in 2013.
San Diego Gay & Lesbian News' story is at bit.ly/2gWaukE .