Restored Hope Network (US Christian conversion-therapy ministries)
Coalition of conservative US Christian conversion-therapy ministries that re-formed in 2012 after Exodus International dissolved and apologised. Continues 'sexual-orientation change' counselling in jurisdictions where it is still legal.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
+2 for documented psychological-harm pattern and post-Exodus continuation despite founder apologies.
Profile facts
In context
Restored Hope Network is a coalition of independent, mostly evangelical Christian ministries in the United States that promote sexual-orientation change efforts, commonly known as conversion therapy. It was organised in Sacramento, California, in 2012 -- before Exodus International, the ex-gay movement's decades-old umbrella organisation, closed the following year -- by leaders of Exodus-affiliated ministries who rejected the direction Exodus's board was taking. That direction became explicit in January 2012, when Exodus International's president, Alan Chambers, told a Gay Christian Network conference that "the majority... 99.9%" of people he had met through the ex-gay movement had not experienced a change in sexual orientation, and apologised for the organisation's long-standing "Change Is Possible" message; Exodus's board voted to dissolve the organisation entirely in June 2013. Several former Exodus member ministries did not accept Chambers's reassessment and regrouped, some forming Restored Hope Network, which the advocacy group Truth Wins Out has described as "the new Exodus International." RHN's Board of References has included prominent conservative Christian figures such as James Dobson and Albert Mohler, and the network holds annual conferences across the US offering guidance to churches and to families of LGBTQ relatives; it rejects the term "conversion therapy" as, in its own words, "an ideological term used by the LGBTQ activist community," while continuing to support the underlying practice of trying to change congregants' sexual orientation or gender identity.
That practice is opposed, on documented-harm grounds, by essentially the entire mainstream US health establishment, including the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Physician Assistants, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the American Counseling Association, and the National Association of Social Workers. Research cited by the American Medical Association has found that 42% of people subjected to conversion therapy have attempted suicide, compared with 5% of those who were not -- a disparity central to the growing number of US state and international bans on the practice for minors. Restored Hope Network and its member ministries continue to operate in jurisdictions where conversion-therapy bans do not apply to religious counselling or to adults, making the network the most visible continuation of the ex-gay movement following Exodus International's institutional collapse.
Recovery resources
- Trevor Project — LGBTQ+ youth crisis line
- Beyond Ex-Gay (BXG) — Survivor network for former conversion-therapy participants
See the full curated list at /resources.
Evidence by BITE axis
- Discredited 'sexual-orientation change' premise
- Documented depression, suicidality, and self-harm among participants
- Theological framing of LGBTQ+ identity as demonic / pathological
- Operates in legal grey zones to evade conversion-therapy bans
- +2 for documented psychological-harm pattern and post-Exodus continuation despite founder apologies
Lifton's 8 criteria of thought reform
Robert Jay Lifton's 1961 framework, complementary to BITE. Criteria this group exhibits according to the cited sources.
- Mystical ManipulationEngineering experiences that appear spontaneous but are designed to demonstrate the group's higher purpose.
- Demand for PuritySharp world split into pure vs impure; relentless pressure to conform to an absolute standard.
- ConfessionRequired disclosure of past sins, doubts, or 'wrong' thoughts; later weaponised as leverage.
- Loaded LanguageThought-terminating clichés and in-group jargon that compress complex ideas into shorthand.
- Doctrine Over PersonPersonal experience or memory is overridden when it conflicts with the group's narrative.
Timeline
- 1976Exodus International founded
- 2012Restored Hope Network organises
- 2013Exodus International dissolves and Alan Chambers apologises
Evidence matrix
Structured sources cross-linked to the claims they document. Tiered per the source hierarchy. For free-text citations see the Sources section below.
Sources
- Alicia Crosby, 'Exodus' apology (2013) search ↗
- American Psychological Association, 'Resolution on Appropriate Affirmative Responses to Sexual Orientation Distress' (2009) search ↗
- Trevor Project survey data on conversion therapy and youth suicide search ↗
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restored_Hope_Network ↗ Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exodus_International ↗ Wikipedia
- Exodus International: 'Gay Cure' Group Leader Shutting Down Ministry After Change of Heart — https://abcnews.go.com/US/exodus-international-gay-cure-group-leader-shutting-ministry/story?id=19446752 open ↗
- Gay-Therapy Ministry Shuts Down, Says 'We've Hurt People — https://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/06/20/193922536/gay-therapy-ministry-shuts-down-says-weve-hurt-people open ↗
- An Exploration of Family Therapists' Beliefs about the Ethics of Conversion Therapy: The Influence of Negative Beliefs and Clinical Competence With Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients — Journal of Mari — https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fjmft.12040 open ↗
- Religiously-Motivated Sexual Orientation Change: A Follow-Up Study — Journal of Psychology and Theology (1999) — https://doi.org/10.1177%2F009164719902700405 open ↗
- Crafting Stories of Sexual Identity Reconstruction — Social Psychology Quarterly (1999) — https://doi.org/10.2307%2F2695855 open ↗
- Advocating for an End to Reparative Therapy: Methodological Grounding and Blueprint for Change — Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services (2013) — https://doi.org/10.1080%2F10538720.2013.807214 open ↗
- Ads Renew 'Ex-Gay' Debate — https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2002/10/21/ads-renew-ex-gay-debate/08d96e03-5417-4162-b127-1e31c8680a11/ open ↗
- Ex-Gay Leader Confronted in Gay Bar — http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/Paulk-Southern%20Voice.html open ↗
- Both sides in parody dispute agree on a term: Unhappy — https://nytimes.com/2006/03/27/technology/27straight.html open ↗
- Christian group backs off case against blog parody — https://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-03-23-aclu-blog-case_x.htm open ↗
- Why I protested to Apple about the Exodus app — https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/mar/31/apple-iphone open ↗
- Americans' Role Seen in Uganda Anti-Gay Push — https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/world/africa/04uganda.html?_r=0 open ↗
- https://www.elpais.com/sociedad/2013/06/20/actualidad/1371726639_593721.html%3foutputType=amp — https://www.elpais.com/sociedad/2013/06/20/actualidad/1371726639_593721.html%3foutputType=amp open ↗
- After 37 Years of Trying to Change People’s Sexual Orientation, Group Is to Disband — https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/21/us/group-that-promoted-curing-gays-ceases-operations.html?_r=0 open ↗
- Umschwulung zum Ehemann. — https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/menschen/kirche-und-homosexualitaet-umschwulung-zum-ehemann-1434019.html open ↗
- Gay-Therapy Ministry Shuts Down, Says 'We've Hurt People — https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/06/20/193922536/gay-therapy-ministry-shuts-down-says-weve-hurt-people open ↗
- Asexuality Isn’t A Mental Disorder Or Sexual Dysfunction – It’s A Sexual Orientation — https://blogs.iu.edu/kinseyinstitute/2018/04/13/asexuality-sexual-orientation/ open ↗
- Journal; Lott’s Lesbian Ally — https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/22/opinion/journal-lott-s-lesbian-ally.html?scp=7&sq=Ex-gay&st=nyt&pagewanted=print?pagewanted=all open ↗
- 3 from ex-gay group are sorry — http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jun/28/local/me-exgay28 open ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
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Frequently asked questions
Q.Is Restored Hope Network a cult?
CLCI Hub deliberately avoids the binary label "cult." Instead it places groups on a transparent 0–40 spectrum of documented control using Steven Hassan's BITE model (Behaviour, Information, Thought, Emotional). Restored Hope Network scores 30 out of 40 — "High Control", at high confidence. The score describes documented control patterns, not a judgement of members' sincerity or beliefs; many members do not personally experience the patterns listed.
Q.What is Restored Hope Network's CLCI score?
Restored Hope Network scores 30 out of 40 on the Cult-Like Control Index, which falls in the "High" band. That total is the sum of four BITE axes — Behaviour 7, Information 6, Thought 7, Emotional 8 — plus a signed modifier of +2 for aggravating or mitigating factors.
Q.Why does Restored Hope Network score 30 on the CLCI?
The score reflects publicly documented patterns including: Discredited 'sexual-orientation change' premise; Documented depression, suicidality, and self-harm among participants; Theological framing of LGBTQ+ identity as demonic / pathological; Operates in legal grey zones to evade conversion-therapy bans. These map onto the BITE axes of behaviour, information, thought, and emotional control, and a signed modifier of +2 is applied for factors such as financial demands, leadership accountability, and exit costs. Every claim is backed by the citations in the Sources section on this page.
Q.How reliable is the Restored Hope Network rating?
This profile is rated High confidence. High confidence means the score is backed by court records, academic work, and/or sustained investigative journalism. CLCI scores are not fixed — they are revised whenever new public evidence appears, and groups that reform can score lower over time.
Q.Where can I get help regarding Restored Hope Network?
If you or someone you care about is affected by Restored Hope Network, start with the Recovery resources listed on this page. General cult-aware support is available from the International Cultic Studies Association (icsahome.com) and the Freedom of Mind Resource Center (freedomofmind.com). CLCI Hub is an educational resource, not a crisis service — if anyone is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services.
Found something wrong on this profile?
We accept correction requests from anyone — current and former members, researchers, journalists, family members, and the listed organisation. Submissions are reviewed by an editor; we do not auto-publish.