Manifest Spin

A sensational story was reported by the Associated Press. The headline read, "Gay exorcism video stirs worry, horror." The perpetrators were the leaders and members of the Manifested Glory Ministries in Bridgeport, CT.

The group, operated by Overseer Kelvin McKinney and Prophetess/Apostle Patricia McKinney, is located in a small commercial building in an industrial area of an aging manufacturing city. It's a small band of people, a number of whom profess to have had prophetic visions. They're evidently not affiliated with any denomination.

They claimed to have tried to "cast out the spirits" and release a young man from homosexuality in an apparently improvised event. A man held the subject under his arms to keep him standing while others shouted, "Rip it from his throat! Come on, you homosexual demon....we call you out right now!" and "Come out of his belly. It's in the belly - push!" In retrospect, they probably regret taping the episode and releasing it on YouTube.

This isn't about homosexuality, or exorcism, or even YouTube. It's about the way the press characterized the story. Along with a detailed description of the goings-on, the article focused on comments from True Colors, an advocacy group for gay youths.

AP noted "It's nearly impossible to say how often similar exercises occur in churches nationwide," but that didn't keep them reporting the words of one True Colors official who said she "believes it's fairly common. This happens all the time. This is not isolated." Another commented,"I think it's horrifying. What saddens me is the people that are doing this think they are doing it in the kid's best interests when in fact they're murdering his spirit."

Man, this is happening all over the place! Who knew? We've got Christians doing this commonly and they're unintentionally murdering people's spirits. I guess they're well-meaning but just too clueless to know what they're doing. At least that's what the spin is.

Or is it possible we've got a tiny splinter group of self-described prophesiers, run by an "Overseer" and a "Prophetess" with no apparent connection with the rest of Christianity that came up with some misguided home-grown remedy for homosexuality, performed it and then posted it on the internet?

Manifested Glory Ministries isn't like any church I know. But it's typical of our times that reporters and their editors are naive enough to think it is. Or jaded enough against the faith to purposely present the story as being anything but a bizarre aberration.

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