Ministry behind viral video of ex-lesbian refutes 'brainwashing' accusations

The Christian ministry behind the viral video of a former lesbian who turned to Christ has responded to death threats and media accusations that the woman has been "brainwashed."

A video featuring Christian speaker and blogger Emily Thomes has sparked significant controversy last month after it went viral on social media.

In the video, Thomes recounted her "super wild" lifestyle with other women during her young adult years. She initially reasoned that God would be accepting of her relationships with other women, and she ended up getting engaged to another woman who had two children.

After being invited to a Bible study when she was 22, she began searching through the scriptures and realized that homosexuality was a sin and turned to God. Thomes noted that she found out there were other people in her situation and that they eventually changed and were saved.

Anchored North, the ministry that released the video, had reportedly received disturbing death threats, with one Facebook user telling the organization that he wishes he could "come there and kill every last one of you," wishing a "slow painful death" to the staff's families.

Greg Sukert of Anchored North said that the death threats are "unsettling" but he believes that they "ultimately serve to advance the glory of God" it proves Jesus words in John 15:18, which states "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you."

He also noted that it gives the ministry an opportunity to respond with "kindness and prayer" to those who made the threats.

Some media publications have accused Thomes of being "brainwashed" into thinking that she is no longer gay, and that her testimony is harmful to other LGBT people by suggesting that they can change their sexuality.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Sukert said that it is "incredibly dishonest and childish to dismiss someone's story and personal account as 'brainwashed' just because they disagree with the position of the individual."

Sukert noted that many critics argue that Thomes is either lying to herself, or is bisexual or was never gay, to begin with, but he contended that evangelicals hold that salvation is a miracle.

"Miracles by definition cannot be explained by natural or scientific law. Instead, salvation is God's incredible act that brings a person's heart from spiritual death to spiritual life. It's a movement that draws upon the same great power that resurrected Christ from the dead; only God Himself holds this power," Sukert explained.

Sukert also clarified that his ministry does not believe in conversion therapy, as some have claimed.

He noted that the controversial method tries to change an individual's sexual orientation using psychological or spiritual interventions, but he argued that same-sex desire is no more of a choice than the spots on a leopard's back. He contended that people are only able to "turn from evil" through God's power.

Anchored North's video about Thomes has been viewed over 2.1 million times since it was posted on Facebook in late December.

The Christian Post reported that Thomes is now expecting a baby with her husband and she has held her baby shower over the weekend.

"The Lord has blessed me with a little girl and her with a grand-daughter. His kindness is overwhelming," she said in a Facebook post on Saturday.