You might be amazed to know that story has TWENTY YEARS (!) of history to it. 1995 wasn't the first time.
From Wikipedia --
Colin Cook, an Adventist pastor in New York, was dismissed from the ministry following discovery of his homosexual behavior. After seeking spiritual healing, he declared himself recovered, was married, and in 1976 authored several articles in
Insight, an Adventist youth publication, proclaiming that homosexuals could find deliverance through faith by claiming Jesus heterosexuality as their own. In 1978 Cook prepared ten hours of cassette tapes, titled Homosexuality and the Power to Change, which were widely distributed.
In 1980, many responses from people seeking help led Cook to found the Quest Learning Center (Quest) in
Reading,
Pennsylvania, where a live-in program combined counseling and involvement in a mutual support group, Homosexuals Anonymous (HA), which he co-founded. Soon the Adventist Church voted to provide more than half of Quests operating budget, the first denomination to fund such a healing ministry. Quest/HA was publicized in church periodicals, and as it attracted attention in public media and then other conservative churches, Adventist leaders enjoyed favorable publicity. After Cooks appearance on
The Phil Donahue Show, the church provided an 800 number to handle interests.
Dr. Ronald Lawson, an Adventist sociology professor at
Queens College in
New York City, interviewed 14 Quest clients and learned that none actually felt their orientation had changed, nor did they know of any others in the program who claimed this. Most of them were fragile, very conservative church members with high levels of guilt and self-rejection,
[10] whose experience in discovering other gay Adventists resulted in confusion and turmoil because of the attractions they felt to each other. Lawson was shocked to learn that, in addition, they reported sexually inappropriate actions by Colin Cook, such as nude massages and close, prolonged hugs. Lawson felt obligated to report this exploitation to Neal Wilson, President of the General Conference. With Cooks admission of guilt, Quest was closed within a week.
No public mention of this action was made by the church for seven months until finally, in response to questioning by Lawson, a brief announcement appeared in the
Adventist Review, stating that Quest had been closed because of the directors resignation. Nearly a year later, the churchs
Ministry for pastors published a lengthy interview with Cook, who admitted his incomplete recovery that had led to his fall. This appeared to be an attempt to rehabilitate Cook and strongly endorsed his methods. Angered by this, SDA Kinship members picketed the General Conference offices in Takoma Park, Maryland, during the 1987 Annual Council, demanding that the church cease its support of Cook and that its many hospitals around the world begin to address the AIDS crisis.
Christianity Today published a favorable article about Cook in 1989 and four years later Cook moved to
Denver,
Colorado, where he started a new ministry called FaithQuest.
Focus on the Family referred counselees to this ministry, and
Colorado for Family Values invited him to speak at their seminars promoting a repeal of state gay civil rights. He began speaking regularly in area Adventist churches, received invitations from Adventist college campuses, and was contacted by young Adventist men struggling with homosexual feelings, since most Adventists had never been made aware of his previous fall.
Lawson was subsequently contacted by two of Cooks new counselees who shared their experiences of Cooks continued sexual predations. Lawson leaked the details to a reporter at the
Denver Post and her article made the front page of the October 27, 1995, edition. Because of this publicity,
Christian Right organizations backed away from Cook, and the
Adventist Review announced that the church was not connected with Cooks activities, but did not mention that it had failed to retract earlier church promotion of Cook. About this time, Cooks wife divorced him, after several years of separation.
[10]