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Yet, Andrew Caldwell, the Man Who Said he Was Delivered from the Sin of Homosexuality, Talks About his New Life in Christ and Tells People Who Dispute his Sincerity that he Is Praying For Them

Last week, the Church of God in Christ held its 107th Annual Convocation in St. Louis. Out of many wonderful things that happened, one of the most interesting was the deliverance of a 21-year-old man from homosexuality. While some believe that God truly can and does help people to change ungodly behaviors and alternative lifestyles, some homosexual groups and individuals are criticizing the authenticity of this young man’s deliverance experience. 

The video of Andrew Caldwell being delivered from homosexuality went viral after Orlando, Florida, prophet and preacher, Earl Carter, preached a convicting and challenging message against the sin of homosexuality and other sins that is rarely heard in most churches. BCNN1.com, who was following the conference as it always has, was the first to run the story and place up the video that went viral. In response to all of the attention that the video has garnered, Andrew Caldwell released the following statement on his Facebook page explaining what led him to come out of this lifestyle after several years and give his life to Jesus Christ:

My name is Andrew Caldwell. I appeared on a video at the recent Church of God In Christ International Convocation in St Louis. On that video I gave a testimony of deliverance from homosexuality. As a child, I was raped by a member of my own family. At that time I did not think of it as abuse. I kind of enjoyed it. I kept it to myself, not realizing how it had changed me. Growing up wasn’t a pleasant experience. I was harassed, heckled, and ridiculed by classmates. Many told me that I would never amount to anything. This gave me the motivation to try to prove them wrong. Being fairly attractive as a young man, it was not difficult for me to get involved with other men. I have dated athletes, ministers, and celebrities. As time passed I got tired of this way of living. I always attended church. But I always found the same things in church that I found in the world. After joining my present church, it came to me that this lifestyle was not right. It seemed that the more I tried to quit on my own, the more intense was the temptation. All last week I fasted and prayed. On this past Saturday at the Convocation, there was an alt[a]r call. I came forward and offered my testimony. It was unscripted. Not only do I hope for my own deliverance but for the deliverance of others who may be struggling with their own issues. To my doubting detractors, I pray for you. To my supporters, I am grateful for your support and prayers.

Due to the fact that much of the world, and sadly some in the church, are accepting of and sympathetic to homosexuality and other alternative lifestyles, Caldwell’s authenticity and sensitivity to the deliverance of the Holy Spirit should not be doubted. However, some homosexual groups are choosing to doubt that he is for real, calling him a con man and scam artist, and questioning his motivation for going forward.

In an interview with Church Folk Revolution Radio, Caldwell talked about what he was like before his deliverance, what led up to his decision, and how he is enjoying the new freedom in Christ. Below are some highlights from the interview:

How He’s Dealing With The Attention/Controversy:
“It’s a little bit overwhelming, but also, God, He gets all the glory. If it wasn’t for God’s grace and a chain has been broken, and I’m no longer bound, what would I be? So God is saying, take the chance I gave you. I always wanted to be famous. I always wanted that. In life, I always wanted to be the top person…That video was not [meant to] be famous. That video was not planned. I did not know I was going to get that mic…When I walked up there, I was walking up there, chains bound. I was walking up there, not knowing that I had more hope to myself. I needed prayer and I got the prayer.” (SPECIAL NOTE: BCNN1.com which posted the video of the powerful preaching of Prophet/Evangelist Earl Carter and the positive aftermath can verify that the Church of God In Christ nor Prophet Carter nor this young man knew that this video was going to be posted by BCNN1. BCNN1 stands for Black Christian News Network One and is an independent, nondenominational, Christian news reporting and gathering agency and is a part of the GLM Omnimedia Group LLC family of Christian news sites. BCNN1 simply reported the news as a Christian faith story because of the strikingly powerful message and the positive aftermath as a matter of news to the Christian faith community. BCNN1 saw the news story as a matter of faith, a very positive news event that BCNN1 thought God was blessing and working through, and based upon the video itself, it seemed like the entire COGIC church family was in 100% agreement with the preaching and with what took place. We also know for a fact that Bishop Charles Blake, who happens to be one of BCNN1’s Top 70 Influential Christian Leaders, is a man of high integrity and would not be a part of in any way, shape, form or fashion, a staged scam. The COGIC has an overall reputation of holiness not foolishness. So, we at BCNN1 stand by the story, by Bishop Blake, by the COGIC, by Prophet/Evangelist Earl Carter, and the message he preached and the way in which he preached it, and based upon this man’s testimony that he got saved and delivered, we stand by him as well. Now, unless he tells us otherwise or proves otherwise, that is what we are going to stand by. We hope that Bishop Charles Blake and the leadership of the COGIC would not distance themselves from Prophet Earl Carter’s powerful preaching and the positive aftermath of that night. Also, since homosexuality is a sin like other sins that God forbids, people can be saved and delivered from it. It is ridiculous to suggest that people cannot be saved and delivered from the sin of homosexuality. Why? Because hundreds of folks who are sitting in Bible believing churches right now have given the testimony that they were once homosexuals but now they are not and they are in heterosexual marriages with children. “They were once blind, but now they see.”)

The interview by Church Folk Revolution Radio with Andrew Caldwell continues:

What He Was Feeling Before He Went To The Altar To Share His Story:
“I was sitting there and I began to sweat. I began to start crying. The Lord gave me a vision while my eyes was open that, if you continue to walk in this, if you continue to be like this, if you continue to act like this, I was going to die, have a heart attack and die. I said ‘Lord, I’m not ready to die. I still have works to do. Souls out here that need to be saved.’ Well, He said, how can souls be saved and you’re not saved?’”

What He Was Like Before Being Delivered:
“When I first came to my church, my hair was dyed blond and red. I was carrying a purse. I had diamond earrings. I was wearing tights, the skinny jeans–with the boots. Different things that women would wear. I was acting like a first lady. So now, I don’t think about that no more…God can deliver, but you have to want to be delivered. You have to say, ‘God, I don’t want this no more. And then it’s going to take a process…I had to keep coming up there for prayer. I don’t hang out the places I used to go. I don’t do the things I used to do. I don’t say the things I used to say. I don’t buy the things I used to have.”

How He Felt About The Video Going Viral:
“It was meant. God will put the spotlight on certain people in certain seasons. It was meant for that video to go into homes. You might laugh at it, but that laugh, at the end of the day before you went to bed, He got you on that laugh. You thought about that. I am delivered. I have been receiving thousands of inbox messages on Facebook and emails that say, ‘Hey, I laughed at your video, but I have not told my husband that I was gay. How can come out of it?’ It’s hard to believe, yes it is. It’s hard to believe that. But you have to hear a person’s story first. You have to talk to them, you just can’t judge it right away. The people who judge it right away are unbelievers.”

On Being Attracted To Women Now:
“I’m starting to get on hard for women. When I look at another brother, I look at them as another brother in Christ, or a big brother. I like the pretty hair; I like the lips; I like the butt; the thighs…I didn’t see that in a man.”

The Church of God In Christ released a first and final statement after the video went viral which read in part:

A video, which is now viral, of a young man stating his deliverance from a particular lifestyle does not, in any capacity, speak to all of the remarkable things that transpired during this great church convention.

We believe that we should reflect the love and compassion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in all that we do. We do not in any way compromise our biblical position against same sex unions or in favor of biblical teaching on matters of sexual conduct. At the same time we expect that our clergy and laity will be civil and considerate as they speak to men and women regarding issues related to our Christian faith. We love all people, regardless of their faith or moral standards. When we fail to express ourselves with love and humility we contradict our witness to the world.

-BCNN1