Source : Christian Post
Caitlyn Jenner to Receive Coveted ESPN Courage Award; Last Three Winners Are Gay, Lesbian and Transgender
ABC NewsChristian Post Report – Bruce Jenner talks with Diane Sawyer on ABC’s 20/20 in April of 2015.
ESPN announced this week that Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce, will receive the Arthur Ashe Courage award at the ESPYS on July 18. In what is becoming ground zero for sexual identity courage awards, the last three winners of the ESPN award identify as gay, lesbian and transgender.
“What the hell am I going to wear?” Jenner tweeted Tuesday with a link to the ESPN press release.
In 2012, the Media Research Center noted bias in sports journalism, and at ESPN in particular, is a prevalent problem, including “long featured commentary advancing the gay agenda.”
In 2013, CEO Bob Iger of Disney, which owns the media platform ESPN, defended complaints from a shareholder, the National Center for Public Policy Research, concerning liberal bias at the sports network.
A new book by Dylan Gwinn titled, Bias in the Booth: An Insider Exposes How the Sports Media Distort the News, was published in March. In an interview about his book, Gwinn discussed how many in the sports media business resent a lot of the religious or Christian themes in pre and post game interviews. “The sports media, by and large, see it as a dangerous rival to their statist, liberal orthodoxy,” he declared.
While pop and entertainment culture is in a rush to celebrate Jenner’s transition, Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said Christians should not “fall for the cultural narrative behind the transgender turn.
“This narrative is rooted in the ancient heresy of Gnosticism,” declared Moore, “with the idea that the ‘real’ self is separate from who one is as an embodied, material building.
“We should stand for God’s good design, including around what Jesus says has been true ‘from the beginning,’ — that we are created male and female, not as self-willed designations but as God’s creative act (Mark 10:6).”
Moore also emphasized the importance of not mocking “these suffering souls,” adding that alienation, something all humans feel, “manifests itself in different ways in different people.”
Jenner expressed thanks for “the overwhelming outpouring of support for my journey” in a press release by ESPN, and called former tennis star Arthur Ashe “one of my heroes.”
“For the first time this July, I will be able to stand as my true self in front of my peers,” declared Jenner.
According to ESPN, the Arthur Ashe award “is one of the most prestigious in sports.” Award winners possess “strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril, and the willingness to stand up for their beliefs no matter the cost.”
Michael Sam (2014) and Robin Roberts (2013), are the most recent recipients of the Arthur Ashe courage award. Sam, who identifies as gay, is under contract in the Canadian Football League and Roberts, who identifies as lesbian, is an anchor for ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Despite claims by some on social media that a wounded warrior finished second for the award behind Jenner, the ESPY’s do not announce runners up for the award. Many on social media did express their desire for Lauren Hill, the former basketball player at Mount St. Joseph University, to be given the award for courage. Hill continued playing basketball even as she battled an inoperable brain tumor. She died in April.
Jenner came to prominence as a gold medal winner in the men’s decathlon event in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. Jenner is well known to younger audiences as the male father figure on the reality show “Keeping up with the Kardashians.”
In an April 20/20 interview with Diane Sawyer, Jenner came out as transgender. Jenner is featured on the cover of an upcoming issue of Vanity Fair with the caption, “Call me Caitlyn.”
Source : Christian Post
Caitlyn Jenner Transformation Won’t Change Who Bruce Was as a Father, Says Franklin Graham
Left: (Photo: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association) Right: (Photo: Vanity Fair/Screengrab)Christian Post Report – A side by side picture of Pastor Franklin Graham and Caitlyn Jenner.
The Rev. Franklin Graham, the son of renowned evangelist Billy Graham and president of international relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, took to Facebook this week to let his followers know that Olympic gold medalist and “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star Bruce Jenner’s transformation into a woman named Caitlyn will not change who he is on the inside or improve his relationship with his children.
Graham referred to the recent Vanity Fair interview where Jenner revealed his new identity. Jenner’s son, Burt, spoke to the publication about his rocky relationship with his father and his hope that his transformation to Caitlyn will improve it.
“At the end of the day there’s no way I can get around it. I am ungodly thankful and I feel very fortunate to not have had my father in my life. … I learned how to open doors and shake hands and look people in the eye. Things that my dad never would taught me,” said Burt to Vanity Fair.
“I have high hopes that Caitlyn is a better person than Bruce. I’m very much looking forward to that,” he added.
In a Facebook post, however, Graham said Bruce Jenner’s physical transformation will not do anything to improve the character of Caitlyn.
“I have news for them — changing the outside doesn’t change the inside. No man-made modification can fix what’s wrong with the heart. Only God can fix the human heart. If we ask for His forgiveness and accept by faith His Son, Jesus Christ, He will wipe the slate clean,” Graham wrote Tuesday.
Jenner’s daughter, Cassandra, took it a step further in a recent People magazine interview by actually stating that her relationship with Caitlyn is better than it was with Bruce.
“We didn’t talk for years, and now we see each other every couple of weeks and talk on the phone, which I am grateful for,” Cassandra told People. “She’s happier and more appreciative of her family. She is trying harder and there is a softness to Caitlyn that is new to me.”
Bruce Jenner first revealed that he identifies as a woman during an interview last month with ABC’s Diane Sawyer after months of speculation created by paparazzi photos showing him wearing nail polish.
This week, Jenner revealed Caitlyn in the latest issue of Vanity Fair magazine posing in makeup and women’s clothing.
“Bruce always had to tell a lie, he was always living that lie. Every day he always had a secret. From morning until night. Caitlyn doesn’t have any secrets. As soon as the Vanity Fair cover comes out, I’m free,” said Jenner in a promo video for the magazine.
Contact: [email protected]; follow me on Twitter @vinfunaro
Source : Christian Post
Caitlyn Jenner to Receive Coveted ESPN Courage Award; Last Three Winners Are Gay, Lesbian and Transgender
ABC NewsChristian Post Report – Bruce Jenner talks with Diane Sawyer on ABC’s 20/20 in April of 2015.
ESPN announced this week that Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce, will receive the Arthur Ashe Courage award at the ESPYS on July 18. In what is becoming ground zero for sexual identity courage awards, the last three winners of the ESPN award identify as gay, lesbian and transgender.
“What the hell am I going to wear?” Jenner tweeted Tuesday with a link to the ESPN press release.
In 2012, the Media Research Center noted bias in sports journalism, and at ESPN in particular, is a prevalent problem, including “long featured commentary advancing the gay agenda.”
In 2013, CEO Bob Iger of Disney, which owns the media platform ESPN, defended complaints from a shareholder, the National Center for Public Policy Research, concerning liberal bias at the sports network.
A new book by Dylan Gwinn titled, Bias in the Booth: An Insider Exposes How the Sports Media Distort the News, was published in March. In an interview about his book, Gwinn discussed how many in the sports media business resent a lot of the religious or Christian themes in pre and post game interviews. “The sports media, by and large, see it as a dangerous rival to their statist, liberal orthodoxy,” he declared.
While pop and entertainment culture is in a rush to celebrate Jenner’s transition, Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said Christians should not “fall for the cultural narrative behind the transgender turn.
“This narrative is rooted in the ancient heresy of Gnosticism,” declared Moore, “with the idea that the ‘real’ self is separate from who one is as an embodied, material building.
“We should stand for God’s good design, including around what Jesus says has been true ‘from the beginning,’ — that we are created male and female, not as self-willed designations but as God’s creative act (Mark 10:6).”
Moore also emphasized the importance of not mocking “these suffering souls,” adding that alienation, something all humans feel, “manifests itself in different ways in different people.”
Jenner expressed thanks for “the overwhelming outpouring of support for my journey” in a press release by ESPN, and called former tennis star Arthur Ashe “one of my heroes.”
“For the first time this July, I will be able to stand as my true self in front of my peers,” declared Jenner.
According to ESPN, the Arthur Ashe award “is one of the most prestigious in sports.” Award winners possess “strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril, and the willingness to stand up for their beliefs no matter the cost.”
Michael Sam (2014) and Robin Roberts (2013), are the most recent recipients of the Arthur Ashe courage award. Sam, who identifies as gay, is under contract in the Canadian Football League and Roberts, who identifies as lesbian, is an anchor for ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Despite claims by some on social media that a wounded warrior finished second for the award behind Jenner, the ESPY’s do not announce runners up for the award. Many on social media did express their desire for Lauren Hill, the former basketball player at Mount St. Joseph University, to be given the award for courage. Hill continued playing basketball even as she battled an inoperable brain tumor. She died in April.
Jenner came to prominence as a gold medal winner in the men’s decathlon event in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. Jenner is well known to younger audiences as the male father figure on the reality show “Keeping up with the Kardashians.”
In an April 20/20 interview with Diane Sawyer, Jenner came out as transgender. Jenner is featured on the cover of an upcoming issue of Vanity Fair with the caption, “Call me Caitlyn.”
Source : Christian Post
Caitlyn Jenner Transformation Won’t Change Who Bruce Was As a Father, Says Franklin Graham
Left: (Photo: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association) Right: (Photo: Vanity Fair/Screengrab)Christian Post Report – A side by side picture of Pastor Franklin Graham and Caitlyn Jenner.
Pastor Franklin Graham, the son of renowned evangelist Billy Graham and president of international relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, took to Facebook this week to let his followers know that Olympic gold medalist and “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star Bruce Jenner’s transformation into a woman named Caitlyn will not change who he is on the inside or improve his relationship with his children.
Graham referred to the recent Vanity Fair interview where Jenner revealed his new identity. Jenner’s son Burt spoke to the publication about his rocky relationship with his father and his hope that his transformation to Caitlyn will improve it.
“At the end of the day there’s no way I can get around it. I am ungodly thankful and I feel very fortunate to not have had my father in my life… I learned how to open doors and shake hands and look people in the eye. Things that my dad never would taught me,” said Burt Jenner to Vanity Fair.
“I have high hopes that Caitlyn is a better person than Bruce. I’m very much looking forward to that,” he added.
In a Facebook post however, Graham said Bruce Jenner’s physical transformation will not do anything to improve the character of Caitlyn.
“I have news for them – changing the outside doesn’t change the inside. No man-made modification can fix what’s wrong with the heart. Only God can fix the human heart. If we ask for His forgiveness and accept by faith His Son, Jesus Christ, He will wipe the slate clean,” Graham wrote Tuesday.
Jenner’s daughter Cassandra took it a step further in a recent People interview by actually stating that her relationship with Caitlyn is better than it was with Bruce.
“We didn’t talk for years, and now we see each other every couple of weeks and talk on the phone, which I am grateful for,” Cassandra told People. “She’s happier and more appreciative of her family. She is trying harder and there is a softness to Caitlyn that is new to me.”
Bruce Jenner first revealed that he identifies as a woman during an interview last month with ABC’s Diane Sawyer after months of speculation created by paparazzi photos showing him wearing nail polish.
This week Jenner revealed Caitlyn in the latest issue of Vanity Fair magazine posing in makeup and women’s clothing.
“Bruce always had to tell a lie, he was always living that lie. Every day he always had a secret. From morning until night. Caitlyn doesn’t have any secrets. As soon as the Vanity Fair cover comes out, I’m free,” said Jenner in a promo video for the magazine.
Contact: [email protected]; follow me on Twitter @vinfunaro
Source : Christian Post
Russell Wilson Invites Ciara to Seattle Children’s Hospital; Leads Singer to Pray for Kids Battling Cancer
(Photo: Ciara/Instagram)Christian Post Report – Russell Wilson invites Ciara to Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Russell Wilson, the Christian NFL star rumored to be dating R&B singer Ciara Harris’ appears to be impacting her prayer life after he invited her to visit the Seattle Children’s Hospital where the pair encouraged children battling cancer. The experience later inspired the singer to pray for the children.
Wilson, the 26-year-old Seattle Seahawks quarterback, has been consistent in volunteering for the hospital for years and was even named “team captain” in the initiative called “Strong Against Cancer” last year. In recent weeks the football player has been spotted with Harris at places like the Japan State Dinner and a Seattle Mariners game.
The Twitter account for both the hospital and the Seattle Children’s Hospital and Research Foundation’s “Strong Against Cancer” initiative which seeks to end childhood cancer in the next decade, expressed gratitude to both Wilson and Harris for their visit.
“Thank you @DangeRussWilson for inviting @ciara to join our #strongagainstcancerteam. What a great visit,” Strong Against Cancer tweeted.
However, Harris seemed just as thankful for the touching experience.
“They were the real stars! Their bravery, will, and courage touched me in a way I can’t explain,” she tweeted about the children she met at the hospital. “I am thankful!
Wilson regularly shares social media images of the children he meets at the hospital along with encouraging words and Harris followed his lead after her visit. She spoke about the beauty of a girl battling cancer named Aylinn, while offering prayers to a boy named George.
“George aka #TheFighter It was so much fun speaking Japanese with you and your mom,” Ciara wrote. “Praying For You @SeattleChildrens
Last year, the Seattle Children’s Hospital and Research Foundation launched a $100 million initiative to support research aimed at curing childhood cancer . After Wilson signed on to be the “team captain” in the initiative called “Strong Against Cancer” he explained why it was important to be involved in the initiative.
“Annually, pediatric cancers receive less than 3 percent of the National Cancer Institute budget, which is why it’s so important for all of us to support initiatives like Strong Against Cancer,” Wilson said last year in a Seattle Childrens Hospital release. “The scientists working on immunotherapy have the treatment and the results to get us to a place where childhood cancer is no worse than a common virus. All that’s needed now are the resources to bring it to every kid who needs it.”
Marlene is the next Picasso! @SeattleChildrens @Ciara
follow me on Twitter @CAThomasos
Source : Christian Post
Comeback Tour? Ex-Mars Hill Pastor Mark Driscoll to Preach at Missouri Megachurch Sunday, Hillsong Conferences This Summer
(Photo: Resuregence Conference 2013)Christian Post Report – Pastor Mark Driscoll talks about changing social climate for Christians during Resurgence 2013, a leadership conference held at Mars Hill Downtown Church in Seattle, Nov. 5, 2013.
In what some critics are calling a leg on his comeback tour, former Mars Hill lead Pastor Mark Driscoll who stepped down from his now dissolved Seattle-based megachurch in October is expected to deliver a sermon at James River Church near Springfield, Missouri this Sunday.
James River is an Assemblies of God church that hosts around 9,000 worshippers each Sunday and once attracted 17,000 people in a record breaking Easter Sunday service, according to Komo News.
The church is led by Pastors John and Debbie Lindell and is currently hosting a sermon series titled “Power in Weakness,” according to their website. It is unclear if Driscoll’s appearance will be related to the series.
Former Mars Hill deacon Brian Jacobsen has joined with other former members and are threatening a lawsuit seeking a full accounting of alleged financial impropriety at the dissolved church.
They are building a case alleging that Driscoll redirected some of Mars Hill’s money to purchase copies of his book Real Marriage to propel it to the top of The New York Times best-seller’s list.
That controversy, along with allegations of plagiarism, misogyny and emotional abuse within Mars Hill preceded Driscoll’s stepping down as lead pastor last October and continues to mar his reputation, but that has not stopped other prominent evangelicals from asking him to appear at their church.
Driscoll also recently spoke at Gold Creek Community Church north of Seattle and started his sermon by diverting those in attendance away from the controversies.
“I would like to talk about Jesus instead of me: It would be much more pleasant and helpful,” said Driscoll to congregations at Gold Creek.
Driscoll is also scheduled to make an appearance at the annual Hillsong Conferences in Sydney, Australia and London, England where he will be interviewed by the church’s lead pastor Brian Houston.
Driscoll’s resignation from Mars Hill led to the dissolution of the church’s name and brand with its 13 locations now operating independently, according to former Mars Hill communications director Justin Dean.
The Christian Post reached out to James River Church for comment, but it did not respond in time for publication.
Contact: [email protected]; follow me on Twitter @vinfunaro
Source : Christian Post
Backstreet Boys Baptized in Jordan River; Brian Littrell Cries During Emotional Ceremony (VIDEO)
Christian Post Report – 1
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(Photo: Instagram/rokspics)
Backstreet Boys singer Brian Littrell was baptized in Israel in May 20Christian Post Report – 15
(Photo: Instagram/howie_dorough)Backstreet Boys singer Howie Dorough was baptized in Israel in May 20Christian Post Report – 15
Christian Post Report - 1426793747303-0-oop')})
Nearly two decades after rising to fame as part of the best-selling boy band in history, two members of the Backstreet Boys were captured on video recently getting baptized in Israel’s Jordan River.
Last month, Backstreet Boys members Howie Dorough and Brian Littrell took time out of the Middle East leg of the band’s world tour to connect with their faith in the holy land through an emotional baptism ceremony. Littrell, also a Christian artist, was joined by his wife Leighanne Littrell during the ritual he described as an “amazing experience.”
“Leighanne and I were baptized in the Jordan river yesterday…. Another amazing experience….,” Littrell noted in a caption accompanying a photo of his baptism.
Video footage shows an emotional Littrell standing alongside his wife and a man believed to be a pastor and all three are wearing white robes.
“Father based on his profession of faith we bury him into the likeness of Lord Jesus’ death,” the man begins.
Within seconds he gently pushes Littrell into the river and the 40-year-old singer begins sobbing immediately after the experience.
Littrell has reportedly been a born-again Christian since he was eight years old and he previously spoke about the importance of using his platform to share the gospel.
“I think as Christians we need to join hands and mount up together and lift God up and talk about our faith publicly and talk about all of the things God has done for us in our life to touch other people,” the “We Lift You Up” singer told BeliefNet.
Photos also show Dorough, 4Christian Post Report – 1, preparing to be baptized and he also shared the experience via Instagram.
“Yesterday was one of the most spiritual days I’ve had in my life,” he wrote alongside a collage of baptism photos. “We went up to the Jordan River, the same river that Jesus got baptized by John the Baptist. From there we moved on to Nazareth to see the Annunciation Church. As told this is where the Angel came to tell Mary that she will bare the son of God. The church was built many years later over her house in honor of her. Today I think I made my mom proud of me.”
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