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British Woman Who ‘Detransitioned’ Joins Lawsuit Against UK Gender Clinic, Says Transgender Medical Process Was ‘Torturous and Unnecessary’

A British woman, who was given hormone blockers and opposite sex hormones as part of a gender transition, is suing the clinic that gave her the drugs, arguing she was medically harmed.

As reported by the U.K. Times, Keira Bell, 23, a female who is among the increasingly visible chorus of what are known as “detransitioners” — persons who once lived and identified as transgender and underwent experimental medical regimens to alter their bodies and now regret it — is mounting a legal challenge against the lone gender clinic in the U.K., the Tavistock and Portman National Health Service Trust in London.

Bell, who was given the puberty-suppressing drugs and cross-sex hormones during her mid-teens, now says she found the experience of gender-transitioning traumatic and that the clinic’s approach to treating children is not lawful because the risks are not adequately explained and minors are incapable of giving consent to such interventions.

“She now very seriously regrets the process and feels that the way it was handled and her involvement in it was not appropriate,” Bell’s lawyer, Jeremy Hyam, told the U.K.’s highest court last week during the hearing.

Bell said in a statement after the proceedings concluded that she does not believe “that children and young people can consent to the use of powerful and experimental hormone drugs like I did.”

“The treatment needs to change so that it does not put young people, like me, on a torturous and unnecessary path that is permanent and life-changing.”

Bell, who is currently an unemployed IT engineer from Cambridge, has become the most prominent claimant in a case now being adjudicated as to whether young people can give consent to such life and body-altering medical practices amid ongoing and intensifying debate over transgender ideology, particularly as it relates to medical care and the Gender Recognition Act.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Brandon Showalter

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PODCAST: Being Thankful For the Benefits, Pleasures, and Blessings of God, Part 8 (Praying Through the Bible #390 with Daniel Whyte III)

TEXT: 1 Timothy 4:1-6

1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:

5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.

——–

The Westminster Shorter Catechism reads, “Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to His will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement of His mercies.”

One day when Martin Luther’s puppy happened to be at the table, he looked for a morsel from his master, and watched with open mouth and motionless eyes; Martin Luther said, ‘Oh, if I could only pray the way this dog watches the meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat. Otherwise he has no thought, wish or hope.”

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Now, if you are with us today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, your first prayer needs to be what we call the Sinner’s Prayer. First, please understand that you are a sinner, just as I am, and that you have broken God’s laws. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. You have done the most important thing in life. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door, by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.

Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.

He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.

He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.

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Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration Immigration Rule Criticized by Evangelical Groups to Go Into Effect

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Monday that a Trump administration immigration rule that has been criticized by some evangelical leaders who say it could prevent poor immigrant families from being reunited can go into effect, pending an appeal.

The court voted on ideological lines Monday in favor of the Department of Homeland Security, staying two lower court rulings that blocked the department’s “public charge” rule from going into effect until the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit can rule on the case.

The agency, through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2018, introduced a rule that alters the way the federal government implements “the public charge ground of inadmissibility” for immigrants applying for visas and green cards who use taxpayer-funded government assistance such as food stamps, housing benefits of Medicaid.

The rule defines “public charge” as a person who “receives one or more public benefits.” The rule was approved after a 10-month public comment period that resulted in over 266,000 public comments.

Critics of the rule contend that it could give the DHS more discretion to deny visas and green cards to immigrants who rely too heavily on taxpayer-funded public assistance.

According to SCOTUS Blog’s Amy Howe, the government argued that it would suffer “effectively irreparable harm” if it is prevented from implementing the new rule until the Second Circuit can rule on the case.

“But, in light of all that’s come before, it would be delusional to think that one stay today suffices to remedy the problem,” wrote Justice Neil Gorsuch in a concurring opinion.  “The real problem here is the increasingly common practice of trial courts ordering relief that transcends the concurring cases before them. Whether framed as injunctions of ‘nationwide,’ ‘universal,’ or ‘cosmic’ scope, these orders share the same basic flaw — they direct how the defendant must act toward persons who are not parties to the case.”

SOURCE: Christian Post, Samuel Smith

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Red Cabbage Cake

This cake recipe is born out of my desire to eat healthy cakes. In my mind, I am thinking that adding vegetables to cake recipes will make them more healthy and hopefully still allow my occasional indulgence in a good dessert dish…!

Vegetables have been successfully added to cakes, most popular being carrots, so why not use other vegetables too.

Of course, I knew not all vegetables will be ideal for making cakes, so I really had a lot of fun experimenting with different ones, and after several attempts, I came up with a favourite… #RedCabbageCake.

I actually do love cabbage because of its fantastic nutritional benefit; especially the red one. I have created some really exciting recipes using red cabbage, and here is another one!

Colour, Texture, Taste Verdict
So I, from my judgement, came to the following conclusions: the cake was really moist. It felt that the cabbage brought a lot of moisture to the cake, and it was a little dense. The texture was great, and the intense colour from the cabbage created a visual appeal. It tasted great and I really loved it.

What to do
I used one of my favourite cake recipes. To add the cabbage, I first blended some into a smooth puree. I then added to the batter a little at a time. Then baked the cake as usual.

Served two ways: with custard and with ice-cream

 

Source : Food Blogger : Funke-koleosho

Pro-Life Group Accuses Fox of Censoring Super Bowl Ad

Pro-life group, Faces of Choice, has claimed that Fox News is censoring their Super Bowl ad featuring abortion survivors.

Lyric Gillett, founder of the nonprofit, told Faithwire that she had been working with Fox News since last July to meet all requirements to air her commercial during the Feb. 2 Super Bowl.

“Every time we would send them something, they would ask for something else,” she said. “It was as if they were continuously moving the bench post of what we had to hop over. Every time we gave them what they said was needed to satisfy, they would push it further and further and further down.”

After nearly four months of working with Fox, Gillett received word that all of the advertising spots had been purchased and hers was not to be included. She said she was “furious,” but agreed to wait should any future spots opened up. Her ad buyer told her that this can sometimes happen.

“So that’s what we did,” she said. “We emailed Fox and told them, ‘Look, y’all have strung us along for a very long period of time. We are asking that you do us the dignity and the professional response of giving us an answer for clearance so that, should a spot open up, we can fall right into it.”

Fox eventually told Gillette that the ad would not receive clearance unless ad spots were made available. Though spots did eventually open up, Gillette believes her ad was at a disadvantage since it had not yet been cleared.

Source: Christian Headlines

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Dr. Paul Osteen Hopes to Mobilize and Inspire Medical Missionaries at Lakewood Church’s Upcoming Global Medical Missions Conference

Dr. Paul Osteen, brother of megachurch pastor Joel Osteen, is hoping to inspire medical missionaries during Lakewood Church’s upcoming Global Medical Missions Conference (also known as the M3 Conference).

“You don’t have to look far to see that there are people in need all over the world,” Dr. Paul Osteen, a surgeon who spends about four months a year serving in missions hospitals across the globe, told The Christian Post.

“Because of the overwhelming needs around us, one can easily wonder how they can make a real difference. I urge people to pray about how God can use them to be a part of the solution to help these people.”

He and his wife, Jennifer, will be bringing together doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals to Houston on Feb. 21-22 for their fifth annual M3 conference. They are opening the doors to anyone who has an interest in learning more about global healthcare needs.

When discussing his intent for the conference, Osteen said he “hopes attendees will learn how much of a difference they can truly make when they see the need and choose to help in some way.”

The theme of this year’s conference is centered on the question “Can you see it?” which is inspired by the scripture John 4. In that verse, Jesus said, “Open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you…”

Lamenting the state of poverty and conflict across the globe, Osteen noted, “Every day, 830 mothers in low-resource communities die of childbirth-related issues. Right now, 74 million people are displaced or refugees. There are 420 million children living in war zones. Half of the world’s population lacks access to basic medical care.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Jeannie Law

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Scott Reddig on Setting the Record Straight About Health Care Sharing Ministries

The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of BCNN1. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s).

Perhaps no other topic tends to be more polarizing or politicized in America than healthcare. Here at Medi-Share, one of the nation’s leading nonprofit Health Care Sharing Ministries, we often find ourselves in the middle of conversations or news articles regarding our unique approach to meeting the healthcare needs of Christians. 

One such article was recently published in The New York Times under the headline, “It Looks Like Health Insurance, but It’s Not. ‘Just Trust God,’ Buyers Are Told.” We appreciate the interest in the unique and growing alternative of health care sharing, but we believe the article left readers with misleading conclusions. Though other ministries will want to speak for themselves, I’d at least like to set the record straight regarding Medi-Share.

Significant Facts Omitted or Misrepresented

The article described an unfavorable experience of a handful of members across several ministries and then implied that these experiences are the norm for members of health care sharing ministries. I don’t believe that’s true, and I can affirm that’s definitely not true at Medi-Share. We have a 26-year history of faithfully sharing among our members, an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and consistently high member satisfaction scores (which we monitor continuously). That’s real proof that the great majority of our members like the experience and value they and their families receive by participating in Medi-Share. Since 1993, every eligible bill submitted through the Medi-Share program has been paid by our membership. During 2019, more than $50 million in medical bills were shared each month by the faithful members of Medi-Share.

I was particularly concerned that the one example The New York Times article cited about a Medi-Share member’s experience left out a key part of the story. Yes, it’s true that our member had a medical event that was initially determined not eligible for sharing under the program guidelines. But what the article failed to mention was that the member followed our member appeal process and the initial decision was reversed by our community. Ultimately, this member’s bills were taken care of — that too was omitted. We’ve since learned that an example cited about a Samaritan Ministries’ member was also inaccurately reported.

I wish the article had sought and offered examples I hear every day from members. They are compelling and would more accurately depict the experiences most typical of our community. Let me offer two.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Scott Reddig

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John Piper’s Desiring God Ministry Examines How Politics Has Changed the Meaning of ‘Evangelical’

Since Donald Trump burst onto the political scene in 2016, there is one group among which he has maintained consistent and unwavering support – white evangelicals. While votes from the faith community have been invaluable to Trump’s political goals, some have also lamented the subsequent effect politics have had on distorting the true meaning of the term “evangelical.” Indeed, in our divisive political times, evangelicals are seen – at least in the mainstream media – as being almost synonymous with President Trump.

“Evangelicalism went from being America’s most controversial religious movement to its most reviled one,” writes the Vardaman Distinguished Professor of History at Baylor University, Thomas S. Kidd, in a feature piece at Desiring God. Trump’s election, Kidd said, has “generated an often-acrimonious debate among scholars about whether embracing “Trumpism” was an aberration for white evangelicals, or instead, a natural outgrowth of what the movement always has represented.”

As ever, the media has happily labeled all evangelicals as Trump supporters. This, along with an inability to define what being an “evangelical” truly means in the context of our current cultural climate, has caused a “crisis with acute political ramifications,” according to Kidd.

The problem, Kidd argues, goes far beyond political jostling. Rather, there is “widespread confusion about the meaning of the term itself,” he writes.

The word “evangelical” actually finds its origins in the Greek word “euangelion,” which simply means “good news.”

So why has the term become so political? Well, it could be something to do with the fact that in the 1980s, the influential Baptist preacher Jerry Falwell, Sr., once told fellow believers that to be evangelical was to “get saved, baptized, and registered to vote.”

The reality, Kidd argues, is that by this particular decade, many Republican evangelical insiders “were conveying to their followers that to be evangelical was to vote, and to vote Republican.”

In addition, choosing not to vote or casting a vote for a Democrat candidate, was viewed as a grave sin by some prominent evangelical leaders.

Soon, conservatives realized that the so-called “evangelicals” were becoming less picky about the particular virtues or religious traits exhibited by the party’s nominee – they would simply cast their vote for the GOP regardless.

Source: Christian Headlines

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Dolly Parton and For King and Country Win Grammy for ‘God Only Knows’

In collaboration with the Christian duo For King and Country, Dolly Parton won her ninth Grammy award over the weekend for the single “God Only Knows.”

Though Parton couldn’t attend the ceremony, Josh and Luke Smallbone of For King and Country praised the country music legend in their acceptance speech, according to CBN News.

“To dear Dolly Parton who is an incredible human being,” they said. “It’s one of the greatest moments of our career to collaborate with her and her team. She said, ‘I love this because it’s reaching to the marginalized, the depressed, the suicidal, which is all of us at some point.’”

The song won in the Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance and Song category. The song highlights struggles that only God knows with a refrain that includes the lines: “God only knows what you’ve been through//God only knows what they say about you//God only knows the real you//There’s a kind of love that God only knows.”

Parton was also nominated for her song “Girl in the Movies” with Linda Perry.

Source: Christian Headlines

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