Kirk Franklin is a Texan gospel artist who led the choir The Family and has released solo albums.

On Monday, he posted a video on Instagram explaining why he would be boycotting the Christian music event, the Dove Awards, and the Christian TV channel Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) until tangible plans are put in place to “protect and champion diversity”. 

Franklin said: “Today, I feel like quitting and I am heartbroken that I even have to share this with you.”

He explained how he won the award for best gospel artist at the Dove Awards in 2016, the Christian version of the Grammys, but that some of his acceptance speech was edited out on television. 

He said: “For so long, the terms ‘Christian’ and ‘Gospel’ for many were codewords for ‘black’ and ‘white’, which history may teach us was a set up for this unfortunate place we find ourselves in today.

“During that awards speech I felt the responsibility, as a Christian and a man of colour, to address the civil unrest at that time that was plaguing our country.”

He was referring to the killings of two black men by police officers; Philando Castile and Walter Scott.

During the speech, he called on the audience to speak out and there was a standing ovation as he prayed.

Although, this speech is available on the Dove Awards youtube channel, Franklin said it was edited when TBN aired the awards.

After he rose the issue in…

The eXceL Project (XLP) works with thousands of disadvantaged young people across nine London boroughs to help provide them with positive future prospects and lead them away from crime.

In partnership with British Fencing and London Youth, XLP have started running inner-city fencing classes to help promote respect and good sportsmanship among young people vulnerable to knife crime.

Sports Project Manager Steven Ekpenyong told Premier the sport encourages unexpected positive values despite its perceived violent nature.

“Because it can be closely linked with knife crime and what people perceive as the motion that takes place I think for a lot of the young people that was the initial catch.

“They think this a little bit like you’re stabbing someone but then when you start to explain the rules to them, it’s not about trying to stab someone or hurt the other person – it’s about how do you respectfully gain a point and respect the other person in the process?”

He went on to say the sport models a humility and discipline that is often lacking in other sports, an element which has helped teach young people how to resolve conflict and work together.

“I’m seeing young people that don’t usually talk to each other going off and trying to understand the rules together. The respect level at the session was totally incredible to see.”

Mr Ekpenyong said a lot of young people can…

The album called ‘Easter is Cancelled’ was released on 4th October. It reached number 10 in the UK album chart and is the band’s sixth album.

The Darkness are a British band, famous for guitar riffs and the songs ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’ and ‘Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells Ring)’.

In a recent interview with Sky News, Hawkins was asked whether the cover glamorised carrying knives while there is a stabbing epidemic in the UK.

Hawkins replied: “What we were trying to do was interfere with biblical iconography and the sources we studied to assemble that image was from hundreds of years ago.

“We didn’t recognise that it might be insensitive in the current climate. We saw it as something as escapism in talking about an imagined scenario from an alternate reality, and if we have offended anybody, all we can do is apologise.”

Regarding the fact that he is breaking free from a cross, he said: “I play Jesus. Yes, that’s controversial, but then again Willem Defoe has played Jesus, no one gives him a hard time. We are not denying the existence of Jesus Christ.”

Willem Dafoe played Jesus in The Last Temptation of Christ, a 1988 film.

The other members of the band are depicted as women with halos fighting off Roman soldiers and one appears to be Salome, holding John the Baptist’s head. 

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. 

Most Rev Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Ireland was speaking during Mass on Sunday.

“Migrant smuggling and human trafficking feeds on the desperation of vulnerable people, many of whom are fleeing from violence or economic uncertainty,” he said.

“Smugglers and traffickers exploit children, women and men who are prepared to use drastic measures to reach what they think and hope will be a better life, often only to be enslaved and manipulated in forced labour or prostitution.

“The horror of this discovery should awaken us all to the reality that human trafficking could be happening right in front of us – in our own parish and in our own town.

“Let us resolve to raise awareness, to keep our eyes open and to cooperate at all levels of society for an end to this evil in our midst.”

Police found the bodies of 8 women and 31 men in the refrigerated trailer of a lorry on an industrial estate in Grays, Essex, in the early hours of Wednesday.

The lorry driver, 25-year-old Maurice “Mo” Robinson, from Northern Ireland, is due to appear in court on Monday charged with 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to traffic people, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering.

Three other people arrested in connection with the deaths have been released on bail, Essex Police said on Sunday.

It was revealed on Monday that the…

The demonstration was staged on the cathedral green by animal rights campaigners while NFU and Young Farmers services take place inside the cathedral.

Protesters wore badger masks and held placards outside as the Devon Young Farmers Harvest Thanksgiving service took place.

Young Farmers Club, which is who the service is being held for, is an organisation that dates back to the 1920s.

One passer-by told Devon Live: “They were singing a song All Thing’s Bright and Beautiful, but they changed the second bit of the verse to “The NFU killed them all” instead of the Lord God made them all.

“The singing was directed at those arriving for the service and going in the door. As you can imagine there was no one else there, no public and it’s pitch night. They all had badger masks on.”

Devon and Cornwall Police sent liaison officers to the cathedral but no disruption to the service inside the cathedral and no arrests were made.

It is not clear which anti-badger culling group was behind the protest at this stage.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.