God ‘opened the door’ – Diane-Louise Jordan reflects on her career as Blue Peter turns 60

The Christian broadcaster also described Jesus as her “anchor” in a “very competitive industry” which can leave people feeling “really, really insecure”.

Speaking about her arrival at Blue Peter in 1990, Diane-Louise said: “There were so many other people who could have easily filled my shoes.

 

“It so says to me that if God wants you to be there (he really does order your steps) you will be there, and he doesn’t want you to be there, you won’t.”

The 58 year old will join other former Blue Peter presenters including Peter Purves and Konnie Huq in celebrating the milestone during a grand reunion on Tuesday.

She went on to say: “We’re like five-year-olds going to their first birthday party.

“We’re so excited that we all going out to see each other…and have this confidence that Blue Peter is probably going to be around for another 60 years.”

Diane-Louise, who currently presents Songs of Praise on BBC One worked on Blue Peter for six years, becoming one of the show’s longest-serving presenters.

Describing how she has coped with the pressure of working in television, she added: “Whether I’m in a great job, or whether I’m working or not working… it doesn’t matter because my anchor in Jesus.

“Wherever he wants me to be, that’s where I’ll be. Whatever he wants me to be doing, that’s what I’m going to be doing.”

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Biological Male Wins Female Cycling World Title, Some Say it’s ‘Not Fair’

Biological Male Wins Female Cycling World Title, Some Say it’s ‘Not Fair’



A biological male who identifies as female won a cycling world championship Sunday, sparking controversy over fairness in athletics. 


Rachel McKinnon won the 35-44 female age bracket at the UCI Masters track cycling championships in Los Angeles 


“First transgender woman world champion…ever*” McKinnon wrote on Twitter.


McKinnon is an assistant professor at the College of Charleston. 


Carolien Van Herrikhuyzen of the Netherlands and Jennifer Wagner of the U.S. finished second and third, respectively. Wagner wrote on Twitter, “I was the 3rd place rider. It’s definitely NOT fair.”


In January, McKinnon told USA Today that the debate over fairness misses the mark. 


“We cannot have a woman legally recognized as a trans woman in society, and not be recognized that way in sports,” McKinnon said. “Focusing on performance advantage is largely irrelevant because this is a rights issue. We shouldn’t be worried about trans people taking over the Olympics. We should be worried about their fairness and human rights instead.”


McKinnon has said the debate over testosterone is irrelevant, although McKinnon says she is under the maximum testosterone levels as required by UCI.


Jillian Bearden, a cyclist and a transgender woman who was born male, said testosterone gives athletes a natural boost. 


“I’ve proven how powerful…

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Jesus Revival May Lead to US Christians Being Ruptured, Removing America From End Times

(Screenshot: Facebook/Pure Flix)Pastor Greg Laurie in an interview published on Facebook on October 14, 2018.

Evangelist Greg Laurie has suggested that a massive Jesus revival in America could lead to Christians being snatched from Earth, removing the U.S. from the End Times conflict.

Speaking with PureFlix on Sunday in a Facebook video, Laurie, who pastors Harvest Christian Fellowship in California, recalled that one of the earmarks of the Jesus movement of the 1960s and 1970s was that people believed Jesus was coming soon.

The pastor insisted that the Christians of that time were not wrong to believe that, noting that “we’ve never been closer to the return of Jesus than right now.”

He said that looking at Bible prophecy, he doesn’t see anything specifically that needs to happen before Christ returns to remove believers from the Earth, which is sometimes called the rapture of the Church.

“When you look at the major superpowers of the world, you can find Israel, you can maybe find Russia, China, you can definitely find Iran-Persia, but why is there is no clear identification of the reigning super power, the United States of America?” he said, referring to End Times scripture found in the book of Revelation.

“We know that the players of the last days will be the forces…

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Bishops join call for ‘urgent action’ on Universal Credit

A campaign has been launched by End Hunger UK asking ministers to ‘fix’ Universal Credit.

It wants the government to create a more flexible system for claimants applying and for those already receiving the benefit.

The Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler (pictured below), the Church’s lead bishop on welfare issues, said: “We need urgent action to improve the flexibility and support for people on Universal Credit, and a long-term commitment that the social security system will provide enough income for them to afford to feed themselves and their families properly.

“Without such action, we can expect to see more and more people turning to food banks and becoming trapped in poverty.

“The problems we are seeing with Universal Credit at church-run food banks across the country must be resolved before many more people are moved on to the new benefit.”

Diocese of Durham

 

It comes as reports suggest the government is delaying the full introduction of Universal Credit.

Gary Lemon, policy director at the Christian charity Trussell Trust told Premier’s News Hour the situation is a mess.

He said: “There is a principle that needs to underpin our whole benefit system. That is that no one is left without enough money to afford the basics.

“Unfortunately what our food banks are seeing is that Universal Credit is no fulfilling that principle at the…

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Quebec’s New Administration Works to Ban Employees from Wearing Religious Garb

Quebec’s New Administration Works to Ban Employees from Wearing Religious Garb



The new administration in Quebec, Canada, is working to prevent its employees from wearing religious symbols while at work.


According to College Fix, if this rule is enacted, judges, prosecutors, police officers and teachers will also be prohibited from wearing clothing or accessories that identify with a religion. 


The Coalition Avenir Quebec platform, Quebec’s new premier François Legault’s political party who is proposing the rule, states, “Religious signs will be prohibited for all persons in position of authority, including teachers.” 


The platform continues saying, “after 10 years of discussion on the subject and on reasonable accommodations, it is more than time to act and adopt legislation clearly establishing the secularity of the state.”


CBN News reports, employees who choose not to follow the rule will lose their jobs.


Legault commented on the rule saying that Quebec would simply use the rule to illustrates the governments neutrality in certain situations.


In Reason’s blog Hit & Run Legault is quoted as saying, “I think if we compare to what’s happening in many countries, it’s reasonable for neutrality reasons—we want to make sure that a policeman or a policewoman doesn’t show a religious sign in case the man or woman in front of him is from another religion.”


Many, however, are arguing that the rule is unconstitutional…

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Texas ‘Prophet’ Joshua Holmes Is ‘Jesus in the Flesh,’ Followers Say

(Photo: Facebook)‘Prophet’ Joshua Holmes.

If you don’t know self-styled Texas prophet Joshua Holmes of Joshua Holmes Ministries, you don’t know Jesus because he is “Jesus in the flesh,” according to some who follow him.

“For all you haters if you don’t know Prophet Joshua Holmes you ain’t got the Holy Spirit. That’s all I gotta say,” a young woman says in a viral video posted on Facebook dismissing critics of Holmes. “He is changing lives every day. He is Jesus in the flesh. He is very tangible. He’s got the power of God on him.”

The flamboyant young minister, whom many critics dismiss as a dangerous departure from orthodox Christianity, has emerged in recent months as an online sensation professing healings and “money miracles.”

In a 1-minute video promotion for his ministry that has been viewed more than 3 million times on Facebook, Holmes is recorded making women and men swoon with a wave of his jacket or a mere breath from his mouth.

Information on who this “prophet” is or where he came from, however, remains vague and limited even on his ministry’s website where he sells a book about prophetic mysteries for more than $100 per copy.

“Prophet Joshua is a vessel of The Lord Jesus, who is anointed with power from the Holy Ghost to deliver, and bring multitudes into the…

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The Archdiocese of Washington Releases Names of Clergymen Who Sexually Abused Children

The Archdiocese of Washington Releases Names of Clergymen Who Sexually Abused Children



Following the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the Archdiocese of Washington released a list of 28 names of clergy members who, since 1948, were accused of sexually abusing children.


The archdiocese posted the list to their website on Monday that details the names of the accused clergymen along with some of the actions that followed the accusations. 


In his official blog, Cardinal Wuerl called the release of this list “a necessary step toward full transparency and accountability and the process of healing.”


In a statement released on Monday, the Catholic archdiocese noted in the statement that the list was “assembled as part of a comprehensive review of the archdiocese’s archives ordered by the Cardinal Donald Wuerl in 2017.”


According to the list, at this point, all of the clergymen on the list have either died, been convicted and/or have been stripped of their priesthood. 


The list includes the list of 28 clergymen and three religious-order priests who temporarily served in the Archdiocese of Washington’s parishes or schools.


According to the statement released by the archdioceses, no priests have had credible claims levied against them in almost 20 years, and no priest who has faced a credible claim is still serving. 


The archdiocese did not note when the accusers on the list came forward or how many victims there were, but…

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Evangelicals Must Respond to #MeToo With ‘Grace and Love’: Christian Author

 

Evangelical churches must respond to the revelations of the #MeToo movement with “grace and love,” according to a Christian author and activist.

“I hope that victims and survivors are finding community, they are finding safety, and they are finding that they have opportunities to tell their story and to be believed,” Kathy Khang, writer and director of Campus Access Initiatives at InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, told National Association of Evangelicals President Leith Anderson.

“I hope that they are experiencing a degree of relief as things across culture come to light and that there are individuals and churches that are entering into a time of confession as opposed to a time of further accusation.” 

Anderson noted that “we’re living in a time of both confrontation and confession — a time that’s focused on openness about ways women have been abused and mistreated.”

“You and I can talk about this theoretically, but there are people who are hearing our voices right now who deal with this specific situation and they’re looking for some kind of guidance, hope, a direction to go.”

Khang said she believes that the response from church leaders and congregants should be “one of grace and love, particularly for the victims and survivors of sexual abuse and sexual…

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Christian charity marks World Food Day with Parliament exhibition

Pictures and voices of people in food poverty will be showcased to raise awareness of the nature, scale, causes and experiences of food insecurity in Britain.

The exhibition Behind Closed Doors is being organised by End Hunger UK and will feature work by photographers Ursula Kelly, Huw Nicholls and James Lane, as well as graphic artist John Reeves and Queen Mary University academic Jon May.

 

Church Action on Poverty is one of the organisations taking part.

The charity’s director Niall Cooper told Premier: “It’s an issue that’s affecting millions of people. We’ll all have heard about the growth of foodbanks across the UK – many Christians and others have been supporting foodbanks.

“What we’re trying to do is highlight the underlying causes of food poverty – a lack of income, a lack of access to good food.

“We share a vision of a society where everyone has access to good food and no one needs to go to bed hungry…nobody should be going without food in a country as wealthy as ours.”

People attending the exhibition are encouraged to connect with people living in household food insecurity.

Cooper said many of us may be unaware that we know someone who is struggling to eat meals.

Make Lunch

 

“The problem with poverty and food poverty particularly, is there’s a stigma attached,” Cooper said.

“People don’t talk about it – people do their…

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Boko Haram vows to make kidnapped Nigerian Christian schoolgirl a ‘slave for life’

The 15-year old was among 110 girls abducted in February from their school in Dapchi, Yobe state.

While all of the surviving girls were freed, Sharibu wasn’t as she refused to renounce her Christian faith and convert to Islam.

 

On Monday, the Boko Haram faction known as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) executed aid worker Hauwa Leman – the second International Committee of the Red Cross worker it has killed in less than a month.

ISWAP told local news site The Cable they would make Sharibu a “slave for life”.

Meanwhile, the federal government has condemned the execution of Leman and Lai Mohammed.

AP Photo/Hamza Suleiman

The girls from the Government Girls Science and Technical College Dapchi who were kidnapped and set free are photographed during a hand over to government officials in Maiduguri, Nigeria

 

The minister of information said the government did “everything any responsible government should do” to save both of the murdered aid workers.

The insurgents had threatened on Sunday to kill Leman by Monday.

Last month, ISWAP warned it would kill Sharibu if its ransom demands were not met.

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