Manny Pacquiao Fired by Nike After Christian Boxer Calls Gay People ‘Worse Than Animals’

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Manny Pacquiao Fired by Nike After Christian Boxer Calls Gay People ‘Worse Than Animals’

<b>Christian Post Report</b> – World Boxing Organization welterweight champion and congressman Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines gestures during a press conference in Manila in this March 26, 2012 file photo.” title=”<b>Christian Post Report</b> – World Boxing Organization welterweight champion and congressman Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines gestures during a press conference in Manila in this March 26, 2012 file photo.” name=”jpg” src=”http://images.christianpost.com/full/52893/world-boxing-organization-welterweight-champion-and-congressman-manny-pacquiao-of-the-philippines-gestures-during-a-press-conference-in-manila-in-this-march-26-2012-file-photo.jpg” class=”imgPhoto” width=”550″ height=”450″ /> <small class=(Photo: Reuters/Romeo Ranoco)

Christian Post Report – World Boxing Organization welterweight champion and congressman Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines gestures during a press conference in Manila in this March 26, 2012 file photo.

Sportswear giant Nike has terminated the contract of Manny Pacquiao after the Filipino Christian boxer made a controversial comment calling gay people “worse than animals.”

“We find Manny Pacquiao’s comments abhorrent,” Nike said in a statement, according to BBC News on Thursday.

“Nike strongly opposes discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting and standing up for the rights of the LGBT community.”

Pacquiao, the first boxer in history to win ten world titles in eight different world divisions, is also running for a Senate seat in the Philippines, said in an interview with Filipino station TV5:

“It’s common sense. Will you see any animals where male is to male and female is to female?

“The animals are better. They know how to distinguish male from female. If we approve [of] male on male, female on female, then man is worse than animals.”

Pacquiao later apologized for any offense he might have caused, however, and wrote Tuesday on Twitter: “I’m sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals. Please forgive me for those I’ve hurt. God Bless!”

In a similar post on Facebook he added that his comments were made based on his belief on the Bible:

“I still stand on my belief that I’m against same sex marriage because of what the Bible says, but I’m not condemning LGBT. I love you all with the love of the Lord,” he wrote.

And on Instagram he wrote: “I rather obey the Lord’s command than obeying the desires of the flesh. I’m not condemning anyone, but I’m just telling the truth of what the Bible says. The truth from the Bible is what changed me from my old ways.”

He also quoted from 1 Corinthians 6:9, where he said: “Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men.”

Boxing promoter Frank Warren told BBC Radio 5 that the consequences for Pacquiao are going to be very serious, however, and predicted he is going to have trouble getting sponsorship again.

“Pacquiao’s certainly lost any type of sponsorship. That’s all finished. No one’s ever going to sponsor him again,” Warren said.

“The majority of the fans will be totally abhorred about what he said, but that is going be the test – how many people decide they want to watch him fight.”

Pacquiao is scheduled next to fight American Timothy Bradley Jr in Las Vegas in April.

The world famous boxer often talks about his Christian faith in both his sporting and political careers. Back in January, Pacquiao took time to preach before a group of pastors in Davao city.

“Thank you Lord for the privilege to preach to the pastors today. We are humbled and honored to share Your Word,” Pacquiao wrote after his speech. “Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.”

Source : Christian Post

28 Dead in Turkish Capital Ankara Following Terror Bombing; Turkey Launches Air Strikes

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28 Dead in Turkish Capital Ankara Following Terror Bombing; Turkey Launches Air Strikes

Ankara attack (Photo: Reuters/Ihlas News Agency)

Christian Post Report – Firefighters prepare to extinguish fire after an explosion in Ankara, Turkey, February 17, 2016.

After a suicidal car bombing attack in the Turkish capital Ankara killed 28 people on Wednesday night, Turkish warplanes responded by carrying out air strikes on Kurdish militants in northern Iraq only hours later.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has blamed members of the Kurdish YPG militia based in Syria of carrying out the attacks, and revealed that 26 of the 28 people killed on Wednesday were soldiers.

“A direct link between the attack and the YPG has been established,” Davutoglu said, noting that the suicidal bombing targeted military buses that waited at traffic lights near Turkey’s armed forces’ headquarters, parliament and government buildings.

Davutoglu said that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party helped the Syrian Kurds carry out the attack, Reuters reported, but Cemil Bayik, the co-leader of the PKK umbrella group, has said that he does not know who is responsible for the bombing.

Turkey has been fighting PKK rebels in Iraq since the 1970s, and in 2015 started launching air strikes and ground operations aimed at hunting down Kurdish bases in northern Iraq.

As BBC News points out, the Iraqi-based PKK Kurds are closely allied with the YPG, the Syrian-based Kurds, though both groups are separate from the Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq, which is the only one Turkey has good relations with. At the same time, all three Kurdish groups, as well as the Turkish army, are fighting the Islamic State terror group, which has spread throughout Iraq and Syria.

There have been a series of bombings in Turkey in the past year, some blamed on IS and some blamed on the PKK, making it the deadliest period in several decades.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted that the violence will not stand in the way of Turkish unity, however.

“Our determination to respond in kind against such attacks against our unity and future from outside and inside is even more strengthened through such attacks,” Erdogan declared in a statement. “Turkey will not hesitate to use its right to self-defense anytime, anywhere, and in all situations.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said that the White House administration stands beside its NATO ally, CNN reported.

“We strongly condemn this cowardly attack which appears to have targeted buses carrying Turkish military personnel. We stand with our Turkish allies in the face of this horrific act, which only strengthens our resolve to deepen our ongoing cooperation in the fight against terrorism,” Carter said.

Christians have suffered due to the ongoing clashes between the Turkish army and Kurdish PKK, with northern Iraqi bishops speaking out against Turkey bombing border villages.

Reports revealed in January that the Turkish military bombed the border village of Sharanish, home to many Christians, forcing many to flee in panic.

“The attack was carried out under the pretext of the fight against the positions of the Kurdish PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party),” Patriarchate Louis Sako of Babylon of the Chaldeans said, calling the bombings “totally unjustified.”

Sako added that the Turkish government must “respect the lives and property of the population.”

Source : Christian Post

Rapper Andy Mineo Offers Ronda Rousey Christ After She Admits Suicidal Thoughts

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Rapper Andy Mineo Offers Ronda Rousey Christ After She Admits Suicidal Thoughts

Ronda Rousey Reuters

Christian Post Report – Ronda Rousey smiling at a press conference.

In a recent interview with Ellen Degeneres, MMA fighter Ronda Rousey admitted that after her loss to Holly Holm last year, she contemplated suicide. Reach Records rapper Andy Mineo, noticeably touched by her comments, offered some advice.

“MAN! This strikes a chord for me. So often our identities are found in what we do. But what we do isn’t who we truly are. Every public figure fears the day that their ‘moment’ will be over. When there will be somebody else newer, younger, better… and that terrifies us,” Mineo wrote on Facebook after hearing about Rousey’s suicidal admission.

Rousey is a successful American mixed martial artist and actress. The former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion opened up to Degeneres on her Feb. 15th program about the thoughts that ran through her mind after experiencing her first career loss and losing her title.

“Honestly, my thought…I was like, in the medical room and I was down in the corner and I was sitting in the corner like, ‘What am I anymore if I’m not this? I was literally sitting there and thinking about killing myself and that exact second. I’m like, ‘I’m nothing; what do I do anymore? And no one gives a s*** about me anymore without this,” Rousey admitted.

Mineo, a rapper who has built his career promoting a counter cultural message with his Christian faith, sympathized with the popular athlete further.

Andy MineoImage courtesy of Reach RecordsReach Records artist Andy Mineo

“I struggle with my own identity often. My accomplishments are fleeting. What has been able to keep me in my greatest moments of struggle is my faith in Jesus. Knowing God gives me identity and validation that no person can take away.” Mineo continued, “If I succeed, He loves me. If I fail miserably, He loves me. He calls me His son – and like any good father – His love for his children isn’t based on performance.”

He ended his post by wishing her luck on her next match. “Just know you are made in the image of God, valuable and loved regardless the outcome. Blessings!” he concluded.

Although Rousey did not mention having a divine intervention to stop her from suicide, she fortunately had an amazing support system by her side. She said looking at her boyfriend Travis Browne standing outside of her hospital room made her realize that she needs to live because she has yet to have “his babies.”

Rosey has had it rough since birth. According to biography.com, she nearly died after being born with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, which caused slight brain damage and impeded her ability to speak until she was 6. Then soon after, at the age of 8, the California native was faced with the tragedy of her father’s suicide.

Source : Christian Post

The Supreme Court in the Balance: Who Will Replace Scalia?

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The Supreme Court in the Balance: Who Will Replace Scalia?

Christian Post Report – Justice Scalia’s unexpected death last Saturday in Texas at the age of 79 was a shocking blow. On a delicately balanced Supreme Court, Justice Scalia was a towering pillar of conservatism and judicial restraint.

Whoever is elected to be Justice Scalia’s replacement will be the new deciding vote on a host of critically important issues on a court seemingly hopelessly deadlocked in a 4 to 4 stalemate between liberal and conservative justices.

Will judicial restraint or judicial activism prevail? All Americans, and our children and grandchildren, have an enormous stake in the answer to that question.

Source : Christian Post

Keep on Planting Churches!

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Keep on Planting Churches!

Christian Post Report – Right now, there are over 300,000 Protestant churches in America. Just do the division (300,000 divided by 50 states) and that’s an average of 6,000 churches per state. Wow! That’s a lot of churches!

Think about it this way: There are 12,000(ish) Starbucks and well over 300,000 churches! So Starbucks can saturate the United States with caffeinated drinks, but almost 30 times more churches can’t saturate the United States with the Living Water. Seriously?

According to church growth and discipleship multiplication expert Bill Hull, “It still takes 100 church attendees, a pastor and $100,000.00 a year to win a convert. Among evangelicals it is a bit better, 1.7, this is an ugly fact that should grieve us all.”

So our solution is planting more and more churches so that we can reach America for Jesus? Is that really the best solution, or is a revitalization of the current churches the best solution?

My answer is a resounding “YES!

Source : Christian Post