Nigel Benn explains life-changing ‘encounter with Jesus’ as he returns to boxing

Benn said he is returning to boxing at the age of 55 to gain “closure” after being tormented by drug abuse, depression and the death of his brother during his career.

The former world champion, who revealed he suffered suicidal thoughts before turning to Christianity just over 10 years ago, has announced a one-off fight with Sakio Bika on 23 November in Birmingham.

 

Benn has not fought professionally since 1996 but, having found peace, feels he has unfinished business due to previous problems outside the ring.

“This fight is all about me. It wasn’t financial, it was always about closure that I wanted that I never had,” said Benn at a press conference in London.

“I suffered with a lot of issues in my life from a young age, from 1972 when my brother died – the murder of my brother – which I carried through to my adult life.

“At the age of eight, I started smoking cigarettes to 41, I started doing ecstasy, smoking spliff all through my career, but suffered with depression.

“There’s not one fight that I went through that I never suffered with. It was bugging me.

“I don’t even think I was at my best, I don’t know how I got that far to be inducted into the hall of fame and voted the best super-middleweight in history along with Joe Calzaghe by the WBC.”

Nicknamed the ‘Dark Destroyer’, Benn claimed the WBO middleweight title in 1990 and held the WBC super-middleweight crown…

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Hostility in Brexit debate ‘not worthy of our country’

A joint statement issued on behalf of the Church of England’s College of Bishops has called for a new tone of listening and respect in debates and describes the use of language in some cases as “unacceptable”.

It urged for the 2016 referendum to be honoured and for the rule of law and impartiality of the courts to be upheld.

 

 “We should speak to others with respect. And we should also listen. We should do this especially with the poor, with the marginalised, and with those whose voices are often not heard in our national conversation,” it reads.

“We should not denigrate, patronise or ignore the honest views of fellow citizens, but seek to respect their opinions, their participation in society, and their votes.”

The letter also encouraged parliament to look to the words of Jesus to guide them through the debate.

“The teachings of Jesus Christ call for us to be generous and humble servants; virtues which are for all leaders, whatever their faith,” it reads.

“Our concern is also for the structure and the constitution of the United Kingdom. To use the words of Jesus, we must renew the structures that enable us to “love one another”. Changes to our principles and values of government, if necessary, should be through careful planning and consultation.

“It is easy to descend into division and abuse – climbing out and finding unity again takes…

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Firefighters tackle flames at church which closed this week

Parts of the St Marks with Christ Church in Glodwick, Oldham, were ablaze on Thursday evening, images show.

Six fire engines were deployed just after 9pm, with Glodwick Road closed and nearby residents told to keep windows and doors shut owing to the smoke, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said.

 

It comes after the 145-year-old building closed its doors after its last Mass on Sunday because of “continued problems” and “reasons beyond our control”, according to its Facebook page.

 

With a spire of 141 feet, the sandstone building was constructed in 1874-6 and designed by local architect John Wild, its website states.

The website adds: “Although we are a parish in the Catholic tradition of the Church of England, we do not seek to exclude anyone from worshipping with us. Whatever your denomination or faith tradition you will be welcome in our parish family.”

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College Students Want Inclusive Society over Freedom of Speech, Poll Finds

College Students Want Inclusive Society over Freedom of Speech, Poll Finds



A recent poll found that nearly half of college students prefer creating an inclusive society than allowing freedom of speech.


“There is a new class of students on college campuses, increasingly varied in background and ideology, who are grappling with the reach and limits of free speech and what it means in the 21st century,” Sam Gill, Knight Foundation vice president for learning and communities, said.


Viewpoints on the different values varied by gender, race and religion. More than half of college women valued a welcoming environment over free speech while only 28% of men did. But religious students, including Mormons (81%), white evangelical Protestants (71%), white mainline Protestants (64%), and Catholics (62%), valued freedom of speech.


The report shows that 53 percent of the students surveyed overall favor protecting free speech whereas 46 percent say it is important to “promote an inclusive and welcoming society.” Still, more than half of the students surveyed believe that hate speech should remain protected under the First Amendment.


According to Medium, Black students prefer promoting an inclusive society to freedom of speech while half of Hispanic students believe in protecting free speech rights.


In a separate poll put on by the Speech First, a nonprofit that fights for free speech on campuses, conservative students often feel pressure to…

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Photo of Young Man Praying Over Police Deputy Goes Viral

Photo of Young Man Praying Over Police Deputy Goes Viral



A photo of a young man praying over a Florida deputy is lighting up screens across the country.


The photo, posted to Facebook by the deputy’s wife, features the man putting his hand on the deputy’s shoulder while both of their heads are bowed, according to WRIC.


The deputy’s wife, Justine Tucker, said that while eating dinner at Zaxby’s, the young man named Juan approached the table and asked to pray for the deputy’s safety.


At the time of this writing, the post has been liked by more than 48,000 people and shared more than 24,000 times with over 4,000 comments.


“Tonight was a night that I will never forget. This picture is a reminder of God’s constant love and perfect timing,” Justine wrote. 


“Tonight we had an amazing encounter with an incredible young man named Juan. He came up to Cameron and asked if he could pray over him and his protection. After crying my eyes out we got to have an amazing conversation with this gentleman,” she continued.


Justine later noted that Juan was “on FIRE for God and you could feel His presence in the room.” She added, “[Juan] said that he had felt compelled to talk to us and to pray over Cameron.”


Commenters praised the young man and the deputy.


“God bless your husband, family and this young man and his family! Thank you for serving your community!” one person commented.


“Let’s pray that many…

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Drugs Used as Puberty Blockers in Children Can Cause Serious Effects, FDA Report Finds

Drugs Used as Puberty Blockers in Children Can Cause Serious Effects, FDA Report Finds



A recent FDA report has shown that drugs used as puberty blockers, such as Lupron, have caused serious negative long-term effects in adults, including death.


According to the Christian Post, between 2004 and June 30 of this year, over 40,764 adverse reactions were recorded by patients who took Lupron and Triptorelin, including over 6,000 deaths associated with the drugs.


Though created to treat prostate cancer in men and endometriosis in women, doctors are prescribing the drugs for children diagnosed with gender dysphoria to interrupt hormone levels while children decide their gender.


But reports have revealed destructive long-term effects for adults who took the drug as a child. Sharissa Derricott, who was prescribed Lupron as a young girl to help her grow taller, believes it has seriously hindered her life.


“It just feels like I’m being punished for basically being experimented on when I was a child,” she said to STAT News. “I’d hate for a child to be put on Lupron, get to my age and go through the things I have been through.”


In 2017, the FDA said it was “conducting a specific review of nervous system and psychiatric events in association with the use of GnRH agonists, [a class of drugs] including Lupron, in pediatric patients.”


Endocrinologist Michael Laidlaw has seen the dangers of using the drug for gender…

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9th U.S. Town Becomes ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’

9th U.S. Town Becomes ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’



The city council of another Texas city voted this week to become a sanctuary city for the unborn, making it the sixth in the state and the ninth nationwide this year to pass such a declaration.  


Council members in Gilmer, Texas, voted 4-1 Tuesday to declare the town a “sanctuary city for the unborn,” one day after another Texas town, Tenaha, passed a similar ordinance. Council members for Joaquin, Texas, also passed a “sanctuary city” ordinance last week. All are located in East Texas.


“[Gilmer is] a safe haven where the unborn has a right to come here and not worry about being aborted,” Gilmer city manager Greg Hutson said, according to KYTX.


Mark Lee Dickson of Right to Life of East Texas, who supports the ordinances, agreed. 


“Those are human beings, just as human as me and you, and all we are saying here, is in our cities, we do not want those kids to be killed,” Dickson told KLTV.


None of the cities have abortion clinics. One goal is to discourage the clinics from moving within their city limits. The ordinances do more than express the sentiment of the towns; they ban abortion as part of city code, The Texan reported. 


“The word ‘clinic’ is not a fitting name for these facilities,” Dickson said. “These are the extermination camps of our day. These ordinances simply say, ‘Not in our city. Here we want to see babies born, not…

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Honduran Youth Pastor Wins Asylum Case, Enters the United States

Honduran Youth Pastor Wins Asylum Case, Enters the United States



A 35-year-old Honduran youth pastor has been granted asylum in the United States after arriving at the border nearly one year ago.


According to Christianity Today, Douglas Oviedo first arrived in the U.S. in November of 2018 but was asked to return to the city of Tijuana, Mexico in January under President Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy until his case could be heard.


Oviedo was one of the first migrants returned to Mexico under the policy and is now one of the few to have subsequently been granted asylum.


Oviedo and his lawyer, Lisa Knox, were able to convince immigration Judge Rico Bartolomei, that the gang violence he was fleeing was occurring as a result of his religious and political convictions, thus making his case a matter of persecution – a valid ground for claiming asylum in the United States.


According to a report in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Oviedo argued “that he was a pastor who worked doing outreach to at-risk youth to keep them from joining or to convince them to leave gangs. Those gangs … are in control all over Honduras.”


Oviedo went on to claim that “because he’d been black-listed by the gang, there was nowhere inside his country where he would be safe.”


While in Tijuana, Oviedo wasted no time in continuing to live out his faith, as he and two other migrants set to work building a shelter for women and children. He also…

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New campaign as Church says Catholics aren’t in tune with the Bible

The ‘Bible and You’ survey also found that 41 per cent of those questioned aren’t sure where to begin with the Bible.

The Church, along with the Bible Society, have launched “The God Who Speaks: The Year of the Word” campaign to help Catholics get the most out of the scriptures.

 

Fleur Dorrell, co-ordinator of the campaign, told Premier the Catholic Church is seen as “not being very Biblical”, and they want to correct that misunderstanding.

“We have the Bible every day in mass and in the divine office, but we have a different approach to it from some sometimes other Christian denominations.

“So we’re often seen as ‘you can’t quote from the Bible easily, and do you actually read it very often?’ Yes, we do, but to articulate that it is actually central and foundational to our whole faith and the way we operate, we want to make that more visible and more tangible to the rest of the world.”

The 15-month long campaign aims to help people understand how the Bible is relevant and vital in a faith journey.

The initiative includes a series of events to share God’s word creatively and break barriers to the Bible.

One of the ways they plan to do that is make the Bible more accessible for people with disabilities in churches. They will also offer scripture tours around dioceses that will be a sort of arts festival.

“At the tour, we have what we’re calling tents of encounter, where…

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What You Need to Know about How the Impeachment Process Works

What You Need to Know about How the Impeachment Process Works



For just the fourth time in U.S. history, the House of Representatives has launched a formal impeachment inquiry against a sitting president. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the probe Tuesday evening, saying President Donald Trump must be held accountable for reportedly using a foreign leader to try to influence an election.


“The actions of the Trump presidency revealed the dishonorable fact of the president’s betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security, and betrayal of the integrity of our elections,” Pelosi said.


Less than 36 hours later, the House Intelligence Committee was grilling Joseph Maguire, the acting Director of National Intelligence, about the whistleblower complaint that prompted Pelosi to issue the green light after years of impeachment threats.


What does the impeachment process involve?


The steps for the impeachment of a president are outlined in the U.S. Constitution, which gives each chamber of Congress a clear role in the two-part process: impeachment and removal. It starts, as we saw on Tuesday, with a formal inquiry filed by the Speaker of the House. In order to proceed beyond an inquiry, a House committee must determine that the president has committed “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” The charges are called “articles of impeachment.”


According to NBC News, the speaker has decided that all…

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