Aydin Onac was suspended from his role at St Olave’s Grammar School in Orpington, south London, on Thursday.
Bromley council will be investigating “concerns that have been raised over recent weeks”, The Time reports.
The school found itself in the spotlight this summer when it emerged parents had threatened legal action after some sixth-formers were told they would not be re-admitted for their final year, for failing to achieve certain grades.
St Olave’s, in the London borough of Bromley, is one of England’s top-performing grammar schools.
A total of 16 pupils were affected by the school’s policy of “grade exclusion” because they didn’t achieve at least three B-grades in their first year tests.
Two families threatened the school with legal action and judicial review proceedings against the governing body of St Olave’s were initiated.
However, the high-achieving school reversed its decision before a hearing took place and the legal action was dropped.
Pupils and teachers were called to a meeting on Thursday to be told about Onac being suspended which, according to The Times, was received with claps and cheers by pupils.
Rev Peter Galloway, the chair of governors at the grammar school, resigned from his role in September, although his decision to was unrelated to the scandal.
Members of the senior management will in the meantime take over running the school and its operations will be overseen by Bromley Council.
Every so often, there is a moment of sanity that pushes back against transgender activism in the sports world, although the reaction to the sane decision is often anything but sane. And so it happened in Australia, where, “A male-female transgender athlete has been blocked from taking part in next year’s Australian Rules Football professional women’s league, according to the BBC.
“Callum Mouncey, who calls himself ‘Hannah’, stands 6-foot-2 and weighs [218 pounds]. And wears size 15 shoes, according to his Twitter account.”
Did you get that? A biological male, who identifies as a female, will not be able to play for the female branch of Australian Rules Football. As the league explained, it took into consideration “transgender strength, stamina, physique, along with the specific nature of the AFLW.”
Good decision! After all, this is not rocket science. Football is a dangerous, physical sport (not just the NFL, but Australian Rules Football too). Just look at some of these collisions and hits in the men’s league, as well as these hits and fights in the women’s league. Is it fair or safe to allow a 218-pound male to play side by side with these ladies?
Obviously not, and thankfully, this time around, sanity and reality prevailed. But that is not always the case.
In the last few years, a male weightlifter who identifies as a woman has broken records in women’s weightlifting, a teenage boy who identifies as a girl has been winning girls’ races, and a man who identifies as a woman has mauled female opponents in MMA.
While some have been critical, others have celebrated these accomplishments, which are anything but praiseworthy. What is there to celebrate when a biological male is stronger or faster than a female peer? How is this a breakthrough for equality? To the contrary, it is a breakthrough for inequality, penalizing the other female athletes and making for unfair competitions.
And the more physical the sport, the greater the danger to the female competitors. That’s why there was no small outcry when Fallon Fox, a MTF (male-to-female) athlete, began to fight in the very dangerous sport of Mixed Martial Arts.
Yet, despite the obvious threat to the health and safety of the other female competitors, there were those who defended Fox’s right to fight, stating, “MMA Fighter Fallon Fox Is a Woman, Get Over It.” The medical claim is that “male to female transsexuals have significantly less muscle strength and bone density, and higher fat mass, than males.” Consequently, it’s not unfair for a MTF athlete to compete with other women.
Why, then, is the aforementioned MTF weightlifter smashing records? And why, then, did a female fighter defeated by Fox say she never encountered such strength in a female before? And what if a 7-foot-2 NBA player felt that he was really a woman, transitioning to female and wanting to play for the WNBA? Would anyone really care if, after hormone treatments for several years, he no longer had his full male strength? Would it be fair for a 7-foot-2 biological male to compete with other women?
As always, I’m not attacking these trans-identified athletes as if they were evil people. And God alone knows the ultimate reasons for their gender confusion.
I’m simply saying that: 1) it’s not “transphobic” to argue that biological males should not compete against biological females; 2) it’s not fair to the female athletes; 3) it’s sometimes dangerous to the female athletes; and 4) this is nothing to celebrate.
Not surprisingly, there has been an outcry of protest that Callum Mouncey cannot play football with the ladies. As Bill Muehlenberg notes, “Sadly, the reaction from the loony left was as predictable as it was pathetic. Many are calling this an outrage and are demanding that the decision be overturned.”
Specifically, “One opinion piece actually had this headline ‘AFL’s shameful fear of Hannah.’ The commentator wrote: ‘Inclusion it seems is not for everyone and frankly that is a disgrace. It is a confusing and sad situation because Mouncey has basic human rights. You have to feel for her. She doesn’t want to be the face for transgender people. All she wants to do is play footy.'”
Really now? The football league has a “shameful fear of Hannah”? Perhaps it is a healthy fear of Callum?
On a different but related front, Georgia Love, an Australian celebrity, has spoken out against gender-neutral birth certificates, saying, “I have absolutely no issue with people who become transgender or don’t associate with a particular gender as they grow up and become the human adult that they are. But I think on a birth certificate, this is going way too far.”
So, even someone like Love who has no problem with an adult “transitioning” has a problem with saying that a child clearly born male or female can somehow be labeled “gender-neutral.” Yes, “this is going way too far,” just as it’s going way too far when a man who identifies as a woman wants to play women’s football.
Once again, sanity has prevailed, at least for the moment.
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Christian Action Research & Education (CARE) has put on the P Word Conference in partnership with the Naked Truth Project and it takes place at Belfast Bible College on Friday 20th October from 10am to 4pm.
Prominent church leaders and leading experts will gather to discuss, pray and tackle the issue of pornography.
There will be live presentations and pre-recorded contributions and delegates will be given the practical tools to feel equipped to address pornography in their churches and communities.
There will also be a prayer space, set up by 24-7 Prayer for those who want to intercede and pray for this issue during the event.
CARE’s Churches Development Officer for Northern Ireland, Tim Houston, told Premier in a press statement: “Pornography has never been more accessible, affordable, anonymous or addictive.
“Pornography use is widespread in our communities, including in our Churches, and we need to address it due to the damaging impact it can have on those who watch it and those who are in the industry.
“Christians have a long reputation of standing up against harmful norms that have become commonplace in society today. This is another issue that we will not only speak out on, but partner with church leaders to equip them to talk about why we should tackle pornography addiction and pastor people through it.
“P Word resources the church to understand the social costs of pornography and gives leaders the tools needed to address the issue back in their churches and communities, leading to long term, positive change.”
Christian rockers Needtobreathe broke out a spiritual warfare anthem during a 2012 guest appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. On that stage, where secular rockers sing almost every night, Needtobreathe sang about the band members’ constant battle against the lies of the devil. Watch the live performance here.
The call came from Angela Williams, the co-founder and chief executive of Christian campaign group Christian Concern who, according to The Times, said that the archbishop was in a prime position to mediate in kidnap negotiations.
She’s quoted as saying:
“Resolution is an important part of the archbishop’s work and with his background in this area he should play a personal role.
“He has the experience of negotiating with kidnappers in this area.”
The Most Rev Justin Welby had previously negotiated the release of hostages in the Niger Delta part of Nigeria where David Donovan and his wife Shirley were kidnapped last week.
He has also visited the Delta on a number of occasions while he was the treasurer of the oil exploration group Enterprise Oil plc, where he was mainly concerned with West African oil projects.
Mr and Mrs Donovan run a primary care clinic and train local staff.
The archbishop was out of the country and could not be reached for comment.
Although the Donovans were criticised for working in an area notorious for kidnapping westerners, Ms Williams said:
“Christian missionaries provide vital services such as this clinic in Nigeria. When God calls you to go to a place and you have something to give then it is a calling you cannot ignore.”
As well as Mr & Mrs Donovan, the Times says that the other two hostages are known as “Alana” and “Tyan”.
End-times scholar John Shorey believes the recent natural disasters will kick off the seasons of judgments as described in David Wilkerson’s Set the Trumpet to Thy Mouth.
“The great holocaust in America will follow an economic collapse. The enemy will make its move when we are weak and helpless,” Wilkerson prophesied.
“I believe it’s the earthquakes that will be the domino that pushes the economy to the brink of no return,” Shorey says.
Chip and Joanna Gaines are back in the news. Critics continue to look for reasons why they would step away from their very profitable television show, but Chip’s explanation is simple: “That’s not what motivates us: more money, more fame, more things. We didn’t really want all of this stuff to begin with.”
Yesterday was the thirtieth anniversary of Black Monday, the worst day in Wall Street history. While experts believe our economy is safer now than it was then, 85 percent of US adults nonetheless experience some form of financial anxiety. Roughly two-thirds admit that their financial anxiety is negatively affecting their health; 70 percent say it is adversely impacting their home life.
More Americans than ever before are stressed, depressed, and anxiety-ridden. A perceptive commentator noted that “the epidemic of anxiety is not just a mental health issue, but it is also cultural pathology. Our way of life promotes anxiety and its consequences.”
Ministers are not immune from the anxiety of our age. A third of pastors admit that they battle discouragement, fear of inadequacy, or depression. Consider this observation:
“Perhaps the ministry was never busier than it is now. Hundreds of men are hoarse from continual speaking, and are wearied out with running here and running there. If things slow down, we evolve yet another type of meeting. And when this new and added wheel is spinning merrily with all the other wheels, there may be no spiritual outcome whatsoever, but there is a wind blowing in our faces; and we hot and sticky engineers have a comfortable feeling that something is going on.”
Arthur John Gossip wrote these words in 1952. What would he say of our frenzied, over-scheduled church culture today?
By contrast, Oswald Chambers notes: “In our Lord’s life there was none of the press and rush of tremendous activity that we regard so highly, and the disciple is to be as his Master. The central thing about the kingdom of Jesus Christ is a personal relationship to himself, not public usefulness to men.”
Craig Denison adds: “You’ll find no greater joy, peace, or purpose than in serving Jesus alone. There is no greater life than one lived in full devotion to the King of all the earth.”
I have found that I experience sustained peace and joy in direct proportion to the degree that I am in love with Jesus. When the living Christ is just part of my life rather than the focus of my life, the spokes detach from the hub and the wheel breaks down. When I walk with Jesus through the day, worshiping him and thanking him and asking for his wisdom and depending on his power, I experience a centeredness and deep delight that words cannot express.
Henri Nouwen describes our Lord as the God “who sent his Son to become God-with-us and . . . sent his Spirit to become God-within-us.” Think of it: the God who rules the universe now inhabits your body.
Should we love anyone or anything more than him? Should we work in our power or his?
Speaking on US TV show The Talk, the gospel artist revealed how she struggled to deal with depression and mental health issues as a teenager before joining the Beyonce Knowles-Carter headed group aged 20.
The ‘Say Yes’ singer explained: “For years, I’m in one of the top-selling female groups of all time suffering with depression.”
However, it wasn’t until her thirties that she was able to understand what she was going through.
During her time in the girl group, Beyonce’s father Mathew Knowles – who was the group’s manager – also struggled to understand why she felt the way she did.
She said: “It got really really bad to the point of I was suicidal.
“I was to that place where it got so dark and heavy because sometimes you feel like ‘I’m the provider, I take care of people, I’m not supposed to be feeling this way – what do I do?’ I wanted out.”
Williams was a member of the group between 2000 and 2005, alongside Beyonce and Kelly Rowland.
She told the CBS talk show that she had been inspired to speak out about depression by fellow musician Demi Lovato, who has been vocal about her own mental health problems.
This follows a growing number of artists who have also decided to speak out about mental health.
Christian grime artist Stormzy previously struggled with depression, and shared these experiences in tracks on his debut album ‘Gang Signs & Prayer’.
When Jesus returns, let Him find faith in you. (qimono/Pixabay/Public Domain)
“Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8b).
You can’t have faith without the truth of God’s Word holding final authority in your life. Faith is based on the truth and authority of the Scriptures. The end of your faith is when you begin doubting the Word of God, and it stops carrying authority in your life. The end of your faith is when you no longer live by the Word of God. Multitudes of professing Christians in the church system today have departed from the real faith. Many no longer even believe the Scriptures are inspired of God.
Eye-Opening Statistics
A few years ago in another national poll on Christianity in the churches of America these telling statistics were revealed.
Studies showed that even though 79 percent of those who actually attend evangelical churches find their faith “very important”, only 36 percent of them actually believe that faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life. What? That one is hard to believe. The slightly larger majority believe that many religions can lead to eternal life. And these are church members.
The drop in percentages among mainline churches is even more telling. Only 14 percent believe that Jesus Christ exclusively provides the only way to eternal life, while 83 percent think many religions lead there. Only 22 percent of this group even believe that the Bible is fully inspired while another 28 percent believe that it is just a book written by men, not the word of God. Compare this to evangelical churches, where only 7 percent do not believe the Bible is a divinely inspired book.
The great tragedy and deception is that many think they can be Christians while rejecting the Word of God and every major doctrine and practice of the true Christian faith.
The most disturbing trend, however, is in America’s 18-35 group. While some polls show roughly 9 in 10 Americans still maintain belief in a god or gods, the trend of religious young Americans is toward a conglomeration of varied religious beliefs, including atheism. A 2010 USA survey revealed that 72 percent of the nation’s young people identify themselves as “more spiritual than religious.”
Furthermore, with an increasing majority of younger Americans accepting evolution as fact, Christianity for many under 35 is becoming a watered-down hybrid version of Eastern philosophy and biblical teachings. This trend among our young people towards being “spiritual but not religious” points further to the declining belief and practice of Christian doctrine and the embracing of a broader relationship with all other religions and beliefs.
This explains most of the above statistics, doesn’t it?
Falsehood is increasing at an alarming rate in our land. The true word of the Lord is becoming rare, and there is a famine of it. It is the reason God led me to write on The Real Salvation, The Real Gospel, The Real Jesus and The Real Spirit of Revival. Readers think these books are radical, but they’re really not. It’s just that we’ve had the watered-down version of the gospel for so long that these books seem radical. They are normal. They are filled with truth. When falsehood slips in, the plain, unadulterated truth seems radical. The day is upon us now when truth must be trumpeted loud and clear.
The prophet Isaiah lamented a defiled nation submerged in injustice, oppression, sin, and falsehood.
“Justice is turned backward, and righteousness stands far off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey” (Is. 59:14-15).
Without truth, there is no justice, righteousness or equity. He who stands for truth in this evil day will be the object of abuse, criticism, or ridicule. They will be as prey that are hunted and killed.
Doubt: Satan’s Greatest Weapon
Satan’s greatest weapon is disseminating doubtful reasonings into humanity as he did at the beginning, which led to man’s fall.
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the garden; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You will not eat of it, nor will you touch it, or else you will die.’ ” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that on the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:1-5).
Notice how Lucifer, now Satan, deceived Eve. He made her doubt the Word of God by making these three core statements:
“Has God said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?”
“You surely will not die!”
“You will be like God.”
Jesus said that Satan is a liar and the father of lies. “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
Notice the progression of Satan’s fatal suggestions:
First, he injected doubt into Eve’s mind through deception concerning what God had said.
Secondly, he then outright denied to Eve’s face what God said.
Thirdly, he deified man and told her that she would be as God.
Therein those three statements lay the deification of man: the gradual dethroning of God and the exaltation of man.
First, Eve began to doubt the absolute authority of the Word of God. Unless the Bible becomes the basis and authority of our total belief system, we will give place to lies, heresies and doctrines of demons. Satan asked Eve a question that amounted to: “Did God really mean what He said?” That subtle questioning of God’s Word then turned into a bold contradiction of it: “You surely will not die.” And finally, it ended with a false promise: “You will be like God.”
It was when Adam and Eve acted on Satan’s subtle suggestion that sin was birthed. Then with sin came death, sickness, disease, poverty, hatred, strife and suffering. It all began in Lucifer’s heart and was then injected into God’s first creation before being passed on throughout every generation.
The fall of man started with doubt. Doubt always brings death. Faith always produces life.
“For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness'” (Rom. 4:3).
The greatest heroes of the faith have always been those who believed the Word of God (Heb. 11). Don’t be a part of the apostate church and the unbelieving world. Do not be deceived by the devil’s chicanery and subtle lies. Rise up, resist the devil’s lies and stand strong in the truth of God’s Word.
When Jesus returns, let Him find faith in you.
Bert M. Farias, revivalist and founder of Holy Fire Ministries, has authored several books with an emphasis on helping to restore the true spirit of Christianity in the Church today, including the newly released, Passing on The Move of God to The Next Generation and the highly sacred book, The Journal Of A Journey To His Holiness. An anointing of fire marks his ministry with frequent demonstrations of the Spirit and power of God. He ministers interdenominationally and cross-culturally in nations, churches, conferences, on the streets and in homes. He and his wife Carolyn also host The Holy Ghost Forum – a school of the Spirit. Follow him at Bert Farias and Holy Fire Ministries on Facebook and @Bertfarias1 on Twitter.
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Topic: Know & Stay Within Your Calling — Saturday 21, October 2017. Memorise:For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. – Romans 12:3 Read: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (KJV)
4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
Bible in One Year: Colossians 1-4, Daniel 10:15-11:6, Hymn: Sing Hymn 15 – The Comforter Has Come Saviour
MESSAGE:
Anyone who wants to be successful in life without struggling must know the reason why God sent him or her into this world. As a child of God, it is particularly very important for you to know your calling and stay within it. There are many reasons why a child of God should know and stay within his or her calling. The Holy Spirit expounds on this in Romans 12:3 saying:
“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
Open Heavens 22 October 2017: Sunday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye – Fulfil Your Calling
This scripture reveals a serious mistake that knowing one’s calling could help to avoid. That mistake is thinking of oneself more highly than one ought to. For example, a person called as a teacher seeing himself or herself as an apostle would get into a lot of problems. He or she will commit blunders, and can only be rescued by reporting and staying within the call of God with every sense of sobriety.
Also, in our Bible reading, we are exposed to the diversities of gifts given by the same Spirit of God. Irrespective of the type of gifts we are given, 1 Corinthians 12:7 says this about their purpose:
“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”
This scripture reveals that these gifts are for the purpose of blessing the Body of Christ. This is why you should never make merchandise of spiritual gifts. Freely the Holy Spirit gives, and freely we must operate in His gifts without profiteering. This might be the reason why Elisha refused to take the gifts offered by Naaman, the Syrian army general, after he was healed of leprosy (2 Kings 5:15-16). Moreover, we must not only know our calling, we must also stay within it as a matter of necessity. Those who would not stay within their calling will end up in frustration. The truth is, no calling is inferior to the other, and none is superior either (1 Corinthians 12:15-25). It is an inferiority complex that makes a child of God think that he or she is not gifted, when he or she can sing, witness or give generously without constraints. It takes a divine calling to be rich and still find it easy to distribute your riches to meet people’s needs. Ananias and Sapphira entered into the calling of giving like Barnabas, when they were not called into it, and they met their waterloo (Acts 4:36-37, Acts 5:1-11). That thing you are doing for God with ease is your area of calling. Identify and stay in it. God bless you.
Prayer Point:Father, open my understanding to know my calling and give me the necessary contentment to stay within it in Jesus’ Name.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
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