Just a few thoughts on the referendum on 5th May 2011 about changing from 'First Past the Post' to 'Alternative Vote'.
Under our present system, people have a ballot paper which lists the candidates and they mark the paper with an 'X' against the one they would see elected. The successful candidate does not actually pass a post, but simply has more votes than anyone else. That may be over 50% of the votes counted in some untra-safe seats, but it is usually between a third and a half of the votes.
Under AV, people rank the candidates in order of preference. At the count, the second preferences of the least favoured candidate are redistributed, then those of the next least favoured candidate and so on until one candidate has the support of 50% of the electorate, or until there are only two left and one has more votes than the other. A candidate who was ahead on first preferences can find themselves in second place by the time all the alternative votes are counted.
AV makes the count more complicated, so there will soon be a demand for expensive technology to read the papers and allocate the votes. Only three countries in the world - Australia, Fiji and Papua New Guinea use AV. It is fair to say that AV supporters hope it will be a step on the way to proportional representation, but PR is not on the agenda at the moment.
I know some Christian political parties have come out in favour of the Alternative Vote, so how would it benefit a Christian input in politics?
The answer is, 'Not a lot.' The Electoral Reform Society says the AV will lead to more middle of the road candidates being elected. The Liberal Democrats are therefore thought likely to benefit more from AV than Labour or Conservative. In Northern Ireland, centrist socially-liberal parties are set to benefit, and whether Plaid Cymru and the Scottish Nationalists will do well out of it in Wales and Scotland is open to question. But one thing AV will not do is help Christian candidates or those with strong moral views to fight through the swamp of second and third preferences.
The Bible does not give any guidance on what voting system or even what system of government we should have. But it does say that government is under God, and that its purpose is to restrain evil and advance godliness. We see this in the Old Testament, in a passage upon which our own Christian constitution is based:
2Ki 11:17 And Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they should be the LORD'S people; between the king also and the people.
And in the New Testament, in a reading quoted at Her Majesty's Coronation in 1953:
Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Rom 13:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Rom 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
Rom 13:4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
The Bible states that the people gave their assent to the covenant Moses made with God:
Exo 24:7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.
But equally, slavishly doing the will of the people if they want an ungodly law is warned against:
Exo 23:2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:
Of course, in our recent history, politicians and the civil servants behind them have passed laws both in contravention of the laws of God and against the will of the people.
I am thinking of issues such as abortion, pornography, no-fault divorce on demand, homosexuality, euthanasia, removing the death penalty for murder, joining the European Union and allowing it to rule on discrimination law, the abolition of the law against blasphemy, immoral sex education and giving contraceptives to children, de-Christianising religious education, removing tax and social security encouragements for marriage, getting involved in wars where we have no business, allowing the lottery and casinos, Please add to my not-very-exhaustive list in the comments!
AV will not only not help turn that tide in the slightest, it is yet another bit of legislation to add to the list. THere is no public demand for it, it is a career politician's dream.
There is one last argument for leaving the present First-Past-the-Post system in place. It is said, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.' I am not saying that FPTP is perfect, but that there is nothing broken in it which will be fixed by AV.
So I'll be voting 'NO!'
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Thursday, 7 April 2011
LEAFLET FOR ANGLESEY MARDI GRAS
This is the text of our proposed leaflet for the North Wales 'Mardi Gras' to be held at the Mona Showground on Anglesey 15th - 17th April. We are praying for dozens of evangelists to reach the lost with the Gospel.
NORTH WALES MARDI GRAS
TIME TO SPEAK OF FREEDOM
Michael Glatze believed he was gay from the age of 13. He founded a media outreach group for young gays. He never questioned his same-sex desires. He simply assumed that he had been born like it.
But the death of his own father made Michael look at his own health and literally put the fear of God into him. He even began to question his sexuality, something he was told never to do.
'I believed in things that made no sense'
As soon as Michael began noticing the nature of his desires and believing they could change, the realisation, he says, 'became very religious'.
'When I started moving through the process of seeking God's will, I was buying less into things I had long believed. I had believed in things that made no sense - they held no weight.' He saw he was living a fraud.
Michael began making up his own mind: 'When I started to read the Gospels and specifically what Jesus wrote, that's when I started to gain an understanding of what was actually happening to me - the notion of a new life.'
Campaigning lesbian questioned her life
Charlene Cothran was a campaigning lesbian for 29 years, organising and participating in marches, editing a gay periodical and lobbying for gay rights.
Like Michael, she experienced for herself the power struggles within gay relationships - so much so that her close friend was shot dead by that woman's lesbian ex-lover. Charlene witnessed some of the violence that led up to the murder and said afterwards: 'I stood at the very gates of hell',
'We were NOT born this way'
Charlene says: 'Know that we were NOT born this way. This myth was fashioned by the gay establishment as a basis for changing laws in favour of gay rights.
'Do not resist God's call on your life; get alone with God and let him minster the truth directly to you. Accept Jesus Christ - enjoy your life to a new degree, without the burden of sin and with all God's promises on your side. Break free.
'It's possible to have a better time than you did in the clubs, in the parks, better than all those secret encounters with folks whose names you've long forgotten.'
What did Jesus say about human sexuality?
When Jesus spoke about sexual morality, he asked 'Have you not read that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female? For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and cleave to his wife and they twain shall be one flesh.'
So Jesus taught heterosexuality. And that 'one flesh' union the Bible speaks of is something only a man and a woman can achieve. Our private parts are designed by God for each other, just as he designed man and woman for each other spiritually and emotionally as well.
Solving the puzzle with only half the pieces
In the words of psychiatrist Dr David Reuben, gays and lesbians are 'trying to solve the puzzle with only half the pieces'.
Try as they might, a man can never be 'one flesh' with another man, and a woman can never be 'one flesh' with another woman. That search for what has never existed might explain the rampant promiscuity in the gay world, orders of magnitude greater than among heterosexuals, even according to homosexual researchers.
Messing up the body God gave us
And of course the promiscuity brings in its wake a raft of sexually-transmitted diseases. Gay men are now the main reservoir for syphilis and rectal gonorrhoea.
It's time to speak of freedom from unnatural desires and freedom from sin. As Glatze and Charlene Cothran showed, a 'gay identity' is a lie. They walked away from it by the power of Jesus Christ.
Jesus, friend of sinners, is tough on sin
You will hear Jesus described as 'friend of sinners' but that's not because he ever condoned sin. It's because He showed sinners the error of their ways and said that through him they could get right with God. Jesus's first words in his public ministry were 'The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the Gospel.' (Mark 1:15)
Jesus is tough on sin and tough on the causes of sin. He condemned those who lead the young astray by saying they should have millstones tied around their necks and be thrown into the sea.
So homosexuals are going to hell?
All sinners are going to hell. God does not discriminate. His Commandments can never be repealed: sin is worshipping anything other than God, blasphemy, pride, disrespect to parents and those in authority, murder, stealing, lying, adultery, envy, lust and all sexual sin - not just sodomy. To break any of God's Commandments is to stand condemned.
But we are bringing good news! If you repent of all you have done wrong, believe and call out to Jesus for mercy, He will forgive you.
However far we have gone away from God, He will welcome us back if we recognise that we have done wrong and are ready to put things right. 'For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.'
'All' means you too, but Jesus has the power to forgive you and give you a new life. Turn from your sins, call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Jesus gave his life on the cross so that all those who believe in Him could be justified before God by faith in His once-for-all sacrifice of Himself.
Ye shall be free indeed
But it did not end in his death. Jesus rose from the dead and Christians live in His risen life, through the power of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sends.
It is undeniable that men and women have been released from homosexual desires. No-one has to stay gay. 'If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.'
After he rose from the dead, Jesus ascended into heaven, and now has the right to rule over all the kingdoms of the world. Not only is Jesus King, but He is also the righteous judge. One day He will return in judgment, to redeem his own and condemn the wicked and the unbelievers. How will you stand in that day?
'The way, the truth and the life'
You can't cover your own sin, only Jesus Christ is the way to heaven. He said: 'I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.' He also said: 'For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' That promise still stands today.
Bible quotations, from the Authorised Version: Matt 19:4-6; John 3:16, 8:36, 14:6; Romans 3:23, 10:13. ., organising and participating in marches, editing a gay periodical and lobbying for gay rights.
NORTH WALES MARDI GRAS
TIME TO SPEAK OF FREEDOM
Michael Glatze believed he was gay from the age of 13. He founded a media outreach group for young gays. He never questioned his same-sex desires. He simply assumed that he had been born like it.
But the death of his own father made Michael look at his own health and literally put the fear of God into him. He even began to question his sexuality, something he was told never to do.
'I believed in things that made no sense'
As soon as Michael began noticing the nature of his desires and believing they could change, the realisation, he says, 'became very religious'.
'When I started moving through the process of seeking God's will, I was buying less into things I had long believed. I had believed in things that made no sense - they held no weight.' He saw he was living a fraud.
Michael began making up his own mind: 'When I started to read the Gospels and specifically what Jesus wrote, that's when I started to gain an understanding of what was actually happening to me - the notion of a new life.'
Campaigning lesbian questioned her life
Charlene Cothran was a campaigning lesbian for 29 years, organising and participating in marches, editing a gay periodical and lobbying for gay rights.
Like Michael, she experienced for herself the power struggles within gay relationships - so much so that her close friend was shot dead by that woman's lesbian ex-lover. Charlene witnessed some of the violence that led up to the murder and said afterwards: 'I stood at the very gates of hell',
'We were NOT born this way'
Charlene says: 'Know that we were NOT born this way. This myth was fashioned by the gay establishment as a basis for changing laws in favour of gay rights.
'Do not resist God's call on your life; get alone with God and let him minster the truth directly to you. Accept Jesus Christ - enjoy your life to a new degree, without the burden of sin and with all God's promises on your side. Break free.
'It's possible to have a better time than you did in the clubs, in the parks, better than all those secret encounters with folks whose names you've long forgotten.'
What did Jesus say about human sexuality?
When Jesus spoke about sexual morality, he asked 'Have you not read that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female? For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and cleave to his wife and they twain shall be one flesh.'
So Jesus taught heterosexuality. And that 'one flesh' union the Bible speaks of is something only a man and a woman can achieve. Our private parts are designed by God for each other, just as he designed man and woman for each other spiritually and emotionally as well.
Solving the puzzle with only half the pieces
In the words of psychiatrist Dr David Reuben, gays and lesbians are 'trying to solve the puzzle with only half the pieces'.
Try as they might, a man can never be 'one flesh' with another man, and a woman can never be 'one flesh' with another woman. That search for what has never existed might explain the rampant promiscuity in the gay world, orders of magnitude greater than among heterosexuals, even according to homosexual researchers.
Messing up the body God gave us
And of course the promiscuity brings in its wake a raft of sexually-transmitted diseases. Gay men are now the main reservoir for syphilis and rectal gonorrhoea.
It's time to speak of freedom from unnatural desires and freedom from sin. As Glatze and Charlene Cothran showed, a 'gay identity' is a lie. They walked away from it by the power of Jesus Christ.
Jesus, friend of sinners, is tough on sin
You will hear Jesus described as 'friend of sinners' but that's not because he ever condoned sin. It's because He showed sinners the error of their ways and said that through him they could get right with God. Jesus's first words in his public ministry were 'The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the Gospel.' (Mark 1:15)
Jesus is tough on sin and tough on the causes of sin. He condemned those who lead the young astray by saying they should have millstones tied around their necks and be thrown into the sea.
So homosexuals are going to hell?
All sinners are going to hell. God does not discriminate. His Commandments can never be repealed: sin is worshipping anything other than God, blasphemy, pride, disrespect to parents and those in authority, murder, stealing, lying, adultery, envy, lust and all sexual sin - not just sodomy. To break any of God's Commandments is to stand condemned.
But we are bringing good news! If you repent of all you have done wrong, believe and call out to Jesus for mercy, He will forgive you.
However far we have gone away from God, He will welcome us back if we recognise that we have done wrong and are ready to put things right. 'For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.'
'All' means you too, but Jesus has the power to forgive you and give you a new life. Turn from your sins, call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Jesus gave his life on the cross so that all those who believe in Him could be justified before God by faith in His once-for-all sacrifice of Himself.
Ye shall be free indeed
But it did not end in his death. Jesus rose from the dead and Christians live in His risen life, through the power of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sends.
It is undeniable that men and women have been released from homosexual desires. No-one has to stay gay. 'If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.'
After he rose from the dead, Jesus ascended into heaven, and now has the right to rule over all the kingdoms of the world. Not only is Jesus King, but He is also the righteous judge. One day He will return in judgment, to redeem his own and condemn the wicked and the unbelievers. How will you stand in that day?
'The way, the truth and the life'
You can't cover your own sin, only Jesus Christ is the way to heaven. He said: 'I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.' He also said: 'For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' That promise still stands today.
Bible quotations, from the Authorised Version: Matt 19:4-6; John 3:16, 8:36, 14:6; Romans 3:23, 10:13. ., organising and participating in marches, editing a gay periodical and lobbying for gay rights.
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
GREAT WITNESS AT WEMBLEY JPT FINAL
What we need is more leafleteers!
Two of us gave out around 1,000 leaflets to Brentford and Carlisle United fans going in to the Johnson's Paint Trophy Final on Sunday from 11.30am to just before 1.30pm. Telling the fans what the leaflets were about greatly minimised leaflets being dropped on the floor.
This time, in contrast with last Tuesday, when approached by Brent Council officials, I told them what the law said and when they looked at the leaflets and saw that they were (what they described as) of a 'religious' content, they were happy to let us continue.
It turned out to be a very good-natured and appreciated outreach.
Many times we were thanked for giving out the information and many people, having walked past, came back asking for leaflets. 'Why should we object to halal meat?' we were asked, to which the response was and is that it is creeping Islamification, Sharia law by the back door, and people should know what they are eating. And clearly, by refusing to say what is what by honest labelling or even a transparent answer to a simple question, Wembley Stadium have something to hide.
But we need another half-dozen people to give out the leaflets along Empire Way and also at the other side of the Stadium to cover those coming in from Wembley Stadium British Rail.
Everyone thinks someone else will turn up! But the truth is, God honours those who put themselves out and do something for the Kingdom of heaven.
The next pair of witness days are the FA Cup Semi-Finals on Saturday 16th April: meet at 3.00pm (kick-off 5.15pm) and Sunday 17th April: meet at 2pm (kick-off 4pm).
Please PRAY for God to be glorified and for a good number of leafleteers to come along. We shall meet at the foot of the steps from Wembley Park Tube. If you are late, you will find us just along under the bridge in Empire Way. But please be early rather than late. Football supporters get to the match early to chat and chant and soak up the atmosphere. It is not at all uncommon for fans to be there four hours early.
Please EMAIL or TXT me to let me know you are coming:
stephen@christianvoice.org.uk (spamarrest filter, but it's easy to do) or 07931 490050
THE FULL LIST:
Wembley football events March to June 2011:
8.00pm Tuesday 29th March 2011: England v Ghana (DONE)
1.30pm Sunday 3rd April 2011: Johnstone's Paint Trophy Final (DONE)
Saturday 16th April 2011: The FA Cup Semi-Finals
Sunday 17th April 2011: The FA Cup Semi-Finals
Saturday 14th May 2011: The FA Cup Final
Saturday 28th May 2011: UEFA Champions League Final
Monday 30th May 2011: npower Championship Play-Off Final
Saturday 4th June 2011: England v Switzerland
Two of us gave out around 1,000 leaflets to Brentford and Carlisle United fans going in to the Johnson's Paint Trophy Final on Sunday from 11.30am to just before 1.30pm. Telling the fans what the leaflets were about greatly minimised leaflets being dropped on the floor.
This time, in contrast with last Tuesday, when approached by Brent Council officials, I told them what the law said and when they looked at the leaflets and saw that they were (what they described as) of a 'religious' content, they were happy to let us continue.
It turned out to be a very good-natured and appreciated outreach.
Many times we were thanked for giving out the information and many people, having walked past, came back asking for leaflets. 'Why should we object to halal meat?' we were asked, to which the response was and is that it is creeping Islamification, Sharia law by the back door, and people should know what they are eating. And clearly, by refusing to say what is what by honest labelling or even a transparent answer to a simple question, Wembley Stadium have something to hide.
But we need another half-dozen people to give out the leaflets along Empire Way and also at the other side of the Stadium to cover those coming in from Wembley Stadium British Rail.
Everyone thinks someone else will turn up! But the truth is, God honours those who put themselves out and do something for the Kingdom of heaven.
The next pair of witness days are the FA Cup Semi-Finals on Saturday 16th April: meet at 3.00pm (kick-off 5.15pm) and Sunday 17th April: meet at 2pm (kick-off 4pm).
Please PRAY for God to be glorified and for a good number of leafleteers to come along. We shall meet at the foot of the steps from Wembley Park Tube. If you are late, you will find us just along under the bridge in Empire Way. But please be early rather than late. Football supporters get to the match early to chat and chant and soak up the atmosphere. It is not at all uncommon for fans to be there four hours early.
Please EMAIL or TXT me to let me know you are coming:
stephen@christianvoice.org.uk (spamarrest filter, but it's easy to do) or 07931 490050
THE FULL LIST:
Wembley football events March to June 2011:
8.00pm Tuesday 29th March 2011: England v Ghana (DONE)
1.30pm Sunday 3rd April 2011: Johnstone's Paint Trophy Final (DONE)
Saturday 16th April 2011: The FA Cup Semi-Finals
Sunday 17th April 2011: The FA Cup Semi-Finals
Saturday 14th May 2011: The FA Cup Final
Saturday 28th May 2011: UEFA Champions League Final
Monday 30th May 2011: npower Championship Play-Off Final
Saturday 4th June 2011: England v Switzerland
Friday, 1 April 2011
ANTI-JEWISH HATRED AT UNI'S RISING
Not a day after I post a blog on the Islamic influence in British universities, but I read in the Jewish Chronicle that Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor has delivered a devastating attack on British universities for their role in educating members of the autocratic elites of the Middle East, tolerating extremism on campus and becoming the focus of the boycott movement against Israel.
UNWANTED PREGNANCY IN WALES WILL RISE
WIth the news that the morning-after abortion pill is going to made available free in Wales, and this at a time of cut-backs, stand by for more unwanted pregnancies, more abortion referals to the abattoirs in Liverpool and Birmingham and more infertility.
Why? Because the decision brings in its wake a culture where sex is entirely problem-free. 'Why worry about it?' the boy will tell his reluctant girl-friend. 'You can always get rid of it free tomorrow.'
As Josephine Quintavalle, founder of Comment on Reproductive Ethics (Core), said to BBC Wales: "It's absolutely the wrong way to address the problems of high rates of teenage pregnancy in Wales. The idea that young girls can just walk into a chemist will mean they become even less responsible about sexuality.
And yes, of course it will be available to under-16s.
PRAY: That this decision will become an election issue and that it will be reversed. Pray for nore positive Christian outreach to young people.
WRITE: To your Assembly Member if you live in Wales, and ask your Assembly Member to agree with you that this is the wrong way to go about reducing teenage pregnancies in Wales. Ask your AM to ask the Health Minister, Edwina Hart, what targets she has set for reduction in unmarried teenage pregnancies as a result of this decision, how she is measuring teenage infertility, and what she expects to be the impact on teenage infertility as a result of this decision and what measures she has put in place to monitor the rise.
Amazingly, the National Assembly website gives neither a search facility to find your AM, nor any contact details or profile for any Member. There is a list HERE.
Why? Because the decision brings in its wake a culture where sex is entirely problem-free. 'Why worry about it?' the boy will tell his reluctant girl-friend. 'You can always get rid of it free tomorrow.'
As Josephine Quintavalle, founder of Comment on Reproductive Ethics (Core), said to BBC Wales: "It's absolutely the wrong way to address the problems of high rates of teenage pregnancy in Wales. The idea that young girls can just walk into a chemist will mean they become even less responsible about sexuality.
And yes, of course it will be available to under-16s.
PRAY: That this decision will become an election issue and that it will be reversed. Pray for nore positive Christian outreach to young people.
WRITE: To your Assembly Member if you live in Wales, and ask your Assembly Member to agree with you that this is the wrong way to go about reducing teenage pregnancies in Wales. Ask your AM to ask the Health Minister, Edwina Hart, what targets she has set for reduction in unmarried teenage pregnancies as a result of this decision, how she is measuring teenage infertility, and what she expects to be the impact on teenage infertility as a result of this decision and what measures she has put in place to monitor the rise.
Amazingly, the National Assembly website gives neither a search facility to find your AM, nor any contact details or profile for any Member. There is a list HERE.
FIRST WEMBLEY HALAL OUTREACH!
Four of us witnessed to the good-natured crowds streaming down the steps from Wembley Park Tube on Tuesday night for the England v Ghana friendly at Wembley Stadium.
We gave out over a thousand leaflets to fans warning them against eating Wembley's halal chicken, lamb (and beef ? Wembley won't say if it is or it isn't). A few leaflets ended up on the floor. Perhaps if we just had the issue at hand in the leaflet more would remain in people's hands, but we insist on putting the Gospel in as well. After all, we're Christians. And it is that which makes it an evangelistic prophetic witness.
It was a great carnival atmosphere as London's ex-pat Ghana community turned out in full musical force for a match played with great spirit between two evenly-matched teams and which ended 1-1.
Our witness ended in a draw as well, when after an hour's work, a tall male individual purporting to be a Brent Council official, who was accompanied by a police officer, told us to stop leafleting and took the leaflets we had in our hands. He said we needed a license to give out literature and that on a match day we wouldn't get one. So we ended the witness.
But the man was wrong.
The Brent Council website actually states: 'The distribution of free literature in Brent is controlled by the London Local Authorities Act 1994. Brent Council may designate roads, car parks, recreation grounds, etc. as places where free literature may not be distributed without the Council's consent. Literature that is being sold in the street is covered by the London Local Authorities Act 1990 as amended by the 1994 Act.
'Free literature means any newspaper, document, card or other literature for which no charge is made and which contains or comprises of an advertisement for commercial gain.'
The last sentence is is a direct quote from Section 4 (14) of the London Local Authorities Act 1994.
The literature we were giving out did not contain or comprise of an advertisement for commercial gain and therefore its seizure and compelling us to stop distribution was unlawful and a breach of our rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly for which, naturally, we reserve the right to take further action against the Borough.
The London Borough of Brent, Wembley Stadium and all the forces trying to impose Sharia halal meat on the United Kingdom can take notice that we shall be distributing our leaflets again on Sunday 3rd April from 11.30am, this time unmolested by Brent Licensing officialdom!
The occasion is the Johnson's Paint Trophy Final between Brentford and Carlisle United which kicks off at 1.30pm.
Please PRAY that, even though it's Mothering Sunday, a good number of leafleteers will come along on Sunday to meet at the foot of the steps from Wembley Park Tube at 11.30.
Following that will be the FA Cup semi finals on Saturday 16th April: meet at 3.00pm (kick-off 5.15pm) and Sunday 17th April: meet at 2pm (kick-off 4pm).
We gave out over a thousand leaflets to fans warning them against eating Wembley's halal chicken, lamb (and beef ? Wembley won't say if it is or it isn't). A few leaflets ended up on the floor. Perhaps if we just had the issue at hand in the leaflet more would remain in people's hands, but we insist on putting the Gospel in as well. After all, we're Christians. And it is that which makes it an evangelistic prophetic witness.
It was a great carnival atmosphere as London's ex-pat Ghana community turned out in full musical force for a match played with great spirit between two evenly-matched teams and which ended 1-1.
Our witness ended in a draw as well, when after an hour's work, a tall male individual purporting to be a Brent Council official, who was accompanied by a police officer, told us to stop leafleting and took the leaflets we had in our hands. He said we needed a license to give out literature and that on a match day we wouldn't get one. So we ended the witness.
But the man was wrong.
The Brent Council website actually states: 'The distribution of free literature in Brent is controlled by the London Local Authorities Act 1994. Brent Council may designate roads, car parks, recreation grounds, etc. as places where free literature may not be distributed without the Council's consent. Literature that is being sold in the street is covered by the London Local Authorities Act 1990 as amended by the 1994 Act.
'Free literature means any newspaper, document, card or other literature for which no charge is made and which contains or comprises of an advertisement for commercial gain.'
The last sentence is is a direct quote from Section 4 (14) of the London Local Authorities Act 1994.
The literature we were giving out did not contain or comprise of an advertisement for commercial gain and therefore its seizure and compelling us to stop distribution was unlawful and a breach of our rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly for which, naturally, we reserve the right to take further action against the Borough.
The London Borough of Brent, Wembley Stadium and all the forces trying to impose Sharia halal meat on the United Kingdom can take notice that we shall be distributing our leaflets again on Sunday 3rd April from 11.30am, this time unmolested by Brent Licensing officialdom!
The occasion is the Johnson's Paint Trophy Final between Brentford and Carlisle United which kicks off at 1.30pm.
Please PRAY that, even though it's Mothering Sunday, a good number of leafleteers will come along on Sunday to meet at the foot of the steps from Wembley Park Tube at 11.30.
Following that will be the FA Cup semi finals on Saturday 16th April: meet at 3.00pm (kick-off 5.15pm) and Sunday 17th April: meet at 2pm (kick-off 4pm).
CASUAL GAY SEX APP IS HEADLINE NEWS
You really couldn't make it up - but Pink News did.
A mobile internet application which enables men to pick up other men for anonymous outdoor casual sex, a practice known in homosexual circles as 'cruising', has become an April Fools Day headline for the website PinkNews, which reports things of interest to homosexuals.
The 'app', known as 'Kroozr' (get it?) aims to supplant another called 'Grindr', say Pink News. But even though Pink News intend the article as an April Fool, it was based on the reality that homosexual men are sadly driven towards picking up complete strangers for transient sexual encounters. So when we speak of freedom in our outreach to the North Wales Mardi Gras, due to be held on Anglesey in two weeks time (15th & 16th April), we mean freedom from the homosexual life-style, with all its promiscuity, disease, physical danger and emotional limitations.
In that post, I wrote this about the website 'gaytoz': 'Sad and indicative, isn't it, that a website simply informing homosexual people about 'what's on' must advertise bizarre apparatus, pornography and strip shows?' That is why 'Kroozr' is entirely plausible.
In PinkNews' own words:
'A new iPhone app is threatening to knock Grindr off its perch as the number one app for gay men.
'Kroozr claims to use smartphone technology to determine whether men in the user’s vicinity are gay and can even filter out undesirables, such as those wearing sandals with socks.
'According to creator Peter Kelly, the app takes the guesswork out of gaydar, cuts down on valuable ‘sussing out’ time and weeds out weirdos.
'All users need to do is turn on their smartphone and wait for Kroozr to assess nearby men with its inbuilt Kinsey Scale.
'Mr Kelly said: “Kroozr is the new future of gay dating that will turn every trip to M&S, every queue for the cashpoint, every Boris bike trip into a hot party full of your type of guy.
'“Just fill in the details of your ideal man, turn on the app and go about your business. When you get within eyeshot of a hot guy, you can check him out on Kroozr.”'
Everything about the depravity, the sadness, the lack of normality, even of humanity, the promiscuity driven by the pathology of homosexuality is distilled into Pink News's April Fool. Thank God that men and women have walked away from homosexual desires through the saving and healing power of Jesus Christ. May the Church stand up and minister the saving and healing grace of Jesus to the lost at the same time as standing against the wickedness in high places promoting sodomy and abominations like 'gay marriage'.
And of course, Apple have dropped the Exodus International app after massive pressure by 'the gays', scared that someone might turn away from homosexuality. Are we that far from Sodom and Gomorrah?
Although I was initially taken in by Pink News's April Fool, that is only because it made so much sense to anyone with a tiny bit of knowledge of the 'gay scene' and of recent technological advances. After all, the technology is out there - just google 'dating apps' if you don't believe me, add in a bit of GPS tracking to the app and all gay men have to do is enter their characteristics, what sort of men and sexual activities they like and dislike, and they are up and 'cruising', to use their expression. And there would be a demand for a mobile cruising app, if the response to the launch of gay dating app 'bender' (I kid you not) is anything to go by. That app claims to have gone from 0 to 100,000 users in just five months.
So there is a money-making future for 'Kroozr'. Life is going to imitate art here, make no mistake.
Source; pink news:
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/04/01/new-iphone-app-kroozr-comes-with-weirdo-filter/
A mobile internet application which enables men to pick up other men for anonymous outdoor casual sex, a practice known in homosexual circles as 'cruising', has become an April Fools Day headline for the website PinkNews, which reports things of interest to homosexuals.
The 'app', known as 'Kroozr' (get it?) aims to supplant another called 'Grindr', say Pink News. But even though Pink News intend the article as an April Fool, it was based on the reality that homosexual men are sadly driven towards picking up complete strangers for transient sexual encounters. So when we speak of freedom in our outreach to the North Wales Mardi Gras, due to be held on Anglesey in two weeks time (15th & 16th April), we mean freedom from the homosexual life-style, with all its promiscuity, disease, physical danger and emotional limitations.
In that post, I wrote this about the website 'gaytoz': 'Sad and indicative, isn't it, that a website simply informing homosexual people about 'what's on' must advertise bizarre apparatus, pornography and strip shows?' That is why 'Kroozr' is entirely plausible.
In PinkNews' own words:
'A new iPhone app is threatening to knock Grindr off its perch as the number one app for gay men.
'Kroozr claims to use smartphone technology to determine whether men in the user’s vicinity are gay and can even filter out undesirables, such as those wearing sandals with socks.
'According to creator Peter Kelly, the app takes the guesswork out of gaydar, cuts down on valuable ‘sussing out’ time and weeds out weirdos.
'All users need to do is turn on their smartphone and wait for Kroozr to assess nearby men with its inbuilt Kinsey Scale.
'Mr Kelly said: “Kroozr is the new future of gay dating that will turn every trip to M&S, every queue for the cashpoint, every Boris bike trip into a hot party full of your type of guy.
'“Just fill in the details of your ideal man, turn on the app and go about your business. When you get within eyeshot of a hot guy, you can check him out on Kroozr.”'
Everything about the depravity, the sadness, the lack of normality, even of humanity, the promiscuity driven by the pathology of homosexuality is distilled into Pink News's April Fool. Thank God that men and women have walked away from homosexual desires through the saving and healing power of Jesus Christ. May the Church stand up and minister the saving and healing grace of Jesus to the lost at the same time as standing against the wickedness in high places promoting sodomy and abominations like 'gay marriage'.
And of course, Apple have dropped the Exodus International app after massive pressure by 'the gays', scared that someone might turn away from homosexuality. Are we that far from Sodom and Gomorrah?
Although I was initially taken in by Pink News's April Fool, that is only because it made so much sense to anyone with a tiny bit of knowledge of the 'gay scene' and of recent technological advances. After all, the technology is out there - just google 'dating apps' if you don't believe me, add in a bit of GPS tracking to the app and all gay men have to do is enter their characteristics, what sort of men and sexual activities they like and dislike, and they are up and 'cruising', to use their expression. And there would be a demand for a mobile cruising app, if the response to the launch of gay dating app 'bender' (I kid you not) is anything to go by. That app claims to have gone from 0 to 100,000 users in just five months.
So there is a money-making future for 'Kroozr'. Life is going to imitate art here, make no mistake.
Source; pink news:
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/04/01/new-iphone-app-kroozr-comes-with-weirdo-filter/
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