Christians put B&B up for sale after death threats, from The Christian Institute

Peter and Hazelmary Bull refused a double room to a gay couple in 2008.

• Christian B&B owners who refused to let gay couple stay suffer death threats and are forced to sell up because of a lack of business (dailymail.co.uk, 19 September 2013)
• Scandal Christian couple forced to sell up Marazion B&B (thisiscornwall.co.uk, 19 September 2013)
• Christians lose appeal in B&B case (10 February 2012)

Thu, 19 Sep 2013

Christians who suffered death threats and vandalism after being sued by a gay couple have put their B&B up for sale.

Hazelmary Bull speaking in 2011

Peter and Hazelmary Bull spent winter “shivering” and sometimes going “hungry” because of the crushing impact of equality laws.

The Bulls will only allow married couples to share a double bed at their guesthouse near Penzance in Cornwall because of their Christian beliefs.

Their policy, which applies to heterosexuals and homosexuals alike, has been in place since the business opened, and is well adverstised.

Sued

But as soon as new gay rights laws were introduced in 2007, the Government’s tourism board for England struck the Bulls’ B&B off their approved list.

A few years later in 2011, the Bulls were successfully sued by gay couple Martyn Hall and Steven Preddy, who won £3,600 in damages.

The UK Supreme Court will hear the Bulls’ appeal later this month in a case backed by The Christian Institute.

Threats

But in the meantime the B&B has been targeted with vandalism, wheel nuts have been removed from the Bulls’ car and recently a dead rabbit was nailed to their fence.

The B&B’s website was hacked and replaced with pornography, and the couple have received death threats.

The decision to sell the property – which is also their home – was not taken suddenly, Mrs Bull said.

Dread

“It was a gradual process; we just noticed more and more that we couldn’t make the mortgage repayments” she said.

“Last winter was terrible. We were actually shivering and were hungry. We are coming towards next winter and dreading it.

“In 2013, two people who worked all their lives at this have ended up cold and hungry. It’s not right.

Future

“This is like a death in the family. I never thought it would end like this. We are not facing the future with any real enthusiasm.”

The Bulls’ appeal to the UK Supreme Court, to be heard next month, is supported by The Christian Institute’s legal defence fund.

Spokesman Mike Judge said: “It’s a chilling view of equality which ends up treating a pair of honest Christians like this. I very much hope the UK Supreme Court introduces a more balanced approach.”

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Family, Some Thoughts

Why the Best Leaders Are Sometimes Invisible

Why the Best Leaders Are Sometimes Invisible

There is a pervasive stereotype that leaders are the ones in the limelight, the ones on stage, the extroverts with big personalities whose faces are on the front page. Like many stereotypes, I think this one is often unfair.

Some of the best leaders I know don’t demand up-front attention, but their leadership is powerful because of the fruit it brings.

Their teams or organizations or the individuals who come in contact with them are grown and propelled forward by the vision they have and by their strength, even if their vision and strength are quiet and unassuming.

One of the reasons I think quiet leadership like this is so powerful is because the burden of responsibility is taken off one person and transferred to many.

A group of people living up to their full potential is truly more capable than a single person living up to his full potential. This is easy to admit. Which is better—one person who is living out the gospel or a group of people with unified vision and purpose, all contributing equally to the community in his or her own unique way?

- See more at: http://ministrytodaymag.com/index.php/ministry-leadership/vision/20367-why-the-best-leaders-are-sometimes-invisible#sthash.9BaiGtkq.dpuf

What climate change? Fewer people than EVER believe the world is really warming up

What climate change? Fewer people than EVER believe the world is really warming up

A report from the UK Energy Research Centre also shows the number of those who resolutely do not believe in climate change has more than quadrupled since 2005.

The Government funded report shows 19 per cent of people are climate change disbelievers - up from just four per cent in 2005 - while nine per cent did not know.

The report comes as climate change scientists working on a landmark U.N. report on climate change are struggling to explain why global warming appears to have slowed down in the past 15 years even though greenhouse gas emissions keep rising.  

Green Party leader Natalie Bennett blamed the Government for the increase in climate change doubters.

She said: "When the government is so clearly failing to act on climate change, or take seriously its obligations under the Climate Change Act, it's not surprising that the level of doubt about climate change has risen.

10 Ways the Word of Faith Movement Went Wrong

I have found that whenever we preach or emphasize one truth of God’s Word to the exclusion of the others, it becomes a mixture and produces both good and bad fruit. For example, this has happened with the hypergrace movement, as well as the view of hyperfaith. From an overemphasis on outward holiness, we get legalism. And we come into a form of fatalism when we emphasize God’s sovereignty at the expense of human responsibility.

10 Ways the Word of Faith Movement Went Wrong

9:00AM EDT 9/19/2013 JOSEPH MATTERA 

Clegg’s ‘dinosaur’ jibe at gay marriage opponents

Nick Clegg talked about celebrating same-sex marriage outside Parliament.

• Nick Clegg’s speech to Lib Dem conference 2013 (libdemvoice.org, 18 September 2013)
• Same-sex marriage opponents ARE bigots, says Clegg ex-aide (21 September 2012)
• Clegg’s ‘bigots’ jibe was like bullying, says poll (19 September 2012)
• Clegg tries to reassure churches over ‘bigots’ gaffe (13 September 2012)

Thu, 19 Sep 2013

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg used his conference speech to sneer at those who wanted to maintain the traditional meaning of marriage.

He said that while he was celebrating the redefinition of marriage outside the House of Lords, “dinosaurs” were on the inside voting against it.

As the vote was taking place, Mr Clegg said the right place to be was with campaigners outside Parliament clapping along to the Abba song, ‘Dancing Queen’.

Concerns

Lib Dem grandee Shirley Williams was one of those within his own party who had raised concerns about redefining marriage.

Last year Nick Clegg’s office was forced to retract a speech, issued to the media, which called opponents of gay marriage “bigots”.

Beating a hasty retreat, Nick Clegg said he never intended to make the remark and it was a drafting error by his officials.

Respect

He wrote to the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church, insisting he respects those who disagree with him over the redefinition of marriage.

But a former aide to Mr Clegg said people who want to retain traditional marriage are bigots and the Lib Dem leader should have said so.

A poll conducted in the wake of the “bigot” slur showed that most people thought it was wrong to use the word, and half thought it was a form of bullying.

At the time, Colin Hart of the Coalition for Marriage said: “Mr Clegg has badly damaged his reputation by throwing around this cheap insult.”

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http://www.christian.org.uk/news/cleggs-dinosaur-jibe-at-gay-marriage-opponents/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed

Are You an Authentic Man?

Are You an Authentic Man?