Nicky Cruz, U.S. evangelist and former gang member, was granted permission to speak at The Ocean venue in Hackney (July 27-28) by the Metropolitan Police and Hackney Council, after the council had previously banned Cruz from speaking at the venue for his ‘offensive comments’ regarding homosexuality and abortion on his website.
Nicky apologised for the comments in a statement that was published in the Hackney Gazette, stating “I have nothing against gay people. I respect them and would never put them down. This is not for me to decide. I can't change what the Bible says, but the Bible also says to love everyone and I do love all of you. I just want to help...that's all."
Superintendent Leroy Logan of Hackney Borough Police commented, “Nicky Cruz reassured all concerned that he was here to do a specific piece of work to reduce gang activity and help reduce crime in Hackney by building on the excellent work of TRUCE.”
Nicky Cruz, now and evangelist and author of renowned book Run Baby Run, was previously a member of one of New York's most notorious gangs, The Mau Maus, until his conversion to Christianity in the late 1950s.
-
Sarah Mullally has reasons to be cheerful after her first Synod but there are storms ahead
-
Christian and family groups denounce trans schools guidance
-
Church leader sees challenges and opportunities as research suggests openness to Christianity in the UK
-
Fewer than 1 in 3 churchgoers read the Bible daily
News
-
Church of England winds down Living in Love and Faith as deep divisions remain over same-sex blessings
-
Turkey taken to task over Christians banned from the country
-
Christian nurse 'alarmed' after Phillipson says guidance on single-sex spaces will not apply to NHS
-
New research sheds light on why women are more religious than men
-
Prince and Princess of Wales visit Lambeth Palace to meet new Archbishop of Canterbury
-
Archbishop Mullally uses maiden presidential address to re-commit to better safeguarding standards
Most Popular
News
Preacher fined over Bible verse display challenges abortion clinic buffer zones
The abortion buffer zones have been branded "censorship zones".
God is the remedy for grief
To have loved deeply and to have been loved in return is one of life’s greatest gifts. But when that love is taken away, grief follows. And grief, in many ways, never fully leaves.
What does new school trans guidance mean for Scotland?
Although the draft guidance applies only to schools in England, there are ramifications for Scotland too.
Why is 1 Corinthians 13 often read at weddings?
St Paul wrote a timeless definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13, known as the “love chapter”, which is one of the most famous chapters in the Bible and is often read at weddings. This is the story …