UK: Street preachers who quoted Bible, convicted in ‘modern-day heresy trial’ | Christian Concern

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Two street preachers have today been convicted of a public order offence, after a public prosecutor claimed that publicly quoting parts of the King James Bible in modern Britain should “be considered to be abusive and is a criminal matter”.

 

Prosecutor Ian Jackson also told the court that “although the words preached are included in a version of the Bible in 1611, this does not mean that they are incapable of amounting to a public order offence in 2016.”

 

Michael Overd and Michael Stockwell were found guilty under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 at Bristol Magistrates’ Court.

 

Last Friday the court dismissed the case against a third man, Adrian Clark, ruling that there was no case to answer.

 

During the four-day trial, Mr Jackson also argued: “To say to someone that Jesus is the only God is not a matter of truth. To the extent that they are saying that the only way to God is through Jesus, that cannot be a truth.”

 

‘Simply the language of the Bible’

 

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting the preachers, says that the case raises huge questions about the state of freedom of speech and freedom of religion in the UK.

 

People will be shocked that a court now considers the Bible itself to be a form of hate speech, she says.

 

Read More: Street preachers who quoted Bible, convicted in ‘modern-day heresy trial’ | Christian Concern