A chilling step too far

Bible-believing street preachers are unarguably brave and invariably faithful. It’s not a gift God gives to every Christian and those who exercise it in our secular Western culture must possess a strong constitution to withstand the vitriol they’ll attract.

They are also at greater risk of arrest, though if the last couple of years are anything to go by – it could be harder than police officers may think to secure a conviction.

Ominous

It has therefore been welcome news that the CPS recently dropped its prosecution against John Dunn, a street preacher charged with a public order offence after a complaint by two lesbian women. While we can rejoice with John over the CPS decision, the case is ominous for two key reasons. First, the case was only dropped because the two complainants refused to engage with the prosecution at the last minute. The trial couldn’t go ahead without evidence. Second, and of greater concern, is the approach of the prosecutor who stated, in a formal prosecution document, that parts of the Bible were ‘offensive’ and ‘no longer appropriate in modern society’. He also attempted to align Scripture verses on slavery and the death sentence with verses on homosexual practices.