Police Tell Christian that it’s a Crime to Say Homosexuality is a Sin
A moderate Christian preacher, Andy Robertson, was wrongly told by a police officer Gainsborough, Lincolnshire that it is a crime to publicly express the religious belief that homosexual conduct is sinful.
The Christian Institute in the United Kingdom has released a video in which police officers tell an open-air preacher in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, that it is a criminal offence to identify homosexuality as a sin. Andy Robertson, however, assets that he had not mentioned homosexuality in his preaching. Robertson was recording his preaching because the local council had been making allegations about the content of his message. The conversation with police officers was caught on tape. On 23 August 2009 a report broadcast on BBC Radio 4 highlighted religious liberty issues, including police interference, faced by Christian street preachers. The report acknowledged Britain’s “long and honourable” tradition of street preaching and asked if street preachers were victims of “21st Century intolerance”. Reporter Trevor Barnes investigated recent examples of street preachers facing interference from police and public authorities, and said that hate crime legislation was “complicating the picture”. The report included a recording of an incident where a street preacher was told by police officers that it is a criminal offence to identify homosexuality as a “sin”. The warning was directed at Open-Air Mission (OAM) evangelist Andy Robertson, even though he had not mentioned homosexuality in his preaching. Sources: - "The Christian Institute Annual Review 2009 , p. 9; © The Christian Institute 2009 - Sunday programme, BBC Radio 4, 23, August 2009 - "Marginalising Christians, Instances of Christians being sidelined in modern Britain" p.34 Copyright © The Christian Institute 2009 ISBN 978-1-901086-46-1 http://www.christian.org.uk/search.htm?cx=003034083221446362013%3Asqtyasn8ir4&cof=FORID%3A11&q=ur+Cunningham+and+Joseph+Abraham+&sa.x=0&sa.y=0&sa=Search&siteurl=www.christian.org.uk%2Fnews%2Fcommentators-speak-out-over-street-preacher-arrest%2F#548 Video: http://www.youtube.com/user/christianorguk