Two Distinct Reactions to “Jesus is Lord/King”

There have been several recent news stories about the low participation of Christians in elections. According to one, more than 100 million “people of faith” choose not to vote, including 40 million plus professed Christians. There are multiple reasons cited for this low participation. Many say Christians are uninterested in politics. Others will say that they find all candidates unworthy of their vote. As much as this could be true in some instances, no choice is a choice and in the case of America – the choice for Christians in this election does not need to be complicated.
UK: DOES SAYING “GOD BLESS YOU” CAUSE EMOTIONAL DISCOMFORT?
The United Kingdom never ceases to amaze me these days. There is a video that has been doing rounds on social media of a street preacher who received a phone call from the police about his activities of preaching in the streets of the United Kingdom and saying God bless you to people – which according to the admissions of the police officer on that phone call -can be considered a crime – if it causes someone some discomfort. Here is the context, If a Christian says God bless you to someone and if the person receiving that message feels offended or feels threatened by how and what has been said they can call the police, and the police will be in touch with you. The Christian preacher was apparently receiving a warning that he shouldn’t say God bless you to strangers in the United Kingdom – and he decided to record the interaction. This is an utter misinterpretation of the law by the British police officer in this video. Here is the correct interpretation of that law. For this offence to be complete, you need the following to have happened. Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 is clear that.
“A person is guilty of an offence if he/she uses THREATENING or ABUSIVE words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour, displays any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening or abusive, within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress thereby. So the police officer was saying if you say God bless you to someone on the street if they choose to feel offended or threatened, you are in trouble. It’s a crime. How about thousands and thousands of people in London streets in the name of Palestine coming on the streets to defend their cause. Is it okay that if the Jewish Community or the Christians go to police and say thousands of people are currently in Central London shouting from the “river to the sea” we are offended. What do you think the police would do? What do you think the political establishment would do? I think at best you will be called an islamophobe – whose definition is now being accepted by some political establishments even though it is vague.
UK: CHRISTIANS RECEIVING THE SHORT END OF TWO-TIER POLICING
If you have ever doubted the existence of two-tier policing in the UK, just look at the appalling treatment of Christian street preachers. Earlier this year, a Christian pastor called Dia Moodley was arrested and held in a police cell for 13 hours. His alleged ‘crime’ was to have criticised Islam. Most of the details only emerged last week. Moodley routinely engages in public question-and-answer sessions on the street in Bristol, where he discusses Christianity and related social, moral and cultural issues. This often leads to fruitful and civil dialogue with those with opposing views. You might think that, in a democracy, the exchange of ideas he facilitates would be applauded. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Back in March, Moodley was preaching outside Bristol University when, in response to a question from a Muslim man, he pointed out the differences in moral standards between Islam and Christianity.
Answering another question, he also stated his Biblical belief that God created human beings male and female and that sex is therefore binary – contrary to the claims of transgender ideology. Moodley was then assaulted by people who objected to what he said. One person pushed him from the stepladder he was standing on. Another tore a placard from his hand, injuring him. The police were then called. Incredibly, despite the fact that Moodley had been a victim of crime, he was arrested on suspicion of ‘racially or religiously aggravated harassment without violence’. After he was arrested, police instructed staff at Bristol University to dispose of the signs he used while preaching. Fortunately, the investigation into him was dropped after legal representations were made to the police with the support of Alliance Defending Freedoms UK. Moodley is now pursuing a complaint against Avon and Somerset Police, including for the destruction of his property. But the fact that he was arrested merely for peacefully expressing his Christian beliefs is part of a wider, deeply concerning trend.The post Two Distinct Reactions to “Jesus is Lord/King” first appeared on LN24.