Street preacher convicted for quoting the Bible

Christian street preacher Mike Overd,  has been found guilty of a Public Order offence for using the wrong Bible verse when speaking in public with a man who identified himself as homosexual, on the streets of Taunton in June last year.

Overd, a former paratrooper, was convicted under section 5 of the Public Order Act, which “concerns causing harassment, alarm or distress by using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour.”

The preacher was acquitted of two other Public Order charges. He was accused of causing "racially-aggravated" harassment aimed at Muslims, by a woman who identified herself as a devout Christian, although no Muslims had complained about the comments.

That woman stated that in July 2014, while talking about religious leaders, Overd said that you could not compare Mohammed with Jesus – adding that if a man marries a nine-year-old girl, "In this country we call that paedophilia." The judge said that it had failed to be proven.

And a Somerset newspaper reported that the police had accused the preacher of “being hostile” to people and had encouraged people to record Mr Overd if they felt that he was making “offensive remarks.”

TRIAL AND FINE

District Judge Shamim Ahmed Qureshi told Overd that he should not have referred to Leviticus chapter 20 to make his point, because it uses the word "abomination." Qureshi suggested that there were other verses he could have chosen if he wanted to talk about what the Bible says about homosexuality, like Leviticus chapter 18.

The judge also criticised Overd’s speaking style and his training as a preacher.

“In my view he enjoys coaxing people into asking him questions so that he can reply loudly into the microphone to answer them. The only semblance of civilised conversation is when they commend him; if they disagree he shouts them down”, he said.

Overd was given a fine of £200, and had to pay £1,200 in costs and compensation. This included an amount for the emotional harm caused to the homosexual man, who is also a Christian.

MICHAEL OVERD'S MOTIVATION

Mr Overd explained that his motivation for preaching the gospel is “my love for Jesus Christ and my deep concern for people who do not know His great love and are heading towards an eternity separated from God.”

He was surprised that the judge acted as a censor of the Bible. “I am amazed that the judge sees it as his role to dictate which parts of the Bible can and can't be preached. I did not quote the full text of Leviticus 20 or make reference to the death penalty but the judge is telling me that I should use other parts of the Bible”, he said. “This is not free speech but censorship. The judge is redacting the Bible”, he added.

Regarding the fine, the street preacher explained: “I have been ordered to pay compensation for causing ‘emotional pain’ to someone who approached me aggressively demanding to debate the issue”. “There was no harm, injury or theft, just a simple disagreement over theology which I have now been fined for”, he concluded.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Mr Overd is supported by the Christian Legal Centre. Its Chief Executive, Andrea Williams, commented that “it is clear from the evidence that he has consistently dealt with people’s objections in a balanced and reasonable way”. “He has explained his beliefs. He hasn’t been aggressive or targeted anybody in particular. The evidence bears all this out”, the director declared.

Libby Towell, spokesperson for the Christian Legal Centre, also accused the judge of censorship: “The judge is effectively censoring the Bible and saying that certain verses are not fit for public consumption".

She believed there is a campaign against Christians:  "There has been a concerted campaign to stop him speaking the word of God on the streets of Taunton", Towell said. "Today was the result that the police had been looking for."

But she added that this would not prevent Overd from preaching on the streets again. "He answers to God, He is not preaching his opinion, he is preaching what God's Word says."

She thought that this should come as a wake-up call to Christians in the UK to realise what judges are saying about faith in the public square.

Not only Christians are concerned by this case. In a blog for the National Secular Society, Benjamin Jones argued that it would be a threat to the freedom of speech if Overd were found guilty.

"If Overd is found guilty, what possible reason is there for not also banning the scripture which he articulates?" he wrote. "This is a preposterous situation. Regardless of their content, do we really want to live in a society where books are banned?”

The incidents took place in June and July last year during his preaching on Taunton's High Street.

Overd has been preaching on the streets for more than five years, and this is not the first time he faced legal action; in 2012 he was acquitted of similar charges.