Police in the UK have warned a Christian street preacher that it’s now a criminal offence to preach the Bible in public if someone deems it offensive.
Joshua Sutcliffe was preaching at Oxford Circus in London when he was approached by an officer of the Metropolitan Police force.
The officer had been called in after a member of the public reported Mr Sutcliffe for saying something they did not agree with.
“Just had a call that someone was offended by something you’ve said,” the officer explained.
“I’m not going to stop you from doing what you do, but if there’s anything offensive–if someone finds something offensive, regardless of what you think, it’s a crime. There can be a crime there.
“It’s an offence if somebody finds something offensive,” the officer added.
During his gospel message “about Jesus’ love and forgiveness for everyone”, Mr Sutcliffe had made mention of 1 Corinthians 6:9, a passage that lists a number of sins, including homosexuality.
