A Twisted Crown of Thorns ®

This bit of news will make Charles Spurgeon, George Whitefield and John Owen spin in their graves. The land in which they joyously preached the Word of God seems to have lapsed into “intolerance”. Wait a minute, who is being intolerant? You be the judge:

Police in Lancashire have told the owner of a Christian café to stop displaying Bible texts on a video screen, because it breaches public order laws.

Officers attended the Salt & Light Coffee House on Layton Road, Blackpool, on Monday 19 September, following a complaint about “insulting” and “homophobic” material.

The café’s owner, Mr Jamie Murray, says the officers did not specify which Bible texts had caused the offence.

He says the officers told him that displaying offensive or insulting words is a breach of Section 5 of the Public Order Act, and told him to stop displaying the Bible.

The Bible texts are displayed on a TV screen at the back of the café. Mr Murray uses a set of DVDs called the Watch word Bible.

The DVDs cycle through the whole of the New Testament verse by verse, with the words appearing on the screen. Mr Murray mutes the audio.

He told the police officers he would agree to stop displaying the Bible verses while he sought legal advice. After speaking with a lawyer, he is once again displaying the material.

The café’s name, Salt & Light, is a quote from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Christian leaflets are available in the café, and it has links with a local church.

Mr Murray is being supported by The Christian Institute, a national charity that defends the religious liberty of Christians.

Hey Mr Murray thanks for letting me know there are Christian DVDs that have the scriptures in them. Sorry I gotta go folks and buy some contraband (Watch word DVDs). I hope I wont be stopped for buying “these” offensive materials.

Grrrrrr!     [2nd oct 2011: Oi…now there is an apology. And it’s from the police]