‘Exercise your right diligently and according to His will’

When Jesus Christ entrusted the Church with the Holy Spirit He also commissioned the Body to be an extension of His heart, mind, hands and feet. We are constantly surrounded by people: on the train, on the bus, in school, at work, at the shops, on the streets but amongst all the people we encounter on a daily basis, how many of them have heard the Good News of Jesus, at least once ?

The scriptures in John 3:16-20 and John 14:6 clearly state Jesus is the only way to salvation. For God so much loved the world that He sent his only Son on earth to die on the cross and resurrect on the third day, for whoever believes in Him would not perish in their own condemnation. This is the Gospel – the freedom and salvation that is in Jesus Christ. And the Gospel must be preached.

In the United Kingdom, publicly proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus is entirely lawful. To any great freedom there is also the need in understanding your rights and its conditions attached. Recently, there has been a rise of evangelists boldly proclaiming the Word of God with power on the streets but when opposition raises what does the legislation say?

According to Human Rights Act 1998 article 10 everyone has the right to freedom of expression. The right includes freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.

The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or rights of others, for preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, or for maintaining the authority and impartiality of the judiciary.The criminal law has the authority to intervene where speech or behaviour threatens public order.

Public order offences can be listed as harassment and alarm caused by distress to the public using threatening or abusive words or behaviour. Using threatening words, behaviour or material to stir up hatred on the ground of religion and sexual orientation. However, the mere expression of disagreement with other faiths and same-sex relationships is lawful.Police officers are required to intervene if there is a breach of peace, provoking violence.

In cases where the quality of life of those in a local area is compromised, local authorities can issue Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs). Councils should publicly provide information on any PSPOs currently in place, so it is good practice to always be informed on any updates from the local authority especially if you are planning any activities in open air.

Distributing Christian tracts and literature is generally allowed without permission from local authority. However, on private-owned land (like indoor shopping centres) restrictions may apply as it could be identified as trespassing.

Furthermore, the Highways Act 1980 classifies as an offence the deposit of anything whatsoever on a highway to the interruption of any user.The Christian Institute UK holds a legal defence fund which safely helps Christians to protect religious freedom and restrain those who are unlawfully harassing and discriminating against Christian believers.Finally, peaceful street preaching must and should be allowed.

So remember: always communicate with the public in a reasonable and calm manner, effectively communicate what the bible teaches, it is advisable to audio record any open air preaching in case a complaint is made and take notes of any incidents that may occur (remember to include date, time, location of the incident. Be mindful of your surroundings and be sensitive to the needs of the people of the area.

There are also many community friendly approaches available, to effectively impact communities with the Word of God, such as volunteering in organisations, youth services, focused groups, local mental health programmes and much more.

Now, how confident are you in preaching the Word of God?