CHRISTIANS : READ THESE NEWS ITEMS,  READING YOUR BIBLE OUT ALOUD OR PREACHING AGAINST SIN MAY BE ILLEGAL SOON!

SWEDISH HIGH COURT TO REVIEW PASTOR’S HATE SPEECH CASE. Friday Church News Notes, May 27, 2005 (Fundamental Baptist Information Service, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The supreme court of Sweden has said that it will review the acquittal of a pastor who denounced homosexuality as “abnormal,” “something sick,” and “a deep cancerous tumor in the body of society.” After his barn burner of a sermon in the summer of 2003 Pentecostal Pastor Ake Green was arrested and charged under Sweden’s new hate crimes law. He was convicted in June 2004 (with a 30-day suspended prison sentence), but the conviction was overturned by an appeals court this February. Now the supremos are going to take a new look, which might not portend well for our bold Pastor Green. To our knowledge he has the honor of being the first pastor to be charged under hate crimes laws in the European Union, but we can be certain that he will not be the last, unless, of course, he happens to be the last man to take a stand for the Bible in Europe, which could be possible in light of the frightful spiritual desolation in that part of the world and the lateness of the hour. When homosexuals are given their “rights,” Bible believers lose theirs.

(EMPASIS MINE)

WRONGHEADED RELIGIOUS HATE LAW PASSES FIRST HURDLE IN ENGLAND. Friday Church News Notes, July 15, 2005 (Fundamental Baptist Information Service, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – On July 11 the British House of Commons passed the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill. If ratified by the House of Lords, the bill would make it illegal to make remarks that “are threatening, abusive or insulting [and] likely to stir up racial or religious hatred.” The law therefore has the potential to be used against Christians who warn against false religions such as Roman Catholicism or Islam or who preach against such politically correct things as homosexuality. This is already happening under the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act in Victoria, Australia. In December 2004 two preachers, Danny Nalliah and Daniel Scot, were found guilty of vilifying Muslims because of information they gave at an “Insights into Islam” seminar in 2002, even though the information was true and was from the Bible and official Islamic writings. Thus, speaking Biblical truth in love is now a crime in Victoria and it will be a crime in Britain if the new bill passes the House of Lords. We need to pray about this matter.  

(EMPHASIS MINE)