(FiveNation.com)- The Crown Prosecution Service is claiming that some Bible verses are not appropriate to be read in the public, according to The Daily Caller. The remark was made in court documents for a case that the CPS brought against a street preacher who allegedly harassed two lesbians walking by him on the street.
The lesbians claim that the street preacher, John Dunns, a 55-year-old veteran, shouted that the women will “burn in hell” and called one a “devil woman.” Dunns was charged under the Public Order Act, which states that a person is guilty if he uses abusive words toward another.
Dunns denies the allegations and the case has since been dismissed after the two women refused to further engage.
In the case the CPS admits that the current issue is not the “forum” for the discussion, but that some Bible passages should not be permitted to be read aloud in public, citing “slavery (Exodus 21:7), the death sentence (Exodus 35:2 and Leviticus 24:16) and cannibalism (Deuteronomy 28:27).”
The CPS added that the passages are “no longer appropriate in modern society.”
David Smyth, head of the Evangelical Alliance, said that while the CPS holds an important role in England and Wales, its job is not to govern what is “appropriate or offensive.” Doing so could set a dangerous precedent, Smyth said.
Dunns is reportedly a throat cancer survivor who continues to preach on the street, particularly in Swindon town centre, after 15 years, despite losing his voice box. He believes that it is part of his Christian calling. He was summoned by police in November 2020 after the incident.
In an interview, Dunns said that before he became a Christian, he hated people and focused on learning how to kill people as a member of the British Special Forces. But when he met Jesus he was filled with love and wanted to share the news with the world.
“When they told me they were in a same-sex marriage, I was concerned for them,” he said referring to the lesbian couple. “I had to communicate the consequences of their actions based on what the Bible says.”
