Retired Pastor James McConnell is
waiting to see if his next sermon will be given from a prison pulpit.
His crime? On May 18, 2014, the 79-year-old pastor, speaking at the
church he founded in Belfast, Ireland, preached a sermon on 1 Timothy
2:5: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the
man Christ Jesus.”
Pastor McConnell says he wrote that sermon to protest “… the terrible injustice done to a young Muslim woman named Miriam Ibrahim who was converted to Christianity and for marrying a Christian man. Miriam Ibrahim was pregnant and was to receive eighty lashes and possibly martyrdom.”
As WND previously reported, McConnell stated in part of his sermon, “Islam’s ideas about God, about humanity, about salvation are vastly different from the teaching of the Holy Scriptures. Islam is heathen. Islam is satanic. Islam is a doctrine spawned in hell.”
With that public statement, things began to go very wrong for the pastor. Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service (PPS) determined that McConnell – whose sermon was streamed live on the Internet – violated the 2003 Communications Act by “sending, or causing to be sent, by means of a public electronic communications network, a message or other matter that was grossly offensive.”
Pastor McConnell was taken to trial on the charge last month at Belfast Magistrates' Court, and the decision of the court is expected on Tuesday.
"I believe, for the prosecution, this is a hot potato," McConnell said at the time. "They don't know how to handle it."
He said he was "looking forward to testifying if they give me a chance. Either they try me and put me in prison or I am free to preach the gospel."
Hundreds of supporters turned out to stand with the pastor.
His lawyer said before the trial there was a multitude volunteering to speak on behalf of the preacher.
"We have been inundated with scores of potential witnesses who wish to give evidence on behalf of Pastor McConnell," the lawyer said.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2016/01/jailed-for-preaching-against-islam/
Pastor McConnell says he wrote that sermon to protest “… the terrible injustice done to a young Muslim woman named Miriam Ibrahim who was converted to Christianity and for marrying a Christian man. Miriam Ibrahim was pregnant and was to receive eighty lashes and possibly martyrdom.”
As WND previously reported, McConnell stated in part of his sermon, “Islam’s ideas about God, about humanity, about salvation are vastly different from the teaching of the Holy Scriptures. Islam is heathen. Islam is satanic. Islam is a doctrine spawned in hell.”
With that public statement, things began to go very wrong for the pastor. Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service (PPS) determined that McConnell – whose sermon was streamed live on the Internet – violated the 2003 Communications Act by “sending, or causing to be sent, by means of a public electronic communications network, a message or other matter that was grossly offensive.”
Pastor McConnell was taken to trial on the charge last month at Belfast Magistrates' Court, and the decision of the court is expected on Tuesday.
"I believe, for the prosecution, this is a hot potato," McConnell said at the time. "They don't know how to handle it."
He said he was "looking forward to testifying if they give me a chance. Either they try me and put me in prison or I am free to preach the gospel."
Hundreds of supporters turned out to stand with the pastor.
His lawyer said before the trial there was a multitude volunteering to speak on behalf of the preacher.
"We have been inundated with scores of potential witnesses who wish to give evidence on behalf of Pastor McConnell," the lawyer said.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2016/01/jailed-for-preaching-against-islam/
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