Christ exhorts all believers to grow the kingdom of God. We bear witness to His saving power, sharing the Gospel and making disciples of all nations. Each believer has spiritual gifts to use in obeying these commands.
One believer spoke about salvation in a public area in Houston, Texas. Howard Camp preached, prayed, and shared the Gospel, water, and food with people at an outside bus terminal for almost two years. One day, the police put him in handcuffs.
According to the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which represents Camp, the police told him he needed a permit. The preacher asked why he needed a permit to share his faith on government property. The police said the bus terminal was private property. From ACLJ:
Moments later, they handcuffed him, detained him, and issued a criminal trespass warning. They told him that if he ever came back to preach the Gospel again, he would be arrested. They never cited a single rule he violated. They never gave him a written citation. And to this day, the trespass warning remains in effect.
ACLJ sent a letter to the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas, demanding that they retract the trespass warning, provide written assurance of future speech activities, and clarify policies.
“After researching the matter, Mr. Camp determined that the METRO bus depot was operated by a governmental transit authority and that the sidewalks were indistinguishable from any other sidewalks,” ACLJ wrote.
It seems that this local government targeted Camp based on his speech, and not on “loitering” or trespassing. He was uttering constitutionally protected speech, and as ACLJ noted, he was not blocking access, interfering with the boarding or deboarding of buses, or obstructing pedestrian traffic. Camp was not aggressive or causing a disturbance. People could choose to listen to him or ignore him.
Pastors everywhere should be concerned about the government’s overreach in this case. The First Amendment’s freedom of speech and religion are at stake. Courts have favored protecting individuals’ First Amendment rights in the last several years. We pray that they continue.
We’ll keep you posted on the outcome of this case.
Share your opinion about the police arresting, detaining, and banning this street preacher.
