The 3 - December 8, 2019

On this week's edition of The 3, highlighting three relevant stories potentially impacting the Christian community, there is good news out of the U.K., where a street preacher has received a settlement from a local police department, which had arrested him, presumably for preaching.  Also, a pastor who went to observe a Drag Queen Story Hour in Spokane and was arrested at the site has had his case dismissed.  And, an organization that has been distributing Scripture-based dog tags in the military is fighting back after the Army has halted the practice.

British street preacher settles with police department after arrest

Dale McAlpine has been preaching the gospel on the streets of the United Kingdom for 15 years, according to the website of Great Britain's The Christian Institute.  In July of last year, according to the site:

The preacher, from Workington, Cumbria, was approached by three police officers in Kendal town centre in July 2018.

They arrested Dale and he was taken to Kendal Police Station, where he was held for questioning.

After being released without bail he was left in limbo for six months until the police eventually notified him that he would not be prosecuted.

McAlpine, after his release, filed a lawsuit against the police in Cumbria, saying, "I took this legal action to help the police realise you cannot arrest people just for preaching the Gospel."  The Christian Institute website reported that McAlpine "has been paid £4,000 plus costs from Cumbria Police in settlement after pursuing a claim for being wrongfully arrested and detained for six hours."

The website goes on to say:

Simon Calvert, Deputy Director for Public Affairs at The Christian Institute, welcomed the news. 

“This is a positive outcome, not just for Dale, but for Christians across the country. 

“It’s a reminder that there is no law against preaching the Gospel. 

“Our country has a rich heritage of free speech, for preachers and for everybody else.”

Dale has said he would be donating the 4,000 pounds to further the work of The Christian Institute.

Spokane pastor gets court victory after arrest at Drag Queen event

Meanwhile, a pastor in Washington State who showed up at a Drag Queen Story Hour event and was arrested, has had his case dismissed.  Christian Headlines reports that Pastor Afshin Yaghtin had gone to a public library in Spokane, WA earlier this year where the drag queen event was being held. Because he chose not to stand in a designated area for protesters or counter-protesters, he was arrested.

The article says that: "Judge Tracy A. Stabb ruled...the police’s orders were not “narrowly tailored” to protect constitutionally protected speech, and that, “While the City’s interest in protecting public safety is significant, there is no evidence that Mr. Yaghtin’s mere presence on public property was in any way jeopardizing the City’s interest,” adding, “Mr. Yaghtin had every right to be standing on public property. He was not blocking traffic and was not conveying any kind of message that might incite a response. He was not being disorderly, disruptive, or aggressive.”

Pacific Justice Institute represented Pastor Yaghtin, and PJI attorney Jorge Ramos is quoted as saying: “The prosecution refused to acknowledge law enforcement’s overreach by separating and even barring people from entry into the library based on their views. We are thankful justice prevailed and Pastor Yaghtin can continue to shepherd his community with confidence.”

Dog tags with Scripture no longer allowed by U.S. Army

Shields of Strength, which are dog tags that contain Scripture, have been distributed to members of the military for over 20 years.  According to First Liberty, that may be coming to a close.  Its website states that:

Since 1997, Kenny Vaughan and his wife have donated millions of inspirational Shields of Strength dog tags to grateful military members. They’ve never given one to anybody who didn’t request it, and never had one complaint.

But now, an outside anti-faith group is trying to have these beloved symbols of hope and encouragement for our men and women in uniform removed—simply because they are inscribed with religious messages.

Fox News relates that after it reported earlier this year on "Shields of Strength," the head of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation "demanded the military branches stop allowing the group to use the military emblem, saying it 'poisons the constitutionally-mandated separation of Church and State...'"  Fox states:

Soon after, each military branch then pulled or threatened to pull the trademark licenses that had been issued to Kenny Vaughan from Shields of Strength. The Army emailed him with the subject line, "Negative Press," suggesting they were motivated by MRFF's press release.

The article says, "Vaughan told 'Fox & Friends' he was 'speechless' especially after the military initially approached him with the idea."  First Liberty claims that the Army's actions violate the Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and sent a letter to that effect this past week.