STREET PREACHER Roland Parsons was forbidden to read from the Gospel of Luke on Christmas Eve at Victoria Station.
A policeman told Roland, who has been preaching in public for 34 years, that he needed to show his passport in order to read the Bible aloud. Roland told HEART, “The policeman kindly said, ‘I’m all for you doing it; it’s the religion of the country. But unfortunately you can’t do it’.”
Roland, who often preaches with his wife Frances alongside him, said that listeners have often expressed their delight at hearing familiar Bible passages read aloud and his reading has never troubled the authorities.
“Whereas the occasional official has raised their eyebrows, for over 20 years they have clearly realised that nothing could be more appropriate on Christmas Eve, when Christians across the nation celebrate the announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately this incident, among others in the past few years, shows that the sensible approach has now ended.”