Ron Balchin was appearing at The Old Bailey (for the nicest of reasons, of course!)
Ron reports that “recently, I had a tour of the Central Criminal Court, otherwise known as ‘The Old Bailey’. One thing I found fascinating was a commemorative plaque in the entrance to the original 1907 part of the building which reads:
‘Near this site William Penn and William Mead were tried in 1670 for preaching to an unlawful assembly in Grace Church Street. This tablet commemorates the courage and endurance of the Jury: Thomas Vere, Edward Bushell and ten others who refused to give a verdict against them although locked up without food for two nights and were fined for their final verdict of not guilty.”The case of these jurymen was reviewed on a writ of Habeas Corpus and Chief Justice Vaughan delivered the opinion of the Court which established “The right of Juries” to give their verdict according to their convictions.’
Even today we can read of instances where the freedom to have an opinion which might be viewed as contentious by some can land us in hot water. There have been news reports revealing that publicly sharing the Gospel or Biblical truths can lead to arrest and appearing in court or losing your job. However, we have the authority of God and command of Jesus to share the Good News.
Comments on this entry are closed.