A local council in England is bowing to sustained pressure from faith leaders and withdrawing a proposal to ban street preaching amid allegations it would “criminalize Christianity.” 

The Rushmoor borough council proposed an injunction that would have prevented Christians from preaching, praying, or handing out leaflets — which the council said are “offensive” and cause “alarm and distress” — without receiving “prior permission” from passers-by on the streets. The council said the injunction, which carried a penalty of up to two years in prison, was proposed after residents complained that the preachers were creating a “non-inclusive environment.”

Once the faith community got wind of the proposal, the council faced intense criticism from Christians who said they were left out of discussions about the injunction and raised concerns about religious freedom. One group that opposed the measure, the Christian Legal Center, warned it would “criminalize the Christian faith.”

The council initially said it would re-write the injunction with feedback from the faith community. However, in response to the ongoing pressure, the council decided to withdraw the proposal entirely.

After the council put the proposal on hold, local Christian leaders said they were addressing “aggressive” street preaching that had occurred. The council said it would investigate complaints related to street preaching. Another meeting of the council with Christian leaders is planned so they can find “constructive and lasting solutions.”

The chairman of the Rushmoor Faith Leaders Forum, Bishop Malcolm Cummins, said in a statement, “We’re relieved that our discussions with the council have proved constructive. We now look forward to working closely together to build even stronger relationships.”

The chief executive of the Christian Legal Center, Andrea Williams, told Christianity Today that the proposal was a “serious error of judgment.”

“This attempted injunction was not merely an overreach. It was a direct assault on the liberties that underpin our democratic society,” Ms. Williams said. “We urge Christians to remain vigilant and prayerful and to continue supporting efforts to ensure that the public square remains open to the gospel and to the free exchange of ideas.”

The decision to withdraw the proposal is not the only recent measure to be pulled after concerns that it would treat Christians unfairly. The Sentencing Council in the United Kingdom delayed new sentencing guidelines that critics say would have given more lenient sentences to ethnic minorities and women than to white males and Christians.