The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
David Lynn, a Canadian street preacher, was arrested Tuesday while out doing the work of the Lord and charged with disorderly conduct. Lynn is the founder of Christ’s Forgveness Ministries in Toronto, Canada.
A pastor who was charged with disturbing the peace while preaching with a loudspeaker in the Church-Wellesley Village on Tuesday night is out on bail, and says he is the victim of state discrimination against Christians.
Police responded to a call about a disturbance in the Church and Wellesley neighbourhood shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday evening.
Video posted online shows pastor David Lynn speaking into a microphone at Church and Wellesley streets and saying that he is “coming out as a Christian.”
Through nearly two hours of footage, Lynn is seen saying that he doesn’t hate anyone, that some people hate Christians and that some people want him to “stay in the closet” as a Christian.
He begins approaching various people to ask if they would tolerate him. When one man asks him to go away, Lynn calls him a bigot.
When others approach to tell Lynn that he is disturbing them, he calls them “hateful.”
After more community members arrived, Lynn was seen arguing with them and his supporters, before police eventually arrested Lynn.
After his release, the 39-year-old pastor said being at Church and Wellesley was just another stop on his map of Toronto, and he and his supporters had been at Kensington Market and Queen and Sherbourne earlier.
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He said he feels as if he is being discriminated against for being Christian.
“It’s unfortunate that I am subject to this kind of discrimination and bullying and marginalization simply for saying God loves you, there is hope for you, I accept you and tolerate you. I shouldn’t be in this position, I didn’t do anything illegal.”
He said that he was assaulted during the encounter Tuesday but police at the scene refused to hear his complaint.
“It looked as though they had an event waiting for me, and they had some form of hatred against me,” Lynn said.
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The pastor spent the night in custody and appeared in court at College Park on Wednesday, where a judge released him on bail under conditions he not be anywhere in an area bounded by Bloor Street, Yonge Street, Carlton Street and Jarvis Street.
He also cannot use an audio amplifier that would allow his voice to be heard in that area.
He must also stay away from any location where a Pride Month event is taking place.
David J Lynn is a Planting, Pastoral, and Evangelistic figure who has been used to ignite the fire of Evangelism amongst believers and plant Churches and Para-Church Ministries throughout the world. He was born and raised in Toronto, ON, in Feb 1980 and is a 6th generation Canadian of both Irish and Jamaican lineage. David came from a non-denominational Evangelical background and has been in Planting ministries and Pastoral Ministry for 19 years. He studied theology and pastoral care at both the University of Toronto and Tyndale University and Seminary, has obtained a Master’s Degree in Theology, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Religious Studies. He also serves as a Chaplain within one of Toronto’s major Hospital’s.
This is easily the weakest Black Collar “crime” article you have on your site. First of all, there is no free speech in Canada, and being a nuisance with a megaphone shouldn’t automatically have you categorized in the same group composed of child rapists.
You are making the rapist comparison, not me. Lynn is a preacher, allegedly broke the law, and was arrested. That makes him a candidate for the Black Collar Crime series. Lynn being a pompous, arrogant ass helped too. I’ve met street preachers like Lynn, assholes who know the law, deliberately break it anyway, and then scream persecution.
After watching several hours of video and different perspective, taking into consideration the apparent past history of that community in particular. I am neither agreeing nor disagreeing with either side there. At first impulse you want to side with David Lynn if you are a christian this is natural. If you have other ideology aside you might want to side with the mob that formed in protest to his prayer circle demonstration. Both sides of the groups in every video i watched had similar messages. Both sides had an arrogance about them, talking over each other; shouting and harassing; tension building for the sake of irrelevance?
On second notice I agree with Bruce Gerencser.
However my final thought is that the majority of people were so eager on both to be a victim? I cannot understand this form of virtue signalling. Looking for reactions to provoke a larger following. On one hand you have pastor Lynn attempting to spread the gospel in a way and an area that has sensitive feelings that need to be considered. Followers with him to help validate the case and the proof that he was arrested. at a glance we can see the apparent persecution of a christian.
I understand the police trying to keep the peace by viewing the pastor as the antagonist. I feel compassion for everyone that was there that day, because it was only counter productive for all parties involved.
On the other hand look at the community and how they are so quick to not allow him or anyone to preach the word of god. One must understand the lgbtq community has also been persecuted by many Christians.
Putting all beliefs aside with equal rights and equal respect one must consider that for true understanding and compromise we must simply relax and seek a tranquil experience.
Consider that when you enter a public space to voice your beliefs, well sometimes an angry mob appears and might disagree for those involved please stop blaming others for the preconceived notions of past experiences. Understand that when we protest one thing we are opening a doorway of skepticism and miscommunication. This is the counter-point a contraction to the purpose.
“Putting all beliefs aside with equal rights and equal respect one must consider that for true understanding and compromise we must simply relax and seek a tranquil experience.”
What on earth makes you assume that evangelicals want true understanding? They know true understanding already and pity you that you are not in club and must burn eternally etc. And compromise? Neither side on the street preacher debate wishes compromise. The whole point is that polar views must collide. Compromise is for those who seek co-existence, who seek peace. Evangelicals bring their rigid Jesus sword into the fray and people who have been harmed by religion stand up in resistance. We must protest what THING we see as worthy of protest, And skepticism is a good thing and is encouraged in my view. Not sure I understand the point of your post at all, finally. Could you state it succinctly, in a few sentences? That might make it easier for me.
Yet this very same fellow was said to have been forcing his religion on others, by an obese, pink haired woman…. Yet the irony is that Catholic schools are forced to teach gender identity. This is against religious doctrine. And nevermind just how young children are when being introduced to words like sex. There is much worse in the US, in states like California you have 10 year olds reading books with illustrations of a man masturbating on a couch… but yes.. he’s forcing his religion… on grown ass adults…. but the LGBTQ forcing their lifestyle on children is ok?
Interesting. Pastor David Lynn stated,
“I am subject to this kind of discrimination and bullying and marginalization simply for saying God loves you…”
Even though I’m not a Canadian citizen, I don’t hardly think the Canadian police would arrest someone just for saying “God loves you.” It’s as though there was more going on here than what’s in Pastor Lynn’s statement.