An evangelist in Texas is boldly proclaiming the Gospel in downtown Dallas, Texas, despite his recent arrest for preaching the word of God.
Founder of the Testimonies of God, Landon Thurman, was engaging in what he described as peaceful public evangelism outside American Airlines Center amid the arrival of patrons for a Dallas Mavericks’ game against the Detroit Pistons.
As Thurman and other ministry members preached from Romans 1 “the power of God unto salvation”to passersby, one member, Will Dieterich, briefly stood on the edge of a planter area bordering the sidewalk. The group was later approached by a police officer who instructed them to leave the public sidewalk and cross the street.
Thurman, in an interview with the Christian Post identified the Dallas Police Lt. Jeremy Foy as the officer who did what they believed was unconstitutional.
“I verbally objected to that instruction while speaking with [Dieterich], stating that remaining on the public sidewalk was legal,” said Thurman, who was then handcuffed along with Dieterich.
Dallas police confirm to The Christian Post that off-duty officers approached the evangelists in response to a report of “a disturbance involving a loudspeaker in violation of the city’s noise ordinance.” The lawmen then requested “the volume be lowered after a nearby resident raised concerns.”
The two Christians were cited for a noise violation and given a criminal trespass warning “at the request of the property representative.”
Thurman said that they were both told that they would be jailed and held overnight, but no police transport arrived on scene. Instead, officers released them approximately 30 minutes after the arrest and issued Dieterich a citation for violating an “anti-noise ordinance” without specifying any ordinance number or issuing any formal arrest paperwork or a trespass notice, said Thurman.
“We were arrested for preaching Christ on the public sidewalk, yet the Word of God was not hindered. Many souls heard,” the ministry wrote boldly in a post following the incident. “Many great Gospel conversations had, Bibles were given, and Christ was exalted.”
The Dallas Police Department has also issued a statement proclaiming that it “remains committed to protecting First Amendment rights while enforcing applicable laws and ordinances.”
Described on its website as a “Reformed Baptist evangelistic ministry committed to the supremacy of Scripture and the advancement of Christ’s Gospel,” Testimonies of God’s stated mission is to “equip believers, proclaim the Gospel in public settings, and provide biblically grounded apologetics resources.”
Thurman and his ministry associates have returned to spreading the Gospel at the American Airlines Center since the arrest but have retained legal counsel and are waiting for further legal guidance.
Describing the ordeal as “deeply concerning,” Thurman expressed his support for law enforcement but urged police to remember their oath to the U.S. Constitution.
“Our message is simple: respect the Constitution and the freedoms of speech and religion it guarantees,” he said, adding: “We are not agitators, protesters, or criminals — we are Christians peacefully proclaiming the Gospel, seeking the good of our communities. True transformation comes only by God’s grace, through the preaching of the Gospel. We desire cooperation, clarity and lawful engagement moving forward, not conflict.”
