Rich Penkoski has made a name for himself within the Christian community as a street preacher. His sermons center around the word of God, the steps Christians are called to take while here on earth, and more.

However, those who don’t follow or believe in Christianity often oppose Penkoski and the content of his sermons. This opposition is visible on social media and in a series of other forums.

Now, things have quickly taken a turn for the street preacher. According to WND, Penkoski was just hit with a restraining order for a very controversial and widely criticized reason.

Penkoski was hit with a restraining order after repeating Bible verses that clearly express opposition to same-sex marriage. The restraining order means that the street preacher could spend five years in prison if he repeated the same Bible verses that some have deemed to be offensive.

Naturally, this restraining order is being challenged on the basis of the First Amendment. According to the Rutherford Institute, the courts have reached a dangerous place of trying to silence religious speech.

Hence, the Rutherford Institute is pushing for the Oklahoma Supreme Court to ultimately render the restraining order that exists against the street preacher as null and void.

The success or failure of the Rutherford Institute to get this restraining order overturned will likely come with serious implications.

If the Oklahoma Supreme Court declines to intervene, other religious leaders and believers could find themselves facing similar punitive action one day.

This issue deals with both the religious and free speech elements covered in the very First Amendment. It also begs to question what other forms of speech could one day induce a restraining order if they are deemed to be “offensive” enough.