SWINDON’S Christian community slammed President Donald Trump for posing with a Bible outside a church after armed police tear-gassed protesters and priests.

Mr Trump had his photo taken with the holy book after walking from the White House to St John’s Episcopal Church. Police cleared the area by shoving and spraying people who were protesting the death of George Floyd. He died after his neck was knelt on by a police officer. The crowd included protesters, priests, and journalists who were fired upon with rubber bullets.

The Westlea-based Bible Society works in 200 countries to translate and distribute the scriptures. Its Good News Bible is used in many of the town’s churches.

A society spokesman said: “It’s not entirely clear what Mr Trump intended to convey but it’s a disturbing image.

“It’s genuinely troubling to see the Bible being used as a prop – particularly when it’s associated with images of violence. Co-opting the Bible as a justification for repression is unacceptable.

“Enlisting the Bible is a dangerous thing to do. It is fundamentally untamed and it judges all of us – presidents and people. Yes, it judges the looters and destroyers – but it judges murder, racism, oppression and injustice too.”

The Bishop of Swindon Rt Rev Dr Lee Rayfield agreed, saying: “I can certainly understand why the Bible Society described this image as troubling.

“It was highly disturbing that the President chose to use a church building and a Bible as a political device. What is even more troubling is that this kind of act would not be questioned by his supporters.

“The picture of Mr Trump holding up the Bible outside the church appeared on my Twitter feed with a comment by a fellow bishop saying “read it!”. However there were much more telling comments.

“One was by Luke Bretherton who wrote ‘there is something fitting about Trump holding aloft a closed bible before a shuttered church he cannot enter. It's a book he doesn’t read, and a structure dedicated to something he can’t understand, that preaches a narrow way he entirely opposes in all he says and does’.

“For me, it is the man who preached at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding – Bishop Michael Currie – the lead bishop of the Anglican Church in America, who put it best.

“He spoke words of wisdom and grace to someone who, as president of his country, should have known better. He said 'the Bible the president held up, and the church that he stood in front of, represent the values of love, of justice, of compassion, and of a way to heal our hurts’."

The bishop added: “In our own country our buildings may currently be closed, but many people are connecting with church for the first time through online services.”