Clive Johnston, a 78-year-old former pastor in Northern Ireland, was found guilty and fined for preaching a gospel-centered message near a hospital.
According to FOX News, District Judge Peter King of Coleraine Magistrates Court on May 7 found Mr Johnston guilty of breaching a so-called “secure access zone” outside Causeway Hospital in Coleraine on July 7, 2024.
Northern Ireland’s Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act prohibits “influencing”, “obstructing access to” or “causing harassment, alarm or distress” to protected persons within 100 meters, or approximately 328 feet, of a facility where an abortion is performed. A woman in the UK was also targeted by police on similar pretexts for praying quietly.
Mr Johnston was found guilty of “causing an influence” within the boundaries of a protected area and fined £450 (approximately $614).
Johnston, who is in his 70s, is likely to be the first person to be charged under the law for preaching without mentioning abortion, according to the Christian Association, which defended him.
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Not only was the former pastor not talking about abortion, he was preaching on one of the most fundamental verses of the gospel message: John 3:16. This verse says: “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life” (ESV).
“This effectively redefines peaceful Christian witness as a form of illicit ‘influence,'” Johnston told Fox News. “If simply reading the Bible, praying, and preaching about God’s love is considered harmful simply because someone in a particular community might hear it, then we have crossed a very serious line.”
“John 3:16 is one of the most famous and hopeful verses in the Bible, a message about God’s love and salvation,” he continued. “If even that is criminalized because of where it is spoken, can the public expression of the Christian faith really be safe from restriction?”
One of Johnston’s friends, a Kentucky-based pastor named Danny Davis, told Kentucky Today that he was surprised to learn of Johnston’s conviction.
Mr Johnston plans to appeal the decision, Davis told the outlet, warning that the court’s decision could have a chilling effect on other Christians in Europe and beyond.
He said: “If this remains as it is, it will set a terrible precedent that others will build upon to silence Christians.”
Ciaran Kelly, director of the Christian Institute, described Mr Johnston’s case as an example of “creeping censorship”, adding: “If the judgment stands, it would be a shocking new restriction on religious freedom and freedom of speech, so we will be supporting Mr Clive to consider his appeal options.”
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