Opinion by Dillon Burroughs
Pastor Clive Johnston
A retired Baptist minister has been criminally convicted for preaching the Gospel near a Northern Ireland hospital that performs abortions.
Pastor Clive Johnston, 78, a former president of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, was found guilty on May 7 at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court on two charges under Northern Ireland’s Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act 2023 for preaching on John 3:16 near the abortion buffer zone located outside of Causeway Hospital.
Pastor Johnston must pay a fine of £450 (approximately $600) and now has an official criminal record, according to The Christian Institute, which has supported his legal defense.
The Abortion Services Act in Northern Ireland, which became law in 2023, bans anti-abortion demonstrations and certain other activities within designated safe access zones surrounding abortion facilities. The law is enforced by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Prosecutors argued that the retired pastor either intended to influence people seeking abortion services at Causeway Hospital or acted recklessly regarding whether his actions could influence those individuals. During the proceedings, the court reviewed evidence and police body camera footage showing Johnston standing beside a large cross, speaking into a microphone while reading passages from the Bible, including John 3:16.
“We held a small, open-air Sunday service near a hospital,” he said. “We made no reference whatsoever to the issue of abortion. And yet the buffer zones law is so broad that holding a Sunday service has been found to be a criminal offense. And at 78 years of age, I find myself, for the first time, convicted of a crime.”
John 3:16, one of the most widely known Bible verses, states: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Before the hearing, Simon Calvert, the deputy director for the Christian Institute, argued that the verse had no connection to abortion and accused authorities of improperly expanding the scope of the law. “John 3:16 is a wonderful, famous verse and everyone knows it says nothing about abortion,” he said.
He also criticized police and prosecutors for pursuing the case, stating:
“We have amazing freedom in this country to share the Christian message. That’s why we’ve taken on this case. Prosecuting Pastor Johnston for preaching ‘God so loved the world’ near a hospital on a quiet Sunday is a shocking new attempt to restrict freedom of religion and freedom of speech in a part of the world where open-air Gospel services are a part of the culture.”
Pastor Johnston’s conviction for preaching the Gospel shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who understands the slippery slope strategy of abortion ideologues — they ask for an inch, and soon they take it all.
For context, it’s important to remember that Northern Ireland — which is part of the U.K. but has its own government — had long been one of the most devoutly pro-life countries in the world.