by Miriam Cates, The Critic
There are many troubling signs of Britain’s retreat from its historic commitment to free speech. But few are as stark — or as absurd — as this: a 77-year-old pastor standing trial for preaching the words, “For God so loved the world.”
That phrase is not a slogan. It is not even an argument. It is a verse from the Gospel of John — arguably the most famous sentence in the English language. Yet for this, Clive Johnston now finds himself hauled before the courts in Northern Ireland. The Bible is, quite literally, on trial in the UK.
Pastor Johnston, a grandfather of seven and former President of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, is accused of breaching abortion “buffer zone” laws after preaching within 150m of Causeway Hospital in Coleraine. His alleged crime? “Influencing” people within the zone.
He wasn’t obstructing or harassing anyone. He wasn’t even speaking about abortion. If this sounds like a category error, that’s because it is. Laws designed to prevent aggressive action outside clinics are now being stretched to criminalise the peaceful expression of Christian belief.
The main problem lies in the wording of the law itself. “Influence” is an extraordinarily elastic concept. It seemingly does not require coercion, confrontation or even conversation. Such a vague and subjective standard would be recognised as an invitation to arbitrary enforcement. In other cases here in England, we’ve seen “buffer zone” legislation banning “influence” used to prosecute individuals for merely praying inside their own heads near a clinic. And in this case, we see them used to restrict Christians from talking about their faith — even if not addressing the matter of abortion whatsoever.
Read also: Is Religious Liberty Dying in the UK? by Andrea Williams, Decision Magazine
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