A retired pastor who was fined hundreds of dollars for preaching from the Bible, referencing John 3:16, because that was a “criminal offense,” has a hearing looming in his appeal.
A magistrates’ court decision in Ireland said Pastor Clive Johnston’s action, citing one of the most well-known verses in the Bible, without banners, placards or any reference to abortion, was a crime.
It’s because of Northern Ireland’s pro-abortion legislation that creates no-go zones for Christians at and around hospitals where those procedures are done.
In fact, following Johnston’s conviction and fine, the Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed that hospital chaplains and clergy risk being accused of committing a criminal offense if they carry a Bible through a public area of a hospital, or pray with patients on request, in case somebody sees and is “influenced” about an unrelated abortion decision, according to the Christian Institute.
NEW: Christian Pastor Clive Johnston will face TRIAL on Wednesday for publicly preaching John 3:16. Police accused Clive of “influencing” within an abortion buffer zone – but he wasn’t even speaking about abortion! Preaching the gospel is not illegal. Clive is being supported by @christianorguk
— Simon Calvert (@SimonCalvert14) April 17, 2026
RETIRED PASTOR CHARGED FOR READING THE BIBLE?! A Northern Ireland court ruled against 78-year-old Clive Johnston for “breaching safe access zone” after delivering a sermon outside Causeway Hospital in July 2024. He was fined £450 (about $700) for leading hymns, Bible readings, and quoting John 3:16 during the gathering. The court said the gathering could influence people seeking health care service and he did not leave when asked. “At 78 years old, I never imagined I would leave a courtroom with a criminal conviction for preaching the Christian gospel.”
— NewsForce (@Newsforce) May 12, 2026
The organization confirmed Johnston’s appeal will be heard in the Court of Appeal in Belfast on October 15.
The 78-year-old was fined 450 British pounds for his brief sermon about the goodness of God and His reach to humanity.
His lawyers will contend that the lower court judge refused to recognize the European Convention’s provisions for freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
Johnston explained, “We held a small, open air Sunday service near a hospital. 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.”
He said, “I believe there shouldn’t be any public spaces in Northern Ireland where you can be prosecuted and convicted simply for preaching the gospel. If someone is behaving violently or engaging in harassment, then, absolutely, they should be prosecuted. But I wasn’t doing any of those things.”
Ciarán Kelly, of The Christian Institute, said, “Buffer zones were ostensibly introduced to protect people accessing abortion from harassment and obstruction. Yet Clive was convicted after preaching from John 3:16 during a peaceful open-air service, without ever once mentioning abortion.”
At more and more locations across Europe and in the United States, pro-abortion activists are demanding protected “zones” where any message that suggests there’s an alternative to abortion is suppressed under penalty of law. Such moves protect the financial interests of the abortion industry.
The worship service was on July 7, 2024, near Causeway Hospital in Coleraine.
The counts against Johnston claim he was influencing a “protected person.”
“There was no evidence of any person (‘protected’ or otherwise) attending the hospital at the time of the open-air service,” the institute report confirmed.
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[ H/T WorldNetDaily ]
