• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Humphrey Hawksley

Author, commentator and broadcaster

  • Home
  • About
  • Journalism
  • Books
  • Humphrey’s
    Diary
  • Blog
  • Contact
    & Photos
  • Rake Ozenna Thrillers
  • Future History
  • International Thrillers
  • Non-Fiction
  • All Books

Empires and abortion

30th December 2004

LANCASTER, OHIO, December, 2004

For many Republicans, Christianity and support for President George W Bush go hand-in-hand, but if the two begin to clash, will the friendship continue?

Inside aquarium tanks lining a foyer of the Fairfield Christian Church in the small town of Lancaster, Ohio, are some of the most striking fish I have ever seen.

Sharp yellows, blues and reds with graceful movements as they swam between the small areas of rocks and vegetation.

‘See that,’ said Pastor Russell Johnson.

‘Don’t tell me you get such beauty from the randomness of evolution. This is the product of intelligent creation by God.’

As he showed me round, school children scampered past between lessons.

I am introduced to a 6ft-plus basketball coach.

And Pastor Johnson took a call on his mobile phone from a political insider about making sure the right man becomes the next Ohio governor – in other words, someone who shares the values of Pastor Johnson.

He is a short, fit man in early middle age, who has turned his church from a congregation of a couple of hundred 10 years ago to one where thousands come every week and tens of thousands feed into it through sports, charities, schools and Republican party politics.

I was in Lancaster with a straightforward mission. Given that so many in Europe and the developing world are appalled at the policies of President Bush, how far would his supporters actually let him go?

‘You want an answer to that, come to my breakfast meeting tomorrow morning,’ said Pastor Johnson. It would be at 0615.

Lancaster is solidly Republican, more than 95% white, its approach roads are strip-malls, its centre quaint 19th-Century houses, meticulously up-kept with a church on almost every corner.

My next stop was to see the Brown family: Stephen, a trial attorney who has just turned 40, his wife Carri who works with underprivileged children, and their two children – Corbin, who is 17, and Cat, who is nine.

Stephen is also a Republican party activist who lists his core values as family and the church.

In the dark, I could not make out the house numbers, so after a phone call, Stephen was out on the porch, in his shirt sleeves with temperatures close to freezing, arms waving to guide me in.

Carri has decorated their house in rich, deep colors, flagged kitchen tiling, piles of books, a grand piano, portraits of David Bowie and Marilyn Monroe painted by a friend and candles flickering in the fireplace and windows.

I asked the question.

‘I don’t want to see any more tax cuts,’ said Carri.

‘I see a lot of families struggling a great deal. What we need is more government funds to look after disadvantaged children.’

Stephen thought for a moment. ‘If the purpose of expanding America’s forces overseas,’ he said, ‘is to chase an ideological idea of democracy, that’s where I would break.

‘I’m not in favor of democratizing the whole world.’

The next morning, Pastor Johnson’s breakfast meeting was a cross-section of the pillars of Lancaster society.

On his left was recently re-elected Sheriff Dave Phalen, on his right, Judge David Trimmer.

Among the others were school principals, businessmen and doctors, gathering in a strip-mall hotel on a gloomy winter’s morning, all with Bibles on the table in front of them.

I threw out the question.

‘The president has been sovereignly decided by God to lead this country,’ said Matt Roberts, a head teacher.

‘If we could see abortion come to an end,’ said Sheriff Phalen. ‘If the Supreme Court could end this tragedy, I would be elated.’

‘Would you still support Bush if he wasn’t a Christian?’ I asked.

‘No,’ came the answer from Pastor Johnson.

‘Abraham Lincoln took his faith to office and lived it out by freeing black slave boys and girls all over America. I believe that is what Bush is doing by setting the captives of terrorism free.’

It turns out that Pastor Johnson’s church has caused something of an upset in Lancaster. It is seen as too extreme, with Pastor Johnson pushing to get into office government politicians whom, he says, have a Biblical view of the world.

On Sunday, the Brown family worships across the road from their house at the United Methodist Church, which is at least as packed as Pastor Johnson’s.

Lancaster’s Republican mayor and his wife are among the congregation.

I asked the church’s young, softly spoken Pastor, Larry Brown, what President Bush would have to do for him to preach against it from the pulpit.

‘If he were creating an empire,’ he says, ‘that would be troublesome for me. Outright military aggression is something Christians can’t embrace.’

I had come to Lancaster to gauge Republican political views, but left convinced that it is, in fact, the raging debate about Christian values that may well decide the future path of America, very much as the debate between extremist and moderate Muslims is likely to set the tone of the Middle East.

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Primary Sidebar

For enquiries and further information

To contact Humphrey:
[email protected]

Before sending your email address please read our GDPR Compliance Statement and Privacy Notice to reassure yourself that we are looking after your data responsibly.

More reports

Democracy fights back

In a business district a couple of miles from Vilnius’ Medieval Old Town, an office block sign lists … [Read More...]

If you want giant glaciers, wondrous wildlife and the adventure of a lifetime, Alaska is waiting for you

Riding in a high-speed catamaran along an Alaskan fjord, the captain asked: ‘See that glacier ahead? … [Read More...]

Asian countries must restrain hawkish AUKUS parties

Since leaving the European Union last year, the British government has decisively pursued two … [Read More...]

ANC Airport

Alaska’s growing global trade hub highlights booming US-Asian trade

For a few months last year, the prize for the busiest airport in the world slipped away from those … [Read More...]

Global rules against cyberattacks must be updated

The cyberattack that shut down an American East Coast pipeline underlines a global security … [Read More...]

From Our Own Correspondent

The Philippines — How China Plans to Win the Asia-Pacific

3rd March 2017

Taiwan-China – a Flashpoint Once More

19th February 2017

Living on America’s Border with Russia

28th August 2015

World Peace Begins in the Bedroom

5th June 2015

The curse of gold

30th May 2012

The supply chain children

30th January 2012

Experiments in aid

30th January 2011

Joining the club

30th July 2010

Banking nuclear fuel

26th January 2010

The ceremony of port

30th December 2009

Dancing with the devil

30th June 2009

The Contractor’s War

30th March 2009

Sharing your man for Jesus

30th March 2009

A million good workers needed

30th October 2008

Russia’s human weapon

30th September 2008

Cold War bunker

30th August 2008

Smoke-filled rooms and the law

30th June 2008

War scars, a handshake and a beacon

26th June 2008

Make knives not war

30th March 2008

Baghdad banking and real estate boom

30th January 2008

America is our ally

30th November 2007

Russia’s red line over Kosovo

30th October 2007

Big Brother is watching us all

30th September 2007

Small town with a big heart

30th June 2007

The democratic mission

30th May 2007

How Kosovo worked

30th January 2007

Hell escape

30th November 2006

Reporting from Israel

30th August 2006

Peace? With our politicians – never

26th June 2006

Lenin and Mao – One day they’ll get it right

30th May 2006

China in the backyard

30th April 2006

Reporting from Poland

26th February 2006

Addicted to oil

26th February 2006

The boy who lived on a garbage dump

30th December 2005

Republican missionaries in New Mexico

26th November 2005

The American dream

30th July 2005

Why did they fight?

30th April 2005

Haunted by the Ottomans

27th February 2005

The young political elite

30th September 2004

Beer with the Hizbollah

30th July 2004

The patriot act

30th June 2004

An economist in Patagonia

27th April 2004

Someone else in her house

28th February 2004

Big threats, no health care

30th December 2003

Inside India’s nuclear program

30th November 2003

Suicide slum

30th September 2003

The politics of SARS

30th April 2003

The Christian mission

27th February 2003

Blood cocoa

30th May 2002

The war crime pen-pushers

30th January 2002

Triple border terror

30th January 2002

Europe’s apartheid

30th September 2001

The blonde and the dying

30th March 2001

Never to be freed

30th January 2000

One wrong turning

30th May 1999

Footer

Search site

Goldster

  • The Goldster Inside Story Podcast
  • Goldster Video Archive

Connect with Humphrey

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Join Humphrey’s mailing list

Subscribe

Email Humphrey

For general enquiries and bookings for events:

[email protected] and [email protected]

Copyright © 2008–2023 Humphrey Hawksley · All rights reserved · Site Terms, Cookies and Privacy · GDPR Compliance Statement · Website by LiT Web Studio