Seth Udinski, FISM News
In yet another example of Christians facing hardships for biblical faithfulness, a Christian woman in Finland is going to trial for speaking out against homosexuality, under the accusation of “hate speech.”
Päivi Räsänen is a politician and Christian in Finland. Since the middle of 2019, Räsänen has undergone intense legal questioning and scrutiny for speaking out lovingly but honestly against homosexuality. Räsänen holds a biblical worldview, and she will now stand in court for holding to and sharing these beliefs. She is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 24.
The charges revolve around a 2019 Twitter post in which she questioned the Lutheran church for their support of the LGBTQ agenda and linked an image containing the passage Romans 1:24-27, where the Bible calls homosexuality unnatural and a perversion. she 2019. She has also faces charges for a pamphlet she published in 2004 entitled “Male and Female He Created Them.”
In an amazing display of faithfulness and love for one’s enemies, Räsänen is facing this hardship with joy. She called her interrogations with Finnish police a “privilege” and took the opportunity to share the truths of Christianity with the officers:
I had the chance to tell the police what the Bible says about the value of human beings, that all people are created in the image of God, and that is why they all are valuable.
When she recounted how the police asked if she would renounce what she said, she responded, “I will stand on what I believe and I will speak and write about these things also, because they are a matter of conviction, not only an opinion.”
Räsänen made sure to praise the believers who have prayed for her thus far, saying, “I am very happy for the prayers from Finland and from other countries. Some days I’ve received hundreds of messages from praying people. I believe that when God raises people to pray, He is going to do something good.”
Räsänen is standing trail alongside Finnish Bishop Juhana Pohjola. FISM News will follow the updates of this case as they arrive.