{"id":552,"date":"2023-08-07T00:04:24","date_gmt":"2023-08-07T00:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2023\/08\/07\/persecution-approaches-brace-yourselves\/"},"modified":"2023-08-07T00:04:24","modified_gmt":"2023-08-07T00:04:24","slug":"persecution-approaches-brace-yourselves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2023\/08\/07\/persecution-approaches-brace-yourselves\/","title":{"rendered":"Persecution Approaches: Brace Yourselves"},"content":{"rendered":"


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By Samuel Sey<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Op-ed contributor
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P\u00e4ivi R\u00e4s\u00e4nen<\/span> | Courtesy of ADF<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Don\u2019t be surprised if one day you are on trial for quoting the Bible on social media.<\/p>\n

If that seems unthinkable, you should know it\u2019s already happening to some Christians in other parts of the world. Like tropical storms that devastated the Caribbean and South American nations before hitting American soil, there is a coming persecution that is already affecting Christians around the world.<\/p>\n

If things do not change, American Christians will suffer the same storms. There are already warning signs.<\/p>\n

The Bible says, \u201cBeloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you\u201d (1 Peter 4:12<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Christians have become accustomed to getting banned (or shadowbanned) on social media for our beliefs, but it seems strange to think that one day we could be arrested for quoting the Bible.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s what happened to P\u00e4ivi R\u00e4s\u00e4nen, a member of parliament in Finland.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She has been an elected official since 1995. She was the chair of the Christian Democratic Party from 2004 to 2015, she was minister of the interior from 2011 to 2015, and she is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland with her husband, who serves as a pastor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In June 2019, P\u00e4ivi\u00a0tweeted<\/a>\u00a0a picture of Bible verses and questioned her denomination\u2019s partnership with an LGBT Pride event.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The prosecutor general in Finland opened an investigation against her. In April 2021, the prosecutor announced three charges of hate speech against P\u00e4ivi \u2014 one charge for the tweet, a second charge for a 2004 pamphlet on sexuality for her church, and a third charge for a 2019 radio debate on sexuality.<\/p>\n

Alliance Defending Freedom International supported her defense at a district court, and in a unanimous ruling in March 2022, the court dismissed all charges against her.<\/p>\n

However, the prosecutor appealed the ruling. So on August 22nd, P\u00e4ivi will stand trial again.<\/p>\n

It is tempting to think this could never happen in America. Freedom of speech is protected by law in this country. But P\u00e4ivi can say the same about her country. The constitution in Finland protects freedom of religion and freedom of speech.<\/p>\n

Therefore it is P\u00e4ivi today, but it could be your pastor tomorrow. If a politician can be charged with hate speech for quoting the Bible, pastors can receive the same charge. If politicians can be charged for that, less powerful people like you can also be charged for quoting the Bible on social media.<\/p>\n

Last week, police officers in Wisconsin\u00a0arrested<\/a> several young Christians for preaching the gospel at a public drag queen event that targeted children.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In June, the House of Representatives in Michigan passed House Bill 4474, a bill that would make speech that\u00a0\u201ccauses the victims to feel terrorized, frightened, or threatened\u201d\u00a0a hate crime. Speech against a person\u2019s \u201csexual orientation\u201d or \u201cgender identity or expression\u201d are listed as hate crimes.<\/p>\n

Western nations like America and Finland founded their legal system on Christian ethics, but now they are radically committed to LGBT ideology and opposed to their founding values.<\/p>\n

Just as Christian theology shaped the West\u2019s legal system, LGBT ideology is reshaping it. LGBT ideology cannot co-exist with Christian theology. It cannot compete with the loving, hopeful, freeing Gospel of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

Therefore, it suppresses Christianity through persecution. It arrests Christians for preaching the Gospel. It criminalizes speech against homosexuality and transgenderism.<\/p>\n

And it charges people like P\u00e4ivi R\u00e4s\u00e4nen for quoting the Bible on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Like every person in a Western nation, P\u00e4ivi has a constitutional right to freedom of speech. However, free speech rights are irrelevant if people aren\u2019t empowered to defend them.<\/p>\n

Like the first trial, Alliance Defending Freedom International is supporting P\u00e4ivi. Please donate them to them so they will be empowered to help P\u00e4ivi win her case. They helped her win the first trial, so with your donation \u2014 they could help her win the second.<\/p>\n

This trial isn\u2019t just persecution against P\u00e4ivi, it is persecution against Jesus and His Church. Right now it is a trial against an elected official in Finland, but in the future, it could be a trial against an average citizen in America.<\/p>\n

Following her charges, P\u00e4ivi said:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI do not consider myself guilty of threatening, slandering, or insulting anyone. My statements were all based on the Bible\u2019s teachings on marriage and sexuality. I will defend my right to confess my faith, so that no one else would be deprived of their right to freedom of religion and speech.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

So please pray for P\u00e4ivi and donate to Alliance Defending Freedom International.<\/p>\n

You can donate\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Originally published at Slow to Write.\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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Samuel Sey is a Ghanaian-Canadian who lives in Brampton, a city just outside of Toronto. He is committed to addressing racial, cultural, and political issues with biblical theology, and always attempts to be quick to listen and slow to speak.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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