Finnish Bishop could face 2 years in prison for speaking the truth (about sex)

Things are getting bad in Finland. As Christianity Today reports, 

Rev Dr Juhana Pohjola, the Evangelical Lutheran Bishop in Finland, is facing trial in January for expressing traditional Christian teaching on human sexuality.

In April, Finland's Prosecutor General charged him and the Christian Democrat MP Dr Päivi Räsänen with "incitement against a group of people" over the 2004 publication of a booklet which described sex outside of heterosexual marriage, including homosexual practice, as sinful.

Dr Räsänen was charged as the author of the booklet, while Bishop Pohjola was charged as the publisher.

Dr Pohjola is Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland (ELMDF), a position to which he was elected earlier year.

He was ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the State Church, in 1999, but increasing pressure in that body against orthodox Lutherans led to the formation of the ELMDF in 2013. In response, the State Church defrocked him in 2014. Today the ELMDF has more than 45 congregations and mission sites throughout Finland. 

I like this guy. Here is what he says, 

"We have nothing to be afraid of when we fear God more than men. In truth and in love we are called to confess Christ Jesus and publicly teach the faith of the Church. We should pray like the apostles that we 'continue to speak your word with all boldness!'" (Acts 4:29).

"We have to be ready to pay whatever the price is and be labelled by media as intolerant and lawless. We must defend our basic rights and use the freedom of expression we still have."

"Although we feel the cultural pressure and intimidation, our main focus as Christians is not to wage cultural war but to share the grace, life and hope we have in Christ Jesus."

Amen!

This isn't the first prosecution of this type as I reported 6 months ago. Again from Christianity Today, 

A Christian member of the Finnish Parliament is facing six years imprisonment for allegedly committing three crimes, including “hate speech,” for sharing her opinion on marriage and human sexuality on social media, on television and in a pamphlet.

The country’s chief prosecutor has brought three criminal charges against Finnish Member of Parliament and former Minister of the Interior, Päivi Räsänen, according to the Austria-based Christian legal group ADF International.

The politician, who is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and former chair of the Christian Democrats, has been under police investigation since June 2019 for publicly voicing her opinion on marriage and human sexuality in a 2004 pamphlet, for comments made on a 2018 TV show, and a tweet directed at her church leadership.

A medical doctor, mother of five and grandmother of six, Räsänen now faces two years in prison for each alleged crime, the group said.

I haven't seen the Finns going after Muslims yet. I guess the prosecutor is afraid of the repercussions.