A member of Finland’s parliament who has faced a years-long legal battle after sharing a Bible verse on social media refuses to back down from her freedom fight.

Päivi Räsänen told “Higher Ground With Billy Hallowell” her legal battle began more than five years ago, when she challenged Finland’s main religious body, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, questioning why it had “decided to support, financially and publicly” a local Pride parade.

“It was a disappointment and even shock to me and many others,” she said. “Many of my friends decided to resign the church, and I was also praying … ‘What should I do now?’ I was very worried about this very public statement of the leadership of the church, because I was worried that it will undermine people’s trust on [the] Bible and its authority.”

Räsänen decided to take to X — then Twitter — to share text from Romans 1, where the Apostle Paul addresses sexual ethics. She added a question to church leadership about their position supporting Pride.

“After that, some citizen made a criminal complaint and the police started to investigate the case,” Räsänen continued. “At the beginning, I didn’t believe it. I just read it from the newspaper that police [had] started to investigate the case and I phoned to the policeman and he said, ‘Yes, we are investigating it.’”

Then, more criminal complaints emerged, with an old pamphlet she wrote about marriage also catching negative attention. Plus, a radio program she appeared on came into the crosshairs.

“I was interrogated in the police station all together 13 hours about very theological issues — biblical issues,” Räsänen said. “Police [were] asking me … ‘What is the main message of the Book of Romans? And so on.”

She said it was “absurd and [a] very unreal situation” and felt like a “dream,” especially considering the religious freedom available in Finland.

Those interrogations ended up landing Räsänen in court with charges filed against her.

“They [were] accusing me of breaking … the law about agitation against minorities,” Räsänen said, noting she was essentially accused of hate crimes. “We have that kind of law in Finland, as in almost all European countries.”

But she said she has always affirmed “people are equal and all people are valuable, created by God in His image.” Ultimately, though, she found herself facing two separate legal battles, both of which she won.

Yet, even after Räsänen was acquitted, prosecutors decided to appeal and take her case to Finland’s Supreme Court — something she said was “unbelievable.”

Regardless of the international nature of Räsänen’s story and the chaos surrounding it, she’s not willing to back down because the stakes are high.
Sources:faithwire

http://theendtimeradio.com

Some 12,000 Christians, young, old, male and female, and of various ethnicities, walked through the center of the city of Dublin in excited solidarity for the faith at the first-ever “March for Jesus.” All Nations Church and Betania Church, both based in the city, organized the event on Oct. 26, supported by other churches in both Ireland and Northern Ireland.

They gathered to affirm the Christian identity which has enfolded the peoples of Ireland since missionary St. Patrick first arrived in the fifth century AD, according to organizers.

Starting at the Garden of Remembrance, the crowds sang and prayed as they walked, holding wooden crosses, waving flags and placards saying, “March for Jesus,” “Jesus is the Way,” “Jesus is Lord,” “Jesus is King,” “Jesus can change your life,” “Jesus loves Dublin” and “Jesus loves Ireland.”

A worship team on an elevated platform located upon one of the city streets led participants in singing popular songs and hymns, such as “Praise the Lord, Oh my soul” and “How Great Thou Art.”

“We lift that name,” said Andy Campbell, of Healing the Land charity, in front of the crowd. “That Jesus is King over Ireland and God, we thank you today you are still King over Ireland.”

“How many of you believe that Jesus is alive?” asked Pastor John Ahern of All Nations Church from the platform. His question was met with an exuberant cheer in response.

Ahern read aloud from Jeremiah 1:10: “See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”

The pastor then spoke out seemingly about political decisions and societal choices on the island, both north and south, which stood contrary to Gospel values. “I want to pray for the family, I want to pray for our children. I think that it’s significant that in the providence of God, that God ordained that we would be here on this day. It was arranged months ago but here God says before you were born I knew you.

“We are here to bless our city, we are here to bless this island both north and south. But we’re not just here to bless because God will not and cannot bless everything. God will not bless the shedding of innocent blood. God will not bless euthanasia. God will not bless the sexualization of children. God will not bless the erasure of women. And God will not bless churches that are so cowardly they refuse to call evil exactly what it is.”

Ahern then pleaded to God, “standing in the gap for this nation,” asking for blessing on Ireland and Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Europe and the wider world.

Referring to Jesus as the light of the world, he pleaded in prayer for the Irish people to return to God: “that the Irish people are going to come back to you, to faith in you, to honoring you, to worshiping you, to declaring that you are Lord.”

Several other church and ministry leaders, both male and female, from across the island also spoke and prayed at the event.

Nick Park, executive director of the Evangelical Alliance Ireland, expressed his hope for a future Irish government that will return its focus on values that align with the Bible.

“I pray for the next government for this nation to be one that you can use to roll back tides of darkness and bring in a restoration of truth and godliness in this nation.”
Sources:Christian Post

http://theendtimeradio.com

One of the challenges to supporting persecuted Christians abroad is that many in the West don’t realize just how much their brothers and sisters in Christ suffer for their faith, according to the head of a leading advocacy group.

Global Christian Relief (GCR) is an advocacy group dedicated to uplifting persecuted Christians through practical support and providing the Gospel to those in need. The organization serves five regions worldwide, including Central and East Asia, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

GCR also seeks to remind Christians to stand in solidarity with their oppressed brothers and sisters and not to remain ignorant of their sufferings.

“There has been a rise in the persecution and oppression of Christians over the last 15 years or so,” GCR President and CEO David Curry told The Christian Post. “And we need to awaken to that and do a couple of things.”

Last Sunday, GCR hosted a livestream for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, an observance for Christians around the world who are subjected to violence and discrimination for their beliefs.

The event included a kit with short stories about several individuals who overcame adversity, including a survivor of Boko Haram massacres in Nigeria and an advocate for the underground church in North Korea. The kit also features testimonies from persecuted Christians whose stories of oppression might not be as well-known, such as a woman from Nepal who faced discrimination for leaving Hinduism.

While many in the West are familiar with the plight of Christians in Nigeria, considered by various advocates to be one of the “deadliest” places in the world for people of faith, Curry noted that Nepal doesn’t appear to be on most people’s radar.

One reason for this, he suggested, is that reports of Christian persecution in Nigeria typically involve more physical violence, which tends to draw more attention. Even if the level of violence is not the same in Nepal as it is in Nigeria, Curry emphasized that Christians in the South Asian country still face persecution.

“We don’t want to see people get hurt, but what we really want is to start at the top and say, ‘Do you know what’s happening to your brothers and sisters around the world?’” Curry said.

“Including Nepal and the pressures they face just to do the simple things like read Scripture, go to church peacefully and practice their faith. That’s not a given in Nepal.”

As GCR and other advocacy groups like Open Doors have noted, while Nepal is no longer a Hindu State, Nepali Christians face the threat of being attacked by their families or even forced out of their homes for believing in Christ. The government also oppresses Christians through anti-conversion laws and the shuttering of churches.

Another challenge is that many people in Nepal are illiterate and rely on oral communication, making it difficult for Nepali Christians to read the Bible. GCR has tried to help by working with local partners in the area to distribute audio Bibles in local languages to Christians throughout the country. Last month, GCR reported delivering around 40,000 audio Bibles to Nepal.

Still, Curry stressed that one way Christians in the West can continue to stand up for their persecuted brothers and sisters is to pray.

“Because we have to recognize this is a spiritual battle,” Curry stressed. “First, we’ve got to start with prayer. It’s life or death. So we’ve got to understand it’s more than just politics; that’s why we start with prayer, and then there’s advocacy.”

“I think once people get into this and they see that their voice makes a difference, then we can start talking about this with our representatives, having our churches pray about it, and we can move the needle on Western governments, the U.S., the U.K., France, speaking out for Christians who are being persecuted for their faith.”
Sources:Christian Post

http://theendtimeradio.com