Latest on Trial of Räsänen and Pohjola in Finland

We just learned (thanks to our Sabre of Boldness columnist Jon Shaw) that a verdict is now expected on March 30th in the trial of Dr .Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola, which resumed on Monday of this week (February 14th). The essence of this trial is that our Christian confession of faith according to Scripture is itself on trial, as we explained in our original post on the matter, the announcement that Dr. Räsänen was awarded our Sabre of Boldness. The Prosecutor General of Finland had charged Dr. Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola with hate speech for openly confessing the Biblical teachings on human creation and sexuality. We have been following the trail closely, providing first the gracious response of Dr. Räsänen to us upon her receiving of the award, and then our timely updates as we received more information (here and here).

The latest news comes from a report that emerged today from the resumption of the trial this Monday, February 14th. In addition to hearing of the expected date of the verdict, Bishop Pohjola, using a megaphone to address a large crowd of supporters, also spoke immediately following the session on the 14th. These remarks were first published in English today, at the Diocese News of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of Finland: “The prosecutor’s primary idea seems to be that, in public, one’s own understanding of the Bible may not be taught, and that freedom of religion does not give one permission to voice aloud a teaching if it is considered to discriminate against a minority group. Therefore, in line with this view, the biblical teachings on marriage, sexuality, sin and grace could not, according to the prosecution, be preached in public. This is an attack on religious freedom.” The demonstrators had gathered outside the courtroom to show their support for the defendants, as this trial has quickly gained international interest.