Finnish officials are sending mixed signals in the new year. Even as they rightly speak out against religious persecution abroad, they also brazenly pursue criminal “hate speech” charges at home against a Christian leader.

Why? For tweeting out a picture of Bible verses.

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A criminal trial starts Monday, and we need to pay prayerful attention.

First, the good news. Earlier this week the Foreign Affairs Committee chairman of Finland’s Parliament sent a letter to a counterpart in Pakistan condemning the death sentence of a pastor. Pakistan authorities arrested Zafar Bhatti a decade ago on charges of blasphemy — a charge he was reportedly tortured into confessing. And after years of imprisonment, just this month a Pakistani court sentenced Pastor Bhatti to death.

The Finnish chairman wrote, ”Violations against human rights and religious freedom cannot be tolerated anywhere.”

Those are laudable words from the chairman. And they are promising, too, considering Finland’s recent election to the UN Human Rights Commission (along with the United States) — even as troubled as that body is.

Unfortunately, the chairman’s words are not sinking in with some of his colleagues at home. The Finnish Prosecutor General seems particularly tone deaf as she moves forward with criminal charges against a national legislator.

Päivi Räsänen is a Finnish Member of Parliament (MP) who a decade ago was the country’s Interior Minister and chair of the Christian Democrat Party. She is also a medical doctor, mother, and grandmother. Räsänen landed in hot water when she used Twitter and other social media to question her own church leadership’s decision to partner with an LGBT celebratory event in 2019. Her post did not include derogatory or violent imagery (you can see it here). It just highlighted verses from the Book of Romans.

In a 2020 interview with First Things, Räsänen said, “The purpose [of] my tweet was in no way to insult sexual minorities. My criticism was aimed at the leadership of the church.”

Still that tweet was enough for police to call the MP in for questioning. The authorities also took an interest in a booklet Dr. Räsänen wrote in 2004 related to her church’s position on sexuality, as well as a televised interview on the matter in 2018.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, which is supporting Räsänen, notes that neither the tweet nor the broadcast violated any rules — they’re still posted on those platforms. Also, as disturbing as the law enforcement interrogations are in this story, ultimately the police reportedly recommended against prosecution on at least two counts.

But Prosecutor General Raija Toiviainen is pressing forward with “hate speech” charges all the same — charges that could lead to fines or even years in prison. Toiviainen suggests Räsänen’s statements were “likely to cause intolerance, contempt, and hatred towards homosexuals.” According to Christianity Today, the prosecutor concluded those expressed views “violate the equality and dignity of homosexuals and thus transcend freedom of speech and religion.”

The trial for Räsänen and a Lutheran bishop who helped publish her booklet begins on Monday, January 24. She said this week that she has “a calm mind ahead of the trial” and is hoping for an important victory for freedom of speech and religion.

Räsänen added, “If I’m convicted, I think that the worst consequence would not be the fine against me, or even the prison sentence, it would be the censorship. So, now it is time to speak. Because the more we are silent, the narrower the space for freedom of speech and religion grows.”

What is your prayer for MP Päivi Räsänen in the week ahead? And how will you pray for our own nation as Finland — our fellow democratic republic — blazes ahead on this dangerous path?

“The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.” (Psalm 145:14)

Aaron Mercer is a Contributing Writer with two decades of experience in Washington, D.C.’s public policy arena.

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)