This week on The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, the trial of a government leader in Finland is finished as she defended herself against criminal charges for upholding Biblical truth; thousands indicated in a petition that they stood with her in prayer. Also, multiple thousands have come to know Christ through an evangelistic outreach that was launched on New Years Eve. And, a Christian student group at a university in Texas will not face retaliation for choosing leaders who hold to Christian beliefs.
Thousands declare their prayer support for Member of Parliament in Finland, pastor formerly imprisoned in Turkey delivers petition
Perhaps you have been following the plight of a member of Finland's Parliament who was outspoken on sexuality, consistent with the Biblical view. According to a story from last Friday on the Faithwire website:
Päivi Räsänen, whose criminal trial began Jan. 24 and ended Feb. 14, was charged with violating the dignity and equality of the LGBTQ population by engaging in purported hate speech. She told Faithwire Thursday her plight began June 17, 2019, when she tweeted the text of Romans 1:24-27, which condemns homosexuality as sinful.15 years before, she had written a pamphlet that presented a Biblical view of sexuality, which could be banned in Finland if she is found guilty. She also could be fined and put in prison for up to two years. She told Faithwire that: "[The case] has been a shock to many, many thousands of Christians that this happens in Finland,” she said. “This is a very historical case in Finland. Never before has happened something like this, because I have not spoken anything about hate threat against any minority. I have spoken those things that represent a very classical interpretation of the Bible and churches.”
Pastor Andrew Brunson, who was held hostage in Turkey and has since gone on to become an outspoken advocate for religious freedom, delivered a letter in support of Räsänen. The petition, crafted by the Family Research Council, has been signed by 14,341 people.
The letter stated, in part:
“I, the undersigned, want you to be encouraged that I am praying for you and Bishop Juhana Pohjala as you are being persecuted and attacked for sharing the truth of Scripture regarding God’s design for marriage and sexuality,” he wrote. “Your bold stand to live out Acts 5:29 by obeying God rather than man is inspiring to Christians in Finland, the United States, and around the world.”Pohjala has also been indicted; he is with the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland.
Evangelistic organization reports great harvest from film released on New Year's Eve
As we consider news of interest to the Christian community, we can remember faithful ministries whom God is using to bring people into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. One such ministry is heard on Faith Radio. Christian Newswire published a release by the Luis Palau Association that stated, regarding a virtual presentation that was launched on New Years Eve:
The online event, Light Your World, featured music from top Christian artists, multiple Gospel presentations, and changed-life stories from individuals around the world. In total, more than 245,000 people indicated a decision for Jesus Christ as a result of watching the program.
The release said that:
The event included music from TobyMac as well as Maverick City Music. It also included testimonies from Danny Gokey, Darren Mulligan from We Are Messengers, television star Myrka Dellanos, and more. Andrew and Wendy Palau hosted the event and shared encouraging and inspiring messages of hope throughout the program.
Following the premiere, and all throughout the month of January 2022, geo-targeted ads delivered short rescue stories from contributors around the globe, inviting people to pray and respond to the Gospel. The Palau team used these Gospel ads to reach every continent on earth—ultimately reaching more than 43 million people in 237 different nations.
As a result, more than 1.9 million people visited a website with a clear, written Gospel presentation and 245,609 of those individuals indicated a decision to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Over 21,000 of those new believers signed up for a discipleship program that included a 50-day devotional called, "Made New."
Prior to the launch, there were over 10,000 people that signed up for the "Light Your World Challenge," committing to pray for five people who did not know Christ.Christian student group at university in Texas can require leaders to be Christians, according to legal settlement
Finally, Ratio Christi is a student organization that meets on college campuses, devoted to Christian apologetics. Ideally, such organizations should have leaders who are believers in Christ. But, as an article at The Christian Post relates, that was not the case at the University of Houston-Clear Lake.
Because the university had required Ratio Christi to allow anyone, regardless of faith background to serve in leadership, Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit last fall, claiming, according to the article, "the school had wrongfully refused to grant the group official student organization status." It goes on to say:
The university gave the group official recognition soon after the lawsuit was filed, claiming in a statement that the litigation had nothing to do with their decision on Ratio Christi’s status.The article says, "According to ADF, the university agreed as part of a settlement to enact a policy confirming that registered student organizations could limit their leaders to those who shared their beliefs." However, the university has been gaslighting since that lawsuit was filed, and issued a statement to the Post last week saying that Ratio Christi was in compliance with university policies even before that filing. However, the school did agree to this recent settlement, which tells a different story.
Nevertheless, the lawsuit has been dismissed by ADF.
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