There are powerful forces abroad in Europe and America that seek to destroy the Christian faith.

Nowhere is this more evident than in Finland where a member of the Finnish Parliament and a Christian pastor have been put on trial for publically quoting the Bible and publishing a booklet promoting traditional sexual ethics.

Pavi Rasanan, long-time parliament member, former Minister of the Interior, physician, and mother of five is facing criminal charges for posting a Bible verse on Twitter and discussing Christian theology in a radio interview. The government prosecutor labeled it “hate speech” because it is offensive to members of the LGBT community. The government prosecutor has also charged Rasanen with writng a booklet supporting natural marriage, and Lutheren Bishop Junana Pohjola is on trial for publishing it.

In court Thursday, Helsinki’s top prosecutor said that publicly quoting the Bible and publishing a booklet about Christian sexual ethics violates Finland’s “hate speech” laws. Prosecutor Anu Mantila claimed that “Condemning homosexual acts condemns homosexuals as human beings, ” and using the Biblical word sin “to describe any non-marital sexual acts violated sexual rights and is insulting and degrading.”

In her response, Rasanan insisted that “The content of my writings and my speeches represents the classical Christian view of marriage and sexuality, the same as the Churches have generally taught for two millennia. I do not condone insulting, threatening or slandering anyone, and my statements have not included content of such a nature. I consider this matter to be a theological discussion that should not be in a courtroom.” Bishop Pohjola pursued this line of reasoning further. He said, “condemning sinful deeds does not mean questioning the person’s worth and dignity.” Pohjola explained that he and Rasanan hold to the orthodoc Christian view that marriage is defined by a lifelong union between one man and one woman, and all sexual activity outside such a union harms both the participants and society.

Mantila argues that this core Christian teaching is a criminal insult to homosexuals. He added that Finnish hate speech laws criminalize certain parts of the Bible, and citizens will be prosecuted for quoting passages that contradict principles of Finnish society.

Lest one think that this attack on Christianity is confined to Finland, please be aware that speech restrictions similar to Finland’s have been inacted elsewhere. This includes dozens of U.S. states and cities. Several years ago a Texas city initiated a plan to review Christan pastors’ sermons in search of objectionable matererial. That particular effort failed, but all it would take is for our courts to interpret hate speech laws the way these Finnish prosecutors are doing to criminalize Christianity across America.