23 February 2022
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“But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.” [Ezekiel 33:6]
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” [Ephesians 6:12]
Presbyterians Week Headlines
[1] Bible Trial Targets the Core of Christian Faith: Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin
[2] New Developments in Roman Catholic-Reformed Dialogue in the United States
Additional Articles of Interest
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[1] Bible Trial Targets the Core of Christian Faith: Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin
NEWS PROVIDED BY
Päivi Räsänen, Member of the Parliament of Finland
Feb. 17, 2022
HELSINKI, Finland, Feb. 17, 2022 /Christian Newswire/ — The following statement is released by Päivi Räsänen, Member of the Parliament of Finland:
The prosecutor has a year ago in her written application for summons made a number of false and untrue allegations about my views. According to the prosecutor, my view is that “homosexuals are not created by God as heterosexuals are.” Nowhere have I said such a thing. I have repeatedly emphasized that all human beings are created in the image of God and have equal dignity and human rights. In the passage to which the prosecutor refers, reference was made to the biblical account of creation. Referring to it, I stated: “In the beginning, God created a man and a woman and intended marriage to be between the two. I regard homosexuals as fully equal humans and, in addition, equally worthy human beings created in the image of God.”
Contrary to what the prosecutor claims, in the Ruben Stiller radio discussion program, I did not call homosexuality a genetic degeneration or a disease-causing genetic inheritance. On the contrary, I rejected the idea of homosexuality as a genetic trait, a claim that was suggested by the host of the discussion program, saying that the most recent studies have shown the possible genetic inheritance in homosexuality to be small.
The prosecutor claims that, according to me, the tendency to sexually abuse children is an inescapable characteristic of homosexuality. I have not said this and do not think so. Furthermore, the prosecutor claims I regard homosexuals as inferior human beings. I regard homosexuals as fully equal humans and, in addition, equally worthy human beings created in the image of God.
At the trial, the prosecutor presented in writing many false claims about my speech and writing, which were all easily refuted.
Although the prosecutor at first assured that the trial would not be an inquisition, she surprisingly targeted the core doctrine of Christianity. Very fast and extensively she moved to read the Bible trying to prove it contains insulting paragraphs. She claimed that my views are known as “fundamentalist” doctrine, which she summarized as “love the sinner, hate the sin”. This doctrine she regarded as insulting and defaming, because according to her, you cannot make a distinction between the person’s identity and his or hers action. If you condemn the act, you also condemn the human being and regard him or her as inferior.
This is an egregious statement. It goes against the Christian view of man and common sense. The prosecutor tries to deny the core message of the Bible: the teaching of law and gospel. God has created all human beings as His own image and we all have equal value, but we all are also sinners. No-one’s human dignity decreases because of sin. God still loves the person but hates the sin. Sin is a theological concept that describes the relationship between God and man and God is the one who defines what sin is. God so loved all the people, that He gave His only Son to die on the cross to suffer the punishment that belonged to us because of our sins. Jesus condemned the sin but loved the sinners.
The thought that you could not make a distinction between the person’s deeds and his or her identity or human dignity is unfamiliar to life. As I was raising my children, I loved them all equally, but I still had to at times criticize their actions quite harshly. The prosecutor’s thought is also unfamiliar to the rule of law. Even the most notorious criminals do not lose their human rights or human dignity if they get a punishment for their deeds. Especially in court this principle should be very clear.
The prosecutor’s accusation against “hate the sin, love the sinner” doctrine is startling, because the doctrine is widely appreciated. The Finnish Broadcasting Company, Yle, reported 26th of December 2021 about philosopher Pekka Himanen, who got to know the late Desmond Tutu, an archbishop and peace Nobel prize winner. Desmond Tutu’s philosophy was “love the sinner, hate the sin. He continued: “The model of leadership that derived from this kind of recognition of human dignity in all circumstances is what the world most desperately needs.”
SOURCE Päivi Räsänen, Member of the Parliament of Finland
CONTACT: Evamaria Kyllästinen, MP Räsänen’s parliamentary assistant, +358 9 432 4065, firstname.surname(at)parliament.fi
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
[2] New Developments in Roman Catholic-Reformed Dialogue in the United States
The Roman Catholic-Reformed Ecumenical Dialogue in the United States has announced three important new developments in its ongoing ecumenical discussion. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), through its Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs is a participant along with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Reformed Church in America, the United Church of Christ, and the Christian Reformed Church in North America. The first round of this Reformed-Roman Catholic dialogue began soon after the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), which opened the door for ecumenical discussions.
https://www.rca.org/new-developments-in-roman-catholic-reformed-dialogue-in-the-united-states/
+ Reformed Church in America, 4500 60th Street Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512, 800-968-6065, questions@rca.org
+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
+ United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, 216-736-2100, ogm@ucc.org
+ Christian Reformed Church in North America, 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49560, 616-241-1691, Fax: 616-224-0803 crcna@crcna.org
+ The Vatican, Città del Vaticano, Rome, Italy, 39-6-69-88-35-11, Fax: 39-6-69-88-54-47, Contact Page
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