BIBLICAL TRUTH BRANDED HATE SPEECH

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When biblical truth is branded hate speech

We’ve reached a point in culture where entire sections of Scripture are now considered “hate speech.” If you affirm God’s design for marriage, gender, or life in the womb, you risk being censored, mocked, or even punished.

Isaiah warned us: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). That’s exactly what’s happening. The world has inverted God’s standards — light is called darkness, and darkness is celebrated as light.

And let’s be clear: speaking the Bible is not hate. The Bible itself says, “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6). True love tells the truth, even when it’s unpopular.

Love without truth isn’t love at all — it’s indifference. And indifference leads people straight into destruction.

Culture’s shifting morality vs. God’s unchanging word

Here’s the problem with cultural morality: it shifts constantly. What’s praised today is condemned tomorrow. It’s built on feelings, not on facts.

Murder is excused in some cases but denounced in others, sexual ethics redefined with each generation, and “compassion” used as an excuse to break laws. But morality without Scripture is just a moving target.

God’s Word doesn’t shift with feelings or politics. Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” That’s why Charlie Kirk’s stand mattered — he anchored everything in the Bible, not in popular opinion.

Out of context: The attack strategy

How often Charlie’s critics ripped his words out of context. Take his comment on the Civil Rights Act. Critics spun it as racist, when his point was about federal government overreach — not opposing equal rights. Or his remarks on the Second Amendment, where he said liberty comes with a cost. Opponents twisted that into indifference about human life, even though he also called those deaths tragic.

Even Scripture itself has been twisted this way for centuries. Satan quoted Psalm 91 out of context when tempting Jesus (Matthew 4:6). Why should we expect the world to treat modern truth-tellers any differently? That’s the real playbook: rip words from their setting, slap a label of “hate,” and dismiss the speaker entirely. It is demonically inspired. We are in a spiritual war, and it is getting more intense, as Satan knows his time is short.

Why truth is love, not hate

Jesus didn’t say, “Stay quiet so you don’t offend.” He said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).

The world says truth is hate. But in reality, the absence of truth is the cruellest hate of all.

Paul reminds us that love rejoices in truth (1 Corinthians 13:6), and that we must “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). To stay silent while people remain in sin is not love — it’s indifference.

Even this week, a Reuters report on a law professor suspended over posts about Kirk shows how fiercely culture now polices speech around controversial public figures. That should wake us up. If even Scripture is branded as hate, then we must be prepared to face the same hostility.

Standing firm in a world turned upside down

The culture may label us “haters,” but the truth is this: standing on God’s Word is the most loving thing we can do.

Charlie Kirk lived this out boldly. And Franklin Graham’s defence of him reminds us that true Christianity is not about silencing sin or watering down truth. It’s about proclaiming Christ with courage and compassion.

Like Charlie, we are called to hold fast to biblical truth — no matter the cost.

CHRISTIAN MINISTER, REALTOR FOUND GUILTY OF ‘HATE SPEECH’ FOR POSTING BIBLE VERSES ON SOCIAL MEDIA

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A Virginia realtor and Christian minister has been found guilty by an ethics panel after he quoted Bible verses on social media. 

Wilson Fauber, 70, a longtime realtor with over four decades in the industry, was found in violation of National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Code of Ethics, which prohibits realtors from using “harassing speech, hate speech, epithets, or slurs” related to “race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity.”

The posts in question, which were made years before the NAR’s adoption of the rule in 2020, included Fauber’s views on marriage and human sexuality according to traditional Christian teachings, attorneys said.

In a statement released Thursday through his attorneys at the Founding Freedoms Law Center (FFLC), Fauber said: “In 44 years as a realtor, I have loved and served all people. Regularly, I hear from other faith-based realtors that live in fear of being similarly prosecuted for their faith, and potentially losing their livelihoods, if they don’t hide their faith well enough.” 

The posts, which Fauber shared as part of his personal ministry, went unnoticed until two fellow realtors, who Fauber had never met, filed formal ethics complaints against him. The complaints alleged that his posts violated NAR’s vague “hate speech” rule. The VAR panel determined that Fauber’s views on marriage and sexuality, expressed through Bible verses and Christian doctrine, violated NAR’s Standard of Practice 10-5.

One of the two men who filed the original complaint with the VAR is reportedly an “openly gay man.” Complainants are not typically identified publicly in real estate ethics complaints.

Victoria Cobb, president of The Family Foundation, of which FFLC is a part, called the decision “nothing short of anti-Christian bigotry in the real estate profession,” adding, “Wilson’s punishment will have the effect of chilling the religious speech of over 1.5 million other realtors in the U.S.”

The good news is that this persecution is exactly what Jesus said we can expect before His second coming. This warning from Jesus indicates worse persecution is to come. so we cannot say we have not been warned.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:9-13

GOD’S WORD IS NOW HATE SPEECH?

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Member of the Finnish Parliament Pavi Räsänen’s legal saga began after a 2019 social media post in which the devout Christian asked why her denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, would participate in an LGBTQ Pride march. The post included a photo of Romans 1:24-27, one of many Bible passages that declares same-sex intercourse is sinful.

The Bible verses, prosecutors said, amounted to “hate speech” against people who identify as LGBTQ. Police arrested the 63-year-old grandmother of 11 and subjected her to 13 hours of interrogation. They also prosecuted Bishop Pohjola for publishing the booklet.

Last March 30, a three-judge panel of the Helsinki District Court unanimously acquitted the pair, saying the government violated the right to freedom of expression contained in Section 12 of the Finnish Constitution. “It is not for the district court to interpret biblical concepts,” the court ruled.

But shortly after her acquittal, in an act former U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback called “a sign of incredible hostility to religion,” then-Prosecutor General Raija Toiviainen appealed the case — charging Räsänen with “agitation against a minority” under a section of the nation’s law against “War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity.”

The prosecution would not accept truth, even absolute Truth, as a defense. “The point isn’t whether it is true or not, but that this is insulting,” said the prosecutor in her opening statement in the two-day trial, which spanned August 31 and September 1.

“At the heart of the prosecutor’s examination of Räsänen was this: Would she recant her beliefs? The answer was no — she would not deny the teachings of her faith,” said Alliance Defending Freedom International Executive Director Paul Coleman after the verdict. The legal proceedings “bore all the resemblance of a ‘heresy’ trial of the Middle Ages; it was implied that Räsänen had ‘blasphemed’ against the dominant orthodoxies of the day.”

But the Court of Appeals unanimously threw out all of the charges, stating that the law required the post to be intended to offend, and “there must be an overriding social reason for interfering with and restricting freedom of expression.” The state must pay the defendants’ legal fees, the court ordered.

“I never suspected for a moment that I was guilty of anything illegal in my writings or statements,” said Räsänen at a press conference shortly after the verdict, where she thanked God and her supporters. “This isn’t about my opinions, but about the rights of thousands and thousands of Christians to freedom of expression.”

Gratitude swept across Europe in the early morning hours after the verdict. “Glory to God! Brave Paivi Rasanen has been vindicated!” said author Rod Dreher, an American expatriate living in Hungary. “Common sense prevailed,” wrote Anglican Rev. Calvin Robinson of the U.K. thankfully.

But their legal nightmare may not yet be over. The new prosecutor, Anu Mantila, told a Finnish media he is “seriously considering” appealing to the Supreme Court of Finland. Mantila believes the case involves two fundamental and equal human rights — the “right” to be free from discrimination and the freedom of religion — and, since the Court of Appeals simply repeated the findings of the lower court, he wanted a more in-depth vetting. Specifically, he said he wants the court to consider his contention that “hate speech” causes both psychological and physical damages — and to explain how he can prosecute speech accordingly.

“This issue should still get the opinion of the Supreme Court,” Mantila told a Finnish news source, Helsingin Sanomat. Manila said he wants some court to explain how and when he can prosecute alleged “hate speech” that does not clearly incite hatred. The court, he said, should show him where “the line is between punishable and non-punishable expression when it comes to less serious hate speech that does not incite violence and hatred.” But Räsänen’s attorneys say the second trial came to the same conclusion because the prosecution introduced no new facts. Finnish citizens have expressed their weariness with the ongoing prosecutions. One Finnish teacher announced, “My wallet announced that I am no longer interested in paying for this circus.”

Although jubilant over the outcome, Christians say the prosecution exemplifies the phrase: “The process is the punishment.”

“While we celebrate this monumental victory, we also remember that it comes after four years of police investigations, criminal indictments, prosecutions, and court hearings,” said Coleman. Arielle Del Turco, director of the Center for Religious Liberty at Family Research Council, cited Räsänen as one of 99 incidents of anti-Christian persecution that have taken place in the West in three years. 

“How long until American lawmakers are similarly prosecuted?” asked Family Research Council President Tony Perkins. Perkins and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) met with Finnish Ambassador Mikko Hautala last month. 

Roy also warned that Räsänen’s trials could come to the United States during the debate over the so-called “Respect for Marriage” Act. “When you venture into hate crimes, you are now empowering the government to determine what is in your head, and now they’re going to prosecute you for thoughts … and in this case, your religious views,” said Roy. “That is something we have to stand athwart.” At the 2023 Pray Vote Stand Summit, Roy hailed the Finnish MP as “a hero” who “gives you hope. She gives you a belief that we can stand up and stand athwart that kind of tyranny.”

Räsänen’s “acquittal is a monumental victory for free speech,” said Alliance Defending Freedom President and General Counsel Kristen Waggoner. “Päivi’s case serves as a stark reminder of the rising tide of censorship on a global scale.”

In biblical fashion, Räsänen rejoiced in her trials. “This whole process, this litigation, has given so many chances to testify about Jesus,” including “in a live broadcast straight to Finnish homes,” explained Räsänen on “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins” last June. “At the police station, we had the Bible on the table, and the police asked me questions. He asked me to explain, ‘What is the message of the Letter to Romans? What is the message of the first chapter?’ and so on.”

Räsänen said she is always careful to repeat her central motivation: “We have in the Bible the solution to the problem of sin, because Jesus has died for our sins.”

The prosecution, she said, “gives more chances to speak about biblical values” and “share the gospel and the word of God” with “captive audiences.” 

Ultimately, Prosecutor General Ari-Pekka Koivisto will decide whether to appeal the case, according to Finnish media sources. On Tuesday, Räsänen promised to endure to the end of her legal persecution, even all the way to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

“Whatever the consequence, I will not back down from my biblical convictions.”

TRUTH IS NO LONGER IMPORTANT ACCORDING TO FINNISH LAW

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Finnish Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen, acquitted more than a year ago after being prosecuted for voicing her traditional Christian beliefs about marriage and sexuality, is back in court, facing charges of “hate speech.”

Räsänen, a parliamentarian with over 25 years of service, and Bishop Juhana Pohjola arrived at the Helsinki Court of Appeal this week to face the prosecution’s appeal of their acquittal.

Päivi Räsänen holds a bible as she arrives with her husband, Niilo Rasanen, to attend a court session at the Helsinki District Court in Helsinki, Finland, on January 24, 2022. 

“Everyone should be able to share their beliefs without fearing censorship by state authorities. With God’s help, I will remain steadfast,” Räsänen told her supporters.

The prosecution kicked off the proceedings with arguments against the defendants, focusing on a booklet written by Räsänen nearly two decades ago and stating that the content was “insulting” and violated “sexual rights.”

The prosecutor argued that the use of the word “sin” in Räsänen’s booklet was “degrading” and that her interpretation of Bible verses was “criminal.”

“The point isn’t whether it is true or not but that it is insulting,” the prosecutor stated, according to ADF International.  

“We can limit freedom of expression in the outward expression of religion,” the prosecution added. “You can cite the Bible, but it is Räsänen’s interpretation and opinion about the Bible verses that are criminal.”

Last year, the Helsinki District Court cleared both Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland of similar charges. The prosecution appealed this decision, arguing that the court had “misinterpreted” Räsänen’s tweet and reached an incorrect conclusion.

Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International, was present in court to support the defendants.

“Criminalizing speech through so-called ‘hate-speech’ laws shuts down important public debates and endangers democracy,” he said.

Räsänen is facing multiple charges related to the content of the 2004 booklet, her participation in a radio debate in 2019 and a tweet containing Bible verses directed at her church leadership.

Bishop Pohjola is also facing trial for publishing Räsänen’s pamphlet, Male and Female He Created Them: Homosexual relationships challenge the Christian concept of humanity, nearly 20 years ago. The charges against both defendants fall under the “war crimes and crimes against humanity” section in Finnish law, adding another layer of gravity to the case.

The case originated when Räsänen questioned her church’s sponsorship of the LGBT event Pride 2019 in a tweet. Following this, she was subjected to 13 hours of police interrogations over several months.

As we approach the time of Jesus second coming He told us that persecution of Christians will increase at that time. In fact, the Bible gives us an incredible number of prophecies about Jesus’ second coming so that Christians will not be taken by surprise. One of the most troubling Scriptures for me has always been this one spoken by Jesus about the time of His return.

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.” Matthew 24:21-22