Homosexual Hate Crime Trial of Swedish Pastor Used as an Opportunity for Evangelization

LifeSite ^ | 11/16/2005 | John-Henry Westen and Terry Vanderheyden

[SirLinksalot]

In his defense Ake got to speak for 45 minutes about his original sermon. It certainly brings to mind Paul's efforts, that even when imprisoned, used the opportunity to preach to the guards.

In somewhat ironic fashion, Ake's original sermon called for grace and not condemnation for the homosexual community. Yet some considered it hate speech because he also said it was an immoral lifestyle. Just another example of where people confuse condemning an idea or action as opposed to the person.

[2banana]

Sometimes I wonder why Jesus Christ is attacked with such viciousness. I don't know the answer.

He didn't come to be popular.

He also said He didn't come to bring peace, but that He would set father against son and mother against daughter.

Jesus, by His vary nature, is by far the most controversial person alive.

His contemporaries were hateful to Him.

It offends people when you tell them they need to be forgiven of their sins.... And that is simply to be expected.

Maybe it is because people know deep inside there maybe something right about Him but would rather attack than think about it or change.

Maybe it is because becoming a Christian is so against everything we now believe in our culture (being cool, materialism, it is all about me, PC politics, etc.).

Maybe it is because some live their entire lives in a set of beliefs and near the end of it look back and see it all mattered for nothing and are pissed.

Why is it so easy for people to accept hatred and malice but can't grasp forgiveness from our Savior?

Sometimes the concept of hell gets people worked up. The argument on "How can a good God cast people into hell when they have lived a pretty good life" is false logic. Hell is a place where God is absent. This is exactly what the people who rejected God all their lives wanted. The "pit" of hell maybe a very comfortable place where everyone who rejected God their entire lives must now reside knowing they had lived their lives in a lie. That they had wasted it all. That actually may be worse than a guy with pitchfork.

God has given us all the "free will" to chose. God has sent his only Son to die for us, to suffer for our sins and to show us the way. God could have easily made a bunch of robots that would do everything he said but instead loved us enough for us to make our own decisions. All of us must make their own decision after they have reviewed the evidence. After all, Jesus Christ's resurrection is either the supreme fact in the history of mankind or a gigantic hoax. If Christ's resurrection is true -- we ignore its implications at our own peril. If not -- Christianity is the biggest fraud in the history of the world and should be easy enough to disprove.

Regards,

2banana

[karnage]

God Bless the good pastor. His peril reminds us all of our Christian duty to bear witness, and speak the truth with love.

[talleyman]

Good for him.

[sr4402]

BTTT

[h8in08]

What these people need, who live under the slavery of sexual immorality, is an abundant grace. It exists. Therefore we will encourage those who live in this manner to look at the grace of Jesus Christ. We cannot condemn these people. Jesus never belittled anyone. He offered them grace.

Very true.

[SirLinksalot]

<<<<
God Bless the good pastor. His peril reminds us all of our Christian duty to bear witness, and speak the truth with love.
>>>>>

Canada practically outlaws the same kind of sermon that this Pastor preaches.

Do you think it can't happen here under our anti-discrimination laws ?

How about laws against hate speech ?

[RexBeach]

Great post!

"Hate crimes." Seems to me all crime has some implicit hate.

[Ol' Sparky]

This is why all this hate crimes nonsense leads to in regard to homosexuality -- a complete denial of free speech for anyone that dare criticize such behavior.

This is why the Republicans must not be allowed to get away expanding hate crimes laws to including homosexuality.

[sageb1]

Is tough love a hate crime?

[joebuck]

Good post. points we all need to remember.

[wmileo]

The only people that I have disdain for as much as those French Surrender Monkeys are these Swedish PC Wimps.

[Brilliant]

Throwing this guy in jail for this sermon is a form of hate.

[jjm2111]

My prayers go out to the guy. How pathetic European 'culture' has become.

[Mulch]

How come Amnesty International isn't launching a vigorous defense of free speech for this man? Oh yea, I know why.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Bless his heart. Courage and zeal for the truth is a beautiful thing. It is also good to remember that sometimes these awful experiences are the best opportunity to speak the truth to those who might otherwise never hear it. He is a wonderful example to follow.

[Cicero]

This is a wonderful opportunity to witness. It would be worth two years in jail to be able to speak truth like this to the whole nation.

I doubt whether they will jail him, however, because this kind of witness reveals the tyrannical nature of the state as well as its moral emptiness. I doubt if they are stupid enough to jail him.

If they do, I expect it will mark a turning point in Swedish society. And whether he is jailed or not, the affair will end by doing a lot more good than harm, because it exposes these statist engineers for what they are.

[karnage]

My opinion - and it is only that - is as follows:

There is no such thing as "hate speech" or a "hate crime." Speech (other than serious threats) is protected by the First Amendment, and emotion as such should not be a relevant modifier in prosecuting crime. Whether you kill a man for his shoes or his skin tone shouldn't make any difference.

Any law that says otherwise is un-American.

And Canada doesn't count.

[Alexander Rubin]

This is ridiculous. I hope he gets off. Else Sweden will have failed to protect its democratic right to free speech, and free expression of faith.

[VOA]

There is at least a bit of upside to the de-Christianization of
Western Europe and Canada...
it'll be a lot more pleasant to smuggle Bibles into the beauty of places like
British Columbia.

And Canadian jails should be a lot nicer than the one in the Soviet Bloc.