Posted on 11/17/2005 9:50:56 AM PST by SirLinksalot
Homosexual Hate Crime Trial of Swedish Pastor Used as an Opportunity for Evangelization
By John-Henry Westen and Terry Vanderheyden
STOCKHOLM, November 15, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Swedish Pastor Ake Green, appearing before the Swedish Supreme Court Wednesday to answer to a “hate crimes” charge for preaching a sermon on homosexuality in 2003, capitalized on the occasion to evangelize the nation.
Focus on the Family’s representative to the United Nations, Thomas Jacobson, reported that the trial was providentially aired on national television thus providing Green the opportunity to have not only his original sermon but also his defence of it aired nationally. “This was unprecedented in Swedish history,” Jacobson said, “that a Supreme Court hearing would be aired nationwide in its entirety.”
“Everybody heard his original sermon first, then they heard him speak for 45 minutes later,” Jacobson said. “Just like with the Apostle Paul, when he was arrested and sometimes imprisoned, (Pastor Green) had the opportunity to declare truth and declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ — and the compassion and forgiveness that are available — in unprecedented ways.”
The country is in dire need of evangelization on the matter. Jared N. Leland, Spokesman and Legal Counsel for The Becket Fund - an international, interfaith, public interest law firm dedicated to protecting the free expression of all religious traditions – wrote an article in defence of the pastor which was widely published in Sweden last year. The Chalcedon Report quoted Leland on the reaction he received. “It got a very hostile response from Swedish newspaper columnists,” he said. “They all say, ‘You don’t understand our culture. This man should go to jail for two years — not six months!’”
On October 31, 2005, The Becket Fund filed its brief to educate the Court about Sweden’s obligation to respect religious exercise, religious expression, and equal protection of the laws -- rights that are secured by Articles 18, 19, and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Sweden is a signatory. See the brief here http://www.becketfund.org/files/e160b.pdf
Pastor Green was convicted of a hate crime and sentenced by a district court to one month in prison on June 20, 2004 for preaching a sermon in which he said, “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.” (read the full sermon here: http://www.akegreen.com/sermon_transcript.htm)
The Gota Court of Appeals overturned the conviction on February 11, 2005, but the prosecutor appealed the case to the Supreme Court. If found guilty, Pastor Green could face up to two years in prison.
Pastor Green said, “I think homosexuality and that lifestyle is abnormal and I want to be free to say that,” as part of his televised defence, according to BBC coverage. “My message is that men should live by the laws of creation, which means the normal family set-up with a woman, a man and children.” He also said he preferred jail to community service if convicted.
SEE THE ABOVE WEBSITE FOR A PICTURE OF THE PASTOR
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.
God Bless the good pastor. His peril reminds us all of our Christian duty to bear witness, and speak the truth with love.
Good for him.
BTTT
Very true.
<<<<
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 ?
Great post!
"Hate crimes." Seems to me all crime has some implicit hate.
This is why the Republicans must not be allowed to get away expanding hate crimes laws to including homosexuality.
Is tough love a hate crime?
Good post. points we all need to remember.
Throwing this guy in jail for this sermon is a form of hate.
My prayers go out to the guy. How pathetic European 'culture' has become.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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