Christian Churches of Russia Support Finland’s Christians in their Vindication of Traditional Values

The members of the Christian Inter-Confessional Consultative Committee have published a joint statement in support of the Christians of Finland who vindicate traditional Christian family values. The full text of the document is given below:

Joint Statement by the Christian Churches of Russia

On behalf of the Christian Inter-Confessional Committee – a major inter-Christian platform created for interaction between traditional Christian denominations in the Eurasian expanse – expresses its concern with regard to the situation which has arisen around Finnish member of parliament Päivi Räsänen, who has publicly declared her fidelity to traditional Christian principles and as a result is being threatened with criminal investigation and possible imprisonment. Päivi Räsänen quoted the words of the apostle Paul in his Letter to the Romans on people who have “degraded their bodies among themselves” and “for this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error” (Romans 1.24-27). The authorities have viewed her quoting of these verses as a “violation of the principle of equality and the dignity of homosexuals.”

Mrs. Räsänen, moreover, has been accused of “publicly propagating the Christian conservative view of marriage” and in 2004 published a twenty-four-page booklet where she described homosexuality as a “sexual anomaly.” Christians who are true to the Bible view homosexuality as a sin. At the same time, they are called upon not to judge people with homosexual tendencies, but, on the contrary, to show concern for such people and to help them find the path to repentance and healing. As the Bible states: “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Lk 15.7).

But help is possible only in the instance when a person has the desire to be healed. If a spiritual illness is not deemed to be as such, then healing will not come.

Today the concept of truth is being substituted by the concept of the plurality of opinions, that is to say, true and false opinions are to be seen as being on the same level. As a result, the boundary between good and evil is erased. But for Christians it is the Bible which remains a beacon lighting the way and by which they are to be guided.

We support those Christians who, in spite of the growing influence of liberalism, are true to the traditional principles of their faith and who do not refuse to vindicate biblical moral values.

We join all our brothers and sisters in standing resolutely for the truth of the Gospel and we do not lose hope that reason in today’s world community will prevail and that justice will be upheld.

The declaration was signed by:

The Russian Orthodox Church

The diocese of Russia and Novo-Nakhichevan of the Armenian Apostolic Church

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Russia

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria

The Russian Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists

The Russian Association of Christians of the Evangelical Faith (Pentecostals)

The Russian Church of the Evangelical Faith

The Church of Seventh Day Adventists