04/23/2026
As reported on this page earlier, Dr. Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola (author and editor of LHF's "Male and Female He Made Them") were shockingly found guilty of “incitement against an ethnic group” for the booklet’s Biblical teachings on marriage and sexuality.
The author and editor were first charged with hate speech 7 years ago and were unanimously found “not guilty” not once, but twice in Finland's lower courts. However, by Finnish law, the prosecution is allowed to appeal. Once the case was before the Supreme Court of Finland, the decision came back 3-2: “Guilty.”
Päivi and Bishop Pohjola have each been fined, and the courts have required that certain words, phrases and sentences must be removed from the Finnish edition of “Male and Female He Created Them.” (In the United States, LHF's printed and digital editions of this booklet will remain uncensored.)
We stand with Bishop Pohjola and Päivi!
The Lutheran Heritage Foundation is committed to helping them cover the costs of these fines for the book LHF funded over 20 years ago, and which we continue to make available not only in Finnish, but also in English, Spanish, and a variety of other languages that are underway.
Can you help?
Bishop Pohjola and Päivi have each been fined one month’s wages, and the Luther Foundation - Finland has been fined 5,000 euros (a total of about $10,000 USD). Let us come together as the family of Christ to help cover these fines and remove the burden from our brother and sister’s shoulders! The link for online giving at the LHF website is found in the first comment below.
Any amount received over and above the amount of Päivi and Bishop Pohjola’s fines will go toward the future translating and printing of our good Lutheran books for the Finnish people.
Now, Bishop Pohjola and Päivi may choose to appeal to the European Court of Justice - their final hope not only for their own freedom of speech, but also for the right to freely proclaim the whole Gospel throughout the European Union.
