12.17.07
Male pastor refuses to work with female colleague
Male pastor refuses to work with female colleague in Vammala. Again. The original piece of news in Helsingin Sanomat.
I realize this is so passé, and it also concerns mostly conservative Lutherans, but hey, this is modern Finland, not Saudi Arabia. The law against discrimination and the law about equality also concerns the Lutheran Church of Finland. Luckily we only have a few hotheads here, unlike in a big place there is room for many… The first piece of news reports a smaller congregation than usually in Vammala, because of the behavior of the male pastor. Read our lips, man.
But hey, there are those who refuse the staleness. The Lutheran parishes of Helsinki have launched a controversial campaign whose base station is www.uskotoivorakkaus.fi (although the hardest critique will come from the inside). How about a Lutheran ad and t-shirt featuring gays in bed? 
The text reads: “What would Jesus do…?” And below:
“We have a bult-in natural urge to seek company, acceptance, and love. While seeking, one asks, sometimes desperately, how many (persons) one has to experience in order to recognize the right one? THere is no right answer, but faith gives strength to seek and also in relationships. With the help of faith you will understand and accept yourself and the other (others) better. Relationships are a difficult question also for the Church. Even if same-sex relationships are a part of the life in our community, the Church has not been able to form a qlear opinion of the matter. We would like you to join the discussion, because the broadmindedness of the Church is determined also by its members.”
There is also a TV commercial and videos that are part of the campaign.
Needless to say, the discussion around this issue is somewhat heated, but as the fundamental wing of Christians form a minority in Finland, the debate will probably not get ridiculously wild.
