Pentecostal pastor in Sweden opens church door to homosexuality

The Swedish pastor suspects that the Biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah "set the tone" for the Christian view on homosexuality. That is unjustifiable, he argues during a meeting recorded in a video on his YouTube channel. "The majority of Biblical contexts that refer to Sodom and Gomorrah talk about social injustice, self-absorption and violating other people's rights, Varlden Idag writes.

Choice

Piensoho also refers to one of the letters of the Apostle Paul, which states how people abandon their natural sexual relationships and how men "commit fornication with men." The pastor believes that there are two interpretations of this text, Dagen reports. The first one is that homosexuality is a sin and contrary to God's will. However, Piensoho sees a problem with this interpretation, namely that it assumes that "homosexuality is something of choice."

The other interpretation can be that Paul refers to sexual immorality at that time, which was often connected to idolatry. He believes that this second option is the better one. Yet, he adds that he cannot say more about this yet, and promises to return to the question another time.

Rebuke

The reactions to Piensoho's are mixed. "This will divide the church. I'm not sure if I can stay any longer", one of the attendees of the meeting where Piensoho spoke said. According to him, the pastor's theology is "not of God." He says to be confident that the Pentecostal leadership will rebuke Piensoho "properly."

Another listener says that he has received something new in his spiritual life and that Piensoho's view adds something to the congregation.