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22 Sep 2020 BC Election Provides New Opportunity to Advance Sound Policies

Posted at 17:29h in Current Action Items, Political Parties and Elections 0 Comments
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British Columbians are heading into an election. On September 21, Premier John Horgan requested from the Lieutenant-Government, Janet Austin, to dissolve the British Columbian election and trigger an election. The election date is set for Saturday, October 24. Elections are opportunities for change. COVID has brought many changes and disruptions to society, and this election is an opportunity for a political party or a movement to capture the vision of British Columbians and shape the province for decades to come. Elections are opportunities for change...

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21 Sep 2020 Christian Political Engagement in Light of Redemptive History

Posted at 15:29h in Blog, Public Theology, Public Theology 0 Comments
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By: John Sikkema A pastor once asked me, “Is political engagement part of our calling as Christians? After all, Jesus and the disciples didn’t seek political power or reform.” The answer, in short, is yes (though it matters very much how we engage politically). Christ is Lord over all, including civil government, and if we pray for His will to be done on His earth, we cannot neglect so significant a part of life on earth. In a secular climate, Christians are prone to restrict the Bible’s relevance to personal salvation, piety,...

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18 Sep 2020 Look out Albertans! Bylaw Bob coming to a religious gathering near you!

Posted at 14:10h in Blog, Sexuality 0 Comments
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By: Ed Hoogerdyk A wave of conversion therapy bans has spread across the province of Alberta. Maybe not as fast as COVID-19, but fast enough. These by-laws are harsh and heavy-handed. Yet one municipality after another passed them with relative ease. Fort McMurray. St. Albert. Edmonton. Spruce Grove. Rocky Mountain House. And finally Calgary and Lethbridge. Many concerned citizens spoke out. The largest pushback took place in Calgary. There were phone calls, face to face meetings, Zoom teleconferences, and a public hearing with a record number of oral submissions from the...

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17 Sep 2020 Recovering Fiscal Responsibility

Posted at 17:38h in Economics 0 Comments
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For the last quarter-century, red and blue Canadian governments have both prided themselves on their dedication to “fiscal responsibility” or, in more Christian parlance, fiscal stewardship. Previous administrations were committed to some version of the ideal of not further indebting (future) Canadian taxpayers. Jean Chretien and Paul Martin set the stage for ten years of consecutive budgetary surpluses. That was fiscal responsibility. Stephen Harper, even while opting to spend billions of deficit-financed dollars for recovery from the Financial Crisis, always had a balanced budget in his mind’s eye. That also...

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08 Sep 2020 A Bubble Zone for Preaching in Vancouver?

Posted at 13:16h in Blog, Justice and Freedom, Sexuality 0 Comments
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By Levi Minderhoud David Lynn has come to British Columbia. Kicking off his national tour, the street preacher from Christ’s Forgiveness Ministries wandered the thoroughfares of Victoria and Vancouver last week, preaching the truth of Scripture with a microphone in hand and a stereo speaker at his side. A scene like this is bound to attract some attention. Sadly, the attention of our LGBTQ-fixated society has been universally negative. This reaction underscores the need for Christians to proclaim and live the gospel. Last year on Fall Tour we touched on pastor David...

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24 Aug 2020 What do the results of the 2020 Conservative leadership race mean for Christians and social conservatives?

Posted at 19:33h in Blog, Life 0 Comments
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By Levi Minderhoud Erin O’Toole is the new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, having won this post on the final round of voting. Whether you voted in the leadership race, or identify with another federal political party, or are simply interested in politics, you may be wondering: what does this mean for me? What do the results of the 2020 Conservative leadership race mean for Christians and social conservatives? To answer that question, we should consider both the man – Erin O’Toole – and the results – the vote count on...

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21 Aug 2020 Are COVID Restrictions the Cause of “Excess Deaths”?

Posted at 10:30h in Blog, Life 0 Comments
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By Levi Minderhoud Soon after governments first introduced restrictions to combat the transmission of COVID-19, many people asked whether these measures would do more harm than good. We encouraged you to send an EasyMail to provincial legislators urging them not to neglect the impact of provincial policies on loneliness, substance abuse, domestic violence, economic dependency, among other problems. We have been worried that such restrictions may cause harm or even deaths through their unintended consequences. Many of you answered the call. Have there been “excess deaths” in Canada? Provincial governments and Statistics Canada...

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19 Aug 2020 Grassroots Campaign to expand worship services in Ontario

Posted at 16:31h in Justice and Freedom, Uncategorised 0 Comments
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From mid-March until June 12th, our congregations have been unable to gather together for corporate worship. Since June 12th, the Province of Ontario has allowed church services to resume with a 30% capacity cap. Since that time, the vast majority of municipalities and counties in Ontario have enacted mask bylaws.Church communities and the work of our churches amongst their members and their neighbourhoods is extremely limited by these capacity requirements. As a result of ongoing limits and restrictions, our church communities and the work of our churches amongst their members and...

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19 Aug 2020 Grassroots Campaign to Expand Worship Services in British Columbia

Posted at 13:55h in Action Story, Current Action Items, Justice and Freedom 0 Comments
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On March 16, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry mandated that a maximum of 50 people could gather for a worship service in British Columbia. Our hope was that the province would gradually increase this cap as the transmission of the virus decreased and knowledge about the virus increased. But, 130 days later (as of August 19, 2020), the same restriction remains in place, even as other provinces have eased restrictions on worship services and many other businesses have been allowed to re-open with larger numbers. It is time for Christians...

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12 Aug 2020 Further reflections and clarifications regarding mandatory masks in church – Part I

Posted at 14:45h in Blog, Justice and Freedom 1 Comment
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By André Schutten On July 23rd I released a 20-minute video on the ARPA Canada Facebook page. In it, I gave some reflections on the bylaws that many Ontario municipalities have adopted which mandate the wearing of masks in indoor spaces, including churches. I argued that there is some unfairness in requiring people to wear masks in church and questioned whether the civil government had authority to do so. I also tried to explain why church leadership ought to wrestle with the question of jurisdiction (church or state authority on the...

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