8230 Letters sent via the new EasyMail!

Blog

02 Jun 2020 Still glorious and free? The duty of each Christian to stand on guard for freedom in an age of unprecedented lock-down

Posted at 13:03h in Blog, Justice and Freedom 1 Comment
2 Likes

By André Schutten The chorus in our national anthem is a prayer: God keep our land glorious and free. O Canada we stand on guard for thee. So, what does that mean practically? Christians take prayer very seriously. It is the most important part of our thankfulness to God (Lord’s Day 45, Heidelberg Catechism). James teaches us that it’s no good to pray for the hungry and poor if we ourselves don’t also help the hungry and the poor (James 2:14-26). How does God answer our prayer to feed the hungry?...

Read More

29 May 2020 Over 400 Ontario Churches Call on Premier to Allow a Gradual Reopening

Posted at 11:59h in Blog, Justice and Freedom 0 Comments
1 Like

  By Colin Postma Several weeks ago, I wrote about the Church of God in Aylmer, Ontario - a small, rural congregation that held church services in their parking lot in response to social distancing laws. I did not expect the level of response that post received. Clearly, this situation highlighted concerns about religious freedom for many in this province, and around the country! This situation highlighted concerns about religious freedom The Ontario Government, using their emergency powers during the COVID-19 crisis, prohibits gatherings of more than five people. The congregation in Aylmer...

Read More

20 May 2020 Professing progressivism for emergency loans?

Posted at 11:58h in Blog, Justice and Freedom 0 Comments
0 Likes

  by John Sikkema  What is our government doing by requiring small businesses to confirm that they do not “promote hate” or “discriminate” before they can get a loan? Imagine your business partner suffers a serious injury at the construction site. You call 911. The operator asks if you and your business partner respect collective bargaining rights. Or imagine you need cancer treatment, and hospital staff ask if you support the equal right of everyone to publicly funded medical care. Would that ever be appropriate? Does your respect or disrespect for collective bargaining or...

Read More

15 May 2020 Federal Euthanasia Survey Results: Support for Stronger Safeguards

Posted at 13:30h in Blog, Euthanasia, Life 0 Comments
1 Like

Earlier this year, we encouraged you to fill out the federal government’s survey about Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID). The results are in and give reason for both concern and encouragement. Those of you who completed the survey will remember that the first question asked, “Do you think the current safeguards would prevent abuse, pressure, or other kinds of misuse of MAID after eligibility is broadened to people whose death is not reasonably foreseeable?” This basically asks whether we can expand eligibility for MAID to more people without tightening up the...

Read More

07 May 2020 A Good News Story for Victims of Sexual Exploitation

Posted at 12:56h in Blog, Justice and Freedom 0 Comments
0 Likes

Good news in Alberta! Bill 8: Protecting Survivors of Human Trafficking Act has recently been tabled. The goal of the bill is to protect survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. In short, the bill helps victims of human trafficking. There are some highlights worth noting: A judge has the ability to grant a protection order to the victim, which means the trafficker cannot get close to, speak to or engage with the victim. The bill adds a tort. A tort refers to a civil clause that allows the victim...

Read More

01 May 2020 What do greenhouses teach about COVID-19?

Posted at 13:46h in Blog, Justice and Freedom 0 Comments
1 Like

by Mike Schouten Before the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, I had only ever heard the concept of “quarantine” in two instances – the Bible and the greenhouse. The Bible doesn’t actually use the word, but rather uses the term “isolate” (NIV) or “shut him up” (ESV). In Leviticus 13 we read detailed instructions for the priests to inspect those who had skin diseases and isolate outside the camp anyone with a suspected case of such a disease. If the disease was confirmed, the isolation was to last much longer. Quarantine is also...

Read More

29 Apr 2020 Holding Church in your Car? Not in Ontario!

Posted at 10:37h in Blog, Justice and Freedom, Uncategorised 1 Comment
1 Like

By Colin Postma This past Sunday, April 26th a small congregation met in the lazy little town of Aylmer, Ontario for worship. That sentence wouldn’t normally invite much commentary – in fact you might think it was the beginning of a novel. It might surprise you to know, however, that this was big news. COVID-19 has changed the landscape of worship in our country for the last 7 or so weeks – and rightly so. Glancing over the headlines of major newspapers, you might think this congregation packed the building, shook hands,...

Read More

15 Apr 2020 Book Review: The Victory of Reason

Posted at 18:27h in Blog, Public Theology 0 Comments
1 Like

By Levi Minderhoud God has blessed Canada. Canada, along with Western countries, is consistently one of the most prosperous, freest, happiest, and most developed countries in the world. Why? In his book, The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success, Rodney Stark, a professor of religious studies, argues that there are three specific reasons why Christianity – as opposed to other world religions – led to freedom, prosperity, and success in the West.   Reason #1: Christianity alone embraced reason as a method of understanding. Human reason requires a very...

Read More
caring for others during covid-19

02 Apr 2020 Society waking up to what it means to think of others

Posted at 02:06h in Blog, Euthanasia, Life 0 Comments
0 Likes

Just a few short weeks ago, we shared with you our grave concerns about Bill C-7, a bill introduced to expand euthanasia to those whose death is not reasonably foreseeable. This bill would make even more Canadians eligible for, and thus vulnerable to, euthanasia. Thankfully, with Parliament temporarily suspended on account of COVID-19, this bill has also been put on hold. In this holding period, the events unfolding around us have been astounding when we think of the shift in language and behaviour toward the most vulnerable. When hordes of young...

Read More

19 Mar 2020 ARPA Quarantine Webinars

Posted at 15:25h in Blog, Events 0 Comments
1 Like

document.getElementsByClassName("date")[0].innerText="April 23, 2020"; Register now! Week of May 11th Host: Ed Hoogerdyk Politics is too serious a matter to be left up to the politicians. So, we're going to talk about: educate, equip, encourage, Biblical perspective, relationships first and policy second, plungers, lighthouses, shalom, the public square and grassroots. Spring has arrived and it's time to spring into political action. ARPA is you. Action inspires action. TUESDAY: Register for 2 PM EDT Webinar Need help with registration? Watch this tutorial video. ...

Read More