Cyril Bagin
The Interim
About 200 Christians, mostly Reformed, gathered Nov. 13 for the ECP Centre’s Ignite Our Culture conference in Burlington, Ont. at the Crossroads Centre. Speakers discussed both the current moral crisis in our society, as well as what responsible citizens can do. The ECP Centre (Equipping Christians for the Public Square) was founded by Rev. Tristan Emmanuel, a Presbyterian minister who is also the author of the book Christophobia, “to defend the need and necessity for historic and comprehensive Christianity today.”
Emmanuel said Christians have “dropped the ball” in recent decades and he urged them to rediscover the historic understanding Christians have had about the state. There should not be a “wedge between Christ and politics,” between faith and public life, he said. He urged participants to go back to the tradition of their confessional and church documents to read about their responsibility in regard to society and the state, and to rediscover that “civic involvement is not a hobby to choose or not.”
He used the Belgic Confession of Faith of the Christian Reformed Church as an example. Written by pastors in 1619, this confession professes that God appoints civil authorities to maintain peace and justice, punishing those who do evil and protecting the innocent. It goes on to exhort that everyone must respect these authorities, co-operate with them in what is good, and pray for them, so that as there is authentic peace in society. In this way, the church may exercise its mission more freely. Key references to Scripture in this regard are the 13th chapter of the Letter to the Romans and the second chapter of the First Letter to Timothy.
The speakers in the morning focused on the attacks on marriage and what we need to understand about it. Conservative Senator Anne Cools spoke about divorce, fatherlessness and the breakdown in family life. She spoke of the tragedy of children being deprived of fathers and the negative consequences this has in society. She also criticized judicial activism, noting that judges should get out of politics. She questioned “what secret knowledge flows upon these lawyers when they become judges that they can discover what no one has known for 1,000 years.” Constitutionally, the Parliament of Canada is supreme and not the Supreme Court, she said.
Professor Cornelius Van Dam of the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary outlined the biblical understanding of the institution of marriage and how it has been weakened in our society by individualism and separation of sex from marriage. He cautioned about the dangers of same-sex “marriage,” both for individuals and for society. He noted that children raised in same-sex relationships are de-linked from kinship ties and that social studies demonstrate that children raised outside of traditional marriage are more likely to be negatively affected.
The afternoon speakers focused on specific actions concerned citizens can do. At times, they pointed to successes we do not always hear about.
MP Maurice Vellacott (CPC – Saskatoon-Wanuskewin) eloquently outlined how we got to the point where Parliament is about to act to redefine marriage. He offered clear suggestions for effective political action. Looking at the bigger picture, he emphasized that young Christians need to seek at least a year of biblical formation and then pursue professional involvement in society. He suggested that all concerned citizens stay informed by receiving the newsletters of organizations such as Campaign Life Coalition, REAL Women and CFAC. Vellacott outlined the importance of writing positive letters to editors and to members of Parliament, as well as getting personally involved in the political process.
