A new Christian activist group is calling for an elected Supreme Court in the wake of what it claims are a number of anti-family legal rulings.

The Concerned Christian Coalition (CCC) said the recent M vs H and Vriend rulings underscore the need for a democratically elected Supreme Court. Those two cases involved spousal benefits and special rights for homosexuals.

The CCC has existed for a number of years in Ontario, but it was inspired to a new level of activism by the two recent court rulings. Now based in Calgary, the organization has about 3,000 members in Canada.

CCC national chairman Andrew Neufeld told The Interim that ordinary Canadians can no longer sit back as the Supreme Court makes rulings which profoundly impact the traditional family.

“The main reason for our formation was the Supreme Court ruling on the Delwin Vriend decision which (involved) the Supreme Court determining morality in Canada, and the lack of moral fortitude in our elected official,” Neufeld said.

“Although the M vs H decision happened after our formation, it has propelled us to make the election of Canada’s Supreme Court judges our number-one issue.”

In a statement released after the M vs H ruling, the CCC said Canada’s Supreme Court rulings simply mirror the agenda and priorities of the federal government that appoints individual judges.

“The recent rulings against the traditional family have set a precedent that will have a domino effect and destroy the values Canadians cherish,” Neufeld said.

The recent announcement that former United Nations war crimes prosecutor Louise Arbour has been named to the Supreme Court of Canada further angers the CCC and other pro-family organizations. Arbour’s pro-abortion sympathies are well known and her support of related anti-family causes have long drawn criticism from pro-life supporters.

Neufeld said a number of related issues, including eliminating the Lord’s Prayer for schools, abortion on demand, school violence, and high divorce rates, have also propelled the CCC into action.

Neufeld said that the Concerned Christian Coalition is the only group of its kind to promote openly its Christian emphasis. “We feel the fact that we are the only lobby group in Canada clearly displaying the name Christian speaks volumes about our philosophy,” he said. “We also feel that the CCC is much more aggressive and that our methods of lobbying effectively question the ethics and morality of our governing officials directly. We are much more blunt and to the point.”

Despite the group’s Christian identity, the CCC welcomes people of various faiths who support the traditional family. Neufeld said two well known supporters are Craig Chandler of the Progressive Group for Independent Business, and pro-life evangelist Rev. Ken Campbell. The CCC aims to have representatives in all 10 Canadian provinces by 2001.

On the immediate agenda for the CCC was a June 19 Family Values Summit in Calgary. Neufeld described the summit as an “historic event” in which delegates from across Canada gathered to defend the traditional definition of the family.

Neufeld welcomes the experience and support of established pro-life, pro-family groups, but said the CCC will be a bold new force in lobbying for the rights of the family.