I have long expected that my commitment to certain basic Christian convictions would meet with scorn from unbelievers. What astonishes me is the cynicism and ridicule I so often encounter from fellow believers.
On marriage, LGBTQ+ ideology, abortion, and other cultural flashpoints, one might once have expected solidarity among Christians. Those times are over. These subjects are absent from a growing number of pulpits. Many believers have been so thoroughly discipled by the culture that they no longer even regard these things as sinful. In Canada, and increasingly throughout the West, laws on censorship, so-called hate speech, euthanasia, and the suppression of Christian expression have been enacted with barely a hint of resistance from the churches.
Just a few years ago, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a Baptist pastor I know personally that evangelical Christians are “the worst part of Canadian society.” The current Prime Minister is fond of declaring that “Muslim values are Canadian values.” In reality, Islamic teaching isolates its adherents from the wider culture and blasphemes Christ. Yet large percentages of Canadian Christians continue to vote for Mark Carney, and many seem to adore the man.
Consider how this has played out in law and religious freedom. Five years ago, Bill C-4 (the conversion therapy ban) came into force. It created Criminal Code offences for causing or attempting to persuade a person to change sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Penalties include fines, imprisonment, and a criminal record. The bill passed with unanimous consent – including from Conservatives, more than half of whom claim to be evangelical Christians.
At first glance, C-4 appears noble. No one wants a return to the cruel practices of the 1940s and 1950s, such as shock therapy used to “jolt the gayness” out of patients. But that is not what this law actually does. It potentially violates the Charter by criminalizing certain forms of counselling, parental guidance, and religious teaching. What about preaching Genesis 1:27, Romans 1, or related Scriptures?
In July 2026, Bill C-9, the “Combatting Hate Act,” was added to the Criminal Code – though Canada has had anti-hate laws for decades. It removes the long-standing “good faith” defence that had protected Christians who, in good faith, expressed a religious or biblical opinion. Earlier this summer, the Cyber Security Act was enacted with similar vagueness about any objective definition of hate, amplifying the chilling effect online. When concerned believers raise these issues, they are often met with cringe from other Christians.
People have lost jobs because of their convictions. Children in my own church have been publicly humiliated by teachers for refusing to gather at the flagpole in a “pride circle” as the multi-coloured flag of “inclusion” is raised. How ironically non-inclusive! What will it take to shake Christians out of their collective stupor?
I am frequently accused of being uncharitable and insufficiently winsome. Apparently, I am a paranoid pastor with a persecution complex. Well-intentioned members have cautioned me to tone it down when I preach, for fear of arrest. That is the chilling effect in action. Low-grade hostility has permeated Canadian institutions at every level – with very little Christian resistance.
In the early 2000s, a federal summer jobs program paid teens a stipend for volunteering at charitable programs, including our Christian camp in Ontario. In 2018, applicants were suddenly required to check a box affirming abortion, certain sexual orientations and activities, and gender expression. Refuse, and you were ineligible. That created two tiers of citizens: those who complied and those who would not. Many “Christian” organizations checked the box and kept the funds. Our camp refused and lost the funding. What do you call it when one group loses income while another receives remuneration and social affirmation? A form of persecution.
When I make the claim that the church in Canada faces state-driven persecution, I am met with derision. After all, we are not being slaughtered like many Yemeni and Nigerian Christians. Yet, The Voice of the Martyrs describes stages of persecution short of martyrdom: ridicule, harassment, discrimination, and defamation. These generally precede deadly abuse. In the last five years, more than 140 Canadian churches have been mysteriously burned to the ground. Not a single mosque has been torched. A strange coincidence, I suppose.
The United States is on a similar trajectory, though not yet as pronounced. American readers of One Body – will you be as quiet and passive as Canadian Christians have been? Romans 13 reminds us that all authority is from God. Resistance is never to be taken lightly. But rulers are accountable to God, His law, and His justice. God commands us to obey Him rather than men.
"American readers of One Body –
will you be as quiet and passive
as Canadian Christians have been?"
Romans 13 does not give carte blanche to human authority. A government that rewards evil and punishes good is not governing as God’s deacon.
America’s founding fathers drew on Samuel Rutherford’s Lex, Rex: “resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.” What will that look like for you? Will you live it out in a biblically consistent way? I will explore Romans 13 and the legitimate means of resistance more thoroughly in next quarter’s column. In the meantime, speak up!
