Volume 55 , No. 1•January 6, 2006 Kingdom Citizens in Secular Canada Christian Politics: What Does it Involve? Political Apathy Is Not a ChristianVirtue Editorial C. Van Dam Kingdom Citizens in Dr. C.Van Dam is professor of OldTestament at the Secular Canada Theological College of the Canadian Reformed Churches in Hamilton, Ontario. The Lord wants us to be salt and light in a world [email protected] that has a tasteless morality and lives in darkness Shaking foundations as well as by Mr. Ron Gray, the leader of the CHP. The speeches or summaries of them can be found in this With the civic morality of our country dropping to issue of Clarion . ever lower levels as witnessed most recently by our national parliament passing the same-sex marriage Responding to the challenge bill last June, many Christians are asking themselves: It is very important to note that virtually all the What can be done to halt the apparently unstoppable speakers made the point that if we want to oppose slide of Canada going ever deeper into being a secularization and make a difference for our modern Sodom and Gomorrah? What used to be country, we need to start with our daily walk and considered an abomination and sin, for the Lord said talk as Christians. To be sure, the truth must be it was so, is now exalted as good and is defended as a proclaimed, but it must also be demonstrated in our human right. “The wicked freely strut about when lives. If each Christian in this land aggressively what is vile is honoured among men” (Ps 12:8). There lived his faith in the face of secularism, the salt of is no doubt about it; the fundamentals of our national the gospel could have quite an impact. The life are being shaken. With the psalmist, we can ask: Christian’s daily life and the collective witness of “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the local church is really where it all starts. It is the righteous do?” (Ps 11:3) good to underline that. We owe it to our society to show that the gospel has real answers for the problems of today and we can start demonstrating Society has to change before the solutions in how we interact with society in the politics will. place where God has placed us. Now our churches, societies, and schools are of course very important and we rightly invest Last fall the Burlington Reformed Study Centre considerable time in them. However, considering the organized a series of lectures under the theme of state of our land, we must be mindful not to ignore what “Kingdom Citizens in Secular Canada.” The first is going on outside our immediate community. The evening explored how we got into the present danger of placing ourselves in a self-imposed isolation predicament. Dr. F.G. Oosterhoff, a retired historian, is not imaginary. Our country needs Reformed people to gave valuable historical background on being be involved more than ever before. We need to be involved in the public square as Christians by giving involved in local civic affairs and network with others us a brief historical tour of how Christians in The in our society; we need to be involved in moulding our Netherlands sought to fulfill their political task. Rev. contemporary culture at all levels. We are no longer Tristan Emmanuel, Executive Director of the ECP immigrants or immigrant churches. Although it is easy Centre, dealt with the problem of Christian apathy to stay within our own comfort zone, this is a temptation and some of the dynamics involved in this. The we must not fall into. The Lord wants us to be salt and second evening investigated how we can effectively light in a world that has a tasteless morality and lives impact for good. This basic question was addressed in darkness. Our voice needs to be heard. by Mr. Ray Pennings, who has worked both for the But how can our voice, our Christian testimony, Christian Heritage Party (CHP) and the Alliance Party, best be heard? There is no single answer. Ray 2•JANUARY 6, 2006 Pennings reminds us that politics is not always as important as it is made out to be. Society has to change before politics will. Our first duty therefore lies in being agents for the transformation of society. Depending on the gifts the Lord has given us, we must be active as Christians in every level of society wherever the Lord has placed us. When it comes to politics, Dr. Oosterhoff warns us Published biweekly by Premier Printing Ltd.,Winnipeg, MB not to use the Dutch model of confessional parties as EDITORIAL COMMITTEE: our template. Canadian Christians have historically Editor: J. Visscher; Copy Manager: Laura Veenendaal been integrated in mainline parties and not faith- Coeditors: R. Aasman, W.B. Slomp, Cl. Stam based parties. Furthermore, because we have no ADDRESS FOR COPY MANAGER : proportional representation, there is little hope of a Clarion, 57 Oakridge Drive South, St. Albert, AB T8N 7H2 Christian party electing a Member of Parliament. E-Mail: [email protected] This is a sobering realism which we need to factor ADDRESS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS: into the equation. (subscriptions, advertisements, etc.): Yet, as Mr. Ron Gray has eloquently argued, we CLARION, Premier Printing Ltd. need to carry the banner of the biblical truth high in One Beghin Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, Canada R2J 3X5 this country and keep God’s norms central. This Phone: (204) 663-9000 Fax: (204) 663-9202 Email: [email protected] testimony includes the need to develop alternate RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: policies for our land, policies that both meet biblical One Beghin Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, Canada R2J 3X5 criteria and are persuasive for our secular society. Our country needs to be convinced that policy Subscription Rates for 2006 Regular Mail Air Mail grounded in biblical principles is good policy for Canada* $44.00* $72.00* U.S.A. U.S. Funds $46.50 $60.00 reasons that can be demonstrated. Here much work International $72.00 $108.00 can and should be done and the CHP can continue to *Including 7% GST – No. 890967359RT facilitate and do much of this. 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No part may be reproduced in any manner without faithful, their influence can be profound! permission in writing from the publisher, except brief quotations used in Furthermore, one can be involved in supporting connection with a review in a magazine or newspaper. Christian think-tanks and special Christian Useful Link: www.canrc.org advocacy groups, working for political parties such as the federal CHP or, in Ontario, the Family Coalition Party. One can also seek to influence by working within an existing political party. Exactly IN THIS ISSUE how one works politically is a matter of personal conscience. South of the border, decades of hard work Editorial – Kingdom Citizens in Secular Canada by Christians to infiltrate the Republican Party have — C.Van Dam .......................................................................... 2 made a big impact on that country. Christian Politics, What Does it Involve? The bottom line for all of us is that we need to do — F.G. Oosterhoff ................................................................ 4 our utmost to be involved in our country’s weal and woe and seek to make a difference as Reformed Political Apathy Is Not a ChristianVirtue believers. We also need to be aware that this is going —Tristan Emmanuel ............................................................ 10 to be a long and tough battle. It is a life long Influencing for Good endeavour. So, let us as Christians persevere! — Ray Pennings .................................................................. 13 As you read this issue of Clarion , may it stimulate and challenge you! May we as kingdom citizens Influencing Society for Good living in secular Canada never be justly accused of — Ron Gray ........................................................................ 22 apathy. May the Lord bless our efforts for the good of our country! JANUARY 6, 2006 • 3 F.G. Oosterhoff Christian Politics, Dr. F.G. Oosterhoff is a historian living in Hamilton, Ontario. What Does it Involve? Tonight and next week we easily lead us astray. After all, as nationally, so that even smaller speak about our calling as Reformed people of mainly Dutch parties have a chance of getting Christians in a secular society. descent we have been influenced representatives in Parliament. Among the topics to be discussed by the Dutch tradition, and one of The Canadian situation, then, are the causes of today’s the reasons why we have been discourages the type of political secularizing trend, the strategy we hesitant to get involved in politics involvement that is possible in The should follow in trying to stem that may well be this Dutch heritage. Netherlands. This does not mean, trend, and the best means of That is, we may still harbour the however, that the history of that organizing politically.