Posts by Tim Stephens (Page 7)

This letter is intended for the members of the legislature in Alberta. It is a plea for you to pursue justice in our province. The Task Before You Alberta’s more than 4 million citizens are represented by just 87 members of the legislative assembly. As such, you represent a large and diverse group of people and are entrusted with an important stewardship. Your priority, higher than infrastructure, budgets, regulations, and public services is to protect the rights of the people…

There is a stigma associated with sickness today. Our society has been altered in terms of how we regard the sick and how we deal with sickness when it visits us. Attitudes toward the sick include blaming and shaming them for not being more careful. Out of fear of getting sick ourselves, we divide and isolate from the sick rather than show compassion and care for their needs. We judge them as morally inferior. They must have made a bad…

It seems that most things concerning COVID-19 have become divisive. The trend seems to be worsening as new measures are introduced, then mandated, then enforced in an effort to stop this latest respiratory virus around the globe. The latest controversy surrounds mandatory vaccinations or vaccine passports. Division continues to rage within the broader church along (mostly) the same lines as last winter’s  restrictions on the gathering of the church. One of those topics of controversy is whether there is a…

I’ve created a letter requesting a religious exemption from mandatory medical procedures. This letter can be used for school or employment if they are requiring you to take the vaccine against your conscience and beliefs. The letter is based on a statement produced by the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches and modified with their permission. You can print this out and I (or Alex) would be happy to sign. To read more about religious accommodation in Alberta you can read from the Alberta Human Rights…

Over the past week, I’ve received numerous requests for help and prayer on mandatory vaccines. Alberta Health Services is requiring all their staff to be vaccinated by the middle of October. Employees of the federal government (and federally regulated businesses) have a similar requirement. Several provinces have recently announced that vaccination will be required to access a number of services. While details have yet to be released, it was announced that anyone traveling by plane or train is also required…

Yesterday’s announcement of mandatory vaccinations for federal government employees is shocking. Another “conspiracy theory” has come true. The government also announced that vaccines will be made mandatory for air travelers and passengers on interprovincial trains and cruise ships. Business and places of learning are following suit. What is the reasoning? About 5.7 million Canadians who qualify to get their first dose are not getting it. The government fears that the predicted fourth wave anticipated this fall will overwhelm the healthcare…

The following is a collection of articles, sermons, and interviews that tell our story as we sought to faithfully navigate COVID-19 and its surrounding issues. Tim Stephens March, 2020 Knowing very little concerning COVID-19, we decided to cancel our services and for me to address our church via livestream. http://www.fairviewbaptistchurch.ca/coronavirus-covid-19-update/ May, 2020 I wrote an essay to prepare us to open our church and set the course for our continued obedience to Christ. http://www.fairviewbaptistchurch.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/The-Re-Gathering-of-the-Church.pdf August, 2020 Two articles addressing masks…

Introduction This is now my 17th day in prison. I’m in prison because I’m unwilling to compromise my convictions before God and allow the state to dictate the manner of worship and fellowship in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Imprisonment is a painful experience. You are away from all of your loved ones and much of life that brings pleasure and purpose. There are physical, mental and spiritual challenges to be faced each day. Yet, my experience in…

Introduction Equipped with the bible, and in a cell 23 hours a day, you can read a lot of Scripture. Of interest, of course, are Paul’s letters written from prison. In fact, the Bible has much to say about imprisonment in both old and new testaments – something that stands out as I read it in my present circumstances. One portion I want to draw to your attention is when Paul speaks about the shame of imprisonment in his second…

Mr. Premier and MLAs, I write this from my jail cell in the Calgary Remand Centre. The past week I’ve missed my wedding anniversary and Fathers’ Day. My children will remember this Fathers’ Day as a time when they wept over the phone as I did my best to stay composed before other inmates while expressing my love for my children. Your government has wrongfully put me on the horns of a dilemma. Either I forsake my convictions before God,…