Culture (Page 4)
How Churches Are Responding to Conversion Therapy Criminalization
On Friday, January 7th Bill C-4 which seeks to criminalize conversion therapy will be the official law of the land in Canada. (You can read the details of the law, how it was passed, and my initial reflections here. Also, when conversion therapy was banned in Calgary in 2020, I preached this sermon.) The question that many are wondering: How will churches respond? There are two initiatives that I’ve been made aware of. The first is a letter put together…
Political Unity, Divine Judgment, and “Conversion Therapy”
The political landscape of our country is polarized. I can’t remember a time of such division between political parties and ideologies. Yet, in this climate of division there is one issue that has united every party in Parliament across the political spectrum: banning conversion therapy. In both the House and Senate, the opposition party (the Conservative Party of Canada) moved to fast-track Bill C-4, An Act to amend the Criminal Code with regard to Conversion Therapy. In expediting the process,…
Cannabis Legal in Canada
Marijuana becomes legal across Canada this Wednesday, October 17th. As marijuana use becomes normalized—including a host of products containing THC (the active ingredient in marijuana)—how are Christians to react? Is it permissible for Christians to smoke marijuana or use any cannabis products? For these questions, like any other, we must turn to Scripture, God’s word and our authority as followers of Christ. Now, if you tried looking up smoking, marijuana, or cannabis in the Bible, your search would come up…
Medical Assistance in Dying: An Issue of Morality before An Issue of Legislation
It must be conceded that the topic of medical assistance in dying is first and foremost an ethical question that must be carefully considered. Is there a basis for morality? Is morality derived from public opinion? Lobby groups? The vocal minority? A God-given ethic? No matter how one answers that question, it must be conceded that the western world has been built on a Judeo-Christian ethic. God’s law was given in the desert of the Sinai peninsula where he said,…