Fundamental Freedoms

12 Aug 2020 Further reflections and clarifications regarding mandatory masks in church

Posted at 14:45h in Blog, Fundamental Freedoms 1 Comment

By André Schutten On July 23rd I released a 20-minute video on the ARPA Canada Facebook page. In it, I gave some reflections on the bylaws that many Ontario municipalities have adopted which mandate the wearing of masks in indoor spaces, including churches. I argued that there is some unfairness in requiring people to wear masks in church and questioned whether the civil government had authority to do so. I also tried to explain why church leadership ought to wrestle with the question of jurisdiction (church or state authority on the...

21 Jul 2020 State and church authority in a pandemic – An interview with Professor Koyzis

Posted at 17:23h in Blog, Fundamental Freedoms, Public Theology 0 Comments

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In We Answer to Another: Authority, Office, and the Image of God, David Koyzis explains that authority is intrinsic to humanity and everything we do, because “authority is resident in an office given us in creation,” and when we encounter authority, “we encounter nothing less than the image of God, which always points beyond itself.” Part 1 of ARPA’s interview with Professor Koyzis covered some of his book’s key ideas. Part 2, below, focuses on the nature and limits of political authority and tensions between political and church authority during COVID. PART...

17 Jul 2020 The Key to Authority is the Office of Image Bearer – An Interview with Professor David Koyzis

Posted at 10:34h in Blog, Fundamental Freedoms, Public Theology 0 Comments

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ARPA’s John Sikkema interviews David Koyzis In We Answer to Another: Authority, Office, and the Image of God, David Koyzis addresses modern skepticism of authority by arguing that authority is intrinsic to humanity and part of everything we do, both communally and individually. Why is that? Because “authority is resident in an office given us in creation.” When we encounter authority, “we encounter nothing less than the image of God, which always points beyond itself.” Professor Koyzis was kind enough to talk about his book with me. Part 1 of our interview,...

30 Jun 2020 Reflections from a Christian patriot on Canada Day

Posted at 15:00h in Blog, Fundamental Freedoms 0 Comments

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Happy Canada Day! Canada Day (or, for those who remember, Dominion Day as it was called until 1983) is a great day to rejoice and be glad in the gift God has given us in this Dominion of Canada. I love my home and native land. Canada is a good country to live in, a good country to raise children in, to work in, and to minister and serve others in. She is stunning in her beauty, valiant in her history, and well-formed in her founding. We have more religious, expressive,...

19 Jun 2020 Churches as unifiers should not be penalized for their effective contact tracing

Posted at 15:23h in Blog, Fundamental Freedoms 0 Comments

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By pastor Gerrit Bruintjes and André Schutten For the past month, many religious leaders have been calling on the Ontario government to ease its total ban on corporate worship services. On June 12th, the Ford government issued an executive order permitting religious ceremonies, including weddings and funerals, at 30% building capacity. In our current context amidst social unrest and uncertainty, this is a good decision not only because the Charter of Rights demands this response, but also because churches unify diverse people and can trace contacts well. In the last few weeks,...

03 Jun 2020 As COVID restrictions drag on, the civil government needs guidance from the instituted church

Posted at 08:24h in Blog, Fundamental Freedoms 0 Comments

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I’m always moved when I read the introduction to the Belgic Confession in the Book of Praise. It explains that a copy of the Belgic Confession was sent to the persecuting King Philip II, with a letter from a group of petitioners who “declared that they were ready to obey the government in all lawful things, but that they would ‘offer their backs to stripes, their tongues to knives, their mouths to gags, and their whole bodies to fire,’ rather than deny the truth expressed in the Confession.” This was...

02 Jun 2020 Still glorious and free? The duty of each Christian to stand on guard for freedom in an age of unprecedented lock-down

Posted at 13:03h in Blog, Fundamental Freedoms 1 Comment

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The chorus in our national anthem is a prayer: God keep our land glorious and free. O Canada we stand on guard for thee. So, what does that mean practically? Christians take prayer very seriously. It is the most important part of our thankfulness to God (Lord’s Day 45, Heidelberg Catechism). James teaches us that it’s no good to pray for the hungry and poor if we ourselves don’t also help the hungry and the poor (James 2:14-26). How does God answer our prayer to feed the hungry? Sometimes...

29 May 2020 Over 400 Ontario Churches Call on Premier to Allow a Gradual Reopening

Posted at 11:59h in Blog, Fundamental Freedoms 0 Comments

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Several weeks ago, I wrote about the Church of God in Aylmer, Ontario - a small, rural congregation that held church services in their parking lot in response to social distancing laws. I did not expect the level of response that post received. Clearly, this situation highlighted concerns about religious freedom for many in this province, and around the country! This situation highlighted concerns about religious freedom The Ontario Government, using their emergency powers during the COVID-19 crisis, prohibits gatherings of more than five people. The congregation in Aylmer sought to...

20 May 2020 Criminal charges withdrawn against street preacher David Lynn

Posted at 11:16h in Criminal Justice, Fundamental Freedoms 1 Comment

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The Crown withdrew its criminal charges against David Lynn today, almost a year after he was arrested while street preaching in Toronto’s “gay village” at the opening of “Pride Month”. This case was politically charged from the outset. Lynn had been charged with two criminal offences: mischief and causing a disturbance. The entire incident was video recorded, however, and it quickly came to light that these charges were dubious at best. ARPA Canada’s Law and Policy Director reviewed that video last summer and wrote about the case on ARPA’s blog. At...

01 May 2020 What do greenhouses teach about COVID-19?

Posted at 13:46h in Blog, Fundamental Freedoms 0 Comments

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Before the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, I had only ever heard the concept of “quarantine” in two instances – the Bible and the greenhouse. The Bible doesn’t actually use the word, but rather uses the term “isolate” (NIV) or “shut him up” (ESV). In Leviticus 13 we read detailed instructions for the priests to inspect those who had skin diseases and isolate outside the camp anyone with a suspected case of such a disease. If the disease was confirmed, the isolation was to last much longer. Quarantine is also well known...

Fundamental Freedoms

12 Aug 2020 Further reflections and clarifications regarding mandatory masks in church

21 Jul 2020 State and church authority in a pandemic – An interview with Professor Koyzis

17 Jul 2020 The Key to Authority is the Office of Image Bearer – An Interview with Professor David Koyzis

30 Jun 2020 Reflections from a Christian patriot on Canada Day

19 Jun 2020 Churches as unifiers should not be penalized for their effective contact tracing

03 Jun 2020 As COVID restrictions drag on, the civil government needs guidance from the instituted church

02 Jun 2020 Still glorious and free? The duty of each Christian to stand on guard for freedom in an age of unprecedented lock-down

29 May 2020 Over 400 Ontario Churches Call on Premier to Allow a Gradual Reopening

20 May 2020 Criminal charges withdrawn against street preacher David Lynn

01 May 2020 What do greenhouses teach about COVID-19?

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