Two national initiatives this fall are well worth the attention of BC Christians. The Evangelical Fellowship will begin to keep a record of anti-Christian incidents, and Christian leaders are signing a declaration against antisemitism.
Anti-Christian Incident Report
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) released this statement recently.
The EFC [has launched] a new monitor to track discrimination and hate crimes against Christians in Canada.
As of October 21 [now November 18], TheEFC.ca website will provide an avenue for Christians to report incidents of anti-Christian discrimination, vandalism or violence in Canada. The EFC will track changes and trends in the frequency and intensity of incidents that infringe on the human rights of Christians.
This monitoring of incidents will equip the EFC to better advocate for religious freedom and call governments to follow through on their human rights obligations.
“We believe this monitor is needed as anti-religious sentiment increases,” says David Guretzki, president of the EFC. Canadians have seen an alarming increase in antisemitism in recent months, and fatal attacks against Muslims in recent years. Religious groups in these communities track hate crimes to report on trends and needs. It’s time for the Christian community to do the same.”
Evangelicals don’t often face physical threats, but anti-evangelical commentary and moves to exclude Christians from public life are not uncommon.
“At the EFC, we’ve seen Christian groups who apply for government grants be flagged for review based on their beliefs,” says Julia Beazley, the EFC’s director of public policy. Canadian university faculty have proposed excluding applicants to medical school if they would be conscientious objectors to practices such as MAiD or abortion.
Declining church attendance and religious literacy may indirectly foster intolerance of religious beliefs and practices. Anti-Christian bias may be as mild as social exclusion or as intense as church arson. The EFC’s website will track the more serious incidents.
If you know of situations of anti-Christian discrimination, vandalism or violence, please encourage those involved to report the incident at TheEFC.ca/ReportIncident. [The link will become ‘live’ November 18.]
Canadian Christian Declaration on Antisemitism
The National Post introduced an initiative to combat antisemitism in a September 26 article:
A coalition of Christian leaders from across Canada is putting their names on a document that declares they stand united against the rise of antisemitism in the country.
The Canadian Christian Declaration on Antisemitism is the brainchild of the Rev. Dr. Andrew Bennett. He is an ordained deacon in the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in Canada; director of faith communities at faith-based think-tank Cardus; and one-time head of Canada’s Office of Religious Freedom.
Bennett introduced the Declaration:
Thank you for taking an interest in the Canadian Christian Declaration on Antisemitism. Our goal is to have 500 Christian leaders across Canada support and affirm the Declaration in support of our Jewish cousins, who are our fellow citizens in this great country of Canada. I hope that you will sign on to the declaration below. Please invite others in your network to do the same.
In recent years antisemitism has been on the rise in our communities and our institutions, with Statistics Canada data showing the most acute increase in antisemitic hate crimes occurring in 2023 (900 reported in 2023, a 71% increase over 2022). On our streets, on our university campuses, and in other public spaces where all citizens should be free to express their religious beliefs we see larger and increasingly hateful protests advocating violence against Jews. This is not our Canada.
In making this declaration we show Canada’s Jewish communities that we stand with them as Christian leaders; that they are not alone. This is not a geopolitical statement; it is a theological declaration grounded in the universal and objective goods of human dignity, justice, and freedom.
Please join me in standing with Canadian Jews in these days. May God bless us and guide us in this noble endeavour.
In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Andrew P.W. Bennett
Canadian Ambassador of Religious Freedom, 2013 – 2016.
Seven hundred have signed thus far. Go here to read the Declaration.