Christians need to unite and demand more from their political leaders.
That’s the message from a GTA pastor who helping spearhead a campaign to protect Christians alongside Conservative MP Jamil Jivani and several other clerics.
Rev. Joel St. John, a pastor at Liberty Church in Bowmanville, Ont., says the “Protect Christians Canada” campaign is a “clarion call” for unity to protect churches and Christians across the country.
St. John and members of at least five other church communities in the Durham region banded together to help Jivani draft a petition calling on all governments in Canada to protect the rights of Christians across the country.
“This is not a partisan movement. This is not a movement that’s trying to add to the divisiveness of this time,” he said. “It’s simply a clarion call to Christians in Canada that want to protect what we already have.”
Jivani’s “Protect Christians in Canada” campaign attracted a public endorsement from Jivani’s longtime friend, U.S. Vice-President-elect JD Vance.
The petition calls for governments to protect parental rights, safeguard the rights of medical professionals to conscientiously object to performing euthanasia, protect the legal charity status of churches and Christian charities and strengthen penalties for those who violently target churches.
“Myself and other Christians are concerned, and we’ve been concerned about government and corporate overreach in the different areas of our lives, in our community, workplaces and schools,” St. John told True North in an interview at his church.
St. John helped Jivani craft the petition through numerous conversations, which he said was a culmination of concerns he and other pastors have been hearing from church members. He said the petition gives voice to what many Canadians are perceiving as an “anti-Christian attitude” taken by many governments and corporations in Canada
“We’re not asking for something new. We’re not asking for a bill or any new rights,” St. John said. “We’re saying we already have rights because we’re Canadian citizens. Those rights just need to be protected.”
He noted a rise in church arsons and vandalism incidents since the discovery of soil irregularities at a Kamloops residential school, which were said to be graves of Indigenous students. True North’s exclusive map shows over 100 churches damaged by fire or vandalism since 2021.
St. John said he never thought he’d have to worry about needing extra security at his church. He said community members were contacting him asking if he was planning on increasing security due to arsons at Canadian churches.
He said he hears from church leaders who are concerned about safety with a rise in anti-Christian violence against churches in Canada. Still, they’re also concerned that churches and Christian groups will have their charity status stripped.
“We’re asking for protections for churches, whether it’s their charity status or just a physical building, that if someone does decide just to burn down a church, that the church knows that the government is going to support them, and also that the (arsonist) should be held responsible,” he said.
St. John said Christian groups contribute a lot in Canada and shouldn’t be stripped of their ability to continue to do so.
St. John was clear in pointing out that there is great diversity among Christians in Canada, with many being immigrants from countries such as India, Nigeria or Jamaica, like his mother, who are concerned with the way Christians are treated in Canadian culture.
He thinks that the Protect Christians campaign is something that all Christians, regardless of their diverse traditions and backgrounds, can unite behind.
“Our country is in a moment of choice. I think Christians have an opportunity to share their perspective in a united way on that choice. I think our country’s at a tipping point,” he said.
“This petition, this movement, will help other Christians as well who may be sensing (the anti-Christian culture) and give them a voice in this very volatile but pivotal time in our history.”