What to know about the showdown between pastors and Canadian government over banning Gay Conversion Therapy
By Rebecca Johnson // Faith + Culture // EEW Magazine Online
There is a religious showdown happening in Canada over the government’s banning of Gay Conversion Therapy, and some American pastors have joined the fight.
As of January 7th, Bill C-4, which criminalizes the controversial practice, will effectively become the law of land, leaving some Christian leaders fearful that they will be prosecuted for preaching biblical morality and sexuality.
The preamble to the Bill says that conversion therapy causes harm to the persons who are subjected to it, and to society at large, because, “among other things, it is based on and propagates myths and stereotypes about sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, including the myth that heterosexuality, cisgender gender identity, and gender expression that conforms to the sex assigned to a person at birth are to be preferred over other sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.”
Due to the broad implications of the preamble, many Christian parents, pastors, counselors and mentors that do not agree with homosexuality or transgenderism are unsure of how to interpret the language. They are wondering if it will now become illegal for them to preach, teach, and counsel others to follow the biblical standards for sexuality and gender identity.
It is worth noting that assurances have been provided by lawmakers that the Bill only criminalizes coercive efforts and coercive practices, treatments and services, but does not apply to a person seeking a pastor or mentor for help to follow a lifestyle of sexual purity and one that aligns with their biological sex. However, this clarifying language does not specifically show up anywhere in the language of the actual Bill.
Could it be that pastors and Christian activists are reading too much into this and overreacting when they assume that this Bill has made it illegal to preach sermons and give counsel on biblical sexuality and morality? Absolutely, because, again, there is no explicit language to support that notion.
It is it in any way plausible to assume that Christian pastors and counselors that preach on biblical sexuality and gender identity could be harassed by too-eager law enforcement and Crown prosecutors? Maybe, but it is not yet clear if that will happen, so no conclusions can reasonably be drawn.
To be clear, a large group of pastors linked to The Canadian Religious Freedom Summit explicitly state that they are in full agreement with the government’s outlawing of conversion therapy in protection of the vulnerable. They, too, view these therapeutic practices as both coercive and unscientific. The major concern among them remains that freedom of religion, conscience, thought, belief, and expression—all protected under The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms—will be violated by the new law taking effect.
There is a separate group of pastors led by Pastor Andrew DeBartolo and American Bible scholar, John Macarthur, that are set to peacefully protest Bill C-4 on January 16, 2022, by “preaching on God’s design for marriage and a biblical ethic of sexuality.” On that day, this coalition of preachers believe, “we will be doing so illegally.”
Despite their firm conviction and statement that preaching on biblical sexuality and morality will be illegal, such an assertion, at this point, is no more than an unsupported conclusion. The absence of any language regarding the criminalization of religious expression in Bill C-4, coupled with the initial assurances that the law will not seek to do that, makes it highly unlikely that there will be any mass prosecution of pastors and counselors that oppose the Bill.
As certain sectors of the Christian church are in an uproar over Bill C-4, it is most important for Christian pastors, preachers, teachers, and counselors to be guided by the Holy Spirit which will undoubtedly cause us to focus on Jesus Christ’s love, grace, and compassion for all.
