“One thing we know about God is that He answers prayer.”

Craig Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

Campaigning on a platform of change, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals swept the country. With a new prime minister, leading a strong majority government, many evangelicals are wondering how these changes will impact the Church amid the ongoing clash of worldviews in our society.

Many Christian leaders across the country felt this would be a crucial election to shape the nation. A recent email newsletter from Rob Parker, director of the National House of Prayer, in Ottawa, says the past months have seen “one of the largest prayer campaigns that many of us have seen in recent history.”

Despite all the prayer, Parker says many people are concerned about the direction the new government will take.

“We used to have between 80 and 90 pro-life MPs,” says pro-life lobbyist, Johanne Brownrigg. “We have 41 now. When it comes to euthanasia, we had a majority government with many MPs who were philosophically opposed to physician assisted suicide. We no longer have that.”

Some of the statements and language used by the new prime minister alarm Brownrigg.

“When it comes to social issues, we are dealing with a very left leaning, radically pro-abortion government. This government has painted itself as ‘progressive,’ by which it means an abandonment of Christian principles as a guiding force in someone’s life. They may seek to stamp out opposition to their worldview.”

Faytene Grasseschi, founder of 4My Canada, says the prime minister’s personal views could have profound impacts on churches and ministries.

“Prime Minister Trudeau has said on various occasions, behind closed doors, that he feels the Evangelical church is not necessarily a positive contributor to Canadian society,” she explains. “It will be interesting to see how that ideology translates into policy, if it does. The one area that remains to be seen is how Christian churches and charities are treated, going forward.”

Freedom of conscience and freedom of religion have faced stark opposition in the past few years, Grasseschi says. She challenges the Church to pray fervently that God would protect these freedoms, but also that God would guide the new government.

“The Bible says we have a responsibility to pray for those in authority and to honour our leadership,” she explains. “We now have a new prayer assignment: praying for our new prime minister and government.”

Like Parker, Grasseschi was encouraged by the degree of prayer leading up to this election.

“One thing we know about God is that He answers prayer. I’m encouraged by how this election has galvanized many different elements of the Church. I believe out of that place we’re going to continue to move forward, not only to pray for our leaders, but to pray for revival and contend for the spiritual well-being of our nation.”

In the current global climate, Grasseschi says it’s imperative that we pray for safety in our country, especially if the government relaxes the border controls.

Both Grasseschi and Brownrigg are urging Christians not to retreat from the political system, but rather to engage with MPs prayerfully and respectfully.

“We must stay engaged and we need to pray,” Brownrigg says. “If physician assisted suicide comes up for discussion, talk to your member of parliament. When they’re talking about funding Planned Parenthood, we need to talk to our member of parliament about that.”

Canada may be in the midst of a polarization and Brownrigg feels the culture is getting darker, but even in that she finds a measure of encouragement.

“What I am most discouraged about is that the electorate didn’t care enough about the issue of life to look at the big picture. But given that reality, we know that where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. Those are certainly words that I am holding onto. It means the culture will be ripe for the gospel message.”