“The greatest threat to Christianity is that we would capitulate under cultural or legal pressures and water down the Gospel.”

Janet Mabie
Special to Spur Ottawa

The Metropolitan Bible Church (MET) is preparing to host their second freedom summit, an on-line conference to discuss the threat to religious freedom within Canada and internationally. Taking place on Saturday, February 26, this is an opportunity for Christians to come together to pray, share knowledge, and anticipate the road ahead.

“Last year we were a bit disappointed to have to run the summit on-line due to COVID-19 restrictions,” shares Andrew Harwood, a member of the freedom summit planning committee. “But God really used this and we actually reached a wider audience. The Lord blessed us with close to 1,500 attendees from right across Canada, representing every single province and one territory.”

In future, The MET hopes to run hybrid events to further increase participation.

This year’s theme is “Free to believe. Free to speak?”

“We want to highlight that while we are free to believe, our freedom to speak and act on our Christian beliefs and convictions is being eroded,” Harwood explains. “We have seen an alarming rate of decay in our religious freedoms in Canada in the last couple years. If Christians do not work now to preserve our freedom then we may lose the ability to proclaim the Gospel, to live out our Christian convictions, and to participate in the public marketplace of ideas.”

“Our freedom of conscience and religion is protected as a fundamental freedom under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

Harwood says the overall goal of the freedom summit is to protect and promote Gospel ministry in Canada. They aim to do this by calling believers to prayer, equipping the Church to respond to religious freedom issues, and gathering key leaders together to discuss long-term strategy.

The summit will explore the theology of religious freedom, why Christians should care, current political and legal trends, and it will offer encouragement to keep hope in uncertain times. The event will close with time for questions and answers.

“Our freedom of conscience and religion is protected as a fundamental freedom under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” says Harwood, “However, we have seen bills passed this last year, at the federal level, that appear to blatantly disregard the Charter.”

Robert Mackenzie, a former seminary professor, is thankful there are groups working together to fight against encroachments on religious liberty in society.

“Ground has already been lost.”

“I was concerned when the current government forbade its candidates to favour views against abortion, when it made problems for churches to hire young people in a summer work program, and the recent act of parliament that seems to forbid gender counselling in very broad strokes.”

“The greatest threat to Christianity is not that our legal rights would be taken away, but that we would capitulate under cultural or legal pressures and water down the life-transforming message of the Gospel,” says Mark Ouais, one of the summit’s organizers. “Ground has already been lost. Christians need to be equipped to winsomely articulate the teachings of the Bible to their culture, and be emboldened to speak despite growing opposition. The 2022 Canadian Religious Freedom Summit aims to start doing just that.”