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This article is reprinted with permission from Faith Today (May/Jun 2024). →en français As a high school student I occasionally made a Sunday evening trek into Edmonton from the farm where I grew up. Back in the ’80s when contemporary worship music was still breaking in to local churches, young people would gather from around the region for a citywide youth worship event sponsored by Central Baptist Church. It was called Glimpse of Glory. Having just been baptized in the summ

This article comes from Read directly: https://evangelicalfocus.com/world/26379/how-will-the-church-and-world-look-like-in-2050-the-lausanne-movement-identifies-gaps-and-opportunities-for-global-mission What will the Church and the world look like in 2050? A new in-depth report analysing the state of the world and the opportunities for Christian mission has been launched five months ahead of the 4th Lausanne Movement Congress (L4), planned for September in Seoul, South Kore

The Honourable Marc Miller Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship 365 Laurier Avenue West Ottawa, ON K1A 1L1 Dear Minister Miller, We understand that the ministry’s recent cap on international students is intended to address rapidly increasing numbers of international students, particularly at institutions who do not provide supports. However, we are very concerned about unintended consequences and impact of the cap. The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) is th

A committee of MPs has just released a report on their study of the Canada Summer Jobs program. The EFC made a written submission to the committee last October. In its brief, the EFC noted that the grant program helps many churches and faith-based groups hire youth to serve their community. This is a vital program that has a positive impact for many churches and faith-based organizations. Some, however, feel they are being flagged for review due to their religious beliefs.

Download the full, four-page PDF of the April/May issue, or read the main story below. Aussi disponible en français. Canadians and their families want to receive care from doctors and medical staff who respect their values and beliefs. For many of us, that means we want doctors we can trust to provide life-affirming care – the kind of care that recognizes the value of each person’s life. We want that for ourselves and for the vulnerable people in our lives. Such care should

Two Bloc Québécois MPs have introduced almost identical private member’s bills to remove the religious belief defence from two sections of the Criminal Code. Good-faith religious belief is one of several defences to the offences of the wilful promotion of hatred and wilful promotion of antisemitism, found in Criminal Code sections 319(2) and 319(2.1). Bill C-367 was introduced by Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet on November 28, 2023. The text of the bill and the status of i

The government introduced Bill C-63 on February 26, 2024. The bill has three main sections. The first enacts the Online Harms Act, setting up a new regulatory framework with responsibilities for online platforms and creating a new Digital Safety Commission and a Digital Safety Ombudsperson. This framework is focused on seven categories of online harm: intimate content communicated without consent and content that sexually victimizes a child or revictimizes a survivor, bullies

Traduit de l'anglais par François Godbout Les Canadiens et leurs familles veulent être soignés par des médecins et du personnel médical qui respectent leurs valeurs et leurs croyances. Pour beaucoup d'entre nous, cela signifie que nous voulons des médecins en qui nous pouvons avoir confiance pour prodiguer des soins respectueux de la vie - le genre de soins qui reconnaissent la valeur de la vie de chaque personne. Nous voulons cela pour nous-mêmes et pour les personnes vulnér

Deux ans après l'invasion massive de l'Ukraine par la Russie, les dirigeants des églises canadiennes continuent de prier et d'appeler à l'action. Quarante-cinq d'entre eux, dont de nombreux dirigeants affiliés à l’AEC, ont publié une déclaration commune avant l'anniversaire de l'invasion en février. Phil Wagler est l'agent de liaison mondial de l'AEC. « Le corps de Christ a pour mission d'être une communauté de paix et de réconciliation dans un monde chaotique », explique-t-i

Le point sur les questions les plus pressantes au Canada Retarder l'entrée en vigueur de l’aide médicale à mourir pour maladie mentale : Un projet de loi a été adopté pour retarder de trois ans, soit jusqu'en mars 2027, l'aide médicale à mourir pour maladie mentale. Le gouvernement a accordé ce sursit parce que plusieurs provinces, territoires et groupes d'experts ont déclaré que le système médical canadien n'était pas prêt pour l'aide médicale à mourir en cas de maladie ment

Articles de fond Mettre fin aux abus dans l'Église. Comment pouvons-nous protéger les personnes que nous aimons et les institutions que nous partageons? Randal Rauser et Bob Stenhouse partagent leur expertise. Repenser la mission mondiale. Les experts en matière d'action sociale chrétienne réfléchissent aux nouvelles opportunités liées à l'évolution des populations, des attitudes et des technologies Cross Connections par David Guretzki Dire la(sa) vérité. Comment Ponce Pilate

This article is reprinted with permission from Faith Today (Mar/Apr 2024). →en français EFC President David Guretzki suggests Pontius Pilate's words to Jesus demonstrate abuse of power. The phrase "speak my truth" is often used by those who have suffered abuse at the hands of powerful people. There’s something vitally important behind this idea. Speaking out is important because without it abuse continues. Almost all who suffer abuses of power are silenced, usually through fu

This article is reprinted with permission from Faith Today (Mar/Apr 2024). →en français EFC Senior Ambassador Bruce Clemenger writes that in offering refuge and creating safe spaces, we model Canada’s promise of civility and peace It has been called humanity’s longest hatred – the hatred of Jews. And it is on the rise in Canada. Hate crime statistics show that Jews are the most targeted religious group. Since the terrorist attacks in Israel Oct. 7, the greatest loss of Jewish

The Hon. Arif Virani Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Dear Minister, We are writing to highlight the recent Ontario Superior Court of Justice decision in CASWLR v. Attorney General of Canada, which found all the provisions of Canada’s prostitution laws to be constitutional. The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) acted as an intervener in this case in support of the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA). We argued that buying sex is

Dear Minister, We’d like to thank you for your service to all Canadians. Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada are important and demanding portfolios. We appreciate the time and commitment they require.  We are grateful that the government is seeking to hold online platforms accountable for hosting and distributing child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) and for the non-consensual distribution of intimate images (NCDII) as part of its planned online harms legislati

After two years of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Canadian church leaders continue to pray and call for action. A shared statement signed by 45 Canadian church leaders and ministry leaders, including many EFC affiliates, was released today. “Without in any way minimizing or ignoring the suffering and sorrow caused by war and violence in other areas of the world, we stand together in inviting Christians and all people of good will to prayerfully consider how we are a

Download the full, four-page PDF of the February/March issue, or read the main story below. Aussi disponible en français. As a Canada Watch reader and friend of the EFC, you’ve been a crucial part of our work to interact respectfully, compassionately and effectively with what can feel like the relentless expansion of medical assistance in dying. MAiD is certainly not the only major issue these days, but it is one of the most pressing. That’s because in only a few short weeks,

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls issued a call for input on the approaches and actions that states should take to effectively protect women and girls from all forms of violence. The Special Rapporteur wanted the input as part of making a June 2024 report to the UN Human Rights Council on the global phenomenon of prostitution and violence against women and girls. The EFC submitted a six-page brief discussing the violence inherent in pro

We are so thankful to have good news to share about euthanasia laws in Canada! Let’s pause for a moment to be thankful and celebrate. It’s not the complete stop that we want and firmly believe should happen, but a delay of MAiD for mental illness means people in vulnerable moments will be better protected for a longer time. It’s at least a check to the momentum of rapid MAiD expansion. Here’s what’s happening Yesterday the committee studying medical assistance in dying (MA

Traduit de l'anglais par François Godbout En tant que lecteur de Canada Watch et ami de l’AEC, vous avez joué un rôle crucial dans notre travail visant à interagir de manière respectueuse, compatissante et efficace avec ce qui peut sembler être l'expansion implacable de l'aide médicale à mourir. L'AMM n'est certainement pas la seule question importante de nos jours, mais c'est l'une des plus urgentes. En effet, dans quelques semaines seulement, à moins que la loi ne soit mod