The following article was written in December 2020 and initially published at Rebel Alliance Media in January 2021.[1] Over a year later, unlawful, freedom-denying mandates continue to be enforced in Ontario and Canada, and the population is receiving daily developments on the Canadian truckers’ Freedom Convoy in Ottawa. Numerous Christians in Canada have begun examining and rehearsing many of these same issues – scores for the first time.
As witness this article [sic], The Ezra Institute has sought to promote open and honest debate and dialogue with fellow believers around these issues from the time of the appearance of Dr. Boot’s first article on the subject, ‘Covid Calamity: When the Cure is Worse than the Disease,’ in March, 2020. We have republished this article here at a telling moment in Canada’s history in the hope that it can serve to further clarify the position of the Ezra Institute and promote public dialogue, especially in areas of disagreement among Canadian evangelicals.
In early December of 2020 I received a kind email from The Gospel Coalition Canada about my involvement in protesting the present lockdowns and restrictions on churches. I was invited to participate in a written interview on three questions related to the provincial mandates here in Ontario, the theological perspective that motivates my position, and to comment on the courses of action that churches can take. I was glad to accept, and wrote a few paragraphs as requested.
After a few weeks I was told that this was not the sort of content the editors at TGC had been looking for, and that my responses would not be appearing on their platform after all. Since the questions were important enough to ask, I thought that I would post them here with my responses…
Questions covered in the article:
1. In recent days, you have begun advocating for churches to remain open despite provincial mandates. Why do you think now is the time to stay open, or what changed since the Spring?
2. What theological principles lie behind your decision?
3. What else can churches do to allow their voices to be heard by the governing authorities?
Covenant Presbyterian Church 