Child Pornography and Canada’s Minister of Justice

This past weekend I attended the extremely well organized Christian Legal Fellowship National Christian Law Student Conference hosted by University of Ottawa law students. Kudos to organizers for a great event with great speakers, including Justice Minister Rob Nicholson as the keynote speaker for the opening session on Thursday night.

I arrived a little late as it can be hard to break away from a conversation with a Chippewa elder (and I really enjoy the wisdom he had to share), but that’s a story for a different day. Because of my late arrival I didn’t hear all of Minister Nicholson’s talk but did hear some words of wisdom shared by a Conservative elder, Nicholson having been first elected to Parliament in 1984.

We live in a hyper-sexualized culture and children are, unfortunately, not immune from it. Sex sells cars, clothes and children’s toys. Unfortunately, sex with children also sells and so do images of that action.

Nicholson was a member of the cabinet in the Progressive Conservative government that enacted section 163.1 of the Criminal Code in 1993. The production, possession, sale and distribution of child pornography in Canada is illegal as a result.

In November 1998, the law was challenged by John Robin Sharpe who had been charged with two counts of possessing child pornography. The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, having been engaged on this issue since the 1980s and involved in the passing of the law in 1993, stood before the court as an intervener in its defense. The law was upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada, with two exceptions: written or visual presentation created by an individual from his or her imagination and held for his or her exclusive personal use; and, visual recording that did not depict unlawful sexual activity, created with the consent of the participants and held exclusively for personal use. At the time of the decision in R. v. Sharpe, that meant that those able to legally consent to sexual activity with an adult could be filmed while doing so, an age set at 14 since the enactment of the Criminal Code in the 1890s.

As Government Leader in the House of Commons, and subsequently Minister of Justice, Nicholson oversaw the introduction and enactment of legislation to reduce the gap established in R. v. Sharpe by raising the age of consent to sexual activity with an adult from 14 to 16 years of age effective May 1, 2008. Nicholson stated on Thursday evening that he was pleased to have played a role in protecting children from predators in both adding child pornography to the Criminal Code and increasing the protection afforded children by two more years with the change in age of consent.

Noting his personal concern for the protection of children, Nicholson was pleased to tell students that although Bill C-58, An Act respecting the mandatory reporting of Internet child pornography by persons who provide an Internet service, had died on the order paper when Parliament was prorogued, the government would be reintroducing the legislation when the next session begins in March.

People of faith can and do engage in the political process, making a difference and making good public policy motivated by the faith that inspires them. The students were impressed with Minister Nicholson’s perspective and accomplishments. And, we look forward to the re-introduced legislation in the hope that it will move quickly through House and Senate to continue to extend the protection of children that is part of the legacy of the Honourable Rob Nicholson’s career.

As I wrote on December 1, 2009, “Children deserve the right to be children, protected – not perverted – by all adults in their life.”

CAUT Does not Discriminate Against “Fundamentalist Christians”

Last week I wrote about the Canadian Association of University Teacher’s (CAUT) witch-hunt directed toward faith-based institutions. In short, they believe that a university whose staff members sign a statement of faith is incapable of fostering an environment of academic freedom. Case in point: CAUT conducted a ‘random’ investigation of Trinity Western University and placed them on a black-list.

ChristianWeek has published a recent article on the same matter. CAUT representatives were interviewed and asked for an explanation.

James Turk, a CAUT executive, explained that it is not bias or anti-Christian discrimination or sentiment that motivated their investigations. As evidence of CAUT’s good faith, he states,

If a fundamentalist Christian were barred from working at a university because of their religious beliefs, we'd be every bit as outraged.

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that Mr. Turk is referring to Evangelicals when he references  “Fundamentalist Christians.” I make this inference because CAUT’s investigations took place at Evangelical schools, not fundamentalist schools. Although, in fairness, perhaps Mr. Turk is aware of the differences. But, it is important to be clear.

Most of the Evangelical Christian community in Canada self-identifies as “Evangelical” and not as “Fundamentalist Christians”.

The term “Fundamentalist Christians” has, decades ago in regard to Canadian Evangelicals, been recognized as a pejorative label which often insinuates  a narrow-mindedness and negative rules-based approach to religion. It is not an accurate portrait of who we are or what we believe.

If CAUT wants to demonstrate good faith and respect for Canada’s Evangelical community and their institutions, they should start using the appropriate language and terminology. This will go some distance toward facilitating any discussion that might take place.

On that point, Mr. Turk, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’d be happy to walk this through with you.

See No Evil?

There are many complexities in regard to prostitution, the sex trade and human sex trafficking. And, there are differing opinions, approaches, and solutions, both legally and socially. But in every place, at every time, this basic truth remains: at its core, the sex trade operates on the basis of supply and demand. If somehow we could address and eliminate the demand for the purchase of women, children and men’s bodies for sexual purposes, the sex trade would fall apart.

There is a well known correlation between major world sporting events and human trafficking. Quite simply, an influx of athletes, revelers and tourists corresponds with an increased demand for the purchase of sexual services. In order to meet the demand, gangs, pimps, organized crime and other opportunists traffic primarily women in to the event – from within and without the host country.

This was true with the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece. More recently, there were reports of a spike in the presence of underage prostitutes in Miami leading up to and during the 44^th Super Bowl.

Beginning today, with what are sure to be spectacular, pride-filled and pride-inspiring opening ceremonies, Canada will host the 21^st Winter Olympic Games. Is there any reason to believe things will be any different for the Olympic Games here in Canada?

Unfortunately, no.

Since Vancouver won the bid for the games, there have been ongoing efforts by a number of faith-based and civil society coalitions, campaigns by The Salvation Army, and by groups such as REED (resist exploitation, embrace dignity) and Buying Sex is Not a Sport to raise awareness ahead of the Olympics, to call on the government to take measures to ensure we don’t see this happen on our own soil, on our watch. In April 2009 the EFC issued Human Trafficking: A Report on Modern Day Slavery in Canada, urging increased vigilance leading up to the Games.

But earlier this week, the Citizens Summit Against Sex Slavery, a coalition of women’s groups, academics and politicians, gave the Vancouver Olympic organizing committee, the B.C. government and the federal government an “F” for failing to make sure women and youth are secure against human trafficking during the 2010 Olympics.

One article from the Montreal Gazette cited a Vancouver police official as saying that there were no plans to deviate from or alter their usual enforcement around street-related prostitution during the Games.

This ‘see no evil’ approach is shocking, and deeply disappointing.

The good news – if there is any to this – is that groups who are aware and informed are on the ground in Vancouver, with their eyes wide open. As a result of their good work, a number of young women trafficked to Vancouver have already been rescued. The bad news is there are countless others who are still out there.

Let’s be in prayer for groups like REED, Buying Sex is Not a Sport, and The Salvation Army, as they serve as watchmen for the vulnerable and exploited, searching out the victims of this officially unseen evil.

And let’s also pray for the young women and men who have found themselves dropped on Vancouver’s doorstep, indentured to modern day slave owners, that they would find help, or be found, and removed from harm’s way.

Lessons from the Persecuted Church: A Book Review

Last week, I was given a copy of Pastor Richard Wurmbrand’s Tortured for Christ. It blessed me, shocked me and convicted me. I have so very much to learn from my persecuted brothers and sisters.

Called by many the ‘Voice of the Underground Church’, Richard and his wife, Sabina, spent their lives boldly preaching the gospel of Christ in dangerous and desperate circumstances. In 1945, when Romanian Communists seized power, they witnessed both to Romanians and the Russian soldiers. They were often beaten and threatened but they persevered.

In 1948, Richard was kidnapped by the secret police. In 1950, Sabina was imprisoned. Mihai, their nine-year-old son, was left alone and homeless. It was illegal to help the family of Christian martyrs.

In prison, Richard and Sabina faced unimaginable horrors. To add to it, they often did not know what had come to one another, or their son.

However, when Richard tells of that nightmarish period, he speaks consistently of beauty,

I have seen beautiful things. I myself have been among the weak and insignificant ones in prison, but have had the privilege to be in the same jail with great saints, heroes of faith who equalled the Christians of the first centuries. They went gladly to die for Christ. The spiritual beauty of such saints and heroes of faith can never be described.

Following 14 years of imprisonment, where he very nearly died of torture, Richard was finally released. Convinced by other Underground Church leaders that he could be their voice in the West, he permitted two Christian organizations to pay his $10,000 ransom so his family could leave Romania.

In 1967, the Wumbrands founded Jesus to the Communist World, what we now know as The Voice of the Martyrs.

Though their experiences date back several decades, the lessons taught by them apply just as much today as they did then. Two in particular resonated strongly with me.

Unity in the Essentials, Liberty in the Non-Essentials

In the book, Wurmbrand commented on his arrival in the West. He was discouraged at the strife between Christians and the lukewarm witness he experienced:

We Christians are often half-heartedly on the side of the whole truth. They are wholeheartedly on the side of the lie…To keep liberty for all denominations and all theologies, and to regain it where it has been lost due to widespread religious persecution, is more important than to insist upon one certain theological opinion.

[…]

I tremble because of the sufferings of those persecuted in different lands. I tremble thinking about the eternal destiny of their torturers. I tremble for Western Christians who don’t help their persecuted brethren.

This point was further driven home when he spoke of the martyrs who died for their faith in Christ, never even having had the privilege of reading a Bible or attending church. While I do believe there is inestimable value in theological training, debate and discussion, I am far more sensitive to the place it should take in my own life and how I expend my energies advocating and praying for the persecuted church.

Recognizing The Privilege of Owning a Bible

The book, as much as it is the story of his life, it is also a clarion call to the West; Richard cries out to the church to help its persecuted people. He shares that members of the Underground Church are very willing to face death to share the Gospel – they only ask for support. Often, the support they most desperately require is Scripture – both for themselves and to disseminate. As Richard tells, there are means to smuggle Bibles or tracts into closed countries, but they need the resources to purchase them. He shared one incredible story,

Two very dirty villagers came to my home one day to buy a Bible. They had come from their village to take the job of shovelling the frozen earth all winter long to earn money in the slight hope that they might be able to buy an old, tattered Bible with it and take it back to their village. Because I had received a Bible from America, I was able to hand them a new Bible, not an old tattered one. They could not believe their eyes! They tried to pay me with money they had earned. I refused their money. They rushed back to their village with the Bible. A few days later I received a letter of unrestrained ecstatic joy thanking me for the Scriptures. It was signed by thirty villagers! They had carefully cut the Bible into thirty parts and exchanged the parts with one another!

This book has been around for decades, and I wish it had been put into my hands earlier. Though he explains clearly what he suffered, Richard is not graphic and does not focus on the torture, but rather on the witness of his suffering brethren and the glory of God that shines even in the darkest depths.

Lord Jesus, convict me if I ever again take for granted the freedoms we currently have in Canada, or if I ever forget to pray and support my persecuted brothers and sisters.

To learn more about the persecuted church, visit the EFC website or EFC affiliate, The Voice of the Martyrs Canada

CAUT Initiates a 21st Century ‘Witch-Hunt’

Clearly the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) has determined that it is tasked with tarnishing the reputations of faith-based educational institutions, the Christian schools in particular.

It seems to have started last year, when CAUT started an unsolicited investigation of Trinity Western University (TWU). The investigation didn’t follow CAUT’s own internal process (i.e., informal negotiations) and, until the “witch-hunt” was well developed, TWU administration was completely unaware that it was even occurring. CAUT claims to have snail-mailed one letter to TWU advising them of the investigation, which TWU didn’t receive.

However, CAUT did choose to use email to contact some, if not all, of its members requesting that they contact them if they currently or previously worked at TWU, or had ever applied to work there. CAUT wanted to chat about the faith requirement of a faith-based and fully accredited university whose teaching faculty had not joined CAUT. It was from these CAUT members that TWU administration finally heard of the investigation.

All of this was done seemingly arbitrarily – CAUT has admitted that it had not received any complaints about TWU. The TWU President has stated that he cannot recall ever receiving a complaint on the issue of academic freedom.

CAUT’s final report found that TWU fails to meet its standard of academic freedom as instructors are required to sign a statement of faith. As a result, CAUT put TWU on a blacklist of schools which allegedly violate academic freedom.

Now three additional Christian institutions are under the biased and arbitrary microscope of CAUT.

While CAUT has no jurisdiction or regulatory or accreditation powers, it determined that it was in its members’ best interest to fund an investigation of TWU of which no instructors are actually members of CAUT. In a recent interview, CAUT stated that they undertook this “investigation” because it was time for their organization to become “proactive” rather than “reactive”.

During the course of its “investigation,” CAUT disregarded the fact that TWU is an accredited member of the Association of University and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), which requires their members to subscribe to the AUCC definition of academic freedom. Also ignored was the fact that TWU is the only Canadian university to receive the highest grade in quality of education from The Globe and Mail’s Canadian University Report and was ranked #1 in Canada by Maclean’s for “Enriching Educational Experience” in their National Survey of Student Engagement.

CAUT’s team appears to have arrived at several conclusions prior to launching out on their quest. First, they believe that academic freedom can only be achieved when institutions are in compliance with CAUT’s own broad and circular definition of academic freedom. Second, they begin with the false assumption that there is only one legitimate means of pursuing higher education, and that is in non-religious institutions (an issue the Supreme Court of Canada disagrees with CAUT on based on the SCC’s 2001 decision in a case involving the same Trinity Western University). Additionally, CAUT’s investigative team pays no attention to the rights that flow from the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, or the protection from discrimination on the basis of religion found in the B.C. Human Rights Code.

It would have saved everyone time, money and trouble if CAUT’s investigative force took the time to read the decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in the Trinity Western University v British Columbia College of Teachers before launching out on their mission.

Yes, the witch-hunts that took place in the Middle Ages or Salem, Massachusetts are an historic embarrassment to Christianity as a religion. But the current witch-hunt being conducted by CAUT is an embarrassment to CAUT, with the risk of dragging the broader academic community, the process of university accreditation and Canada’s reputation along with them. Does anyone recall the consequences from the “investigations” conducted by U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy?