A province-wide Municipal Christian Rally kicked off in Westlock County on July 5, filled with panellists talking about their views on the interconnectivity of politics and religion.
As Alberta draws closer to the municipal elections, Michael Clark from the Christian Impact Network (CIN) found that it was important to get more religious people involved in municipal-level politics and school boards. He found that the best way to do that is by holding rallies in provinces with upcoming elections where Christian political leaders and advocates could discuss how they handle important issues while maintaining their faith.
Clark also said that this was a way to collect the different Christian candidates in the province and make what he describes as a fellowship of Christian politicians, “In this culture, with being a Christian standing up, it’s good to have a group together that can help each other.”
The third reason Clark mentions is to recruit people who want to make a difference in the world and who are willing to stand up for it, “It’s taking the people that are frustrated and saying ‘Hey, why don’t you turn that frustration into action instead of just being angry and whiny.’” Clark goes on to say that these rallies help people find the place to start making a difference.
The rally aimed to inform people of politicians in their area who have similar religious values to them, such as their rally in Calgary that had ten candidates on stage from different levels of government, but many people did not know they were even a possibility in their races. “Because the other complication and the tension a Christian politician has is [that] they feel if they say that they are potentially standing on biblical principles or they put God first, they feel like they’re not going to get elected, right?”
Clark had made a similar comment in an interview with the Western Standard where he says this is one of the biggest challenges facing Christian politicians today, “How do I appease both because if I just go with what the people want then it could lead down a dark road then we’re not honouring the lord but if I’m brave and stand up for what is right as a leader, maybe I won’t get elected.”
He goes on to say that the organization does not have a guide or rule book for how candidates should run their platform; they just want to encourage more Christians to get involved in politics and government, even if it is not running for a position of power, but helping others along the way.
But they do have support to help them, like the Leadership Institute in Washington, DC, with which they partnered to aid as campaign managers and are essentially reinforcements.
The event featured more than just Clark. Federal, provincial and municipal elected leaders were invited to tell their stories on stage, including the Village of Clyde mayor Charis Aguirre, who spoke about her attendance at the event.
Aguirre was invited by Clark himself and took the opportunity to talk about how she runs the Clyde council while also maintaining her faith. “I’m there to serve my community, and that’s something that is part of my faith. We come as servants and to serve, to make it as good as we can, and so that’s one of my favourite things about it is to come in and be like ‘I’m here and I have my beliefs but you have your beliefs and I’m not here to change anybody’s.”
Some of the other attendees included MP Arnold Viersen, local digital creator Benita Pedersen and former Conservative Party member Stockwell Day. MLA Van Dijken was unable to attend in person but sent a video that was played on screen, talking about his experiences in politics.
One of the most common questions that is asked at these rallies is about the separation of Church and State, a common phrase that refers to the division between governments and religious institutions. While this is something that is embedded in the First Amendment in the United States’ constitution, Canada does not have it formally established anywhere.
In the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, there is a provision that establishes everyone's right to freedom of conscience and religion while also acknowledging that religion has an impact on Canadian culture and laws.
When asked this question, Clark detailed that the phrase was founded as a Christian idea to keep the government from interfering and telling the church what they are going to do, but did not imply removing Christian values from the political sphere, while the meaning has gotten twisted to what it is now.
These events also serve as a promotional and educational tool to get people to vote in the upcoming elections. Clark shared that he did not vote in an election for 15 to 20 years before he made the conscious decision to make a difference in the political atmosphere. He says that Christians look at politics as a ‘why bother?’ mentality, "There's a vibe of just worry about Sunday, worry about family, the world’s going to hell in a hand basket, so just hold on tight. They just throw their hands up. They wouldn’t admit that, but that’s what they’re doing.”
When asked about how constituents might be concerned about religious influence in government policy, Clark pointed to the past 2000 years of law-making and how they need to be calibrated to something. “I think if you were to compare cultures and countries that aren’t based on biblical principles, how do they treat people? How does the caste system treat the marginalized, the oppressed, the widows, the orphans?... No one’s done more for that than Jesus.” Clark specifically talks about the representation of equality between men and women and how that is not seen in places like India with Sharia Law.
The bible continues to influence Western civilization just as it had thousands of years ago and will continue to, but to Clark and many others, they see the decline in religious impact as harming Canadian society.
When it comes to Canadian politics, there are no rules or laws that state people are unable to run with their religious values as a guide for their political platform. However, as Aguirre talked about her vision on listening to the people and figuring out the best course of action, even if it does not follow those values.
Everyone, regardless of their belief system, should have a say in the policies and laws that will affect them. Aguirre urges constituents to reach out to their leaders, “We all need to communicate with whoever's in municipal politics as well as get involved and not be intimidated by what you think it might be like. Just talk to someone who's been in it, find out if it's something for you and how you can participate.”
The Municipal Christian Rallies continue across Alberta, making stops in Medicine Hat, Edmonton, Lloydminster and Grande Prairie. More stops will be added until the municipal elections in October.
