HANNAFORD: Scripturally bound to gather – but not to take up arms

A Christian cannot go to war for the sake of an independent Alberta, and still stay on the right side of God.Thus one-time COVID-resistance hero Pastor Tim Stephens, in a wide-ranging discussion about the growing tension between church and state in Canada, on Hannaford tonight..Leader of Calgary’s Fairview Baptist Church, Stephens is remembered for his principled resistance to government regulatory bullying during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, Pastor Stephens complied with public health orders but reopened his church in defiance of restrictions he viewed as government overreach into church authority. Twice arrested in 2021, he spent 21 days in jail yet was found not guilty on those charges that were not just dropped anyway.Could Alberta independence now be another time to defy governments?.“As long as the law permits Christians to engage in politics, do that,” he advised. Indeed, he recommends bold cultural and political engagement. “Pastors and Christians should speak up, applying God’s word to all of life – family, government, and public square – rather than retreating into private faith.”He points to early church witness under the emperor worship of the contemporary Roman Empire: faithful proclamation of “Jesus is Lord” eventually transformed the empire without armed revolt.However, when asked directly whether Christians could justifiably take up arms in support of Alberta independence, Stephens was clear: They should not. Violence, he said, contradicts the biblical model of spheres of authority under Christ. The church wields the keys of the kingdom through preaching and discipline, while the state bears the sword for justice – but Christians must pursue change through lawful, honorable means..Stephens told host Nigel Hannaford that in 2021, his decision to keep his church open came down to obeying God, rather than man. His congregation agreed they were scripturally bound to gather for worship. While submitting to the biblical call to honor authorities, he maintained that the church answers first to Christ as its head.Stephens warned that when the state separates from God and claims neutrality in a pluralistic society, it becomes the ultimate authority: “Secularism is not just the absence of religion, it's another religion.”He described Canada’s post-1960s shift under then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau toward humanistic secularism, influenced by Marxist ideas that tear down Christian structures of family, hierarchy, and morality. The result: moral chaos on marriage, gender, life issues like MAiD and abortion, family breakdown, and “soft totalitarianism” as the state extends control into education, healthcare, and speech..Stephens understands therefore why many Alberta Christians, frustrated by Ottawa dictates that they regard as godless, see independence as the solution. He acknowledges the deep offence at a federal government that redefines truth in its own way – from gender to residential school narratives – and that would criminalize dissent if it could, as seen in a recent (failed) Senate Justice Committee attempt to make “residential school denialism” illegal. .Senate rejects residential school 'denialism' law after government opposition.He agrees all laws legislate morality and that secularism is not neutral but a competing worldview. Thus Stephens’ message is measured yet urgent: resist tyranny as he did during COVID – through conscience, courage, and conviction – but always within God’s ordered boundaries.And so, for Alberta Christians weary of distant, hostile rule, the path forward is through political activism, gospel witness, and patient reformation, not rebellion.But, Pastor Stephens remains hopeful. “Many people, whether religious or not, are realizing that our country and other Western countries are heading in a bankrupt direction. It's like we're a bouquet of cut flowers and we're starting to wilt and wither. We recognize we have no root, no foundation.”And so? “I've seen recent polls that demonstrate that church attendance for the first time in decades is now increasing. And especially among young men – our church is full of young men. They are aware of the lies of secularism [and] are looking for truth [and] looking for a firm foundation.”One hopeful sign then, amid The Hannaford show is uploaded tonight at seven o’clock.

HANNAFORD: Scripturally bound to gather – but not to take up arms

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