5 Reasons I Don’t Believe That Canadian Christians Are Being Persecuted

I continue to get a steady stream of claims that Christians in Canada are being persecuted. This is based on a handful of cases of churches getting trouble with the law for going against the health guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The claim is that the Canadian government is targeting churches and Christians for persecution, using COVID-19 as an excuse. I’m not buying that claim.

Here is why I do not believe that Canada is persecuting Christians (aside from the fact that I’m a Christian pastor in Canada who is not being persecuted).

1. All of the charges or fines that have been laid have been the result of disobeying health guidelines and not for preaching the gospel or believing in Jesus. There is a real pandemic going on and the government is trying to slow the spread.
2. The government is not interfering with any of the online services. It could be argued that the preaching of the gospel is getting a wider audience than ever before and the government seems completely uninterested in it.
3. The ban on gathering is not aimed at churches only. The health guidelines do not specify that it is only Christian places of worship that have to limit numbers. It is not even religious establishments. There are many organizations (most of whom are not religious in nature) who would love to be open for business.
4. The authorities are not just punishing churches who break the rules. There is a hair salon in my city that has had an ongoing fight about the restrictions and they have been repeatedly fined.
5. The restrictions on the public gathering for worship are only temporary. How do I know? Because after the previous lockdown, we were free to gather for public worship, with reasonable restrictions. There is no reason to believe the same won’t happen after this lockdown ends. If after the lockdown, the government says “All organizations, except Christian churches, can reopen” then I will agree that there is real persecution.

For those who believe that the church is being persecuted, you need to talk to the owners of businesses who have had to close to the public during the lockdown. You will find them just as frustrated, perhaps more so. Not every organization can as easily switch to online as churches can.

Agree or disagree with the government’s response to the pandemic. But stop claiming that this is persecution.

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