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Beware the new thieves

Clever online scammers are targeting Christians, old and young – here’s what to watch for

*****

Gerry lost his dear wife Margaret in 2020, after nearly forty years of marriage. He never thought that he would be the lonely type, but now that she was gone, he realized that while the kids and grandkids loved him, and checked in on him regularly, they had their own lives and were busy with so many things. While not much of a social media guy, Gerry had a Facebook account that kept him connected to friends and family. After Margaret’s passing, he received many condolences and messages that really helped him through a tough time.

One friend of a Facebook friend who lived on the other side of the country continued to message Gerry after he accepted her friend request during this time of grief. Laura had lost her husband a few years ago, and she knew how lonely it could get after the family settled back into their normal routines, and the house felt so empty. Their conversations switched to private messenger so that prying Facebook eyes wouldn’t have anything to gossip about, and the connections became an important part of Gerry’s day.

After a month of regular, frequent communication, Gerry grew to rely on Laura and considered her a true friend. They were both interested in politics, and had many interesting chats about how Canadian culture was changing so quickly. They wondered what life was going to be like for their grandchildren in the coming decades. They shared the challenges they faced as singles in churches where most people were part of a couple. Neither of them liked Facetime or other video chat services, so most of their talks took place through Whatsapp, or Messenger or email.

A few months into their friendship, Laura became gravely sick. Her illness was life threatening, and she was devastated. Professing her confidence in Jesus, she told Gerry she was not afraid of death, but still had a lot to live for. Treatments for her illness were very expensive, and Laura was not a wealthy widow. Gerry was happy he could do something for her, and sent money through e-transfers to help her pay the bills that began to pile up. The treatments became more and more expensive, and for a while, Laura insisted that Gerry stop sending funds; it wasn’t worth it anymore with all the pain she was experiencing: she was at peace with stopping the treatment. Gerry insisted: she had to fight on, for the sake of her children and friends, and it wasn’t right to give up hope!

Perhaps by now, dear reader, you recognize the themes of what has become a far too common scenario. Lonely people are fooled by deceivers who take advantage of them by pretending to be someone who cares. “Laura” never existed; the man who invented her had dozens of other online personalities that he used to connect with men and women around the globe. All the money that Gerry sent enriched this thief’s bank account, and never paid for a penny of treatment for anyone. And since he didn’t even live in Canada, there was no way to recover the hundreds of thousands of dollars that Gerry sent that were supposed to help someone who never was.

Now, thankfully, this is a fictionalized account and Gerry is not a real person, so the harm he suffered didn’t happen. But I’m sharing his story because this exact thing is happening to real people all across Canada, and we need to know what to look out for.

Extorting the young

Now let me tell you about Logan, a shy teenager, especially bashful around girls at his Christian high school. His Instagram profile painted an active picture – posts after every hockey game, after a day at the lake, and an afternoon on the slopes. His profile led to lots of connections with teens with similar interests, and he began to have more “conversations” with these virtual friends than with his classmates. Chelsea, a girl from the States, became an even closer friend, and Logan looked forward to their interactions more and more, and perhaps to meeting her some day. Logan grew more intimate with Chelsea, and although he knew he shouldn’t, he traded inappropriate pictures with her.

Again, by now you may have guessed the deceit that had happened. Chelsea was not a girl from Florida but a con man, and now that he had these compromising photos, he had the tools needed to begin extorting Logan. Small Venmo transfers grew larger and larger, and if Logan didn’t comply, these pictures would be shared with everyone he knew. Weeks of torment followed for the beleaguered teenager.

Logan’s parents noticed how their normally happy son had turned morose, with no energy for the things that usually brought him joy. Dad took Logan out for coffee, and when pressed, his son confessed his dilemma. With help from the local authorities, the extortionist was frozen out from further contact. The family’s ward elder visited with Logan, and was a huge comfort for the teenager, reminding him that “all have sinned, and all fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24). It’s a simple message that Logan knew from his youth, but such a comforting thing to be reminded!

While Logan’s story ended well, this type of extortion is extremely dangerous. Especially younger victims see their world tumbling down around them. Some have become so distraught, not seeing any way out from their dilemma, that they have taken their own lives.

A new danger

While both Gerry and Logan are not real people, what happened to them is actually happening to people across the world, with frauds and scammers using social media and modern communication tools to rob unsuspecting citizens.

Our online profiles show our hobbies, our loved ones, our careers, and other things important to us, and that become the means by which thieves find connection points with us. A seemingly innocent message or connection opens the door to a virtual relationship that builds up over time. We begin to trust the person on the other end of that email chain or iMessage conversation. And these thieves are happy to play the long game, not asking you for money in the early days of your friendship. It could be more than a year before they “strike” – they will wait till they’ve become someone you trust, someone that you want to help.

So what can you do to protect yourself? Here are three simple rules to help you shut down these scoundrels.

Rule 1: Do I actually know you?

Today’s thieves rarely come to your front door – they approach through electronic communication like phone calls, social media connections, and emails. You may believe you have a friendship with someone; you may even have pictures of this person, or have seen their online presence for some years, you may even have phone conversations with someone – but unless you have seen them in person, there is a chance that this person is deceiving you. You can shut down most scams and schemes by following this rule: if I haven’t seen you in person, we don’t really have a relationship, and I certainly will not send you any gifts, financial or otherwise.

While the scams in this story took a long time to set up, other schemes and frauds can materialize quickly. For example, your “utility company” may phone you to let you know that your service is being disconnected due to missed payments, unless you are able to pay over the phone right now.

Even more distressing: fake kidnappers have used voice recordings of grandchildren to extort money from vulnerable seniors: “You must send these funds now or you will never see them again!”

Rule 2: Don’t answer your phone if the number calling is not one you recognize!

You cannot be sure that a caller is who they say they are. Even if the call is from your local area code, or the area code where you have relatives or connections, just let the incoming call go to your voice mail. If the matter is legitimate and important, the caller will leave a message, and you can verify that whoever is calling is really with the company they say they are with, by looking up their phone number from your latest bill or statement. And if the message does turn out to be a loved one, you can simply call them back!

Rule 3: Slow down, and tell someone!

Most scammers rely on a sense of urgency to make you act more quickly than you normally would. “Get on your computer now and make this E-transfer, or else this terrible consequence will follow.” We get flustered when we are put in a stressful situation; our normal logic gets pushed aside in our panic.

Hang up the phone, close up the email or message, and call a trusted friend or loved one. Most of the time, the messenger’s urgency is a tactic designed to bully you into doing something you normally would not do without double checking its legitimacy.

How can we help each other?

“It is not good for man to be alone,” said the Lord in Genesis 2, and this applies not just to finding a marriage partner, but also to human beings as social creatures. We need relationships, for both giving and receiving love and friendship. In our modern, internet connected world, more and more people have stronger virtual connections than they experience in real life. Many people are lonely!

One of the most important ways for us to help our loved ones not become victims of these types of scams is very old fashioned. But it’s also very effective. Keep up your personal, face-to-face visits with your family and friends and neighbors. There is nothing that can replace a real conversation with a real human being. Ask questions of each other; find out from one another what is going on in our lives. Stop by for a coffee regularly!

Especially retirees and seniors benefit from these conversations. They may be more lonely and isolated than younger folks. They often won’t be as aware of the dangers of virtual connections, and they may not have heard of the scams and schemes with which you are familiar.

Don’t be afraid to ask financial questions: many of our seniors want to be generous with what the Lord entrusted to them. This is a wonderful impulse! But you can help the seniors in your life with good counsel on how to support Christian causes for maximum impact.

Rejoice in the Lord always

Victims of fraud or extortion often feel ashamed of their situation. If they’ve traded inappropriate pictures, they feel guilty and unlovable. If they’ve been defrauded of money, they feel foolish, as if it was their fault. If this is you, dear reader, please know that there is such great relief in telling someone your troubles – tell a friend, tell your parents, tell your elder. Do not keep your troubles private! It is a joy to be part of a church community that bears one another’s burdens.

And if you have sinned in your interactions, confess your sins to the Lord! Our God is patient, loving, and compassionate. He is able to forgive anything that you have done, and He wants to assure you that because of Jesus’ work, your sins are removed as far as the east is from the west! You are washed, you are clean! 1 John 1:9 reminds us “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!

*****

4 ways to avoid a financial fleecing

How to invest carefully

Modern scammers have learned how we can be enticed by the lure of large financial returns, especially when presented as exclusive opportunities for a small group of people.

This scheme doesn’t only happen online; sometimes the most effective thieves are very popular figures in their own home town… until their schemes unravel. We might think these things only happen in big cities, but unfortunately, they occur wherever sinful men live in community. In my small town, dozens of seniors lost millions of dollars after investing with a person they trusted.

So here are a few rules to avoid entrapment:

1. If something sounds too good to be true, don’t bite!
Real investing is, by its nature, risky. Investors know that these are the risks associated with any business, and that success is not guaranteed in any endeavor. So, if someone promises you an above average return, and states that there is no risk – it’s a sure thing! – do not believe them! Even if a brother or friend states that you are guaranteed a 12% return, when banks are paying 3% or 4% interest on CD’s, do not believe them! It does not matter how many other people are praising this investment; it doesn’t matter if this opportunity is only available to a few carefully selected people. Don’t be fooled by a “guarantee.” It’s not a promise, it’s a lie. (P.S., if someone reads this, and disagrees, please email me and I’d be glad to talk this through with you!)

2. Don’t deposit money for other people
When someone who doesn’t owe you money wants you to deposit cheques or money orders or wired funds into your bank account, don’t allow it! Thieves have developed all kinds of ruses and stories to explain why they need this service performed. It could be overpayment for something you are selling, or it could be a commission for a small task you did for them remotely (like writing an online review or forwarding messages to friends). Do not be distracted by the elaborate story, because part two of this scam is definitely coming.

The scammer will ask for a portion of these funds back, as a commission, or a splitting of expenses, or explain that they made a mistake and sent you too much. The thief will hassle, hound, and threaten you until this amount is sent to him. Whatever portion you send back to him is likely to be the amount you are being robbed, because the cheque or money order or wired funds of the original deposit turn out to be fraudulent after a few weeks. Or they might take more, because they have used the transaction to get access to your bank account information.

3. If you don’t understand, don’t invest
Investor Peter Lynch said: “If you can’t explain to a 10-year-old in two minutes or less why you own a stock, you shouldn’t own it.” The same principle applies to private investment opportunities. If you can’t understand how a company will be profitable, or how a company’s business plan works, or the technology behind the product or service, you may with confidence say: “I’m sorry, but I just don’t understand how your business is going to make money, and so I’m going to decline this opportunity.” And end that conversation!

4. Wealth grows slowly
Ripoff artists normally promise not just a large return, but a quick investment increase. When you hear someone promise large increases in a short period of time, remember what Solomon wrote in Proverbs 13:11: “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.” He echoes that point in Proverbs 21:5: “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”

Marty VanDriel has been interested in helping folks "avoid getting ripped off" since he began listening to consumer advocate Clark Howard back in the ‘90s! An RP reader from the Fraser Valley alerted VanDriel to incidents of these scams among Canadian Christians. VanDriel's favorite financial advice is to read and reflect on the book of Proverbs regularly!

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Politics

Perhaps you should run

Obedience belongs to us. The results belong to the Lord. ***** Every four years, for a brief season, nomination papers open and the question becomes concrete: who will step forward to govern our towns and cities? Budgets and bylaws will be passed, libraries and parks funded, streets and neighborhoods planned, and public moral judgments made. Decisions will be made. The question is, by whom, and according to what vision of justice and the public good? I write to suggest that some of you should step forward, and that those who do must let God’s Word govern the campaign and leave the result to the Lord. I write this while running for municipal council in my home city of Peterborough, Ontario. I do not write from the safety of hindsight. The campaign is underway, and whatever attention or pressure may come as election day approaches has not yet come. That is part of why I want to think clearly now. I have said that I am not running despite being a Christian, but because I am a Christian. I believe public office is a responsibility before God and a trust from the people. That means honesty, stewardship, justice, neighbor-love, and service. That confession must govern my campaign, my exercise of office if elected, and my response to the result if not. Furthermore, that confession raises a more basic question. Is Christian faith merely a private motive a candidate brings into politics, or is civil office itself under Christ? The prevailing ideal of religious neutrality draws the line there: Christians may hold office, but they must not insist that God’s Word governs the office. Scripture and our confessions reject that division. “I don’t have enough time” Perhaps your first objection is your calendar. You have a job, perhaps two. You have children. You serve as an elder or deacon, sit on a school board, help govern a Christian organization, teach Sunday school or catechism, care for aging parents, practice hospitality, and seek opportunities for evangelism. You already have more good work before you than hours in which to do it. Those responsibilities may be why you should not run. But municipal elections generally come only every four years. The opportunity to stand is not permanently available, and for many of us a truly quiet calendar is not a few months away but decades away. If we wait until our responsibilities have thinned out and life finally feels manageable, the nomination period will have closed and someone else will have stepped forward. Scripture warns us against burying w hat has been entrusted to us, and it tells us that whoever knows the good he ought to do and fails to do it sins. That does not mean every capable Christian is commanded to become a candidate. Capability is not identical to calling. But capability does create a responsibility to discern. I ran as a federal candidate in 2021. I did not win. Campaigning did take time. Yet I learned that public service need not simply subtract from family life. At times it can be woven into it. My family came with me to rallies, debates, and candidate events. They helped deliver literature. My oldest daughter baked cupcakes for the campaign. We traveled, talked, worked, and learned together. Time itself is finite, but family life is not simply a ledger in which every hour spent in public service is an hour stolen from one’s children. A child who comes to a debate, helps deliver flyers, watches his father speak with an opponent, or prays for an election is not necessarily being deprived of family life. He may be receiving a memorable form of Christian instruction. The campaign became part of our life together. My children saw that public responsibility was not merely something their father discussed at the dinner table. It was something a Christian family could practice. This must not be romanticized. A man who neglects his wife and children while claiming to save the country has misunderstood Christian service. A wife should not be steamrolled by political ambition, and children should not be treated as campaign props. Some families are in seasons when candidacy would plainly be irresponsible. Still, “I have a family” or “I am already serving” should not always end the discussion. When the cost became personal After the 2021 federal election, the Peterborough Public Library began hosting “Drag Queen Story Time” events for children. A friend and I organized two peaceful protests, one in September 2022 and another in January 2023. We said publicly that God made human beings male and female, that this created distinction is good, and that deliberately blurring it is harmful, particularly when children are involved. In the days before, during, and after the second protest, the opposition became much more intense and personal. Some people involved in the counter-protest found my employer through LinkedIn. They tweeted at the company, telephoned, and tried to have me fired. That was wicked behavior. I wish I could say that I met the pressure with calm confidence. I did not. When people began contacting my employer, the possible cost was no longer theoretical. I had a wife and nine children to provide for. I found myself thinking about what would happen if I lost my job and how I would continue caring for them. I was afraid, and I am ashamed that I did not trust God’s fatherly care more readily. Thankfully, I did not withdraw what I had said or abandon the stand we had taken, and I discovered then that willingness in principle, and steadiness under pressure, are not quite the same thing. Courage is not the absence of fear. It is obedience while fear is still present. In the end, I was not fired, although I was placed under pressure at work. That experience made me more active in seeking other employment. In time, an opportunity arose with ARPA Canada. The public advocacy that some people had tried to make a professional liability became an asset and part of the experience that fitted me for my present work. There was other good as well. My friend and I were quoted in the local newspaper saying plainly that God made human beings male and female, and that this is good. My friend was later interviewed on national radio, where he had a further opportunity to speak about the issue. The truth about God’s created order went out more widely than it otherwise might have. We did not persuade the library to stop hosting “Drag Queen Story Time,” so we did not achieve the immediate result we had sought. But silence did not have the last word. God has not promised that every Christian who speaks publicly will keep his job or quickly receive a better one. Faithful Christians have lost employment, income, professional standing, friendships, and much more. But, as Lord’s Day 10 teaches, “all things, in fact, come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand.” I can now identify several ways the Lord used that period for good. At the time, I could not see them. That is often the nature of obedience. We are called to obey before we are shown what the Lord intends to do with it. An opportunity to speak plainly Running for office can give you the opportunity to share truth with people you might never otherwise communicate with. I am now in another campaign, and if attention increases as election day approaches, I expect some questions concerning my previous advocacy, and my Christian beliefs. I welcome those questions. If reporters, voters, or opponents ask me about abortion, transgender ideology, drag events directed at children, or my belief that Jesus Christ is Lord of public life, I hope to answer plainly. Public attention can bring pressure, but it can also widen the audience for truth. The concern is not that people may discover what I believe. The concern is whether, when pressed, I will speak with the clarity, charity, and confidence that those beliefs require. Honest scrutiny is not persecution. A candidate asks the public to entrust him with authority. Voters and journalists are entitled to ask about his record, beliefs, judgment, and character. Some criticism may be true and necessary for me to hear. A difficult question is not an attack simply because I would have preferred an easier one. There is, however, a subtler danger. A candidate can begin responding to opposition before it arrives. He imagines the headline, the social-media campaign, the accusation of bigotry, or the votes that may be lost. Then he edits himself in advance. No one has ordered him to deny what he believes. He simply learns to say less and less of substance. A Christian who had worked on many political campaigns once told me about a pro-life candidate who had spent years counseling women outside an abortion clinic. Her faith and concern for preborn children were central to why she was running, and the first draft of her brochure said so. Then came a series of individually plausible revisions. The campaign did not want her to appear to be a one-issue candidate. Voters needed to learn more about her family and background. Some of the material about abortion no longer seemed to fit the brochure’s tone. By about the tenth draft, the brochure described a brave and bold woman who would defend the oppressed, but it no longer told voters what she had spent years bravely doing. Nothing in the handout was an explicit lie. Yet the overall picture was no longer candid. A campaign message must be selective. It may not be deceptive. That is why the 9th Commandment matters so much. Prudence asks how, when, and where a relevant truth should be spoken. Fear asks how much truth can be removed while leaving every remaining sentence technically accurate. A candidate under the 9th Commandment The Heidelberg Catechism’s Lord’s Day 43, in unpacking the 9th Commandment, treats lying and deceit as works of the devil. We are taught that God is forbidding here not only false testimony, but also twisting another’s words, gossip, slander, and rash condemnation. Positively, the 9th Commandment requires us to love the truth, speak it candidly, and defend and advance our neighbor’s honor and reputation. That is a demanding political ethic. It means a Christian candidate not only shouldn’t tell explicit falsehoods, he mustn’t even deliberately cultivate a false impression. Obviously, a Christian candidate will not be able to include everything he believes in every campaign piece. But he should ask whether a reasonable voter would feel deceived if an omitted conviction became public the next day. When asked a direct and relevant question, he should answer it rather than hide behind words designed to leave opposite audiences with opposite impressions. The same commandment governs how we speak about our opponents. Christians on the political right are not immune to gossip, exaggeration, rash judgment, or caricature. We may call abortion the killing of preborn children. We may say that gender ideology rebels against the created order. We may identify attempts to have a man fired for lawful Christian speech as wicked. The 9th Commandment calls for moral clarity. We may not twist an opponent’s words, invent motives, repeat allegations we have not verified, or treat every person on the other side as though he were guilty of everything done by anyone associated with his cause. We may oppose a policy as foolish, unjust, destructive, or contrary to God’s law without pretending to know every motive in the heart of the person promoting it. The commandment also requires truthfulness about the office itself. Candidates should not promise powers the office does not possess. A municipal councillor must not pretend to be able to solve every social problem, command every public institution, or repair every failure of federal and provincial government. Exaggerating our own authority is also a form of false witness. Finally, the commandment applies when falsehood favors us. If supporters exaggerate our accomplishments, circulate an untrue allegation against an opponent, or attribute an endorsement we did not receive, we may not quietly enjoy the advantage. We should correct flattering falsehoods as readily as accusations made against us. The Christian candidate should be difficult to intimidate and difficult to provoke. He should refuse both cowardly concealment and slanderous combativeness. Why municipal office? Municipal politics may offer a particular opportunity for principled Christian service. Municipal elections in Ontario are non-partisan, so candidates do not run under formal party banners. That removes one important part of the machinery of compromise. A municipal councillor is not formally required to defend an entire federal or provincial platform, submit to a party leader, or vote according to the direction of a caucus whip. He can own his judgment and explain his vote issue by issue. That can make it easier to act as a principled Christian. It does not make faithfulness easy. There are still media narratives, activist groups, professional associations, donors, influential residents, council colleagues, city staff, and informal voting blocs. There is still the desire to be liked. There is still the fear of being treated as unreasonable, extreme, ignorant, or hateful. In some ways, municipal pressure can be more personal. There is no national party organization absorbing the criticism. The councillor meets his opponents at the grocery store, the arena, the library, and the school event. The people affected by his decisions may be his neighbors, former colleagues, customers, fellow church members, or parents whose children play with his own. Municipal independence therefore creates both an opportunity and a responsibility. A councillor has greater freedom to act according to principle, but he also has fewer excuses when he does not. Municipal government is also wonderfully concrete. It concerns public order, roads, taxes, libraries, parks, planning, policing budgets, infrastructure, and whether families can use public spaces in safety. Christian political involvement cannot be limited to dramatic protests or national controversies. We also need Christians who will read reports, steward tax dollars, protect neighborhoods, maintain good order, and carry out ordinary public duties faithfully. A Christian candidate should be prepared not only to advocate or protest, but to govern. Obedience and results The author, in front of where he seeks to serve: “A candidate should take the office seriously and take his campaign seriously too, genuinely seek to win. You want to win because winning provides an opportunity to govern. But victory must remain a means of service rather than becoming a god.” A phrase I once heard in a sermon has stayed with me: “Obedience belongs to us. The results belong to the Lord.” Proverbs 21:31 expresses the same truth: “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the Lord.” That horse must still be prepared. Confidence in providence is not an excuse for carelessness, passivity, or half-hearted work. A candidate should take the office seriously and take his campaign seriously too, genuinely seek to win. You want to win because winning provides an opportunity to govern. But victory must remain a means of service rather than becoming a god. Victory does not vindicate sinful methods, and defeat does not transform poor preparation, unnecessary harshness, or dishonesty into faithfulness. My loss in the 2021 federal election did not mean that the candidacy had been pointless. It formed my family, gave me experience, and contributed to later opportunities. Yet I could not know those results in advance. I was responsible to act faithfully and leave the consequences to God. The same is true now. I do not know whether I will win my municipal election. I do not know what attention or pressure may come before election day. I do know that Christ’s lordship will not be strengthened by my victory or weakened by my defeat. Perhaps you should run Our churches contain men who manage employees, read financial statements, chair meetings, teach clearly, withstand conflict, make difficult decisions, and carry heavy responsibilities. Some serve as elders or deacons. Others sit on school boards, own businesses, work in the trades, farm, practise law, teach, manage organizations, or serve in the professions. Those existing responsibilities may be reasons not to run, but they may also be evidence that God has given you gifts public office requires. You need not already be an expert in municipal law or public finance. Much of that can be learned. The question is not whether you are already a fully formed politician. It is whether the Lord has given you something your neighbors presently need. It is therefore worth asking whether refusing to step forward could itself sometimes be unfaithful. That question should not be answered quickly, but with prayer, Scripture, counsel from family and church leadership, and honest examination of motive. Are you declining because you already carry responsibilities that must not be abandoned, or because political office is public, costly, and likely to bring criticism? Are you guarding your family, or guarding your comfort? Are you exercising humility, or burying a talent? You may never have spare time. You may not feel fearless. You may lose. Do not confuse ambition with calling or candidacy with entitlement to office. But if, after prayer and counsel, you believe God is calling you to offer yourself as a candidate, step forward. Speak plainly. Tell the truth about yourself, your opponents, and the office. Defend your neighbor’s good name. Refuse to make public approval your master or electoral victory your god. Someone will govern your community, and that government will act from some moral vision. The question is which one. Obedience belongs to us. The results belong to the Lord. Paul Lawton wrote this while running for municipal council in Peterborough, Ontario. You can find his campaign website here. The sidebar article that accompanies his article in the Sept/Oct 2026 issue can be found below. ***** Christ is Lord of the magistrate too The apostle John calls Jesus Christ “the ruler of the kings of the earth.” Psalm 2 commands kings and judges to serve the Lord with fear and to kiss the Son. Civil rulers are not autonomous authorities who may acknowledge God if they find it personally meaningful. They are servants who receive their authority from Him and will answer to Him. Belgic Confession Article 36 speaks with refreshing directness: “…because of the depravity of the human race, our good God has ordained kings, princes, and civil officers. He wants the world to be governed by laws and policies so that human lawlessness may be restrained and that everything may be conducted in good order among human beings.” The Confession does not stop at saying that government should keep traffic moving and prevent theft. It says that civil rulers are called “to contribute to the advancement of a society that is pleasing to God.” They are to act subject to God’s law, remove obstacles to the preaching of the gospel and divine worship, resist anti-Christian power, and do so while refraining from absolute authority and remaining within the office entrusted to them. This is neither statism nor religious neutrality. The magistrate does not administer the sacraments or exercise ecclesiastical discipline. Those responsibilities belong to Christ’s church. Yet civil rulers are not therefore free to act as though Christ has no claim on public life. They should acknowledge Christ, govern subject to God’s law, protect the free course of the Word, and resist anti-Christian power by the lawful means entrusted to their office. The magistrate must not usurp the government of the church, but neither may he pretend that civil government is religiously neutral. A Christian understanding of government therefore includes the restraint of evil, the protection of the good, the preservation of public order, the honoring of marriage and family, respect for private property, the protection of preborn children, and recognition of the created distinction between male and female. It also includes the restraint of government itself. Civil rulers are not saviors, and their authority is never absolute. Some of these matters are primarily the responsibility of federal or provincial government, rather than municipal. A city council cannot change Canada’s Criminal Code or determine federal abortion law, for example. But no municipal decision falls outside God’s moral order. At times the moral vision is unmistakable, as when councils fund Pride events, fly the Progress Pride flag on civic property, or use municipal bylaws to restrict the delivery of pro-life literature depicting the victims of abortion. More often, that moral vision is expressed less dramatically through decisions about libraries, public spaces, policing budgets, taxation, zoning, neighborhoods, and the treatment of families. In either case, council is acting from some view of the human person and of what a good society ought to be. Because Christ is Lord, politics matters. Because Christ is Savior, politics cannot save. That should make Christians more willing to serve and less willing to compromise. We can work seriously for a good political result without acting as though an election decides the fate of Christ’s kingdom....

Contests, Your Turn 2026

Thoughts from tulips to TULIP: My journey into the Reformed faith and translation

One morning in early April 2025, I am sitting on our back deck, holding a cup of coffee and enjoying the quiet stillness of the day. The air is crisp, and the warmth of the cup settles into my hands. Along the edge of the yard, tightly closed tulip buds push through the damp soil, standing bravely against the lingering grey of winter – like a baby stretching out a tiny hand to reach for the world after a good night’s sleep. Spring is here! As I watch this quiet miracle unfold, the melody of the Doxology – Hymn 8 in the Book of Praise – drifts into my mind. How beautiful! God is the source of every blessing. All that lives and grows on earth shall praise the Lord, the great Creator. As I hum, my thoughts turn to the Chinese translation of the hymn. And speaking of translation, I realize I have work to do. I have been invited to speak at my local Christian school’s assembly about my career as a translator, particularly my work translating Reformed books and sermons, and about the journey that brought me to this point. My memories begin to surface, one after another, as if scrolling back through Google Photos all the way to the 1990s. Time truly does fly. It has been twenty years since I began translating. "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." – Prov. 16:9 My translation journey begins in the early 1990s, during a period when China is experiencing rapid growth in foreign trade following its opening-to-the-world policy. As a university English teacher, I am often assigned to interpret for foreign investors and at government-hosted events. These experiences bring me into contact with people from across the English-speaking world and expand my perspective far beyond the boundaries of Chinese culture. What captivates me most is not the act of translation itself, but the people – their stories, their backgrounds, and the ways they think. Around that time, I meet several American couples on campus who happen to live in the same neighborhood as we do. We become friends, and they invite me to join their weekly Bible study. Wanting to better understand Western culture for my teaching, and enjoying learning from people of different backgrounds, I gladly accept their invitation. Later, I learn that they have been sent by Campus Crusade (now called Power to Change) and are serving university students and young professors in China while living there as international students. For years, I question Christianity, challenge their beliefs, and debate with them. Yet even in my resistance, I begin searching for answers to life’s deepest questions. Slowly, as I stand in awe of God, my pride is humbled, and a deep hunger for His Word takes root in my heart. "…for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." – Phil. 2:13 Our Bible study group grows as more Chinese friends join us. Because our home is large enough to welcome a bigger group – and with my husband’s permission, though he is not yet a believer – we open our home to host the gatherings. Many of the participants are English teachers like me. God blesses us in ways we do not expect. As the Bible study meets in our home, my husband also begins to hear the gospel. At first, he overhears only fragments from his home office upstairs. Later, he moves downstairs and sits quietly on the edge of the group. Over time, he becomes more engaged and eventually joins us fully. He asks questions, debates ideas, and explores the Scriptures – often approaching them through the lenses he loves most: art and human history. Through listening, thinking, and seeking, he comes to accept Jesus as his Saviour. "…they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." – Matt. 9:36 In 2004, we make a short landing in Canada as new immigrants. British Columbia’s breathtaking scenery immediately captivates us. Yet leaving behind our family, our friends, and our promising careers is deeply difficult. Around the same time, our American friends prepare to relocate to other countries. Our Bible study group is left without leadership and without a connection to a church. Feeling uncertain but determined, we press on – much like the Chinese saying, “a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger,” meaning that beginners often act with fearless simplicity. We search online for materials and take turns leading Bible studies. At first, this seems to solve the problem. But pulling resources from many different sources soon leads to confusion. Questions multiply, disagreements arise, and discussions turn into heated debates. While reading Matthew 11:12, a difference between the English and Chinese translations sparks a debate over human effort versus God’s sovereignty, and the discussion ends in tears. As similar conflicts repeat, we become spiritually weary and cry out to God for clarity – and it is then that the Reformed faith enters our lives. "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them…" – Matt. 9:36 Shortly after we return from a visit to Canada, Rev. F. Vandongen (a pseudonym used for security reasons) embarks on a mission trip to China, delivering his lecture on TULIP – the Five Points of Calvinism. Somehow, he learns about our small fellowship and reaches out to ask if we would help translate sermons for his mission work. We answer immediately and wholeheartedly – yes – and roll up our sleeves to begin. As we translate, clarity grows. What once felt fragmented now comes together like a puzzle, each piece fitting into place. We are like gold miners uncovering hidden treasure, awestruck by the depth and beauty of God’s truth. God is merciful. He hears even our unspoken prayers and shines His light on us as we grow through struggle. As we begin studying the Heidelberg Catechism, clarity replaces confusion. We often hear people say, “That makes sense,” or, “If we had known this earlier, we wouldn’t have argued at all.” Others share their relief: fears of weak faith, of rejection, even nightmares about judgment, begin to fade. "Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them…" – Rom. 12:6 From that point on, I spend countless hours – day after day, year after year – sitting at my computer translating Reformed, faith-based books and sermons. For two decades, the same core truths fill my work: our sin, God’s mercy, and Christ’s saving work on the cross. To others, my work may appear repetitive. To me, it is life-giving. These messages nourish my soul and richly bless our family. Not long ago, I overheard our two sons say, “Mom’s job is pretty solid.” Those words warm my heart – not only as appreciation, but as testimony to God’s faithful care for our family. And beyond our home, countless Chinese-speaking families around the world are blessed through translation work connected to Asia Mission and supported by local churches. When the Chinese translation of the Book of Praise is finally completed and printed, I can hardly contain my joy. I share the news on Facebook, and the response is overwhelming: congratulations from believers across the globe, from China to Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Russia, and Japan. The Book of Praise is only one of many completed projects. Others include I Belong, The Overflowing Riches of God’s Mercy, Lest Anyone Should Boast, The Covenant of Love, The Elder and the Deacon, Unseen Footprints, and Christ’s Psalms, Our Psalms, as well as many more. "To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." – 1 Pet. 4:11 I claim no credit of my own. Translation is never a solo effort – it is always a team endeavor. I am simply grateful to have been part of it. Before I close, I invite you to pause, look at God’s creation, and sing Hymn 8. Perhaps you might even try the Chinese version. I have asked AI to render the pronunciation so it can be sung aloud. And if that feels daunting, simply hum along until “Amen.” After all, Amen is beautifully universal. Dzan may juhn shun wan foo Dzer ywen Dee shahng wan yo doe dahng soong dzan Tien sher tien joon dahng dzan joo meeng Dzan may shuhng foo, shuhng dzer, shuhng leeng Amen!...

Theology

May I judge?

I hear repeatedly that we’re not supposed to judge another. Young people express themselves this way, and that’s not surprising – after all, not judging others fits hand in glove with the postmodern dogma of tolerance that’s so rampant today. Different strokes for different folks, so let the other be; who am I to say that what you’re doing or thinking is wrong…. I’ve heard Christians appeal to Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount to provide Biblical justification for the position, for Jesus told His disciples: “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). Case closed: do not pass judgment on another. Inconsistent But the Internet is full of comments passing distinctly unfavorable judgments. These leave me puzzled. We’re quick to repeat the mantra "do not judge" but judgments abound. Something is not consistent here. This sort of thing happens more often. In our relatively small community we hear numerous details of what happens in the life of the person in the next pew, or in the congregation up the road. And very quickly we have a judgment ready on what we hear. It affects what we say to one another, and affects too how we think about or treat the person(s) about whom we heard a story. Do not judge rashly A quick judgment is simply unbiblical. Solomon put it like this: “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him” (Proverbs 18:17). The Lord in the 9th commandment gave the instruction not to “bear false witness against your neighbor,” and the Heidelberg Catechism summarizes the instruction of this command with this confession: “I must not … condemn or join in condemning anyone rashly and unheard” (Lord’s Day 43). That counts for what we say on Facebook too. We do well to repent before God and man of our easy judgmentalism and seek to learn that God-pleasing habit of doing to others as we’d have them do to us (Luke 6:31). As we hate being on the receiving end of perceived gossip or slander, so we need studiously to avoid being on the giving end of gossip or slander. Test the spirits This does not mean, however, that I’m to be neutral concerning all I hear. The postmodern mantra that I’m to be OK with whatever anybody else thinks or does is simply not biblical. Consider, for example, John’s instruction to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1). So much gets said, and people believe so many things. But I’m to test whether what they say and believe is “from God.” John emphatically wants us to have an opinion on that – and then reject what is not from God. Testing, of course, involves so much more than hearing one thing and swallowing it dumbly as the final word on the subject. Testing involves listening carefully, understanding the details and circumstances, and then evaluating in the light of the revelation of the Lord of lords. You’re meant to have a considered opinion. That’s why, in 1 Cor. 5, the apostle Paul was emphatic to the Corinthians that they needed to pass explicit condemnation on the brother in their congregation who lived in sin, sleeping with his father's wife. They were not to be neutral on this man’s behavior but were to take a stand and excommunicate him. That’s because in this instance the details were abundantly clear (it wasn’t hearsay but indisputable facts evident to all parties), and so the saints of Corinth were obligated before God to form a judgment and carry it out. That obligation was so self-evident that Paul put the matter in the form of a rhetorical question: “is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?” (1 Corinthians 5:12). Judging: that’s your duty…. Jesus wrong? Is Jesus wrong, then, when He in the Sermon on the Mount tells His disciples, “Judge not, that you be not judged?” (Matthew 7:1). Actually, Jesus does not tell us not to have a judgment on what we hear or see. Instead, Jesus’ point is that we’re not to judge rashly. That’s clear from Jesus’ next line, “For” – yes, note that connecting word! “For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged...” (vs. 2a). If you are quick to condemn another, do not be surprised when others will be quick to condemn you; “...and with the measure you use it will be measure to you” (vs 2b). So if you hear one side of a story and condemn before you’ve heard the other side, be prepared to have folk condemn you on hearsay before they’ve heard your side of the story! Similarly, if you, from a self-righteous height, condemn others' behavior while you are yourself entangled in sin, do not be surprised that you’ll find no sympathy when others find out about your sin. Jesus puts it like this: “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (vs 3). That, Jesus adds, is hypocrisy (vs 5). As long as you try to hide skeletons in your own closet, you are in no position to draw attention to skeletons you think you see in someone else’s closet. Clincher But Christians are not to hide skeletons in their closets! True Christians are repentant of their sins, and confess those sins to God and to those they’ve hurt by their sins. Then you’ve pulled the log out of your own eye – and at the same time have great understanding and empathy for another’s weaknesses and failures. Then you’ll test the spirits, and you’ll have an opinion on what you hear, and carefully avoid condemning the other in a spirit of lofty self-righteousness – and certainly avoid trumpeting your condemnation to John Public. The person who knows his own weaknesses and failures will instead sit down beside the sinning brother to show him his wrong and lead him on the way back to the Lord. It’s Galatians 6:1: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.” Judge? May I judge another? It depends on what you mean by the word "judge." I am not to condemn rashly and unheard. But I am to have an opinion on my brother and help him in the way the Lord wants him to help me. This article was first published back in 2014. Rev. Clarence Bouwman is a retired pastor of the Smithville Canadian Reformed Church....

Contests, Your Turn 2026

Made new

Josh Schouwstra’s "Made New" is about the quiet witness of the Christian life, and how God can use that quiet witness to chip away at a “heart of stone” which He’ll replace with a “heart of flesh” (Ez. 36:26). ***** ...

News

Liberal party support highest among boomers

More than any other age group, boomers overwhelmingly support the Liberal Party. A July 2026 poll conducted by Abacus Data asked 4,200 Canadian adults...

News

Saturday Selections – July 25, 2026

When they mock the Bible, question the question One of my friend's university professors had, as a clear goal – if I recall right, he even stated i...

Politics

Should Alberta Separate? Why one Christian decided to vote no

In a Nutshell

Tidbits – July 2026

If Dad told only dinosaur jokes - Part II How can you tell a dinosaur from a peanut? Try lifting it up. If you can’t, it’s probably a dinosau...

Assorted

Ruin and restoration and our part

When the world falls into spiritual darkness and all you see around you is chaos and misery, what then? Kin Jong-un and Vladimir Putin meeting in China last year – North Korea has been supplying Russia with troops for their war with Ukraine since as early as 2024. 1 Isaiah, in chapter 24, spoke of how “The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken.” Was he speaking only to the people of his day about the earth being broken? Was he judging the nations of his time about the world being violently shaken? Or was he also speaking to the nations of the world today? Are our present lives, and the lives of those around us, in a state of rebellion against Almighty God? Ruins all around Most people enjoy eating a fine smorgasbord. As a matter of fact, the Chinese Mandarin restaurant is one of my favorite places to dine. To walk by the mouth-watering dishes displayed, and to anticipate dining, is delightful. To deposit a little scoop of this and a tad of that on a warm, hand-held plate, creates thankful moments. There are other smorgasbords displayed to us, however, which do not generate pleasure. The world is actually a smorgasbord right now – a literal smorgasbord of brokenness – of ruin. No matter where we turn in the newspapers, no matter what we turn to on our laptops, there are ruins we can choose to read about, or literally see misery portrayed on our screen. Grim headlines underline this actuality. Our plate of daily current events is filled with somber, unappetizing incidents. Is this where Canada’s Bill C-9 will take us? Finnish Member of Parliament, and former leader of the Finnish Christian Democrats, Päivi Räsänen was found guilty of hate speech earlier this year by her country’s Supreme Court for a booklet she and a Lutheran bishop co-authored in 2004 opposing same-sex “marriage.” 2 For example, it has of late been disclosed that the North Korean president, Kim Jong Un, is supporting a policy that requires soldiers to commit suicide on the battlefield to avoid capture, while fighting Russia’s war against Ukraine. For example, it has been verified that twenty-nine Christians were massacred in the Islamic state of Nigeria, during a soccer match in the spring of this year, 2026. The attack took place on a Sunday, included the torching of a church, and most of the victims were youths and women. For example, earlier this year of 2026, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, Canada, investigated a Dr. MacLean of London, Ontario. Dr. MacLean diagnosed a man with inflammatory bowel disease while sitting with him in a car outside a Tim Horton’s. Afterwards, he personally drove this man, who was prone to depression, to a MAiD location where his life was ended. Dr. MacClean was only verbally cautioned by CPSO. For example, Canadian Bill C-9, also known as the Combatting Hate Act, passed the House of Commons, Senate and received Royal Assent. It removed the religious defence to hate speech in the Criminal Code. For example, the horrible tragedy of the earthquakes which have hit Venezuela. Venezuelan morgues are filling up rapidly. At the end of June 2026, the actual death toll was reported to be more than 2,300. However, the projected number of people missing and presumed dead, is running into many thousands more. Dead children arrive at morgues, so badly decomposed that they are unrecognizable. These smorgasbord current events detail a world that is a far cry from the “It was good” phrase, in Genesis 1. They reflect a world fallen into sin. Are we part of God’s restoration? Should we, therefore, mourn and lament over these present evil times? It is a fact, that like Jeremiah lamented, it is not a bad thing for us also to weep over worldwide sin. However, it is also a good thing to sit down and examine ourselves, to study our own hearts carefully, to make sure that our motives, our interactions with others and our priorities, are not in any way contributing to the evil around us. For example, do we encourage our next-door neighbors to live without fear? Does our joy in the prospect of life eternal, reflect in loving our neighbors, in bringing them both soup and the Gospel? For example, do we speak openly about these disasters with people we meet? Do we know our Bible well enough to testify with a smile that “God is our refuge and our strength” and that “therefore we will not fear” (Ps. 46)? When those nearby have a cast-down soul, can we boldly, like the Reformers before us, boost the spirits of those around us with personal anecdotes of answered prayer and songs of cheer? It is said of Luther, who loved the 46th Psalm dearly, that when his companions were cast down because of the seeming strength of the opposition, he would say: “Come, let us sing the Forty-Sixth Psalm, friends.” For example, do we testify to those dying in pain on a hospital bed, Jesus’ words in John 14 that their hearts ought not to be troubled? And can we explain why their hearts ought not to be troubled? Can we percolate the steadfast faith of Job to friends? Can we say with certainty to others, “I know that my Redeemer lives”? The evangelist, John Wesley, died on March 2,1791, at the age of 87. As he lay dying, with a group of friends gathered around his bed, Wesley’s last words were from Psalm 46, “The best of all is, God is with us.” He repeated this as he lifted his arms: "The best of all is, God is with us.” My niece’s daughter, Amy, died more than a month ago. She was thirty-five years old and had special-needs – but a person who knew and loved the Lord Jesus. A small story was told of her during the funeral. Amy had a friend whose name was Melissa. Melissa could not speak. During a Special Olympics day for those with special-needs, there was a race – a walking race from one point to another. Amy’s friend was participating in that race. But as she began to walk with all the other contestants, she suddenly froze. She seemed to be afraid and not able to move. Amy saw that her friend was afraid and walked away from the sidelines where she was watching and came up to Melissa. She took Melissa’s hand and told her it was all right. And Amy and Melissa finished that race together. And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God has willed His truth to triumph through us. ***** 1 Photo credit: The President of the Russian Federation website www.kremlin.ru, and used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. 2 Photo credit: Modified from a picture by Lauri Heikkinen and the Finnish Government and used under a CC by 2.0 Attribution 2.0 Generic license....

Politics

Alberta separatism: is it wrong to go?

I have deep roots in Alberta, having lived there for the first 30+ years of my life. I was also heavily involved in politics through a half dozen different campaigns, and during those years I thought long and hard about what a better Alberta might look like. I have since been separated from my home province by mileage and decades. While I am still a very interested observer, the distance allows me to act as more of an impartial observer than I would have been able to be two decades ago. I’m going to try here, to make a limited point – that it would be okay for Alberta to go. Not that it should go, but just that going is an option on the table that Christians can consider. Even as I think the referendum is well worth talking about, I don’t think it has any chance of success. A June 5 Ipsos poll had only 19% of Albertans interested in starting the process, and only 18% who actually wanted to go. Angus Reid had support as high as 35% for starting the process, but that was back in May, and their guesstimate was the highest of all the pollsters. So, I’m not writing to sway voters one way or the other. The reason I wanted to write is because some of the issues brought up are universal – they apply not just for Albertans trying to figure out how to vote, but whenever Christians are making any decision. Kevin DeYoung tackled decision-making in his excellent book Just Do Something, so, inspired by him, here are a handful of questions to help shape a Christian’s decision-making process. Q.1 HAS GOD LEFT THE DECISION UP TO ME? Another way to phrase this question would be, is this a wrong/right matter? If it is, then we know what to do – we need to do whatever it is that God commands. Screwing up the courage to do so might be hard, but if we know it is a moral matter then we already know what we should do. God’s will be done. However, as Kevin DeYoung notes in Just Do Something, a lot of our decisions aren’t so simple, precisely because they aren’t about wrong or right. God leaves some pretty big decisions up to us: what kind of job we’ll pursue, where we’ll live, who we will marry, whether we should partner up to start a company. Big stuff. Huge stuff! We can and should look to God for guidance, and talk to our parents and the other wise people He’s gifted us. We can come to Him in prayer and ask Him to make our motivations pure. We can look to His word for wisdom. But then it is up to us; He gives us a decision to make. Take marriage as an example. You can look over every page of the Bible, and you just aren’t going to find the name of the person God has in mind for you. He’s left it to you, to figure out who you have in mind for you. Now, you can’t marry an unbeliever because He’s said we should not be unequally yoked (2 Cor. 6:14). He also offers guidance on the kind of man or woman you should be impressed by. But, if a young man, Timmy, has a couple of those kind of ladies sitting in the pews nearby him each Sunday, then it will be up to him to make a choice. And up to whoever Timmy asks to make her own. Now let’s direct the question above to the separation referendum: is this a matter of wrong and right? The possible answers to the question can go a few different ways: 1. Yes it is, which is why we have to vote against 2. Yes it is, so we have to vote for separation 3. No it is not, so God has left the decision up to us. So which is it? Before trying to answer that, let’s clear away one distraction. That something can be done for the wrong reasons is not proof that it is wrong. Mankind has the sad ability to make just about anything immoral if we try. So, as noted, Timmy could have a couple of wonderful godly young women to consider – either could be a good God-honoring choice. But if he asks out Helen only because she has a cool car he’d like to drive, his selfishness and disregard for her heart would turn a legitimate action into a sinful one. That doesn’t change the fact that Helen is a great girl. So, for our purposes, that people could have bad motivations for voting for (or against) separation is not what we’re trying to figure out. It is no surprise that it could be done sinfully because anything can be done sinfully. But what we’re trying to figure out is whether seeking to leave Canada is sinful all by itself, or whether it’s something God leaves for us to decide. To that end let’s ask a couple of clarifying questions. A) Is there something about leaving that is wrong? Some Christians have invoked Romans 13 to argue that because God calls us to be in submission to our authorities it would be wrong for Alberta to remove itself from being under the authority of the federal government. It’s a good idea to go to Scripture, but let’s dig a little deeper and consider what sort of submission God speaks of here. Under a dictatorship, as Paul and most of the world lived under when this was written, they had no means of changing their leaders. But in a democracy, we do. So, while we know God has placed the Liberals in charge of Canada, we don’t think it would be wrong for us to try, via democratic means, to remove ourselves from being under their authority the next time an election is called. We’d likely thank God for such a result. So, how then, is it so very different for Alberta, via democratic means, to seek to replace this authority over them? Can we characterize such a vote as rebellion against, or disrespect for God’s appointed authorities? No, because, after all, this is simply following the process via the means those authorities laid out. This is an important point – what submission involves – that often gets confused, such that some Christians will characterize taking the government to court as disrespectful, because, again, didn’t God put them in authority over us? But Paul used the courts (Acts 25), and could do so while writing Romans 13, because those courts and that process were a part of the very authority he was in submission to. And what we have in the separation referendum is another government-given process that we can access in submission. B) Would it be wrong not to go? Or in other words, should Christians feel obligated to vote for the referendum? While I think there are reasons that could be offered for leaving, that’s not the same thing as saying Christians must choose to go. To go back to Timmy and his marriage prospects, that there are reasons for him to ask out Susan doesn’t mean he has to. There are, after all, other possibilities to consider, including Helen. So would it actually be wrong to stay? I think that would be a very tough case to make but let’s for the sake of argument, make a hypothetical case where it wouldn’t be so tough. Let’s imagine that the federal government was evil – it was murdering a quarter of its citizens before they were even born, and was now going after the elderly and disabled too. We won’t find that hard to imagine, because that is what’s happening right now. Now let’s imagine Alberta was ruled by wise godly Christians who sought to honor God, and were desperately trying to stop the federal government from pushing abortion and euthanasia in their province but they just couldn’t so long as the province was still under the federal thumb. In those circumstances would it be wrong to stay? Under those circumstances, I think we might well conclude it would be wrong, based on just how many unborn and elderly and disabled lives could be saved if Alberta left. But those aren’t the circumstances we have, are they? Even Alberta at its best is far from godly. Danielle Smith has no qualms about abortion, and euthanasia is paid for by provincial coffers with no protest. Even where the province is out of step with the rest of our Liberal country, it is only a half-step, with the premier’s stance against transgenderism a good example. Yes, she defended kids from this mutilation, but at the very same time she was recruiting doctors from Quebec to better enable confused Albertan adults to mutilate themselves. So this is not some black and white choice between an evil and a godly government. And as such, I don’t think there is a clear case to be made that Alberta must go either. Which would mean God is leaving the decision to us. Q.2 HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS? We make a million decisions every day, and not all of them deserve the same amount of attention. So we need to treat things proportionately. If you are going to buy a new car, that deserves more of your time and maybe prayerful consideration than if you’re buying a coffee. Though if you’re buying a coffee every day, that could warrant some consideration too, because that’s now become a bigger budgetary matter. But not everything is big. If you’re trying to decide between toast and cereal this morning, it’s not worth much brain space. Don’t take forever deciding – that’d be wasting the time that God has entrusted to your care. So, we do need to treat big things as big, but also treat small things as small. And I’d make the case that for the vast majority of us, the separation referendum shouldn’t be a big thing. Why? First, there’s every reason to think the separation vote is going to lose in a landslide. So, give it enough time to go cast your vote, but there are a lot of matters likely to actually happen that are, therefore, more deserving of your attention. Second, even if separation were to happen, would it solve any of our most pressing political problems? No. If it were only the Alberta government in power, God’s people would still need to be just as busy standing up for the unborn, the elderly, and the disabled. So, this isn’t nothing; but it isn’t the big way forward that will save Alberta either. We can give it more brain space and passion than our toast vs. cereal dilemma, but for both practical and prioritization reasons, should it get all that much more? Q.3 ARE MY MOTIVATIONS PURE? As noted, we can do the right thing for the wrong reasons. That’s why Kevin DeYoung suggests (again, in his excellent book Just Do Something) that when we’re making the very decisions that God has left up to us – what job we’ll take, whether we’re going to move, whether we should buy that gaming system – a good prayer we can bring to Him is to ask that He make our motivations pure. So, it’s important that Christians don’t vote for separation with a middle finger in the air aimed at Ottawa. But in our call to love our neighbors as ourselves, someone might vote for separation thinking of what a helpful example a free Alberta could be to the rest of Canada, showing what could be done with a different approach. One Albertan might vote for separation thinking that if only we stop those equalization payments, Albertans, and more specifically him, will now be able to live a life of leisure, rolling in all those extra billions. But another voter might well want separation to end those equalization payments so that the federal government will stop incentivizing people to live where jobs are hard to come by. They could vote out of concern for their neighboring Canadians who are getting harmed by this government program. So, the same act – the same decision – could be done in submission or defiance of God, based on our own motivations. Let’s pray, then, that God be honored in all that we do. Q.4 IN MY ESTIMATION, IS IT WISE? So where do we land when a matter isn’t wrong or right, when we have given it its due consideration, and after we’ve questioned our own motivations? Then we arrive at the point where we have to decide for ourselves whether it is the wise thing to do. Wisdom can be sought in consultation. Ask your parents. Read relevant articles. Debate things with your friends. But it’ll be up to you. CONCLUSION I’m not going to make a case for separation or against, but I hope I’ve made a good case for Christian liberty. And in doing so, I hope I’ve also made the case for charity towards your brothers and sisters who are voting the opposite way you are. We do need to vote to God’s glory. But what I’m arguing here is that in this referendum, that will be done more through the motivation and manner in which we vote, than in what direction we cast our ballot. Honoring God is more than submitting to His will, but certainly not less. When He has expressed His will, then we need to submit no matter what it might cost to follow Him. But we can be bold too, when He leaves the decision-making up to us, knowing that our Heavenly Father will be pleased with whatever we might decide, just so long as we are trying to please Him....

News

Ontario’s “conservative” gov’t opposes bill that would have banned gambling ads

Ontario is awash in new gamblers. As ARPA Canada reported earlier this year: “A recent study found that since iGaming Ontario was introduced, total monthly wagers increased by 654% between April 2022 and August 2025, and the number of active player accounts rose 239%. Calls to Ontario’s mental health and addictions helpline rose at an accelerated annual rate (7% above the previous trend) after iGaming Ontario was introduced in 2022. The highest increase in calls was among young men aged 15 to 24.” The province’s iGaming Ontario reported that in the 2024-25 fiscal year, it oversaw $82.7 billion in total wagers. That amounts to an average of $5,000 being bet, and $180 being lost, by every man, woman, and child in the province. How much revenue does the government get out of this? It’s surprisingly low: a little over $181 million, with the rest going to the private gaming operators. That means the government is overseeing an enormous expansion of gambling, but making only a smidge over $11 per man, woman, and child from it. These iGaming Ontario numbers don’t even account for the billions more spent on the government’s own Ontario Lottery and Gaming. While it’s hard to know just how much is being gambled through its lotteries and other offerings, what is clear is how much it contributes to government coffers: $2.25 billion in 2024-25, or $140 from every man, woman, and child. Earlier this year, billionaire investor Warren Buffett characterized sports gambling as a tax that the rich like because “they don’t have to pay it.” Why don’t they have to pay? Because it is an entirely voluntary tax – if you don’t want to give the government your money, you can simply choose not to gamble. That’s why he also agreed that it was “a tax on stupidity.” But, of course, some people have a hard time not gambling. Various estimates put the number of problem gamblers at 1.1 to 11 percent of Ontarians, or between 160,000 and 1.6 million Ontarians getting hurt by a product their government is pushing on them. As Buffett put it: “I don’t like things that make a sucker out of people. I particularly don’t like them when the government sponsors them. I don’t think the function of the government is to play its people for suckers.” So when a bill was proposed, earlier this year, to ban gambling advertising in Ontario, it was a reason to celebrate. Gambling advertising has gotten inescapable – as ARPA Canada shared, “one analysis in 2024 estimated that Canadian viewers of live sports broadcasts were exposed to 2.8 references to sports betting per minute” (emphasis added). This bill wasn’t going to undo all the damage being done, but it was certainly a step in the right direction. And, all the more remarkably, the bill was being proposed by four members of Ontario’s opposition Liberals. Things are bad indeed when even the Liberals see a need to rein things in. But the ostensibly “conservative” government said no. While they offered up reasons to oppose the Liberals’ bill, what the Conservatives didn’t do was propose an alternative to it – they spoke of the need for moving “thoughtfully and methodically” but in the meantime Ontarians are left with the destructive status quo. What’s wrong with gambling can perhaps be best understood in contrast to other ways we can make money. Gamblers make bets that, should they win, are covered by those who bet the other way and lost – your gain only comes via others’ pain. Meanwhile, if you make money any other legal way, your wealth will come by benefiting others. Whether you are a housepainter or an accountant, the money that you thankfully receive comes from others who are thankful too for what they’ve gotten from you in exchange. Your gain is also their gain. God calls us to love our neighbor, not exploit him, so wealth gained at our neighbor’s expense is an unacceptable way to take in money. More could be said, but for those who think gambling is harmless entertainment I’ll offer up just one more objection. Even if you’ve got your gambling under control, every bet you make is that little bit more motivation for the government to keep at this… to the great harm of many, who aren’t in control of their gambling. If you love your neighbor, you should be lobbying the government to stop pushing, and just simply stop running, such a destructive enterprise....

Adult non-fiction, Book Reviews, Teen non-fiction

The Amazing Generation: Your guide to fun and freedom in a screen-filled world

by Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price 2025 / 236 pages Rating: Good/Great/GIFT The old blue rocking chair is the most comfortable chair in our house, and my husband and I have built a useful strategy around it. If we casually leave a book on the table beside it – the kind of thing our kids should read, but may not pick up on their own – our kids will eventually flip through it and very possibly read it. That’s how we enticed our two middle-schoolers to check out The Amazing Generation, co-written by Jonathan Haidt (of The Anxious Generation fame) and Catherine Price (author of How to Break Up with Your Phone). This is a positive and helpful book that encourages young people to choose the richness of real life over a shallow, screen-focused existence. Our kids were skeptical about the book at first, and I couldn’t really blame them. The messaging is a little over-the-top – to quote the book, “Don’t let the evil tech wizards hack your brain! Be a rebel instead!” – and is likely to earn some eye-rolling from the target tween/teen audience. Fortunately, much of the content and presentation is compelling enough to keep pulling readers back in. More importantly, it’s hard to argue with the authors’ very convincing arguments that, for example, most apps are “addictive by design,” and many tech companies are very aware that their products are hurting kids. The book is cleverly designed as half informative guide, half graphic novel, with the graphic novel following six kids through a year of their lives. Predictably, the three “low-tech” kids have all kinds of interesting experiences and adventures, developing skills and having fun with their friends, while the three tech-dependent kids’ lives are clearly less rich and fulfilling. That said, the kids’ behaviors ring true – for example, fixating on recording and posting an experience rather than actually living it meaningfully – and will likely hit uncomfortably close to home for many readers, young and not so young. The informative part of the book is designed to grab and hold middle-schoolers’ attention, with fairly short sections of text interspersed with features like “Meet a rebel” (profiles of real young adults who have, in some way, rejected tech), stats and facts, quotes (often quite outrageous or ominous) from prominent tech-company executives, and real-life musings from teens and twenty-somethings about their experiences. Some of the latter are quite impactful – e.g., “I missed out on my entire teenagehood because of social media and my phone” – while others are helpful and encouraging: “I would tell my younger self to get off social media and go make some memories.” The information in the book is also solid (as one would expect from the two authors), and would be interesting for almost any age. For example, the book describes the addictive “dopamine triggers” (like bright colors, unpredictability, and rewards) that are built into many apps, which are easily recognizable, and which in fact mirror the design of slot machines. This type of information can help kids identify when and how they’re being manipulated, and hopefully help them become less susceptible to that manipulation. The overall message of the book isn’t to abandon technology entirely, but rather to “Use technology as a tool – don’t let technology use you,” and “Fill your life with real friendship, freedom, and fun.” (These are the two tenets of “The Rebels’ Code.”) The balance suggested feels reasonable; for example, kids are encouraged to limit and wait to use certain technologies, not to become full Luddite “rebels.” The book also suggests lots of realistic alternatives, and strategies for going low-tech even when kids feel like they’re the only one (including asking their parents if they can blame them for limits and restrictions, to save face in front of their peers). My only quibble is that the book ultimately encourages fairly self-centered motives for choosing a life of real, non-screen experiences, like learning new skills, having fun, and developing good relationships. Late in the book it mentions that you can also feel good by “doing things that matter” – “things that help other people... or make the world better,” but the point feels like an afterthought. Overall, though, this would be a great conversation starter, and is a book that has enough substance to be worth a read for both the older and the younger members of the family... even if you have to use the “comfortable chair” trick to get them to open it in the first place....

News

Saturday Selections – July 11, 2026

If only Steve Jobs had pitched it this way back in 2007... Back in 2007, if Steve Jobs had pitched the iPhone for everything it helps us do, would w...

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Sign up for RP’s July 13-22 screenfast challenge!

Entertainment

Can I watch a movie during my screen-fast?

…and other FAQs answered ***** 1. Can I still do the screen-fast if my work requires I be on a computer? Some didn’t participate in last year...

What I like about my dumbphone

I’ve been using the Light Phone III exclusively for almost a year now and wanted to share a few notes for anyone who might be interested. First, ...

News

Nearly 60% of violent crime cases now being stayed or withdrawn

“Justice delayed has become justice denied,” concluded a recent report from The Hub about the amount of time it is taking for criminal justice cases to be completed. Digging into the most recent data available across Canada, the report found that the median amount of time it takes to complete a case – from first appearance to a final decision – has increased 60 percent in just eight years. It’s gone from averaging around 4 months – varying from 121 to 124 days – for the 8 years preceding 2016, to now being well over 6 months, or 198 days for 2023/24. There are many costs to delaying justice, with a big one being guilty people set free because they haven’t been offered a trial within the “reasonable time” promised in the Charter of Rights. The same report found that over the same time period, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of cases that have been stayed or withdrawn. That means no finding of guilt or innocence has been reached. As The Hub’s David Snow reports: “Focusing on Canada outside Quebec , the proportion of criminal cases that were stayed or withdrawn increased from just under 35 percent in 2007/08 to 40 percent by 2019/20. The increase accelerated sharply after the pandemic, to the extent that more than 50 percent of criminal cases outside Quebec now end without a determination of guilt or innocence.” This is particularly the case for violent crimes, where now nearly three in five cases are stayed or withdrawn. As a result, fewer people are being found guilty, dropping from 63 percent to 46 percent. This isn’t because there are more acquittals. In fact, of the 228,425 adult court cases in 2023/2024: • 105,371 were found guilty • 118,265 were stayed or withdrawn • only 2,442 were acquitted God, who is perfectly just, calls us to image His justice. “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act" we are instructed in Proverbs 3:27. And as we read in Jeremiah 21:12, it must be done promptly. “Administer justice every morning; rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed.” So the Charter of Rights’ call for trials in a “reasonable time” is good – we don’t want people who’ve never been convicted, languishing in jail for years on end before they even have a trial. Imagine if you are innocent, and you’re made to wait in jail for even “just” 4 months. This needs to be fixed....

Contests, Your Turn 2026

Because

What if you were rich as you could be? You owned everything, far as the eye could see. You loved to share these riches with a friend, of your generosity there was no end. They ate with you, the best delights; they walked and talked with you day and night. They shared in all your pleasures, had free access without measure. But there was one thing you told them they couldn’t touch. Such a little thing. It wasn’t much. But if they touched it, it would be the end; you could no longer be considered friends. How would you feel if they couldn’t resist? They considered this one thing that they missed, more important than all their delights; so, they touched it. Gave up all their rights. How would you respond to betrayal like this? Like the betrayal of the Judas kiss. Would you find a way to make amends? Would you lay down your life to again be friends? What a wonder such a sacrifice would be; it would be beyond the comprehension of me. Yet this very thing has taken place, a mightier than all the human race. Laid down His life to redeem His own. Came to earth from His heavenly throne. Came so redemption He could give, Gave His life, so we could live. Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek and you shall find. Do not continue to be stubbornly blind. Take this gift so that you may say I’ve received the unimaginable gift this day. I’ve received the greatest gift of all. I’ve been rescued from my awful fall. Now I live as one set free, because my Redeemer died for me. Genesis 2:15 to Genesis 3:2-12,15 / Matthew 7:7,8 / John 3:16,17 / Romans 5:6 / Romans 6:18, 22 / 1 Corinthians 15:21 ***** When thoughts cross my mind. That turn into rhyme. I feel I need to write it because someone needs to hear it. I usually feel it's not my creation. I just retell what the bible already says. I feel honored when anyone wishes to publish my poetry, and always hope that it will benefit the reader....

Contests, Your Turn 2026

The Ring

He looks down at his wrinkled fingers Thumbs the gold band wrapped around it His wedding ring 71 years ago the church bells rang Then her father gave her hand to him And they cherished many years of love Now it was his turn To return to the church To give her away as the bride again Back to her Father The bells will ring again A funeral and a wedding Full circle, like a ring on a finger A symbol of endless love ***** While this is by Tyler Bouman, it was submitted by his mother Jenny, who shared, "This poem was written and given to us by our son Tyler when my mother passed away. It is very meaningful!"...

Contests, Your Turn 2026

Sonnet for an Unknown God – Acts 17

I saw an altar, nameless, cold, and bare, With faded letters signed “The Unknown God.” A feeling dark and lonesome lingered there, A shadow of a faith unsure and flawed. The other gods put claim to name and shrine, Majestic in the grandeur they command. Their temples rise in grace, designed divine, Their altars calling – none could dare withstand. I kneel, a fool, and whisper my thin prayer, But weight descends and I can scarcely breathe. I wish to live and find a breath of air, And yet I seem to sense his rage beneath. I pray to emptiness, though none replies, As anguished, I reach up to vacant skies. ***** This work was inspired by Acts 17, where Paul came to Athens and noticed an altar with the inscription, “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.” This piece is a work of fiction, set before Paul’s visit, taking place in the mind of an Athenian who is in serious doubt of the gods that he has grown up with....

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Ontario’s “conservative” gov’t opposes bill that would have banned gambling ads

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The Amazing Generation: Your guide to fun and freedom in a screen-filled world

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Can I watch a movie during my screen-fast?

What I like about my dumbphone