British Columbia mulls court ruling on polygamy ban
Does the law violate Charter guarantees of religious freedom?
Frank Stirk
BC Correspondent
bc@christianweek.org
VICTORIA, BC—Christian family advocates are cautiously optimistic that a likely constitutional reference to the British Columbia Court of Appeal of Canada's 117-year-old law banning polygamy will not open the door to legalized plural marriages.
Vancouver lawyer Richard Peck recommended going this route in a recent report to Attorney General Wally Oppal. Oppal had hired him to study the evidence gathered by the RCMP involving the alleged sexual abuse and exploitation of the women and children of Bountiful, a Fundamentalist Mormon commune near the Utah border.
Peck ruled out laying any criminal charges since it seemed none of the women were willing to testify that they had been forced into arranged conjugal unions.
Prayer vigil marks one year in sanctuary
A Muslim family has been gazing at Wardlaw Avenue through stained glass windows for more than one year now. All eight members of the Raza family have been living in Crescent Fort Rouge United Church ever since the Canadian government threatened to deport them to their native Pakistan where they fear persecution and violence.
Since government officials won't forcibly remove them from a place of worship, the Razas are safe between the pews while they hope for grace from the immigration department.
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Distinguished poet remembered
A poet once lauded as a “national treasure” has died at the age of 89. Margaret Avison, author of several collections including Winter Sun, No Time and Concrete and Wild Carrot, passed away July 31 after a brief illness.
Avison’s many honours include the prestigious Griffin Poetry Prize in 2003, two Governor General’s Literary Awards for poetry and the 2005 Leslie K. Tarr Award for her outstanding contribution to Christian writing and publishing in Canada. She was also an officer of the Order of Canada.
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Evangelism and prophecy booths attract thousands
Evangelistic and prophetic booths at Regina’s Buffalo Days attracted thousands of visitors and resulted in dozens of people praying to accept Christ. Harvest City Church, a congregation of 800, hosted the booths during the August 1 to 5 fair days.
The evangelism booth attracted the most attention under the banner, “Take the Good Test.” Volunteers used “The Way of the Master” an evangelistic method popularized by Ray Comfort and actor Kirk Cameron.
Eighty people prayed to become Christians at the booth.
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Bilingual radio promotes Christian unity
Along the north shore of New Brunswick, Marc Johnson is poised to blaze a trail in broadcasting. His vision: to start a Christian, bilingual, low power FM radio station.
“Forty percent of the population is francophone,” says Johnson. “We believe both English and French people have the right to understand the lyrics of the music. Not everybody is bilingual and that’s why we wanted to offer a broadcasting service that will serve everybody in our area.”
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Mayor draws firestorm: refuses to fly gay pride flag
The refusal to fly a gay pride flag from the town flagpole has brought national attention and controversy to Truro, Nova Scotia and its Christian mayor.
Mayor Bill Mills and the town council voted 6-1 August 3 against a request to fly the rainbow colours made in conjunction with Gay Pride week in nearby Pictou County.
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