July 22, 2008

The Canadian Ministries Office of the Christian Reformed Church in North America has sent a letter to its constituent church councils, calling attention to the "most unfortunate" decision to award the Order of Canada to Dr. Henry Morgantaler, a prominent abortion rights activist.

After having received a number of inquiries from CRC members in Canada, the ministries office decided to offer church members suggestions on how they can respond to the situation, says Bruce Adema, director of Canadian Ministries for the CRCNA. Morgantaler was one of 75 Canadians to be awarded the country's highest civilian honor in early July.

"It is a most unfortunate decision to award a high honor such as this to a controversial figure such as Dr. Morgentaler," writes Adema in the letter. Also signing the letter was Mike Hogeterp, research and communications manager for the Canadian CRC's Committee for Contact with the Government.

"We want to see the churches speak out on this issue, but we would like to see them do it in a way that shows the Christian virtue of love and respect for those in authority," said Adema in an interview. "We want to see our church provide leadership and awareness and contribute to the dialogue." On Tuesday, the Toronto Globe and Mail reported that a British Columbia family of an Order of Canada recipient is sending the Order back to protest against the awarding of the honor to Morgentaler.

The Order was instituted and its first winners were announced in 1967. Others have also done this since the doctor was given the honor. "Alphonse Gerwing – who died last year – received an Order of Canada in 1989 for his humanitarian work. His sister, Rosemary Lalonde said giving the Order to Dr. Morgentaler tarnishes the one given her brother. She said the Order of Canada stands for making the world a better place and she doesn't think Dr. Morgentaler has done that," says the Globe and Mail report.

Canada has been without an abortion law since 1988. A big reason for that, says Adema, can be attributed to the "heated rhetoric" that many pro-life groups used in opposing a law. This approach caused lawmakers to back off from passing legislation that could have provided at least a level of protection for the unborn. "Our Committee for Contact with the Government has heard reflections from pro-life political leaders concerning that time: they report that the most vicious correspondence they received on the abortion issue came from professing Christians," says the letter that just went out to CRC Church Councils in Canada.

"This was a profound mistake on the part of the Christian community. There is a lesson to be learned from this: if we are to interact with our leaders effectively it must be done respectfully. This holds true for responses to Dr. Morgentaler's appointment to the Order of Canada."

Hogeterp says that the Canadian government will feel some pressure to look at the abortion issue but it is unlikely that there will be a new attempt at legislation. In any case, members of the Christian community will "need to find ways to express their thoughts on the issue in a respectful way," he says.

Adema says the CRC's Canadian Ministries Office is encouraging members to express their opinions on the matter – in letters to the governor general and the prime minister, and just as importantly, in direct interaction with local members of Parliament. And one easy way to do so is to use the resources of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (a CRC partner). For more information on this, visit http://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/ or by call 613-233-9868.

The letter sent out by the CRC ends with: "Dr. Morgentaler's appointment is a vivid public reminder of the tragedy of abortion in Canada. Let us use this reminder as a catalyst to prayer and action for the unborn and the lives of vulnerable people everywhere."

The Christian Reformed Church is a Protestant denomination with about 275,000 members in more than 1,000 congregations across the United States and Canada, working to create and sustain healthy churches and to express the good news of God's kingdom that transforms lives and communities worldwide. To learn more visit http://www.crcna.org/.

Christian Reformed Church in North America