Successful pastor's briefing

On Feb. 27, the Canadian Family Action Coalition sponsored and Canada Christian College hosted an emergency pastor's briefing on issues surrounding the family that are currently before the legislature and the courts.

The feature speaker was Dr. Jerry Falwell, chancellor of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia and co-founder of the Moral Majority. He recalled Falwell told of the founding of the Moral Majority and how it helped elect Ronald Reagan as president. But first, he said, they had to get first pastors involved in the political process.

He said that organizations need to co-ordinate efforts to get information to pastors about how to get involved and about the issues. He said pastors must be motivated to get involved in the political process and become aware of what they may and may not do. For instance, they cannot tell congregants for whom to vote, but they can let them know about their obligations to defend life and family and how the candidates line up on the issues.

Falwell said once pastors become involved, the congregations will follow.

In an interview after his talk, Falwell told The Interim that people must put aside their theological differences and begin to fight for the rights of the unborn and to protect traditional marriage. "It doesn't matter what you are," he explained, "we must find the issues we can all agree upon and work together there." He cited opposition to abortion and homosexual "marriage" and the protection of free speech and religious freedom as unifying issues.

Also addressing the estimated audience of 600, which included 350 pastors, were Fletcher Brothers of Freedom Village Ministries, CFAC executive director Brian Rushfeldt, Dr. Charles McVety of Canada Christian College and former Reform Party family issues critic Eric Lowther.

Rushfeldt told The Interim that he was extremely happy with the turnout but is concerned that the broader public seems not to know or care about what is happening to the family - the assault on marriage by the courts at the urging of homosexual activists, the assault on parental rights in a series of anti-spanking rulings, C-250, child pornography. He said that meetings such as the Feb. 27 one are needed to give pastors the tools to begin engaging their congregations.