Is Canada a Socialist Country?

So I’ve been getting tired of some our southern neighbours continually referring to Canada as a “Socialist” country…. always leaving the hint that that is a very bad thing.

I’m not a political scientist but I wanted to look up the definition of some of these terms we throw around like “socialism”, “communism” and “capitalism”. 

Below are the definitions as found in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary. You may read through them now  or refer back to them as we discuss some of the terms below.

Socialism

1 : any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods

2

a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property

b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state

3 : a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done

Marxist Communism

Capitalized

a : a doctrine based on revolutionary Marxian socialism and Marxism-Leninism that was the official ideology of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

b : a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production

c : a final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has withered away and economic goods are distributed equitably

Capitalism

: an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market

a way of organizing an economy so that the things that are used to make and transport products (such as land, oil, factories, ships, etc.) are owned by individual people and companies rather than by the government 

Looking at the definition of Socialism, Canada does not fit it very well – we indeed have private property , freedom of choice ext.. However, if you are using the term  “socialism” to mean caring for the poor, the weak, the marginalized, those in need generally – then we plead guilty!

Every government, including the U.S.A. has some form of this “socialism”. It only makes sense to help your own people. 

I don’t mean to wade into heated debates and I certainly do not mean to offend any of my American friends ( whom I love dearly) but I think the words we are using need some definition.

Canada is obviously not a communist country ( as some snide comments seem to suggest).  Canada is not even very “socialistic” compared to some of the European democracies such as Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands.

(Note: Wikipedia describes Canada as having a mixed economy - Mixed economy is an economic system in which both the state and private sector direct the economy, reflecting characteristics of both market economies and planned economies.^[1] Most mixed economies can be described as market economies with strong regulatory oversight, in addition to having a variety of government-sponsored aspects)

Canada is a parliamentary democracy with capitalism and a free market but also with an incredible health care and welfare system.

Is that system perfect?  No.

Does that system ever get taken advantage of? O yes.

But I thank God for it all the time.

For the fact that my friend whose daughter was born premature didn’t have to go bankrupt. (This friend is of  flag waving American heritage but admitted his deep appreciation for our health care system)

For my own family. For though I struggle daily with a mental illness and cannot work full time, I can still work part time and my wife can take an entire year off work to be with our newborn ( whose birth did not cost us thousands of dollars in hospital fees ).

I am deeply grateful to God and country for these things.  This is not about putting down any other countries ( including the U.S. who has been a massive supporter of Canada and without whom we would not be where we are) – its simply saying  let’s stop with the governmental extremism and work together a bit more.

Comprise, primarily, is not adjusting one’s principles, but adjusting one’s attitude.

On another note, a lot of people from the left and right like to quote Scripture in this regard – so lets take a look at that.

Both Jesus and the Biblical authors speak much on caring for the poor, the widows and orphans, the weak,  the sick, those in prison and  the “feeble minded”

( i.e. Mat 25:36, Luke 4:18, James 1:27)

Also in the book of Acts it speaks of the early church laying aside selfish gain and greed and “having all things common”.  (Acts 2, 5)

Please note this is hardly Marxist communism, with ruthless dictators and forced giving up of goods. This is voluntary. It is love in action. And I suppose for this broken world it is a bit too Utopian.

However The Bible also speaks firmly about personal responsibility.

As usual people can quote the Bible picking out only the verses they want to hear,  or they can do a wholehearted search of it, balancing one passage with another to see what this Book actually teaches in all its CONTEXT.

A perfect example on this topic ,  I find, are the 1^st and 2^nd  books of Thessalonians.

1Th 5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.
1Th 5:15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

Or as the less literal NLT puts it:

1Th 5:14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.
1Th 5:15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.

Further on we read:

2Th 3:10 For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.

2Th 3:11 For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.

2Th 3:12 Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.

In the end, my personal belief is that all human beings are created in the Image of God and are therefore of invaluable worth and should be treated as such.

It is also my opinion ( and it seems to be the consensus of most actual professionals) that the best and healthiest long term way to help a human being is to treat with both compassion AND accountability.

Athanasius - On the Incarnation

Athanasius was 4^th century scholar  and early Church Father. This is a short but powerful and insightful passage from his work "On the Incarnation"  …

When God the Almighty was making mankind through His own Word, He perceived that they, owing to the limitation of their nature, could not of themselves have any knowledge of their Artificer, the Incorporeal and Uncreated. He took pity on them, therefore, and did not leave them destitute of the knowledge of Himself, lest their very existence should prove purposeless.

For of what use is existence to the creature if it cannot know its Maker? How could men be reasonable beings if they had no knowledge of the Word and Reason of the Father, through Whom they had received their being? They would be no better than the beasts, had they no knowledge save of earthly things; and why should God have made them at all, if He had not intended them to know Him? But, in fact, the good God has given them a share in His own Image, that is, in our Lord Jesus Christ, and has made even themselves after the same Image and Likeness.

Why? Simply in order that through this gift of Godlikeness in themselves they may be able to perceive the Image Absolute, that is the Word Himself, and through Him to apprehend the Father; which knowledge of their Maker is for men the only really happy and blessed life.

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 Isa 9:6 

The Prodigal Son and the rest of his family

Not much commentary here except to remind you that this story is not just about a prodigal son but also a faithful son, struggling to understand grace,  and the heart of a true father  - an illustration of our Heavenly Father.

Luk 15:11 Then He (Jesus)  said: "A certain man had two sons.
Luk 15:12 "And the younger of them said to [his] father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls [to me].' So he divided to them [his] livelihood.
Luk 15:13 "And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.
Luk 15:14 "But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.
Luk 15:15 "Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
Luk 15:16 "And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him [anything].
Luk 15:17 "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
Luk 15:18 'I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,
Luk 15:19 "and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants." '
Luk 15:20 "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
Luk 15:21 "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
Luk 15:22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put [it] on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on [his] feet.
Luk 15:23 'And bring the fatted calf here and kill [it], and let us eat and be merry;
Luk 15:24 'for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.
Luk 15:25 "Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
Luk 15:26 "So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.
Luk 15:27 "And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'
Luk 15:28 "But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.
Luk 15:29 "So he answered and said to [his] father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.
Luk 15:30 'But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'
Luk 15:31 "And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.
Luk 15:32 'It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.' "

For You - A Song For Remembrance Day

Written by Paul Brandt and Steve Rosen, Johnny Cash and Dave Matthews sing this amazing song.


The song  calls to remembrance the sacrifice so many men and women have made for our freedom and, as soon becomes obvious, points to the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom of all humanity... that of Jesus Christ.


I dislike war. Most people do. 


But as long as there is evil and free will in the world, war will happen and may even be necessary.


There is war in both the physical realm and the spiritual. The Bible talks much of this latter one ( Ephesians 6 for example).  


The biggest difference with the war of the spiritual realm is that, although the battle rages every day, Jesus Christ has already won the war...on the cross.  We look to Him and we are saved, though we may battle on.... the Victory Day is already assured!

I will drink the cup, the poison overflowing

I will lift you up, watch over where you're going

The first one in, The last one gone 

I'll be the rock to stand upon

For you

For you

My spirit aches and I can't stop this river flowing

In fear I take, each labored breath I draw in knowing

That this could be my last, my final hour

But faith and hope and love give me the power 

For you

For you

"Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death 

I will fear no evil for you are with me"

You are with me

I'll be your salvation though the storm's surrounding

There on our own conditions, lay my body down

In the wake abandon willing sacrifice

I'll walk though the canyon, bring the shadows life 

For you

For you

I will drink the cup, the poison overflowing

I will lift you up watch over where you're going

The first on in,  the last one gone

I'll be the rock to stand upon

The first on in the, last one gone 

I'll be the rock to stand upon

For you

For you

For you

10 Signs You Are Having a Meltdown ( in Ministry)

Shared from the Resurgence website and Perry Noble's blog

You need to read this if you are in ministry

10 Signs You Are Nearing A Meltdown

Perry Noble » Church Leadership Wisdom Coaching Counseling

My counselor shared a statistic with me two years ago that floored me – 90% of the people entering ministry do not retire from ministry. They either quit or have some sort of moral/ethical failure that disqualifies them.

Jesus did not call us to this or wants this for our lives. Yet so many of us church leaders struggle in this area (usually inwardly because if we said out loud that we are dying inside, people might perceive us as weak).

Here are 10 signs you are near a burnout and/or meltdown:

1. You are beginning to despise people and your compassion for them is continually decreasing rather than increasing.
    
2. You often think about doing something other than ministry and your biggest desire isn’t to honor God and reach people, but to simply find relief from the pressure that seems to be building daily inside you.
    
3. You cannot remember the last time you simply had fun with family and friends and joy is something you talk about, but are not experiencing for yourself.
    
4. You are disconnected at home and when you get there, you do not want to engage with your spouse or your children; you cannot enjoy being around them. You spend more time online than you do with your family and you find yourself wanting to sleep all of the time.
    
5. You continually tell yourself and those you love that “this is just a really busy season and that you will slow down soon.” However, the truth is that you have been most likely “singing that same song” for years!
    
6. You are continually becoming obsessed with what others say about you and one negative comment from someone who does not like you can put you in an incredibly deep valley and cause you to feel hopeless.
    
7. You begin to make easy decisions rather than the right ones, because the right ones take too much work.
    
8. There is no hope in you and you actually despair of life. You have thought of death and have even entertained suicidal thoughts.
    
9. You are experiencing unexplained depression and/or anxiety. You are having panic attacks and can’t explain it.
    
10. You are increasingly becoming withdrawn from family and friends.

That's right, my life!

“How did you come up with this list?” you ask. It’s quite simple, I went back to December 2007 until January of this past year and listed out the qualities that were the most prominent in my own life. That’s right, my life! I went through a trial of intense depression and anxiety during that time period and the best way I can describe my life would be “dark.”

“

God called us to do a lot of things for him, but he did not call us to burn out, disqualify ourselves, or drop out.

”

However, through swallowing my pride and asking for help, the support of an incredible wife, the support of great friends, seeking out an incredible counselor, and the unbelievable mercy of God, I broke free from my darkness this past January. Oh sure, I still struggle with it more often than I wish I would, but I cannot tell you the incredible feelings of freedom and joy I’ve had since January that I haven’t had in years!

God called us to do a lot of things for him, but he did not call us to burn out, disqualify ourselves, or drop out. I want what Paul said in2 Timothy 4:7 to be true of all of us - I want us to finish well!

This post is adapted from Perry Noble's blog

That Guy That Sounds Like Freddie Mercury

So by now you may have heard of or seen the youtube viral video that has Canadian, Marc Martel, covering Queen's "Somebody to Love".

What's so funny to me is that I've been listening to this guy for years as the frontman of a band called "downhere"  - and I've been saying for a while that "Wow that guy sounds a lot like Freddie Mercury!"

Now here is some real irony for you - and I hope its a good irony.  Martel's band "downhere" is a Christian band.  A band that is known for its deeply Biblical content and love for Christ.

I was fortunate enough to see these guys live at the Performing Arts Center in town a while back - and I was blown away by the raw talent and deep love and dedication to Jesus  that they clearly had.

So in other words - Marc is a devoted Christian and Mercury, as we know, was gay ( or at least bisexual).

And this has a lot of people talking.

Don't Christians hate gay people?

No.. no we don't. Not even a little bit.

I want so badly for my friends in the LGBT community to know that Christians , in fact, have a deep love for them... and where this isn't true  I want Christians to know that if they want to be anything like Christ that this love is only natural. Re-read your Bible!

Of course we disagree. I'm not sugarcoating that.

But as I've said a hundred times and still pray that people on both sides understand - Its possible to strongly disagree with someone and still deeply love them.

When Marc was asked about this apparent irony, he told the Wall Street Journal:

 “Freddie Mercury wrote songs that were real and true. Rock and roll reaches people because it’s honest, and doesn’t shy away from the issues. You can have a great voice, but people can spot a fake from a mile away. Our music may come from a biblical standpoint but we don’t shy away from true experiences  – doubt, loss, pain, sorrow – we want to deal with all of that. Queen’s repertoire deals with those emotions and feelings too and I love singing their music because at the end of the day, it’s just true.”


Also from belief.net      See full interview here

"Bonham: For the guy who’s fought the comparisons to Freddie Mercury, you’ve got to think this situation shows that God has a pretty good sense of humor.

Martel: Absolutely, and I think the last 10 years have been a preparation for me to be able to handle this. I don’t think I could’ve handled this 10 years ago. God’s moving in this very obviously.

Bonham: If you win this contest and get the chance to tour next summer with the Queen Extravaganza, how would you expect God to use you to impact others?

Martel: Obviously I would be working for Queen and obviously I’m not going to be preaching on stage or anything like that. I really believe that any influence this would have for the Gospel, God is going to be handling that. All I can do is be faithful with my gift, be faithful with anyone I talk to and let love be my guide and just be gracious with people. God will take care of the rest. I really believe that.

So at the end of the day my prayer is twofold - first that Marc does not just go completely "secular" but stays true to his faith and his first Love ( and I know that is his passion)- and secondly that perhaps this viral irony can build a bit of healing between these two communities of Christians and  LGBT.

Because really, in the Biblical perspective, there are only two communities of people in this world - sinners  who have come to Jesus Christ for redemption and sinners who have not.

Marc Martel cover's Queen's "Somebody To Love"

downhere's latest song "Let Me Rediscover You"

And finally for an amazing Christmas song, downhere performs "How Many Kings"