ACA Statement on the Primate’s Letter on Bill C-6
On Nov. 18, Anglican Church of Canada Primate Linda Nicholls wrote a letter to the Hon. David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, in support of federal Bill C-6 to “ban conversion therapy in Canada.”
Anglican Communion Alliance affirms that abusive or coercive practices are certainly unacceptable and contrary to the spirit of the Gospel. However, we also share the concerns of many that Bill C-6 may in fact, due to its vague and overly broad definition of conversion therapy, inappropriately infringe on pastoral or parent-child conversations. ACA agrees with the Oct. 2020 Statement on Bill C-6 by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (updated on Dec. 18, 2020); we also endorse a recent Editorial in The Anglican Planet, which addresses the issue in the context of the Anglican Church of Canada. “The [Primate’s] Letter does not acknowledge the serious concerns [around religious freedom and parental rights], or that those of a traditional viewpoint still find a home in the Church she represents. Nor does the Letter engage with the relevant theological questions around identity, conversion and the doctrine of Creation.”
The goal of ACA is to “deepen Biblical faith in the Anglican Church of Canada” and in that light, we add a broader acknowledgement of the Biblical truth that our entire identity, including our sexuality, is naturally disinclined to full submission under Christ. And so we are all in need of God’s grace and mercy, and we are all called to deeper discipleship through the power of the Holy Spirit.