Bill C-9 & The Church

What does Bill C-9 really mean for Christians in Canada and the freedom of other religions?

That’s an important question, and it is one we want to answer carefully.

Bill C-9, also known as the Combatting Hate Act, has generated a lot of concern and conversation in Canada. Some of that concern is reasonable. Some of it has also been mixed with fear, political reaction, and at times, exaggeration.

So as Christians, we want to think clearly.

We do not want to panic. We do not want to be naive. We do not want to spread fear. And we do not want to ignore legitimate concerns.

This is not legal advice, but a pastoral summary of how we are thinking about it.

At a basic level, Bill C-9 makes changes to Canada’s Criminal Code around hate-motivated crime, hate propaganda, hate symbols, and access to religious, cultural, and community spaces.

Some parts of the law are aimed at protecting people from being intimidated or obstructed when entering places of worship and other community spaces. That includes churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, gurdwaras, schools, community centres, and similar places.

In simple terms, that is a good thing. People should be able to gather for worship without being threatened, blocked, harassed, or intimidated. Christians should want churches to be safe places for people to gather, pray, worship, and hear God’s Word. And we should want that same freedom and safety for other religious communities as well.

Loving our neighbours includes caring about their safety and their freedom, even when we disagree theologically.

But the concern many Christians have with Bill C-9 is not mainly about those protections.

The concern is around how the law may affect religious expression, especially because Bill C-9 removes a specific defence that had previously existed in Canada’s hate-propaganda law for good-faith religious opinion or expression based on a religious text.

In simple terms, that defence said that a person should not be convicted under certain hate-propaganda provisions simply for expressing, in good faith, a religious opinion or belief rooted in a religious text.

Now to be clear, that does not mean Christianity is now illegal. It does not mean churches must stop preaching the Bible. It does not mean every sermon, Bible study, or expression of historic Christian belief and moral teaching is suddenly hate speech.

Those kinds of claims go too far.

At the same time, it would also be too simple to say, “There is nothing here to think about.” The removal of that specific religious-expression defence has raised legitimate questions for Christians.

The concern is not simply, “Can Christians still believe what we believe?”

The concern is more like this: Will religious teaching be interpreted fairly and carefully in a legal and cultural environment where some biblical beliefs are increasingly contested?

That is a real question.

As Christians, we believe we are called to speak the truth in love. That means both words matter.

Truth matters. We do not get to change what Scripture teaches simply because culture finds it difficult.

Love matters too. We should not use Scripture as an excuse for cruelty, contempt, mockery, or dehumanizing speech. That is the kind of speech the bill is intended to address.

The challenge, of course, is how those lines are interpreted and applied over time.  We do not know how these things will be interpreted by the courts. That is why Christians should be attentive without becoming fearful.

Christian faithfulness has never meant saying whatever we want, however we want. Our speech is meant to be shaped by Jesus, which means full of grace and truth.

So what does Bill C-9 mean for Christians?

It means we should be aware.

We should pay attention to how laws around speech, religion, and public life are changing in Canada. We should care about freedom of religion and freedom of expression. We should be thoughtful about the long-term implications of removing legal safeguards around good-faith religious expression.

But it also means we should be careful.

We should not spread claims that are not true. We should not tell people that preaching the Bible has become illegal. We should not let fear become our primary witness.

And most importantly, we should remember that our calling has not changed.

We are called to love God.
We are called to love our neighbours.
We are called to speak truthfully.
We are called to reject hatred.
We are called to follow Jesus faithfully.

That includes how we speak about people who disagree with us. It includes how we speak about other religions. It includes how we speak about sexuality, identity, morality, justice, sin, grace, and salvation.

Christians should not be careless with words. But neither should we be afraid to speak the truth of Scripture with humility, clarity, and love.

So what does Bill C-9 really mean?

It does not mean Christian faith is illegal in Canada.

But it does remind us that religious freedom is something we should not take for granted. It also reminds us that the way we speak matters deeply.

Our confidence is not ultimately in Canadian law, though we are grateful for the freedoms we have and should seek to preserve them. Our confidence is in Christ.

So we move forward without panic, without hatred, and without silence.

We keep following Jesus.
We keep loving our neighbours.
We keep speaking the truth in love.
And we keep praying for wisdom for our country.