From the Tower of Babel to Parliament Hill: How to Be a Christian in Canada Today

A.J. Pell is rector of Christ Church in Hope, B.C., and lecturer in the
Anglican Studies Programme at Regent College in Vancouver.

So politically divided are Canadian Christians these days that those who
start reading the first chapter of From the Tower of Babel to Parliament
Hill may dismiss the book as a Reform party tract dressed in Christian
clothing. That would be a mistake, for this is a book that will surprise
Christians of all political stripes, and that is its strength.

Brian Stiller’s concern is with the language and style of public
discourse by Christians in a culturally pluralistic society. He
carefully lays out his argument, moving from current difficulties in
Canadian political discourse, to historical precedents from ancient
Israel, to the 16th-century reformers. He then demonstrates how both
evangelical and mainline Christians have frequently moved away from
biblical principles of discourse in their respective attempts to do what
they perceive to be morally and ethically faithful to the Kingdom of
God. Stiller criticizes both groups by pointing out that “religious
domination” has no place in modern life and that faithfulness to
God’s values never involves “making it appear that one’s
particular view is the only one which can be seen as ‘Christian.’”

Some readers will be dismayed that Stiller’s final chapter fails to
provide a checklist of “right” issues to pursue. Yet by providing
guidelines for discourse rather than issues for battle, Stiller
reinforces his argument that Christians are to be fully engaged in
public discourse, neither attempting to dictate the political agenda nor
withdrawing from participation in the full Canadian community.