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God Keep our Land


God, Keep our Land: Does Christian Nationalism have a Canadian accent?

Thursdays, March 6th & 13th, 20th, 27th, April 3rd, 2025
1:30 pm ET - online

As Canadians watch and come to terms with significant political shifts in the United States, the phrase "Christian nationalism" is being discussed by politicians, preachers, scholars, and pundits. Some Evangelical Christians are proud to wear the label, while others quickly denounce it.

Many of us who find community and connection at The New Leaf Network have been asking questions about the intersection of faith, power, and politics and the effects of growing Christian nationalism, specifically for us here on Canadian soil committed to following the way of Jesus

Rather than offering a set of predetermined answers and conclusions, we offer this 5-week series to engage these questions together. In humility, let's converse and wrestle with this timely topic alongside Canadian academics, pastors, and practitioners to discuss these questions in community:

- What is Christian nationalism?

- What can we learn about Christian nationalism from both Canadian and German history?

- Is this theology and political movement only alive and well in the United States, or is it already present in Canada's conservative evangelical churches, political movements, and academic institutions?

- How can we decipher the difference between unhealthy nationalism and the healthy self-regard of cultural preservation that Indigenous peoples have so valiantly exemplified against all odds?

- If Christian nationalism is present here in Canada, what shape, flavour, and accent does it have?

- What do scripture and the Jesus path offer us on this topic as pastors and lay leaders? What does Jesus-shaped discipleship look like in this current cultural moment? How can we lead ourselves and others with courage and humility?

Presenter schedule:

March 6th: What is the Difference between Patriotism & Nationalism: what wisdom can we learn from the Confessing Church in Germany? with Jon Coutts, Ambrose University
March 13th: What can Indigenous wisdom offer us in this moment in Canada? with Ray Aldred, Vancouver School of Theology
March 20th: The Myth of Dominion: what wisdom does Canadian history offer us? with James T. Robertson, Tyndale Seminary
March 27th: Christian Symbolism in the Convoy, with Christine Mitchell, Knox College
April 3rd: Discerning a Way Forward Together: what does the Jesus way offer us in this moment? with Elle Pyke, New Leaf Network

Learning Centre sessions are recorded and made available afterwards for those who sign up but cannot attend in person

Presenters

Featured
James T. Robertson

James Tyler Robertson is Assistant Professor of Christian History and Director of Distributed Learning at Tyndale University. He teaches the History of Christianity as well as courses on Canadian Christianity and Evangelicalism. His areas of research are on Church and War, Canadian Religious History, and Historical Theology. He published Overlooked: The Forgotten Origin Stories of Canadian Christianity with New Leaf Press.

Christine Mitchell

Christine Mitchell is the Academic Dean and Professor of Hebrew Bible at Knox College in Toronto and previously served for nineteen years (2002-2021) as Professor of Hebrew Scriptures at St. Andrew’s College, Saskatoon. Christine is a scholar of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), with particular interest in 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, and the book of Judges. She is a past president of the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies and was the founding editor of the Advancing Studies in Religion series at McGill-Queen’s University Press. 

Jon Coutts

Jon Coutts lives in Calgary where he is Assistant Professor of Theology at Ambrose University.  In his current research Jon is looking into Bonhoeffer’s theology of "mandates". Prior to this, he pastored churches in the Christian and Missionary Alliance and most recently taught ethics in England. He is the author of the SCM Studyguide to Church Leadership and of A Shared Mercy, a book on forgiveness in the church published with IVP. He also edited Looking Back, Leaning Forward, a collection of essays from New Leaf Press.

Elle Pyke

Elle Pyke is one of the founding members and directors at New Leaf and is completing her MA in Theology and Culture at St. Stephens University in New Brunswick. Growing up in Pentecostal and charismatic circles in Canada, Elle offers a unique perspective into the ways that Christian nationalism and the New Apostolic Reformation have found interaction and intersections in Canadian charismatic circles. 

Reverend Doctor Ray Aldred is a husband, father, and grandfather. He was first ordained with the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada and is now ordained with the Anglican Church of Canada. He is status Cree from Swan River Band, Treaty 8.&nb

Reverend Doctor Ray Aldred is a husband, father, and grandfather. He was first ordained with the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada and is now ordained with the Anglican Church of Canada. He is status Cree from Swan River Band, Treaty 8.  Born in Northern Alberta, he now resides with his wife in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.  Ray is the director of the Indigenous Studies Program at the Vancouver School of Theology. Formerly, Ray served as the Assistant Professor of Theology at Ambrose Seminary in Calgary, Alberta. He is a former chairperson and board member for Indigenous Pathways. 

 

Register

There are two options to access the New Leaf Learning Centre: a monthly subscription or a one-session pass (below). For the monthly subscription, please visit here.


from CA$10.00

The suggested amount is $50 ($10/week); simply choose your amount in the drop-down menu and “sign up now”.

We would like for you to join us, so if you can’t afford the registration at this time, please reach out to us and we will make sure you are able to participate: admin@newleafnetwork.ca


 
Earlier Event: March 1
Unlocking Capacity for Just Relationships
Later Event: May 9
Solace Retreat