Clarity In the Chaos

Canada-US Tariff War Heats Up

The Story: In January, U.S. President Donald Trump came into office threatening massive import tariffs—up to 25 percent—against nations he perceived had behaved with hostility toward his country. Three nations were singled out as special targets for his ire: China, Mexico, and Canada. In his opinion, these three had profited at the expense of U.S. productivity by taking advantage of America’s relatively open borders, and employing damaging import duties of their own, resulting in massive trade deficits ($60 billion with Canada alone). The President also accused these nations of permitting massive amounts of fentanyl and fentanyl ingredients to cross their borders. In response, outgoing Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to match American tariffs with targeted tariffs of his own, as well as other “non-tariff measures” yet to be specified. Opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre, has offered a seven-point response package of his own, including tariffs similar to Trudeau’s.

The Significance: Tariffs are as old as borders, and when applied to specific items have often been accepted on one side of the border and more or less tolerated on the other—Canada’s legal protections for its dairy and poultry industries are examples. But occasionally tariffs have been employed as a form of economic warfare, as seems to be the case today. And when that happens, ordinary citizens on both sides can experience significant economic pain. In such cases, the Christian worldview response is two-fold. First, Christians must remember that God is still God and His promises never fail. It is always appropriate to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” because as we do so we will find that “all these things (food, clothing, etc.) will be added” (Mat. 6:33). God does keep His promise, and none of them are dependent upon the state of any nation’s economy. Interestingly, the Bible teaches that all the kingdoms of this world are of little account compared to the kingdom we’re to be seeking, and for which we are to pray, “Thy kingdom come,” Mat. 6:10. Christians, therefore, are to seize tough economic times as opportunities to live by heavenly kingdom priorities and thereby demonstrate faith in Jesus Christ, the true “King of the Nations” (Jer. 10:7; Rev. 15:33). Thus, the coming months should be seen as a time to double or quadruple efforts to spread the gospel of the kingdom (see Mar. 1:15; Luke 4:18-21), knowing that in tough times God’s provision for His people, including personal salvation and the joy of knowing him, can be seen more clearly than ever.

Read More: CTV News, “Trump Tariffs”

Federal Pollercoaster More Volatile Than Ever

The Story: The Conservative Party of Canada now leads by 13 points in the newest Leger poll, after a statistical dead-heat in every recent poll in the previous weeks. Amid their leadership race to replace Justin Trudeau, the Liberal Party of Canada had seen a significant increase in the polls and was even projected to once again form government.

Liberal Transport Minister Anita Anand had been projected to lose her seat decisively, so she joined other Liberal cabinet ministers in announcing her retirement. However, with fresh polling showing her likely to win, she announced she would be running again. The Leger poll adds to the confusion produced by the Ontario Liberals’ underperformance in their election, when the polls showed them in a strong position, as reflected in complementary federal polls.

The Significance: James warns Christians that the indecisive man is unstable in all his ways, and there is no better way to be incoherently indecisive than to base one’s decisions on polls. After all, remember that poll-poison Justin Trudeau was once poll-potion Justin Trudeau, not so long ago. It is often pointed out that the “same crowd” greeted Jesus as the triumphant Son of David a few days before crying “crucify him!” It can safely be said that these were drastically different sentiments expressed by two “samples” from the same population in the same week.

Likewise, the book of II Samuel tells us how Absalom, Great David’s Lesser Son, found himself—or so he thought—durably popular. No one was so highly praised, he stole the hearts of the men of Israel, and Absalom’s following kept increasing. However, after moving to usurp his father’s throne, he learned just how fleeting popularity can be. And Christians must never forget Herod Agrippa I, who was truly at the height of his popularity when the crowd honoured him as a god … at which point he was eaten by worms and died at the hand of the One True God, jealous for His glory.

In other words, we must always remember that this is God’s world, and He acts in it. If, as Proverbs tells us, the heart of the king is like rivers of water in the hands of the Lord, who turns it wherever He will, then how much more can He turn the famously fickle heart of the crowds. So the Bible gives us ample reason not to hang our hopes on polls.

That’s before even considering the Bible’s exhortation not to put our trust in the princes that sometimes ride in on polls. Certainly, Christians cannot pin undue hopes on Pierre Poilievre, who has been willing to promise the continued killing of eternal persons in the womb, in exchange for temporary standing in the polls. We must pray for revival to come to our land, so even poll-conscious politicians will kiss the Son. Until then, the wicked strut about, as that which is vile is honoured among men.

Read More: Brian Lilley, Toronto Sun, “What to make of the wild swings in federal poll numbers” 

Gender-Affirming Surgery Associated with Increased Mental Health Risks

The Story: A study in the University of Oxford’s Journal of Sexual Medicine found that people who identified as transgender and who went through so-called “gender affirming surgery” had significantly worse mental health outcomes than people who identified as transgender but did not go through surgery. This included higher rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and, notably, suicidal ideation. Meanwhile, body dysmorphia remained unchanged.

The study seemingly contradicts the long-claimed but poorly-sourced argument that surgeries are necessary in order to save lives, and potentially shows a negative impact of so-called “gender affirming surgeries.” The effects were particularly notable among females who identified as male, who were over twice as likely to report suicidal ideation and nearly three times as likely to report substance abuse.

While researchers controlled the subject groups to exclude those with previously diagnosed mental health disorders, it is important to note that causation cannot be directly proven. Rather, the study is only able to show that the “benefits” to surgery are hugely overstated by pro-trans activists.

The Significance: Rejecting God’s ordered path for our lives, especially with surgical interventions that are so gravely disordered as to destroy reproductive systems, will obviously have consequences. This study shows that. As heartbreaking as it is to see others who have been made in the image and likeness of God suffering like this, it should not be surprising to those who understand the consequences of rejecting God’s path for their lives.

However, there may be a temptation to think of trans people as being somehow unique in this rejection. They are not. While they may—sometimes in ignorance—reject God’s plan for their bodies, we—often knowingly—reject God’s plan for our souls. While both are serious sins, as man is both body and soul, the greater sin is undoubtedly on those of us who ought to know better.

This recent study underlines the temporal consequences of transgenderism. However, we already know the consequence of sin: death (Rom 6:23).

Read More: Oxford Academic, Journal of Sexual Studies, “Examining gender-specific mental health risks after gender-affirming surgery: a national database study”

Quick Hits

A Message to Every Child In America: In his first address to Congress on Monday night, US President Donald Trump commented on several topics of significance for Canadians.  However, one statement that mainstream media likely won’t cover is a statement that today’s leaders should be making loud and clear. “I want Congress to pass a bill permanently banning and criminalizing sex changes on children and forever ending the lie that any child is trapped in the wrong body. This is a big lie,” said Trump. “And our message to every child in America is that you are perfect exactly the way God made you.”

The children in our nation need this message as well, and Canadian Christians should be quick to share it. God’s word instructs us to “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. (Eph 5:11)” Rather than affirming children in lies and confusion, we must convey to them that they are “fearfully and wonderfully made” in the image of a good God (Ps 139:14). It is not a new body that they need but a new heart, and Christians must lead them to the life-changing Gospel of our Saviour.

Symposium on Brain Death Lacks Crucial Definition: This past week the National Catholic Bioethics Center near Philadelphia, along with other related entities, held a symposium to address the “decisive breakdown in a shared understanding of brain death.” The symposium was thought necessary because brain death, which only began to be considered a legal definition for death in the 1960s, has become increasingly important due to the explosion in the worldwide demand for organ transplants.  Without the redefinition of death to include brain death, organ transplantation would be impossible, since the moment oxygenated blood stops pumping through the body, organs deteriorate too rapidly to be transplanted successfully. Surprisingly, speakers at the symposium admitted that the real problem the transplantation industry faces is the complete lack of “test studies, or evidence for brain death.”

Christians do not rely on secular institutions to define or explain death. According to the Bible, both physical death and spiritual death are separations between two related things. Physical death becomes the separation of the soul from the body (Ecclesiastes 12:7), just as spiritual death is the separation of the soul from God (Ephesians 2:1; 4:18).

Two problems now confront the modern world. First, the separation of the soul from the body, which for millennia was tied to the cessation of respiration and/or heartbeat, has been impacted by the medical world’s increasing ability to resuscitate individuals after significant periods without heartbeat or breath. Second, and of much more immediate importance, is the symposium’s admission that brain death is even less reliable an indicator of whether death has occurred. Data to indicate the certainty of brain death simply does not exist.

Photo Credit: Zangrilli Andrea / Getty Images files