一封加国牧师近日致特鲁多和联邦政府的公开信
转贴仅供参考：
《An Open Letter to Justin Trudeau and the Federal Government》
TO：the Prime Minister and Federal Government,
We are writing to you as representative pastors of Christian congregations from across the nation and as law-abiding citizens who respect the God-defined role of civil government and uphold the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the highest law of our land, which recognizes the supremacy of God over all human legislation.
For the past two years, we have sought to respectfully and peaceably make known to all levels of government our profound concern about the indefinite suspension of civil liberties, coercive mandates and perpetual state interference in the life, freedom and worship of the church – freedoms guaranteed by both our inherited Common Law tradition and Charter. We have also prayed earnestly for our governing authorities, met with them, written letters and petitions, peacefully gathered for protest with other concerned citizens and in some cases filed lawsuits. We have used every lawful means at our disposal to be heard and taken seriously. Yet at every turn, we have been largely ignored, brushed aside, insulted and even told we in no way represent Canadians.
In recent weeks, the hugely popular truckers convoy containing many Christians (including pastors), has captured the imagination not only of this nation but other nations around the world, laying bare that what we have expressed and argued for months is indeed representative of the concerns of millions of ordinary Canadians who value peace, personal responsibility and liberty. The Ottawa protest has presented your government with a wonderful opportunity to meet with and speak to ordinary Canadians lawfully and peaceably requiring the restoration of their constitutional rights. However, in response to their singing, praying, dancing, candy floss, bouncy castles, speeches about the constitution and outpourings of patriotic love for the country, your government has not only refused to meet with these citizens to hear their concerns, you have insulted, denigrated and lied about them, further dividing a hurting and broken nation.
As ambassadors of Christ, whilst we respect your office as a public servant and honour the limited role of civil authority as a ministry of public justice, we do not hesitate to fulfill our responsibility as servants of the living God by unapologetically reminding you that Jesus Christ is Lord and King and the ruler of the kings of the earth. He sets up kings and pulls down the mighty from their thrones and none can stay his hand. In the words of the same scriptures engraved on the Peace Tower in Ottawa and written into our very national Coat of Arms:
Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. (Ps. 2: 10-12)
Mr. Trudeau, with great respect, you are neither the king nor the ruler of Canada. Both you and your colleagues are public servants sent for a short time to Parliament at our behest as citizens to govern under God in terms of the Canadian Charter and to seek a harmony of public legal interest. You do not grant people rights and responsibilities that are theirs as God’s image-bearers and a free people. Since you do not grant them, you have no authority to remove them.
Your government does not grant people the right to their bodily integrity, the right to work or earn a living, the right to decide for their children or to be with their families or dying loved ones, the right to gather to worship and obey God, the right to travel in their own land or enter and leave. Civil government exists to protect these pre-political and fundamental freedoms, not bestow and remove them as if it can function in the place of God.
As such, we as Christian pastors condemn in the strongest possible terms your unprecedented invoking of the Emergency Powers Act (1988) with the intent of bringing unaccountable state power to bear on peaceful citizens – “men women and children” – who have been stripped of their fundamental freedoms for two years and who have in many cases lost everything as a result of your government’s mandates. There is no national emergency and to invoke one to crush peaceful political dissent is a totalitarian act of repression displaying weakness not strength. These tyrannical actions are exposing this government and people to the judgment of God, and we are deeply concerned that you do not appreciate the significance of God’s wrath upon a rebellious and lawless nation.
We implore you to step back from the brink, restore the constitutional freedoms of the people, respect the God-given rights of our citizenry and above all to humble yourself and take a knee before Christ the King lest you perish in the way. We urge you to repent of the sins of pride, rebellion against God, and bearing false witness. You have not displayed a brotherly care and love for these honest hard-working people who have tried to peacefully bring their very serious concerns to your attention.
Our hope and prayer for you and your government is that you will lift the emergency measures, end these lawless mandates, and enact justice for a people who elected you to that purpose.
For He shall have dominion from sea to sea (Ps. 72:8).
Pro Rege,
Rev. Dr. Joseph Boot
Rev. Dr. Michael Thiessen
Rev. Dr. Aaron Rock
Rev. Jacob Reaume
Rev. Nate Wright
Plus the undersigned：
Rev. Benjamin Hicks
Rev. Riley Toews
Rev. Chris Cousine
Rev. Joshua Enns
Rev. Alex Kloosterman
Rev. Dan Anderson
Rev. Scott Jacobsen
Rev. Steve Bainbridge
Rev. Trevor Stephens
Rev. Will Schuurman
Rev. Marty Elson
Rev. Greg Armstrong
Rev. Steve Richardson
Rev. Marcello Fracassi
Rev. Mark Reimer
Rev. Rene Pomerleau
Rev. Randy Frey
Rev. Tony Costa
Rev. Charles Van Hoffen
Rev. Eric Honsberger
Rev. Tyler Ellis
Rev. Tim Stephens
Rev.Andrew DeBartolo
Rev. Tim Tysoe
Rev. James Coates
原文出处参考链接：https://www.libertycoalitioncanada.com/an-open-letter-to-justin-trudeau （The Liberty Coalition of Canada）
附：《一批加拿大牧师致特鲁多和联邦政府的公开信》（英译中：萧生客 SSK，2022-02-20）
致：总理和联邦政府，
作为全国各地基督教会的代表牧师，以及尊重上帝规定的公民政府的作用和维护《加拿大权利和自由宪章》的守法公民，我们写信给你，《加拿大权利和自由宪章》是我们国家的最高法律，它承认上帝的地位高于所有的人类立法。
在过去的两年里，我们一直在寻求以尊重与和平的方式向各级政府表明我们对无限期中止公民自由、强制性授权和国家对教会生活、自由和崇拜的永久干涉的深切关注，这些自由都是我们继承的普通法传统和宪章所保障的。我们也为我们的执政当局真诚祈祷，与他们会面，写信和请愿，与其他有关公民和平集会抗议，在某些情况下提起诉讼。我们已经采取了我们所掌握的一切合法手段，希望能得到倾听和重视。然而，每一次，我们在很大程度上都被忽视、被搁置、被侮辱，甚至被告知我们绝不代表加拿大人。
最近几周，广受欢迎的包含有许多基督徒（包括牧师）在内的卡车司机车队，不仅受到了这个国家，而且还受到了世界其他国家的关注。他们的行动清楚地表明了几个月以来我们所阐述和争辩的内容确实代表了数以百万计的珍视和平、个人责任和自由的普通加拿大人。渥太华的抗议活动给了你们的政府一个很好的机会来与普通的加拿大人见面，并以合法的、和平的方式要求恢复他们的宪法权利。然而，作为对他们唱歌、祈祷、跳舞、棉花糖、充气城堡、关于宪法的演讲和对国家的爱国热情的回应，你们的政府不仅拒绝会见这些公民，倾听他们的关切，你们还侮辱、诋毁他们，并散布关于他们的谎言，进一步分裂了这个受伤和破碎的国家。
作为基督的使者，虽然我们尊重你们作为公务员的职务，并敬重民事当局作为公共司法部门的有限作用，但是我们要毫不犹豫地履行我们作为永生上帝仆人的责任，直言不讳地提醒你，耶稣基督是主，是王，是地上所有君王的统治者。他立君王，也将有权势的人从宝座上拉下来，无人能拦阻他的手。以下是镌刻在渥太华和平塔上以及我们国徽上的经文：
现在，你们君王应当省悟；你们时尚的审判官该受管教。当存畏惧事奉耶和华，又当存战兢而快乐。当以嘴亲子，恐怕他发怒，你们便在道中灭亡，因为他的怒气快要发作。凡投靠他的都是有福的。（诗篇2:10-12）
特鲁多先生，恕我们直言，你既不是加拿大的国王，也不是加拿大的统治者。你和你的同事们都是公务员，在我们的要求下，作为公民被派遣到议会，在上帝的指导下，根据《加拿大宪章》，寻求公共法律利益的和谐而短期工作。你们没有授予人们作为神的形象承担者和自由的子民的权利和责任。既然不是你们授予的，你们就没有权力移除。
你们的政府并不给予人们人身不可侵犯的权利、工作或谋生的权利、为孩子做决定的权利、或和他们的家人或临终的亲人在一起的权利、聚会敬拜和服从上帝的权利、在自己的土地上旅行或进出的权利。公民政府的存在是为了保护这些先于政治的基本自由，而不是赋予或剥夺这些自由，就好像它可以代替上帝发挥作用一样。
因此，作为基督教牧师，我们以最强烈的措辞谴责你史无前例地调用1988年《紧急权力法》，目的是把不负责任的国家权力用于和平的公民 —— “男人们女人们和孩子们” —— 他们已经被剥夺基本自由两年了，在许多情况下，由于你们政府的强制命令，他们已经失去了一切。现在并不存在国家紧急状态，援引紧急状态来镇压和平的政治异议是一种极权主义镇压行为，显示了软弱而非强大。这些残暴的行为将政府和人民置于上帝的审判之下，我们深为关切的是，你们不了解上帝对一个叛逆和无法无天的国家的愤怒的重要性。
我们恳请你们从悬崖边后退一步，恢复人民的宪法自由，尊重上帝赋予我们公民的权利，最重要的是要谦卑，在基督君王面前下跪，免得你们在路上灭亡。我们劝你们为那些骄傲的罪、悖逆神的罪、作假见证的罪而悔改。你们没有对这些诚实勤劳的人们表现出兄弟般的关心和爱，他们试图以和平的方式向你们提出他们严肃地关注的问题。
我们对你和你的政府的希望和祈祷是，你们将解除紧急措施，结束这些无法无天的强制命令，并为选举你们来实现这个目标的人民伸张正义。
“他要执掌权柄，从这海直到那海”（诗篇72:8）。
此致
签署人：（暂略）
英译中文本参考链接：https://h.land/blog/11014