READERS GUIDE

Questions and Topics for Discussion

1. Do you think Canada should follow the US example of officially separating church and state?

2. Give some examples of how Stephen Harper has had to walk a tightrope between the beliefs of his religious right supporters and the mainstream public? For example, why did Harper rush through a vote on reopening same-sex marriage?

3. Based on Chapter 2, how much do you think the formation of religious organizations and think tanks in Ottawa has been linked to groups in the US? How much has same-sex marriage in Canada worried religious groups in the US?

4. In Chapter 4, why do some Christians believe Canada has a divinely ordained role to play in the end times and how does a group like the Watchmen come to believe this? How does Canada’s national motto fit into this belief?

5. How have Israel and links with Jewish groups become such a factor in Christian evangelism? How has biblical prophecy played into this and what else do conservative Christians and Jews have in common?

6. What would Christian nationalists like to see for Canada in the future?

7. In Chapter 7, what was the motivation behind the formation of Patrick Henry College in the States and Trinity Western University in Canada? How are they influencing their countries’ political futures?

8. In Chapter 9, do you agree with Timothy Bloedow that human rights commissions are stifling free speech and beliefs, especially Christian speech and beliefs? Should free speech, as in the Stephen Boissoin case, trump human rights concerns and legislation?

9. How do you think immigration and the changing face of Canada’s population will affect religious involvement in politics? Will the Conservatives be able to attract a large number of those voters?

10. Should the government download some or all of its social programs to faith-based organizations?

11. What issues do you think the Christian right will want to address in the future? For example, how much do you think issues like the right to die and technology will feature in the next few years? Will issues like homosexuality and same-sex marriage or abortion ever cease to be divisive?

12. Is it possible Canada could become as embroiled in vicious “culture wars” between the religious right and the mainstream as the US?

13. Should the Liberals and the NDP make an attempt to attract the religious vote and build a religious left? Do you think there’s a danger in this?

14. Has reading this book changed the way you might vote in the next election?

15. Do you think the information in this book would affect the way the average Canadian would vote?