Context: The Confederation Report
Host: Steven R. Martins
Language: English
This is The Confederation Report, a weekly analysis of Canadian news and culture from a Biblical worldview.
Part I: Secularism is Growing (0:05-5:00)
While Canada outwardly maintains a veneer of religious pluralism, recent developments—especially in Quebec—reveal an aggressive shift toward secularism that increasingly marginalizes public expressions of faith, particularly Christianity, under the guise of state neutrality.
Part II: Where have we seen this before? (5:03-8:51)
As secular governments move toward outlawing public—and even silent—prayer under the guise of neutrality, the story of Daniel reminds us that true faithfulness to God dares to kneel in prayer even when it becomes illegal, trusting that the fear of the Lord outweighs the fear of man.
Part III: Dare to be a Daniel (8:55-11:37)
In an age when secularism demands silence and conformity, the 19th-century hymn Dare to Be a Daniel resounds with fresh urgency, calling Christians—like one bold evangelist in a Canadian bank—to stand firm, speak truth, and live faithfully under the lordship of Christ, even when it means standing alone.
Did You Know? (11:41-13:06)
The American philosopher H. Evan Runner helped bring Reformational philosophy to Canada, calling Christians to reject secularism and embrace God’s sovereignty over all of life—most notably through his influential Unionville Lectures.
Recommended Reading (13:09-13:43)
This week’s recommended resource is The Collected Works of H. Evan Runner—a four-volume set that offers rich insight into Reformational thought, equipping Christians to engage culture with a bold, Christ-centered worldview.
Transcript:
It’s Week 25 of 2025, and this is The Confederation Report, a weekly analysis of Canadian news and culture from a biblical worldview. My name is Steven R. Martins, Director of the Cántaro Institute, and each week we provide a Christian perspective on the headlines, critically engage secular narratives, and apply biblical truth to the cultural and societal issues of our time. Because Christ is Lord—over Canada, over culture, over all of life.
Part I: Secularism is Growing (0:05-5:00)
Anyone living in Canada today can sense that the dominant public ideology is secularism. While religious pluralism still has a foothold—evident in gestures like Prime Minister Mark Carney’s commemoration of the Islamic holiday of Eid—it’s becoming increasingly clear that this pluralism is nothing more than a temporary accommodation. In truth, it functions more like a transitional phase than a permanent fixture. As Canada continues to welcome people from a wide array of cultural and religious backgrounds, pluralism may seem—to the eye of the public observer—like the “ideal” model. But if the direction of government policy is any indication, the ultimate aim is not coexistence, but consolidation. Unless the religious direction of our nation were to suddenly change, secularism is slated to prevail as the predominant ideology, and when it does, pluralism will be discarded having served its transitional and temporary purpose. That dynamic deserves deeper analysis in its own right, but for now, we should ask: what evidence do we have of this increasingly assertive secularism?
We don’t need to look any further than what’s unfolding in Quebec. For those unaware, the provincial government of Quebec has formed a committee to explore how to strengthen secularism across all public institutions, including the possibility of banning public prayer altogether. While the government frames this as a matter of preserving “neutrality”, the intent is contrary: to push religious expression further out of the public square. The committee, led by legal experts, will examine whether existing legislation—namely Bill 21—is being fully respected and applied. What began as a law banning religious symbols for certain public employees is now being reconsidered for expansion, possibly to include broader restrictions on school staff and even expressions of religious belief in public spaces.
The catalyst for this renewed push was a controversy at Bedford Elementary School in Montreal, where a group of teachers allegedly created a controlling, religiously influenced environment. Though this isolated case drew public outrage, follow-up investigations across other schools found minimal violations. Nevertheless, the government is seizing this moment to propose further restrictions. Education Minister Bernard Drainville has announced forthcoming legislation that could broaden the reach of Bill 21, and Premier François Legault has signaled support for prohibiting religious acts, like prayer, in streets and parks. These moves suggest that Quebec’s leadership sees no contradiction between a neutral state and one that actively suppresses religious expression.
This isn’t just about Quebec. It’s a warning shot for the entire nation. As courts prepare to hear challenges to Bill 21—with the federal government intervening on the grounds of religious freedom—it’s clear that battle lines are being drawn. Behind the rhetoric of tolerance and neutrality lies a strategy to marginalize “religion” altogether. And if we’re being honest, even though reference is made to the Islamic demonstrations of prayer in public places, the real target is Christianity. When one traces Quebec’s religious history, it becomes clear that the province shifted rapidly from being predominantly Catholic to increasingly anti-Christian in the years following World War II. It’s as if an unofficial war has been waged against the Church and the Christian faith. Not long ago, a policy change and its sudden enforcement forced churches out of public schools—spaces many congregations relied on due to the affordability and lack of available alternatives. These were not large institutions with abundant resources, but small churches that often couldn’t afford to lease dedicated buildings. The response from authorities showed little to no compassion, leaving many congregations scrambling to find new places to gather. The question before us is really not whether Canada will remain pluralistic, but whether it will permit public faith at all.
Part II: Where have we seen this before? (5:03-8:51)
Where have we seen this before? A ban on public prayer? How long until prayer itself is outlawed altogether? Aren’t there already places in the UK where you’re forbidden to pray silently within a certain radius of abortion clinics—even on private property, even inside your own home? Have we been alert to the steady encroachment on our religious freedoms? Again, where have we seen this before? Or better yet, where have we read this before? Ah yes—the prophet Daniel. The following is a summary of Daniel 6:
The law was signed, the trap was set, and Daniel was well aware of it. But he did not change a thing. He went up to his upper chamber, opened his windows toward Jerusalem, and prayed—just as he had always done. This was not an act of civil disobedience simply for the sake of making a statement. This was a man who feared God more than man. So, he knelt down and gave thanks, as if nothing had changed. But the truth was, everything around him had changed. The state had outlawed prayer, and the faithfulness of Daniel to the one true God and His law was enough to bring about his arrest.
King Darius, caught in his own pride and having been pressured by his own cunning advisors, labored all day to find a way out. But as he was told, “law is law” in the empire of the Medes and Persians. And so Daniel was thrown into the den of lions. A stone was laid over the mouth, sealed with the king’s signet. All night the king fasted, restless and anxious, while Daniel lay surrounded by lions. At dawn, the king ran to the den, and to his amazement, Daniel was alive. “My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths,” Daniel said. As the biblical account reveals, not a scratch was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
And just like that, the tables turned. The accusers were judged. They were thrown into the lions’ den. The lions devoured them. And King Darius issued a new decree—not one that banned prayer, but one that called the people to fear the God of Daniel. Why? Because He is the living God. He endures forever. He delivers. He rescues. He shuts the mouths of lions. So again—as we reflect on the growing secular religion of the West, where have we read this before? We read of this in Daniel, the Daniel who was faced with the imposition of state religion, and the punitive measures for disobedience. He feared God more than man. Do we? Or do we have a view of God that is equal to or inferior to created man? What is man? He is nothing but dust before the sight of God. Did not man come from the hands of God? Did his breath not come from God His Creator? As a faithful friend and minister once told me, if our view of God is truly great, biblically great, incomparable to anything created, then the fear of man is nothing. It will always be overshadowed and outmatched by our fear of God. In light of that reality, are we ready to live like Daniel, to pray like Daniel, when our faithful devotion to God becomes the very thing the world outlaws? We may be quick to answer—but how quick will we be to pray in public? In streets and parks—not as a statement, but out of an earnest heart that believes Christ is not only Lord over the church, but Lord over all things, in every place, even in the most public of spaces?
Part III: Dare to be a Daniel (8:55-11:37)
In 1873, the hymn Dare to Be a Daniel was published. It can be found in the Trinity Hymnal, revised edition. The message of the hymn is clear: stand firm, even if you stand alone. Philip P. Bliss, who wrote the hymn, lived what he sang. Converted at a young age, he worked hard, taught music on horseback, and eventually became a singing evangelist under D. L. Moody’s direction. He spent his final years traveling from state to state, leading worship and encouraging the church to be bold in the gospel. And the message of his hymn rings louder today than ever: dare to be a Daniel—dare to stand, dare to speak, dare to live for God in a hostile world.
That song is all the more relevant now. We live in a time of growing secularism—one that claims to be neutral, but in practice functions as the state religion. A fellow evangelist shared with me how, while working at a major bank, he was told time and again not to speak about Jesus to his coworkers. He asked why. The answer? “Religion has no place here.” They told him to leave it at home, to which he then responded, “You want me to leave that at home? Thou shalt not steal? Thou shalt not murder? Thou shalt not covet? If I’m working at the bank, I’m sure you don’t want me leaving ‘thou shalt not steal’ at home.” They had no answer.
And then came June—the month when every major institution bows to the golden idol of Pride. He was told to wear the rainbow badge. He refused. Again they told him, “Leave religion out of it.” But he pushed back: “This is religious. You’re imposing your anti-Christian secularism on me.” And he was right. He dared to be a Daniel. Not for show, not to stir controversy, but because he feared God more than man. And in a world like ours, that’s what faithfulness looks like.
We need more Daniels. We need men and women who will stand, even when it means standing alone. The church in Quebec needs Daniels. The church in Canada needs Daniels. Ordinary believers who believe Christ is Lord—not just over Sundays and sanctuaries—but over every square inch of this world. The kind of people who will pray when told not to, speak truth when told to be silent, and hold the gospel banner high while others bow to the gods of the age. Dare to be a Daniel? We must.
Did You Know? (11:41-13:06)
Evan Runner, born in Pennsylvania in 1916, played a formative role in bringing Reformational philosophy to Canada. Though trained in the United States, the Netherlands, and briefly at Harvard, it was during his time in the Netherlands—studying under thinkers like Herman Dooyeweerd and D.H.Th. Vollenhoven—that Runner encountered a radically biblical vision of life that extended beyond theology to politics, education, and culture. Upon returning to North America in 1951, Runner was convinced that Christians needed to break from the long-standing pattern of synthesizing Scripture with secular humanism and instead develop a scripturally grounded worldview for all of life. He devoted himself to this mission as a professor at Calvin College in Michigan and through his writings, including The Relation of the Bible to Learning.
Runner’s most enduring influence in Canada came through the Unionville Lectures, held in Ontario, where he gathered and mentored a new generation of Christian scholars, educators, and cultural leaders. These lectures became a rallying point for Canadians seeking a distinctly Reformational approach to faith and public life—an approach rooted in the sovereignty of God over every sphere. Runner’s call for a comprehensive, covenantal Christianity helped shape the foundations of institutions like the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto and left an indelible mark on Canadian Christian education, philosophy, and cultural engagement.
Recommended Resource (13:09-13:43)
This week’s recommended resource is The Collected Works of H. Evan Runner, a collection of four volumes which gathers some of the most influential essays, lectures, and public addresses of North America’s foremost Reformational philosopher. A leading voice in the tradition of Dooyeweerd and Vollenhoven, Runner offers a penetrating and prophetic vision of Christian cultural engagement—calling believers to bring every area of life under the rule of Christ. With clarity and conviction, he challenges modern assumptions and equips readers with a biblically grounded framework for faithful living in a secular age.
Closing Words
Thanks for listening to The Confederation Report, this podcast is brought to you by the Cántaro Institute. Visit our website at cantaroinstitute.org for more information. For books to read on worldview, philosophy, and theology, visit our store at cantaroinstitute.store
We’ll meet again next week.
Documentation & Additional Reading:
CBC News (Maura Forrest)
Quebec committee to look at how to strengthen secularism, possible public prayer ban