Fifteen years ago Harold Ristau was a traditional Lutheran chaplain serving in Canada’s armed forces. At that time he supported the Canadian military’s new “diversity/pluralism” policy, which sought to hire new chaplains who would represent “non-traditional faith groups.” He supported that new government policy even though Ristau himself admits he “did not believe that all religions are equally valid expressions of truth.”
Nevertheless, Ristau quieted his uneasy Protestant soul at that time with the thought that since the Canadian military was determined to embrace this new “true pluralism,” well, theoretically such a diversity policy ought to protect the integrity of “absolutist traditional mainstream faith traditions”—like
his traditional Lutheranism—“that are not inclusive of other belief systems due to the logical law of non-contradiction.”
But fast forward to 2023 and Harold Ristau is now dumbfounded by how the idea of “true pluralism” has morphed. What formerly just asked to be tolerated has now transformed itself into a militant “woke religion” that promotes an “exclusivist monoculture” that despises all traditional Christian churches that neither ordain women nor accept homosexual/transgender lifestyles.
Today Ristau is alarmed that the “diversity/pluralism” policy he once supported 15 years ago has become the pointy edge for a direct attack by the Canadian government on conservative Lutherans, historic Roman Catholics, and other Biblically-based and conservative denominations. Because all such Christians are now to be officially discriminated against and excluded from employment as military chaplains.
Ristau is truly shocked by what has happened to the Royal Canadian Chaplain Service and what the implications are for wider Canadian society in the coming years. He writes, “At present, such an unjust and illogical policy is implying—‘if you are a conservative Biblically based Christian you can’t work in the Canadian government,’ and ultimately—‘there is no space for your kind in Canada.’ And that Canada is proudly prejudiced against all such traditional Christians because we government bureaucrats and technocrats say so.”
In about one month the people of God will be observing the annual biblical spring holy days. These Scripturally ordained days teach us about the infectious nature of sin—how a little sin can grow and grow until it wholly corrupts individuals, or an entire church, group, or any organization that gives it welcome, or a bit of tolerance.
As the Apostle Paul wrote:
“Your boasting [over the supposed spirituality of your group] is not good [indeed, it is vulgar and inappropriate]. Do you not know that [just] a little leaven ferments the whole batch [of dough, just as a little sin corrupts a person or an entire church, organization, government, or nation]? First Corinthians 5:6 Amplified Version
The sinful yeast of woke ideology is indeed permeating the whole of the Royal Canadian Chaplain Service—as it does everything it touches. Don’t let it touch and corrupt you! Don’t tolerate such presently fashionable but eternally sinful ideologies! Resist this spiritual corruption with the truth, the unleavened bread of righteousness as taught and defined by the Scriptures.
