Chair of Christian Thought Iwaasa Lecture on Urban Theology

God’s Dominion? Christian Nationalism and the Stories We Tell About Canada: Chair of Christian Thought Iwaasa Lecture on Urban Theology:

What does it mean to be Canadian? We tell a story of Canada as a “mosaic,” a nation made stronger and more beautiful by its diverse citizens. Now, grassroots Christian activists in Alberta are telling a competing story about Canada. They say Canada was founded as a Christian Nation, “God’s Dominion,” and demand our laws and government enact their Christian worldview, which celebrates colonization and rejects multiculturalism. Emboldened by the story of a Christian Canada, activists meet with provincial officials, and their materials have shaped recent policies. More than just words, competing stories about Canada are fighting to shape our leadership, our institutions, and even our democracy. If the stories we tell about Canada have the power to shape Canadian lives, what story do we want to tell? Can we tell a story that includes painful history, the multicultural present, and generates a shared national identity? We have to try.

Speaker Bio: Lisa Gasson-Gardner (she/they) is assistant professor of religious studies at Mount Royal University. Her book Listening Right: Truth, Affect, and White Evangelical Christianity is under preliminary contract at Fordham University Press. Lisa’s current research focuses on Christian nationalism in Alberta. Her presentation will be followed by two brief responses: one from recent MRU graduate Ayah Abdalla, and another from current MRU student Meschac Sawa Sawa.