FIELD NOTES
By Rev. Allie McDougall
IN 1969, PIERRE TRUDEAU told Richard Nixon that living next to the United States was like sleeping with an elephant: “no matter how friendly and even-tempered the beast is, […] one is affected by every twitch and grunt.” Fifty-six years from that utterance of that memorable quote, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Canadians to ignore that elephant.
The interrelation between our economies and cultures weighs heavily in the Canadian subconscious as the unpredictable governing style of President Trump sends ripples of anxiety across the border. In parish ministry, I have noticed from some a marked increase in anxiety and fear of what will happen in the immediate and near future, and in others a spike in nationalistic thinking to counter the same from our American neighbours. Both responses are reasonable coping mechanisms when faced with credible threats to the Canadian way of life and freedom from foreign interference.
As silly as it might seem to name in writing, but we must remain rooted in the truth that Canadian sovereignty remains. While the President of the United States and the governance of that country has influence over our affairs, we remain a discrete country with our own elected officials, and all Canadians owe civic engagement and thoughtful democratic participation to this country.
It is easy to be drawn into the American news cycle – it is entertaining and stimulating by design. We must resist the urge to adopt domestic American issues as our own to the ignorance of what is taking place socially and politically, here at home. Our energy is must better spent in the arenas of influence that we already possess, not in the affairs of our neighbours. This is not to say we shouldn’t pay attention and pray, but that this is not where our attention should be devoted.
I must confess that I have no practical recommendations for how we might persevere as Canadians in the shadow of the irascible American elephant. I can only offer some theological rationale for why we, Christians of the Anglican Diocese of Huron, should resist the urge to sink into fear or nationalism, or both.
I acknowledge that God’s commandment to “fear not!” is much easier said than done, particularly when the looming trade war would have devastating consequences for our ongoing cost of living crisis, driving those who are already struggling financially into deeper trouble. The reality is that fretting over what might happen or could happen or is being capriciously threatened by a foreign government is not a response that reflects trust in God’s faithfulness and ultimate sovereignty, over and above the dominions and kingdoms of Earth. Christ’s teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:25-24) is a potent reminder of God’s commitment to our care and the futility of worry in the face of His provision. It reads to us as hopeful and light but hope and levity are requirements in these days of panic and woe.
At the time of writing, the Four Nations Face Off has just concluded, with Canada achieving a searing victory over the American team, bringing up memories of the 1972 Canada-USSR Summit Series. Canadian nationalism is stoked and bolstered by few things and our national pastime is one of them. The threat of annexation is driving a surge of nationalistic feelings among us, but we must handle this temptation with caution.
Nationalism is a key ingredient in the rise of anti-democratic and discriminatory policies, the reification of idolatrous propaganda, and an invitation to beget more aggression in our diplomatic relationship with our neighbours to the South.
Love of one’s country is not inherently wrong when it is properly ordered. What gets any person in trouble as they manage the dual role as Christian and citizen is the idea that the nation state will save us, or that we can place faith in its stability or commitment to doing the right thing for all people. There is only one Kingdom that promises abundant life for all to share, for freedom, and for the liberation of all oppressed people and that is God’s Kingdom.
We live in anticipation of that Kingdom and remain nevertheless ensconced in the influence of the declining empire of the United States, watching the consequences of said decline play out in real time and bearing those consequences as average citizens. This is a position that chafes at our sense of security and comfort in the country we call home, yet we must remain steeped in the hope afforded to us in Christ Jesus, the only true and good King.
Our faith and resolve will be tested in the coming months and years. Blessedly, this is not the first time that Christians have had to navigate political and economic turbulence, and it is far from being the last.
May we be strengthened in the communion of saints and the promise of the eschaton to persevere under tyrants and princes and elephants alike.
Rev. Allie McDougall is the Vicar of St. Paul's and St. Stephen's, Stratford.