Just so you know, according to “The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms”, the government does not have the right to take the tax exemption status away from Churches. Just like according to the same charter, the government did not have the right to arrest pastors during Covid.
They did these things anyway; and one pastor spent 5 weeks in jail.
However, when their court cases happened, they were found not guilty of any crimes and they were vindicated. I know two of those pastors and they would do it again if they had to.

If a Church gets their tax exemption taken away, so be it. Or if it becomes manditory that to have tax exemption, that they are beholden to the state, then obviously the Church needs to stop being tax exempt. However, they should not hand it over unless they need to, in order to stay faithful to God.

My friend is an elder in his Church and he knows the issue quite well. As he is part of a Reformed Baptist Church plant and it is fresh on his mind.

As far as the Sportsman’s club, it is not a Church. So in a sense it is apples and oranges. The reference to a sportsman’s club with a 501(c)(3) status pertains to U.S. law. In the United States, 501(c)(3) organizations are prohibited from engaging in political campaign activities and must operate exclusively for exempt purposes. Violations can lead to the revocation of tax-exempt status . However, this framework is specific to the U.S. and does not directly apply to Canadian charities.

I believe that, regardless of whether or not the state, allows tax exempt status for Churches or not. It is not biblical to say that they have authority over the Church. If the state oversteps their bounds, they have overstepped their God given authority.

The state does not give the Church authority, God does.

Romans 13 calls Christians to obey governing authorities. But that allegiance, is limited to a higher authority.

Two great books, one by Sam Waldron (which I can’t remember the name of, but Sam actually recommended to me) and another one by a professor named Timothy L. Decker, who teaches at the seminary Waldron leads. His book is called: ‘A Revolutionary Reading of Romans 13’, are books that I have read on this subject.
Sam Waldron has a sermon series on this subject that he preached in the last 5 years because of how Churches were reacting to government Covid orders.
I believe, the two pastors who were arrested in Alberta, Tim Coates and another pastor, were greatly influenced by Sam Waldron, as well as John MacArthur.

Both Sam Waldron and Timothy Decker say “The Rejection of Church tax exemption: an echo of Anabaptist error.”
They go onto say a lot more about that issue. Which I could quote from my notes, but it might be too long for the thread.

Tom

Last edited by Tom; Sun Apr 13, 2025 9:01 PM.