CBC National News had an balanced and interesting peice on evangelicals in Canada being portrayed as scary, particularly as bill C-38 makes it way through parliament. You can download the broadcast here.

The story focused on a minister in Southern Ontario leading a polical charge to assist The Conservative Pary scuttle the bill. The balance came in with the information there are about 3 million evangelicals in Canada, and that they are represented in every federal party. Balance came in with groups such as The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada working to change the perception of scary evangelical as the debate on the bill continues.

One of the biggest fears is that Canadian evangelicals are like their US counterparts. The CBC interviewed religious professors and others that put a good case forward otherwise.

A current poll conducted by the National Post shows Canadians are afraid of US foriegn policy. It tied with terrorism.
International Organized crime was first.

Makes sense in a country that sees it self as multi-cultural. And it makes sense that evangelicals are being protrayed in the media as an increasingly organized group that is trying to hi-jack a whole political party.
The fear makes sense. Canadians watch a force of 90 million proclaimed evangelicals in the US and believe the same tactics will be used here.
It isn’t going to happen other than extreme and isolated incidents for with 3 million proclaimed evangelicals in Canada who work well with moderates, the extremes just aren’t there.

So, how do we as Canadians address these fears and concerns about faith.
I don’t believe is is by clamouring and demanding attention about what we are politically against as much as it is as starting in our neighbourhoods. Showing what we are. Then rather than railing against media, encouraging them to show the contributions made. And by correcting misperceptions that evangelicals respond politically to potential threat or loss and that their contribution is not limited to any political pary.