By Rick Hiebert. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission
You can read a lot of complaints by conservatives about Marci McDonald’s book The Armageddon Factor. One of the things that they are dismayed about is McDonald’s argument that Canada’s Christian Right is full of extremist theocrats.
I am pretty certain that Deborah Gyapong, the respected Canadian conservative Christian journalist might be one of these people, judging by the various rhetorical assaults that she is making on The Armageddon Factor on her blog.
But as much as I usually like what she has to say, I have to add that in one of her recent blog posts I fear for her that she plays right into McDonald’s hands.
Deborah Gyapong may rightfully complain that not all Christians are extremists…but you couldn’t fault McDonald for thinking so when conservatives fail to use discernment and wisdom.
A few days ago, Gyapong wrote a post entitled Right-wing Christian Conspiracy alert! She makes what I think may be a thoughtful point—namely that if there is a significant social conservative movement in Ottawa, it doesn’t seem to have much influence there. ‘Increasingly, we are confined to the back of the bus†she writes, arguing that conservatives are unfairly subjected to derision.
But before then, she makes some observations about Charles McVety and frequent BDBO subject Faytene Kryskow that will subject conservatives to derision. I don’t know much about McVety, but I think that I may know a little about Kryskow.
Gyapong begins her post with a photo of Faytene (who Gyapong sat next to at the recent Rose Dinner in Ottawa) beside the Archbishop of Ottawa. As Gyapong suggests, Faytene may well be very good at pretending that she has more influence in Ottawa than she does, but if there is no one else who is stepping forward, what else is McDonald to think?
Gyapong writes:
“On a serious note, I don’t know Faytene all that well….
I know Faytene loves Jesus and she loves Israel—for whatever reason, I don’t know, maybe because the Bible says something about blessing those who bless Israel—and I admire her courage and her energy.
I’m disappointed, frankly, that some evangelicals semm to be throwing Faytene under the bus and distancing themselves from her to make sure that they are not perceived as scary because Faytene is. I can’t find the link right now, but if I do I’ll put it in.
And mea culpa. I have distanced myself from Charles McVety in the past because his style has made me uncomfortable and wished he wasn’t always first to get into the mainstream media on this or that topic.
Sorry about that. Right here and now I want to give both Charles and Faytene credit for stepping in and stepping up when sometimes others have just not anticipated where the media puck was going next. Yeah, some of us might wish Charles wasn’t always in the spotlight, but really was anyone else ready to get out in front of that horrible sex education program Dalton McGuinty was going to foist on Ontario? ….”
Do I detect a bit of “Great, someone else is on top of this for me. More power to them…†in this?
If someone is not the best spokesman for your cause, why not say “Can someone else do this?â€
As I have tried to note several times, there are several things that I like about Faytene Kryskow. She is pious, loves her country and does a lot of conservative work amongst you that I quite like. However, she is also a theocrat and a dominionist, someone who believes that Christians need to take over society so that Jesus may come back. (As compared to someone who tries to be Christlike and serve Jesus in the public sphere, knowing that they need to be faithful to him whether they win or not, whether or not Christ returns while they are alive—because what Christ is asking them to do is the right thing to do.)
What dismays me about Gyapong’s endorsement of Kryskow despite not knowing her “all that wellâ€, is that it is fairly easy to pick up on the extremist theocratic actions, words and goals that Faytene adds to what I think is her laudable conservatism. If she doesn’t care to attend one of Faytene’s CRY events (as I did), she can read Faytene’s books Stand on Guard and Marked, which are larded with her dominionist ideas.
Wouldn’t it be wise to study up on a person before deciding if they are praiseworthy?
Isn’t that what a journalist does?
You could say that Faytene lacks some street smarts. I don’t think that Gyapong would ever use an analogy of citing the Hitler Youth to strike up the idea of a laudable thing that she wants to do. Gyapong knows that this is catnip to a reporter wanting to attack the right, so wouldn’t the right want someone wiser around?
As Gyapong is a journalist, I wonder what she would think of someone who required reporters to ask permission to attend before covering a public event that they were involved in. Would she be suspicious, in a professional way, of someone who grabbed material about her and her doings that she had collected for a story, saying “I don’t want you to have those!â€
That sort of treatment of the press sets off alarms for me.
I can empathize with Gyapong’s desire that someone step up for the right. But I think that Gyapong also knows the need to not settle for “good†when you can have “betterâ€.
Lauding Kryskow plays right into the hands of critics who want to crown Kryskow as “Miss Christian Right in Canadaâ€, when there are many Christians who look askance at some of the things that Kryskow believes.
Gyapong begins her remarks on Faytene by noting that they probably have different worship styles:
“….I’m a Traditional Anglican, who kneels a lot, loves the King James Version, recites canticles from the Book of Common Prayer and I am an aspiring Catholic, hoping to be part of an Anglican Ordinate within the Catholic Church soon…”
If you or I were to ask Gyapong about her change of faith, we might say something like this: “Well, isn’t the Anglican church good enough? Doesn’t it “get the job doneâ€?â€
Gyapong would, quite rightly, say something like this: “Well, according to my understanding of my faith and the Bible, being an Anglican within the Catholic church is much better. The Anglicans are good, but this linked group with the Catholic church is closer to being exactly right.â€
If it is fair for Gyapong to want things “exactly so†in her own faith walk, why can’t the Christian right want the spokesperson or the methodology or the ideology that is “exactly right†for what they want to do? (One which doesn’t, incidentally, allow the McDonald’s of the world to beat the Christian right like a rented mule, *if* they do not deserve it.)
Trying to use discernment and sense in judgment isn’t “friendly fireâ€, it is wisdom. Which the Bible commends.
Hi Rick,
No time to respond to everything in your post, but a couple of things.
Yes, I have attended a Cry, no I haven’t read Faytene’s books, and I probably would still not find her scary.
As for whether someone getting into the media is an indication of influence, I think there are a number of factors other than influence.
Sometimes people who disagree with an argument want to find the worst representative, someone who in their manner, style, appearance somehow shoots the message in the foot. In the course of my work, I meet scores of people who are extremely articulate on issues such as abortion but unless it was me on the inside of the CBC booking these people, you rarely see them. So that might be why some people get a lot of media attention—the media loves them because they detract from a message they disagree with. And that’s part of the frustration many of the more articulate, nuanced, refined evangelicals or Catholics feel when they see their point of view represented by someone who makes them cringe, so gee, how are they affecting the world we hope to persuade to our point of view.
Also, some of the really respected thinkers in Christendom don’t give good clips, they don’t do great TV interviews. That’s why you never see them. If you cannot get your message into sound bytes, but need long paragraphs to get to your point, forget it, you will not be on panels.
My biggest point though is that we need to be very, very careful about targeting and marginalizing anyone by saying, oh, they correspond to all the negative stereotypes but we’re nice Christians, we’re smart, we’re educated, we’re not Bible thumpers like they are. The problem is that for people who want to remove Christianity from the public square, or who want to ensure abortion is an inalienable right etc. we all get lumped into the stereotype, and all our rights for reasonable accommodation are endangered.
To some we’re all scary, merely because we are for traditional marriage and for the sanctity of life. We all get painted as anti-gay, as unCanadian, anti-Charter. That’s very disturbing. So I don’t want to be guilty of allowing that kind of attack to stand against anyone. We are all Canadians, and we all have a right to be at the table in a democracy, with our faiths–religious or non-religious.
Thanks for the irenic tone to your blog!
Deborah
Gyapong is within a very small minority as an Anglican
Most were Low-Anglican Evangelical with a small group of High-Anglican Catholic
Then came the broad church movement trying to make the high-churches lower and the low-churches higher
There still are high-anglicans and they are in the minority.
A rather small minority within this minority wants to align closer with the Roman Catholic Church
Faytene Kryskow likes to pretend to be nice to have pictures taken beside famous people and be crowned”Miss Christian Right in Canada”
It sounds like Gyapong hasn’t studies Faytene Kryskow too well feeling people ‘want to shove her under the bus’
Faytene Kryskow ‘shoves anybody under the bus who wants to take a closer observation of her.
That’s what Faytene likes.
She doesn’t want others to know her too well by not being too clear about herself
I agree with Rick Hiebert’s comment
‘You could say Faytene lacks some street smarts’
I feel Faytene Kryskow lacks some street smarts and she plays games like pretending.
Deborah Gyapong Reply #1
I attended ‘The Cry’ Lumbermens’ Arch Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC on the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock in around 2008 or 9.
Which one did you attend?
At first, these Venue events are rather contemporary and appealing.
There is also another group called ‘Worship Invasion’ whose Moderator is Ed Rubuliak is close with Faytene Kryskow.
WI started at Glad Tidings Church Fraser & E18th Van, BC.
GT is an offhoot of William Branham Battleford Sask Latter Rain started around 1945 post WW2.
WI/The Cry had a joint Pre-Cry Venue at Abbotsford Christian Assembly of which on staff is Roy Rubuliak, Ed’s brother. Another there is an (Elder/Apostle)
Both ‘The Cry’ & ‘Worship Invasion’ have a similar atmosphere about them and do Venue events. WI does 1/month.
Faytene & Ed are known to meet at The Pantry in North Van.
Faytene Kryskow was with Extreme Prophetic Vancouver Branch. The whole thing is under Patricia King
Also at the Cry Lumb..Arch was Wes/Stacy Campbell, the latter is head of the Canadian Prophetic Council.
Deborah–
Thanks for your amiable comments about my post.
I’ve been lucky enough to be a print reporter myself, and I guess that some of my fear–being conservative– is that Faytene could be used as a “straw lady” by the press, as you note often happens.
I’m tryng to refrain from commenting on McDonald’s book until I finish it, but I would guess from my personal experience that most Christians in Ottawa are more like Chuck Strahl–thus my mention of that post of yours. But, nevertheless, I look forward to digging into McDonald’s book, and want to give it a chance.
Faytene does do some good things–but its the extras that she adds to that that concern me. Can conservatives find a way to not “throw her under the bus” while making sure that she’s a, well, fully “orthodox” representative for that point of view? I honestly don’t know, but it doesn’t look promising.
But thanks for taking the time to add your two cents. I appreciate it,and please feel free to add more.
Rick
Most VPL Branches have almost finished the process of ordering ‘The Armageddon Factor’ by Marci McDonald with around 70 holds on the book at all branches, wow,I’m amazed.
My co-worker even talked about wanting to read it inspired me to seem if VPL has it and put a hold on it.
He’s studies a good amount of religions.
He e-mailed Westboro Baptist Church more than once.
He’d asked them questions ‘why they believe what they do?’
They answered, saying to him, “If you try to enter the United States, we’re going to try to have you barred!”
I said to him, “Sounds like how Worship Invasion and Faytene Kryskow treated me saying, ‘If you come, we’ll phone the police’,”
“Yes, I have attended a Cry, no I haven’t read Faytene’s books, and I probably would still not find her scary.”
With all due respect, are you sure you aren’t burying your head in the sand? Follow their theology to it’s logical conclusion. What if they all of the sudden took over? What punishment would there be for not accepting their prophets? What about people they don’t feel are “on fire for God”?
If you are not familiar with the Lakeland Outpouring, then you should become aware of the circumstances surrounding it, and the people involved. It will give you an idea what things would be like if Faytene’s Apostles took over government tomorrow. Anyone who did not accept it was told they were under the influence of demons by Wendy Alec of GodTV. This is the same GodTV that Faytene takes up offerings for. When it was found out that the leader (Todd Bentley) was having an affair, and drinking excessively behind the scenes, they attacked critics even harder and blamed them for Todd Bentley’s errors. In fact, it was the leadership of Rick Joyner and Bill Johnson (a partner with Toronto Airport Church) that aided in Todd getting a quickie divorce from his wife in Nevada, and marrying the girl he was having an affair with, and then returning to ministry with his new wife (dare I mention he also left his children in Canada as well).
Now may I ask, how is it that we want gay marriage illegal, but the same person fighting for it is a part of this group that helped a minister abandon his own marriage, and his kids, and then did everything in their power to make sure he continue being in the spotlight and leading other people? I think someone on this blog mentioned that this minister healed Faytene?
They believe they are true Apostles and Prophets of the end age, and they will accept no criticism and attack anyone who humbly questions anything they say or do. At one of the Cry events, Faytene told people if they left before the 12 hours was up, they were like the foolish virgins who let their lamps run out of oil. That is some dangerous theology, and it makes me wonder what Canada would be like if these people had legistlative power (resisting a Hitler Youth analogy here). It’s hard to imagine because it’s seems so unlikely. However, listen to them carefully. They want to take over and take control of all aspects of society, not influence, take control. The world does not need anymore theocrats enforcing their particular interpretation of doctrine on the rest of the world.
Me Reply #6
As far as burying heads in the sand is concerned, it seems to me Bene Diction Blogs On & those who reply helps get our heads out of the sand.
I’m quite familiar with Lakeland Outpouring
The most saddest part of it all is Todd Bentley’s children
What about them?
How do they feel?
The Bene Diction Blogs On has revealed a good amount about the New Apostolic Reformation that Faytene Kryskow would not like anybody to know.
You might not find her scary but go to Worship Invasion Venue, they are Faytene’s friends.
Tyler Wright is one of the youth leaders and on his face book mentions he knows mixed martial arts, attends 10th Avenue Church on W10th Ave & Ontario is Missionary Alliance.
They’ve infiltrated the Vancouver Salvation Army too starting the War College under Jonathan Evans was helped by Faytene Kryskow, Wes/Stacy Campbell.
Me, you have a point about the NAR taking over persons with heads in the sand.
Above are two examples 10th Ave Church & Salvation Army Vancouver.
Oh, there are others too, all the churches that allow Worship Invasion to have their Venue events have their heads in the sand too.
Hi Rick, Deborah,
I don’t get all the references to this in-house drama of Ontario Conservatives. What strikes me as particularly pathetic about Deborah’s response in the comments is that she sees herself as a moderate and not an extremist Christian. I just read her blog on the BCHRT decision on the Islamophobic article in MacLean’s. It doesn’t take a genius or a leftist to see that Deborah is a racist. I am not sure if Deborah can see her own hatred, ignorance and fear of Islam coming through in the article. Tell me one thing Deborah? What in essence is the difference between Conservative Christianity and Conservative/ Radical Islam? They are both monotheistic, patriarchal and NON-WESTERN religions, if you look at their origins. Jesus was not a white man, in case you failed to notice. Nor were his persecutors Muslims. America finds it convenient to have Jews from Israel, the historical persecutors of Jesus on Holy Land, as its allies. Granted that the jews in Israel today did not descend from the historical Jews of Biblical Times. If we are talking religion, Islam, Judaism, and Chritianity have tried to outdo each other in terms of violence. You mention Jihad as if modern Muslims have nothing better to do today. But how come you forget the Crusades and persecution of witches that were carried out by Christians in the name of Christianity? Christianity is the most bloody religion in the known history of this planet. Think about the billions of native people murdered in America. Think about Africa. So you want to not look at the history of your own religion, but profit from the bloody wealth that Western colonization has created upon the very earth that you walk on, with the full complicity of its handmaiden Christianity. Christianity killed Christ. Not Jews, and certainly not Muslims. And Islam is your scapegoat for a bloody religion? Sorry, you just need to remember that 4 fingers point towards you if you point your finger at someone. There are no Christians in the West who call themselves that who do not have blood on their hands, and that includes people like you and your friend Rick. There simply isn’t a defence for Christianity if you look at the history of colonization in Canada. If you actually understand what happened there, what so-called good Christians did, you would reel with horror and disgust. But only of course, if you choose to look that way. Otherwise, you yourself are still part of that horror, whether you like it or not. You horrify me, not to mention the deep disgust I feel when you can come after centuries of genocide carried out with the assistance of the Chruch and its missioning on indigenous peoples and speak in defense of Christianity. Truth is, you just don’t realize the horror of it and are part of it too. This thing you call Canada is a built on bloodshed. Sounds like news? Your whole life, your whole society, your laws, your freedoms, your democratic institutions, the relationships you have with men and women in your white society, are built on lies, theft, rape and murder of native women and men and children and land and cultures. This is what ACTUALLY happened. Can you even envision the horror of it, truly, in your brain, for a macro-second? No? Well, that wouldn’t surprise me. Most white people have been programmed to go through their lives ignoring the white elephant in the room. I have nothing against you. You are erasing your own history in a way when you erase that of others. All you are left with today is a flimsy identity of white race, christianity, blah blah. Can you point to a location around you where your predecessors have worhipped on this land that’s more than a couple hundred or three hundred years old? Beyond that your own history would be a collective loss to you. You actually lost all your collective past when you traded it for your allegiance to Christianity and the colonial settlement called Canada. Not you personally. Perhaps. But your pioneer ancestors. Whoever they may be. But you cannot miss what you never had. Your ancestors had culturally orphaned you, so to speak, when they decided to colonize a land that wasn’t their own and kill all those who were already on it. You won’t even be able to guage the complexity of your loss of ethos in your lifetime. So in your reduced state, you put to use destructively what you could have used constructively if you had some real history. I am yet to meet a single white Canadian, Christian or Left Wing, who has some sense of connection to a collective past, a past that has not been part of the colonizing project. That’s the pitiable state you are in. Canada is guilty of genocide against indigenous peoples, no less. But it hasn’t left white people in any better shape. It has made all the whites who came to Canada during the colonial period and their progenies ignorant of the uses of history, made them blind to the horror they have created on land that never was theirs and never will be, and reduced their spiritual and emotional faculties drastically. So thats what you need to be thinking about. Your career and your faith put together cannot make you as human as a boy born into the poor quarters in India. No one needs your help, your charity, your freedom and definitely not your missionizing or civilization. How can they need it, when you are unable to help yourself after having all of the above list?
Uddruthi
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