This past week, Bill-C4 has become law in Canada. It is now a criminal offense to advertise, promote, or engage in conversion therapy.
What is conversion therapy? The law states, “conversion therapy means a practice, treatment or service designed to
(a) change a person’s sexual orientation to heterosexual;
(b) change a person’s gender identity to cisgender;
(c) change a person’s gender expression so that it conforms to the sex assigned to the person at birth;
(d) repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behaviour;
(e) repress a person’s non-cisgender gender identity; or
(f) repress or reduce a person’s gender expression that does not conform to the sex assigned to the person at birth.
For greater certainty, this definition does not include a practice, treatment or service that relates to the exploration or development of an integrated personal identity--such as a practice, treatment or service that relates to a person’s gender transition--and that is not based on an assumption that a particular sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression is to be preferred over another.”
From the preamble it states, “Whereas conversion therapy causes harm to society because, among other things, it is based on and propagates myths and stereotypes about sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, including the myth that heterosexuality, cisgender gender identity, and gender expression that conforms to the sex assigned to a person at birth are to be preferred over other sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.”
What should Christians think about this law?
1. It’s unnecessary. The oft-cited practices like coercive treatments, shock therapy, and so forth are already criminal practices.
2. It’s calling good evil and evil good. The preamble states, “Whereas conversion therapy causes harm to the persons who are subjected to it.” Yet, it promotes a type of conversion that uses puberty blockers, surgeries to remove breasts and other sexual organs, hormone treatments, and truly harmful mental confusion that is manifest in exorbitant suicide rates.
3. It’s discriminatory. It prevents a consenting person from seeking biblical counsel. It is clearly one-way. It bans repentance for certain people.
4. It’s defamatory. It defames the name of God, relegates his word to a myth and the obvious testimony of nature as a mere stereotype. It relegates the beauty of sexuality, manhood, and womanhood as social constructs rather than creational norms.
What should Christians, churches, parents, counselors do about this law?
It remains to be seen what the government will do with this, but we should continue to do what we’ve always been doing. Like Joshua said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
If anyone struggling with same-sex attraction, gender dysphoria, or any other sexual sin, they will find truth here. We will hold to the reality that “God made them male and female” (Genesis 1:27). We will hold to the reality that your gender matches your biology at birth. We will only affirm that sex is reserved for one man and one woman in the covenant of marriage and that all other sexual activities are sinful.
Of course these kinds of sexual sins are not the only sins, but they are sins that call for repentance and with it the promise that Jesus forgives through his work on the cross. The power of true conversion is seen when we recognize that not only does the gospel save us from the penalty of sin but also its power.
Jesus promises to change us. The words of 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 contain a warning of judgment and a promise of grace, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
We will promote this gospel of forgiveness and sanctification. We will call sinners-all sinners-to repentance and faith in Christ. We will affirm at all times the norms of creation and the exclusive truth of God’s word in Christ and call people to conform to God’s law. We will help sinners see and live this truth. We will never turn anyone away. We won’t be silent. We’ll give biblical counsel on gender and sexuality to all who will hear. This is your invitation to hear of Christ, know his truth, and be saved.
Tim Stephens
