On Canada - US Relations

We have the longest undefended border in the history of the world.

We have a system of free trade that has been envied worldwide.

We freely come and go between our countries, visiting relatives and historical sites.

We even train parts of our military together.

So why can't we stand each other?

Canada-US relations are at an all-time low. The free trade agreement shows signs of dissolving. Protests on Canadian soil against American foreign policy are, if not common, at least unsurprising. Canada's refusal to support both the war in Iraq and the missile defense program has America wondering, "Where did our biggest supporter go?" Canadians harass and ridicule the American's leader. Americans don't know who Canada's leader is. And news programs on both sides of the border speculate that the friendship that has bound us together may be coming to an end.

In the midst of all of this, Christendom in North America is shifting. The more liberal attitudes in the north are becoming apparent, while in the south there are reactions against what many see as "backsliding." The Emerging Church is becoming more and more popular, yet receiving more and more criticism from conservative theologians - most of them seem to be American (or at least the loudest of them are). And here on the Net there are ripples of those changes. Emergent and anti-emergent sites have sprung up, and in my experience the supporters of Emergent have been disproportionately Canadian. That combined with our country's choice to support gay marriage has made some compare Canada to Sweden - we are an "irreligious" country in many eyes. This increases the tensions between us, as the conservative Christian elements in the United States have a very visible presence in the driver's seat.

It seems to me that the problem between us is the same problem you would find in any marriage - a failure to communicate our differences. Here's an example: My wife and I are very different people. I'm a cautious, rational fellow (my comments on Jamie's site not withstanding). She is a quick-thinking, fast-acting woman. Neither of those is better than the other (just to make that very clear in case she wanders by here...). But it caused us no end of grief until we actually sat down and said, "Obviously you don't see the world the way I do. Tell me the way you see things, so I can understand why you act the way you do."

The same thing is necessary for Canada and America. We think differently from each other. We see the world differently. And so we act accordingly - and this confuses the other party. Canadians tend to be more post-modern, with more emphasis on humanitarian interests and less care for power. Americans tend to be more modern, with an emphasis on justice and freedom in the world and less interest in change. I don't think either country has the "right" worldview - there are many things we can learn from each other. But we need to begin by understanding the perspective that the other is coming from. And that, my friends, can begin here.

Well, not HERE. But on the Net. A truly borderless community. We have an opportunity here (which many are taking advantage of) to try and air these differences, undertstand one another, so that in the midst of our diversity we can have unity. And the Emerging Church, with its emphasis on networking different communities of faith, will likely be a big help with that. No matter what our leaders wind up doing, it is my desire that Christians from both our nations can come together in faith and friendship to try and mend the hurts that have been done.

We won't ever be the same. And we will disagree on many, many things. But as long as we're here for each other to offer help like this, we will always be family.