Relationships built across differences empower public justice
Recent legislative proposals, federal and provincial, will negatively impact religious freedom. These are prompting increased collaboration among diverse religious communities.
These interactions are possible because of a long history of building respectful relationships despite deep theological differences.
Such relationship building does not involve compromising our deeply held commitments. Quite the opposite – it is only fruitful when informed and guided by our respective beliefs and commitments.
A Christian rationale for this can draw on Luke 10 where Jesus sent His disciples out to surrounding villages and towns.
His instructions were simple – Come in peace, have fellowship, respond to the needs of those you meet, and announce that the Kingdom of God has come near.
Where there is healing, resolution, restoration, reconciliation and just solutions, people experience in part the coming Kingdom of God.
Peace animated by respect, hospitality animated by curiosity, and collaboration animated by the public good are critically important principles. In a society of deep differences, they open doors to conversation and collaboration. They do not erase disagreement. Rather, they create conditions where disagreement can be navigated well.
ILLUSTRATION: ANDANIA HUMAIRA
Civility collapses quickly when people feel objectified, mocked or when deeply held beliefs are muzzled.
I serve on the Interfaith Committee for Canadian Military Chaplaincy and on the Canadian Interfaith Conversation. On different issues I have stood beside Catholic bishops, imams and rabbis at press conferences – moments that would have been impossible without established relationships formed long before the microphones are turned on.
These relationships show how we can practise the three principles.
Peace animated by respect. Jesus taught that His disciples should take a peace-first posture. “If a person of peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you” (Luke 10:6). Are we seen as approachable peacemakers or angry combatants who silence conversation before it begins?
Peace-first communication demands discipline. It means rejecting caricature, allowing each to speak for themselves and placing a guard on the tongue. Civility collapses quickly when people feel objectified, mocked or when deeply held beliefs are muzzled. Respect insists on affirming the dignity of all – that every person is of immeasurable worth having been made in the image of God and cannot be treated as an instrument, obstruction or stereotype.
A pluralist democracy depends on two pillars – freedom of conscience and mutual respect. Freedom of conscience assumes citizens will interpret the good life differently. They will diverge on priorities, definitions of flourishing, moral frameworks and religious convictions. Mutual respect ensures that while beliefs differ, persons are not de-personalized and silenced when we disagree with their conclusions.
Hospitality animated by curiosity. While respect opens the door, hospitality invites us across the threshold into conversation, perhaps over coffee or juice – even a meal. Not superficial small talk but genuine curiosity: What has formed you? What do you believe? What burdens you? What do you seek?
Curiosity humanizes. It allows aspirations and fears to surface safely – and may identify items for prayer and desired healing.
Hospitality strengthens trust. Shared stories nurture empathy, reveal surprising intersections and foster space to disagree well in ways that assure mutual safety rather than amplify threats.
Collaboration animated by the public good. After disciples extend peace and share hospitality, Jesus calls them to heal, to relieve suffering. In public leadership, healing may look like helping a neighbour connect to resources, offering prayer or helping another resolve a dilemma.
In politics, healing becomes the work of finding common ground, seeking justice, sequencing reforms wisely, protecting dissenters from an unjust disproportionate burden, explaining social and financial consequences honestly, and seeking resolutions that preserve participation rather than fracture belonging.
Silence is the counterfeit of peace. Avoiding honest speech to prevent tension breeds confusion, camouflages difference and allows consent to be assumed where no consent was given.
Ultimately civility is not sentimental softness. It is self-control and forbearance in service of shared life, expressed with integrity, truth, gentleness and respect.
Blessed are the peacemakers.
Bruce J. Clemenger is senior ambassador and president emeritus of The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. Illustration of ladder by Andania Humaira.