As many of you may be aware, the Canadian government recently told MacGregor Ministries (BC) that the government was stripping them of their non-profit status as a ministry. This past week we received MacGregor’s newsletter, in which Lorri McGregor stated:
I received an early birthday present from our Canadian Government, namely notice of MacGregor Ministries official revocation as a Charity on April 21, 2008. . . . MacGregor Ministries is truly “over” as a Canadian Charity.
We now have a one-year period to dispose of all our assets with proceeds then being taxed 100% by the Canadian Government, or gifted to a Canadian Charity they consider “qualified.” MacGregor Ministries will be reduced to a big zero financially in the end.
Thirty years of dedicated volunteer ministry to our God – trashed and deemed to be of no value, by a Government with no concept of what the gospel is. We were told we were “uncharitable” and our outreaches, “hate.” Thank God there is a higher judge who deals in truth and mercy.
What has just happened in Canada will almost for sure happen in America too. We believe that very soon, non-profit ministries will be required to follow certain strict guidelines to maintain their non-profit status. We believe some of these guidelines will include no negative talk or writing about the homosexual lifestyle and no public statements that say Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. These kinds of statements will be considered “uncharitable” and fall within the “hate” crime laws.
Basically, if this does happen, churches and Christian organizations will have to either become state run institutions or will have to leave their non-profit status behind and operate without that benefit. However, a government could make this a very costly change if all assets gained during the ministry years had to be eradicated.
On the MacGregor website, Lorri states:
The Canadian Government has made it impossible for us to continue as a Christian Charity and not compromise our faith. They have shut down some 2,500 charities already over the past year for various reasons. The government no longer allows critiques of other faiths, even if done fairly and documented thoroughly. Freedom of speech guaranteed under our Charter in Canada does not extend to charities I was bluntly told.
