The Mission and Outreach team of the Diocese of Fredericton continued its Christian Forum series with a most timely topic entitled COVID-19, Religious Freedoms & Christian Response.

Dr. Alan Sears, Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Education at the University of New Brunswick, was the speaker, his second time presenting for the diocesan Christian Forum. Alan’s main focus of study and research is citizenship, civic education and the intersection of religion and education.

To help combat the spread of COVID-19, governments worldwide have imposed stringent measures, including limits to public gatherings like religious worship services. Some have seen these rules as violations of their religious rights, and in response, have protested and even engaged in acts of civil disobedience. It is this backdrop that forms the context for Alan’s presentation.

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Read the full article, written by Gisele McKnight and published in the December 2021 edition of the NB Anglican.

“There are many things to be concerned about in this world, but this politics of fear is toxic. It corrupts our empathy,” he said.

Watch the recording of the presentation from October 7, 2021: