Tristan Emmanuel
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Tristan Alexander Emmanuel is the founder and President of the Equipping Christians for the Public-square Centre. He was an Orthodox Presbyterian Church minister based in Canada, who changed his Ministerial credentials when he departed from the pastorate. A graduate of both Tyndale University College and Seminary and McMaster University, he served as pastor of the Living Hope Orthodox Presbyterian Church of Vineland, Ontario, until early 2006. He has unsuccessfully campaigned for the Canadian House of Commons and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in a number of elections, as a candidate of the Christian Heritage Party of Canada and the Family Coalition Party of Ontario.
In 2002, Emmanuel made controversial statements by defending and endorsing Franklin Graham's opinion that Islam is "a very evil and wicked religion". He referred to Graham as a "very courageous man", and argued that any home-schooled Christian would have reached the same conclusion. Emmanuel has also criticized George W. Bush and Pope John Paul II for being accepting of Islam and Islamic culture. [1]
He has described gays and lesbians as "sexual deviants," and has vocally opposed same-sex marriage.
In 2003, Emmanuel organized a "Canadians for Bush" rally in the Niagara region, in support of the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Among those participating in the event were former Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day, local Progressive Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament Tim Hudak and provincial cabinet minister Jim Flaherty. Stockwell Day has endorsed Emmanuel, claiming "[w]hether promoting friendship between nations or rallying for family and faith, Tristan has worked diligently to promote conservative causes in Canada."[4]
Emmanuel is the leader of Equipping Christians for the Public Square (ECP), and also works as a business owner in the transportation industry. In 2004, he published Tuns Paul's Jean Chretien: A Legacy of Scandal.
Emmanuel is the author of the book, Christophobia: The Real Reason Behind Hate Crime Legislation, which argues that the rights of religious freedom being lost through new "hate crime" laws that are being used against individuals such as Pastor Stephen Bossison, Dr. Chris Kempling and Calgary Roman Catholic Bishop Fred Henry. He has also written a follow-up book Warned: Canada's Revolution Against Faith, Family and Freedom Threatens America, which argues that left-wing politicians and activist judges are using their status in Canada to now achieve similar results in the United States regarding homosexual marriage, school curriculum, age of consent, and religious freedom.
[edit] Electoral record
- 1995 provincial election, Lincoln, 1,241 votes, fourth out of five candidates (winner: Frank Sheehan, Progressive Conservative)
- federal by-election, June 17, 1996, Hamilton East, 78 votes, ninth out of twelve candidates (winner: Sheila Copps, Liberal)
- 1997 federal election, St. Catharines, 688 votes, fifth out of seven candidates (winner: Walt Lastewka, Liberal)
[edit] Endnotes
- ↑ "Report Magazine", 8 July 2002. (The relevant section has been reprinted online at this right-wing site.)
- ↑ Corey Larocque, "Queenston Heights defended as site for pro-American rally", St. Catharines Standard, 11 April 2003. [5]
