Church and State in Canada [Hardcover]

Albert J. Menendez (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1996

The United States has enjoyed a long and venerable tradition of separation of church and state. But how is this relationship handled in Canada with which we have considerable political, economic, and social ties? This book describes the main contours of how religion and government interact in Canada. While written from the perspective of an American separationist, it reflects the unique traditions that have developed a somewhat different style of church-state relationships in our neighbour to the north. Written to inform U.S. readers, it includes much data from a variety of sources that may not be widely known to many Canadians.Religion's impact on education, law, and politics is the primary focus of the study. Wherever possible, comparisons between the United States and Canadian experiences are discussed so readers can observe how two great democracies have approached the interaction between church and state. This overview will further understanding and increase knowledge on both sides of the border.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 140 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (August 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573920797
• ISBN-13: 978-1573920797
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,424,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Menendez rides rough-shod over the details, October 4, 2009

By 

Sarbo - See all my reviews

This review is from: Church and State in Canada (Hardcover)

In my opinion, Menendez rides rough-shod over the details. I think this is more than just an American bias applied to the Canadian situation. I was okay with the book until I got to Page 81. Page 81 deals with items with which I am personally very familiar.

The name of the former Waterloo Lutheran University, for example, is not "Sir" Wilfrid Laurier University. The word "sir" does not appear on any of the signs at the school, nor on the Masters diploma that I got from it a few years ago. To the best of my knowledge, it is not part of the official name of the school.

More glaring that this, however, is the implication that the school went totally secular with the name change. It did not. Waterloo Lutheran Seminary sits on its property and my degree is in theology. It is the largest and oldest Lutheran Seminary in Canada and should, in my opinion, be listed in Menendez's book.

Another glaring problem on Page 81 is his statement that "Mennonites are underrepresented in Ontario." Menendez apparently does not know the difference between Russian Mennonites and Swiss Mennonites. Ontario is the Canadian home of the Swiss Mennonites. Some of us immigrated north from Pennsylvania in the late 1700s and early 1800s, while others immigrated directly to Ontario from Europe.

The Russian Mennonites originated from such European countries as Holland, and sought religious asylum in Prussia and Russia before immigrating to North and South America from about 1875 to 1925. These two groups of Mennonites are ethnically, culturally, and historically diverse from each other. Very large communities of Russian Mennonites have settled in the American and Canadian West. It is to these that Menendez refers. Much smaller communities of Russian Mennonites exist in Ontario. The Swiss Mennonites, however, have been here a century longer.

Also, Menendez claims (also on Page 81) that "[S]ome rural towns like Kitchener have a Mennonite flavor." First of all, Kitchener is not a "rural town." In 1996 when his book was published, the population of the twin cities of Kitchener-Waterloo was about 250,000 to 300,000. Obviously, this is not a Toronto or New York City or Los Angeles, but "rural town"??? I'm from the farm and I don't think so. As for a "Mennonite flavor"--indicating there's not too many of them around...If one counts the churches in the Yellow Pages of the telephone directory, only the Lutherans have more churches in Kitchener-Waterloo than the Mennonites.

This is why I say he rides rough-shod over the details. Those items may be negligible, and yet, considering that they all come from one page, it's quite a bit. At the same time, he is correct regarding the relationship church schools have with secular universities. For example, while my training took place in a seminary, my certificate says the degree is conferred by the university, which is secular.

Regarding "Mennonites." If he means people with a distinctive dress and lifestyle, then there may be nothing more than a "flavor" in Kitchener-Waterloo because the Mennonites with distinctive dress and lifestyle live mostly in the smaller towns and rural areas. Many of the world's Mennonites have integrated with Western society so far as it concerns dress and lifestyle.

A question I'm asking myself is: If he gets so many things wrong that I know about, is he a reliable enough author to make it worth my time to read the rest of the book?

On the other hand, he uses some reliable sources (such as the historian Mark Noll and census reports) so that his book can't be all bad. It's just done very sloppily.