Ken Campbell (evangelist)
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Livingstone Campbell (January 15, 1934 - August 28, 2006) was a Canadian fundamentalist Baptist
evangelist
and political figure. He was the final leader of the Social Credit Party of Canada
from 1990 to 1993.
area in the 1970s as a crusader against homosexuals
and abortion
rights, founding "Renaissance Canada" in 1974 to promote his views, particularly in education. He held frequent rallies against gay rights and regularly took out full page ads in newspapers, campaigning against the "homosexual agenda" and "secular humanism
". Many such ads were printed following court decisions on gay rights, such as the 1998 Supreme Court
ruling in Vriend v. Alberta
. In 1979 outside the Toronto mayor's office, Campbell organized a protest rally against the gay publication The Body Politic (magazine) alongside Christian television talk-show host David Mainse
in response to an article it had published by Gerald Hannon in the December 1977/January 1978 issue (reprinted in March/April 1979) entitled "Men Loving Boys Loving Men." http://www.clga.ca/Material/Records/docs/hannon/ox/chronos.htm. While being interviewed by the media during the rally, Campbell stated, "when a group advocates the molestation of children one has to question the social constructive nature of the whole cause they represent." In 1980, Campbell published a book entitled No Small Stir: A Spiritual Strategy For Salting and Saving A Secular Society, with a forward from Jerry Falwell
.
, which included the centre of Toronto's gay community clustered around Church and Wellesley
streets. In 1984, following the acquittal of Dr. Henry Morgentaler
, he founded a group called Choose Life Canada which picketed abortion clinics in Toronto and other Ontario cities. On one occasion, he attempted to conduct a "citizen's arrest" against provincial Attorney General Ian Scott, after Scott refused to shut down an abortion clinic run by Morgentaler . Campbell later ran against Scott in St. George—St. David as a candidate of the Family Coalition Party
in the 1990 provincial election
. He campaigned as a fringe candidate for Mayor of Toronto the following year, but urged voters to support June Rowlands
rather than himself to prevent Jack Layton
from winning.
He once ran for mayor of Milton, Ontario
against long-time mayor Gordon Krantz to protest having to pay the education portion of his municipal property taxes. Campbell refused to pay on the basis that he disagreed with the school curriculum.
Campbell sent Krantz a letter during the campaign, saying that if he were elected, he would be too busy to be mayor so he would "deputize" Krantz and have him do the job.
Campbell took over the near-moribund Social Credit Party of Canada
in 1990, and ran in a by-election
in Oshawa
. He placed eighth, with 96 votes. He renamed the party the "Christian Freedom Social Credit Party" and later the "Christian Freedom Party", but it was unable to run 50 candidates in the 1993 election
, and was deregistered by Elections Canada
. As a result, Campbell was forced to run as an independent, finishing last in a field of six candidates in Oakville
. He ran a final time, again as an independent, in a 1996 federal by-election in Hamilton East, finishing in fifth place with 287 votes.
After being deregistered, the party continued as an incorporated non-profit entity known as the "Social Credit Party of Canada, Incorporated". Campbell occasionally used it as a podium for his political activities in order to preserve his church's status as a religious charity.
evangelical radio show on CJMR in Mississauga. In 1999, he protested a same-sex wedding ceremony at Brent Hawkes
's Metropolitan Community Church
. Around 2000, while recovering from prostate cancer
, Campbell moved himself and his ministry from Ontario to the interior of British Columbia
.
In 2003, Campbell declared that Toronto's SARS epidemic would cease when the city ended its Gay Pride Parade
(which he described as an "AIDS Parade").
He died August 28, 2006, in palliative care in a Delta, British Columbia hospital.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
and political figure. He was the final leader of the Social Credit Party of Canada
Social Credit Party of Canada
The Social Credit Party of Canada was a conservative-populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform...
from 1990 to 1993.
Opposition to abortion and homosexuality
He became prominent in the TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
area in the 1970s as a crusader against homosexuals
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
and abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
rights, founding "Renaissance Canada" in 1974 to promote his views, particularly in education. He held frequent rallies against gay rights and regularly took out full page ads in newspapers, campaigning against the "homosexual agenda" and "secular humanism
Secular humanism
Secular Humanism, alternatively known as Humanism , is a secular philosophy that embraces human reason, ethics, justice, and the search for human fulfillment...
". Many such ads were printed following court decisions on gay rights, such as the 1998 Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
ruling in Vriend v. Alberta
Delwin Vriend
Delwin Vriend is a Canadian who was at the center of a landmark provincial and federal legal case, Vriend v. Alberta, concerning the inclusion of sexual orientation as a protected human right in Canada.-Early life:...
. In 1979 outside the Toronto mayor's office, Campbell organized a protest rally against the gay publication The Body Politic (magazine) alongside Christian television talk-show host David Mainse
David Mainse
David Mainse is a Canadian televangelist and evangelical Christian leader.Born in August 1936 in Campbell's Bay, Quebec, and raised in a rural area near Ottawa, Ontario, Mainse was highly influenced by his father, Roy Lake Mainse who worked as a missionary in Egypt, as well as a Holiness Movement...
in response to an article it had published by Gerald Hannon in the December 1977/January 1978 issue (reprinted in March/April 1979) entitled "Men Loving Boys Loving Men." http://www.clga.ca/Material/Records/docs/hannon/ox/chronos.htm. While being interviewed by the media during the rally, Campbell stated, "when a group advocates the molestation of children one has to question the social constructive nature of the whole cause they represent." In 1980, Campbell published a book entitled No Small Stir: A Spiritual Strategy For Salting and Saving A Secular Society, with a forward from Jerry Falwell
Jerry Falwell
Jerry Lamon Falwell, Sr. was an evangelical fundamentalist Southern Baptist pastor, televangelist, and a conservative commentator from the United States. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch in Lynchburg, Virginia...
.
Politician
Campbell ran in elections at all levels in the 1980s and 1990s, particularly in the provincial riding of St. George—St. DavidSt. George—St. David
St. George—St. David was a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that returned Members of Provincial Parliament to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario at Queen's Park....
, which included the centre of Toronto's gay community clustered around Church and Wellesley
Church and Wellesley
Church and Wellesley is an LGBT-oriented community located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is roughly bounded by Gerrard Street to the south, Yonge Street to the west, Charles Street to the north, and Jarvis Street to the east, with the core commercial strip located along Church Street from...
streets. In 1984, following the acquittal of Dr. Henry Morgentaler
Henry Morgentaler
Henry Morgentaler, CM is a Canadian physician and prominent pro-choice advocate who has fought numerous legal battles for that cause.-Early life:...
, he founded a group called Choose Life Canada which picketed abortion clinics in Toronto and other Ontario cities. On one occasion, he attempted to conduct a "citizen's arrest" against provincial Attorney General Ian Scott, after Scott refused to shut down an abortion clinic run by Morgentaler . Campbell later ran against Scott in St. George—St. David as a candidate of the Family Coalition Party
Family Coalition Party of Ontario
The Family Coalition Party is a small political party in Ontario, Canada that promotes a socially conservative ideology. It was formed in 1987 by members of the pro-life organization Campaign Life Coalition, and has fielded candidates in every provincial election since then...
in the 1990 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1990
The Ontario general election of 1990 was held on September 6, 1990, to elect members of the 35th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada....
. He campaigned as a fringe candidate for Mayor of Toronto the following year, but urged voters to support June Rowlands
June Rowlands
June Rowlands was the 60th mayor of Toronto, Ontario, and the first woman to hold that office. She had previously been a long time city councillor, unsuccessful federal candidate, and chair of the Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission....
rather than himself to prevent Jack Layton
Jack Layton
John Gilbert "Jack" Layton, PC was a Canadian social democratic politician and the Leader of the Official Opposition. He was the leader of the New Democratic Party from 2003 to 2011, and previously sat on Toronto City Council, serving at times during that period as acting mayor and deputy mayor of...
from winning.
He once ran for mayor of Milton, Ontario
Milton, Ontario
Milton is a town in Southern Ontario, Canada, and part of the Halton Region in the Greater Toronto Area. Milton received a tremendous amount of awareness following the release of the results of the 2006 Census, which indicated that Milton is the fastest growing municipality in the Greater Golden...
against long-time mayor Gordon Krantz to protest having to pay the education portion of his municipal property taxes. Campbell refused to pay on the basis that he disagreed with the school curriculum.
Campbell sent Krantz a letter during the campaign, saying that if he were elected, he would be too busy to be mayor so he would "deputize" Krantz and have him do the job.
Campbell took over the near-moribund Social Credit Party of Canada
Social Credit Party of Canada
The Social Credit Party of Canada was a conservative-populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform...
in 1990, and ran in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in Oshawa
Oshawa (electoral district)
Oshawa is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968....
. He placed eighth, with 96 votes. He renamed the party the "Christian Freedom Social Credit Party" and later the "Christian Freedom Party", but it was unable to run 50 candidates in the 1993 election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
, and was deregistered by Elections Canada
Elections Canada
Elections Canada is an independent, non-partisan agency reporting directly to the Parliament of Canada. Its ongoing responsibility is to ensure that Canadians can exercise their choices in federal elections and referenda through an open and impartial process...
. As a result, Campbell was forced to run as an independent, finishing last in a field of six candidates in Oakville
Oakville (electoral district)
Oakville is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997.-History:It was created in 1996 from parts of Halton and Oakville—Milton ridings....
. He ran a final time, again as an independent, in a 1996 federal by-election in Hamilton East, finishing in fifth place with 287 votes.
After being deregistered, the party continued as an incorporated non-profit entity known as the "Social Credit Party of Canada, Incorporated". Campbell occasionally used it as a podium for his political activities in order to preserve his church's status as a religious charity.
Life after politics
On June 12, 1999, Ken Campbell presented a workshop at the Media Ministry Conference held in conjunction with Tyndale University College & Seminary's Tyndale Arts, Media and Music Conference in Toronto, Ontario. For a number of years, Campbell hosted a daily ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
evangelical radio show on CJMR in Mississauga. In 1999, he protested a same-sex wedding ceremony at Brent Hawkes
Brent Hawkes
Brent Hawkes, is a Canadian clergyman. Since 1977, he has served as senior pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto for LGBT parishioners, and is one of Canada's leading gay rights activists....
's Metropolitan Community Church
Metropolitan Community Church
The Metropolitan Community Church or The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches is an international Protestant Christian denomination...
. Around 2000, while recovering from prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
, Campbell moved himself and his ministry from Ontario to the interior of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
In 2003, Campbell declared that Toronto's SARS epidemic would cease when the city ended its Gay Pride Parade
Pride Week (Toronto)
Pride Week is a ten-day event held in Toronto, Canada, during the end of June each year. It is a celebration of the diversity of the LGBT community in the Greater Toronto Area. It is one of the largest organized gay pride festivals in the world, featuring several stages with live performers and...
(which he described as an "AIDS Parade").
He died August 28, 2006, in palliative care in a Delta, British Columbia hospital.