Press Release

January 16, 2006

David Sweet hides his Promise Keeper past

Promise Keeper and Christian Week websites scrubbed

From 1998 to 2004, Hamilton area Conservative candidate David Sweet was the President of Promise Keepers Canada, the Canadian arm of the U.S.-based evangelical Christian organization. He stepped down January 31, 2004, in order to run in the last federal election. (See (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/mini/CTVNews/1085788459181_81197659?s_name=election2004&no_ads).

This election, Mr. Sweet has erased all evidence of his past affiliation with Promise Keepers. There is no mention of them on his campaign website. The Promise Keepers Canada website has also been scrubbed clean of Mr. Sweet. Even the Christian Week website has been scrubbed.

“It seems that Mr. Sweet has gone to great trouble to hide his past,” said Laurie Arron, Egale’s Director of Advocacy. “For example, he’s said that women are natural followers. It wasn’t easy to track this down. An article in Christian Week in which he said this was removed from that website. Luckily, Google has cached a copy of it.”

According to the Promise Keepers Canada website, the Theme of Promise Keepers is “To be our ‘Brothers Keeper’” and their Quest is to “proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and make disciples.” The FAQ page says that homosexuality “is a sin” and “those in the womb are some of the most defenseless of all human beings.” (See http://www.promisekeepers.ca/content/corevalues.)

“It’s understandable that Mr. Sweet wouldn’t want voters to know his anti-gay views, let alone his views about women,” added Mr. Arron. “However, the public has a right to know.”

Some Quotes:

“[M]en are natural influencers, whether we like it or not. There’s a particular reason why Jesus called men only. It’s not that women aren’t co-participators. It’s because Jesus knew women would naturally follow.” David Sweet, in Christian Week, November 27th, 2001 (see http://72.14.207.104/u/ChristianWeek?q=cache:XZFwLynLeE8J:christianweek.org/Stories/vol15/no16/story4.html)

Promise Keepers do not encourage a relationship of equals in a marriage. Rather, they call for men to “take” their role as the leader in the family. Promise Keeper Tony Evans stated “I am not suggesting that you ask for your role back, I am urging you to take it back. There can be no compromise here.” (See www.now.org/issues/right/promise/mythfact.html)

A young woman at a “Chosen Women” Rally, a female counterpart to the all-male Promise Keepers, stated “Our job is to submit to our teachers and our Professors...even if we know they are wrong. It is then in God’s hands.” PK expects women to submit not only in their homes but also in the secular world of the classroom and workplace. (See www.now.org/issues/right/promise/mythfact.html)

PK U.S. founder Bill McCartney was instrumental in passing Colorado’s anti-lesbian and gay Amendment 2, which was so extreme that it was later ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. He has referred to homosexuality as “an abomination of Almighty God”. McCartney has also been a featured speaker at rallies of Operation Rescue, an anti-choice group (http://www.operationrescue.org). (See http://reg.dailycamera.com/bdc/web/loginForm?from=www.dailycamera.com/bdc/opinion_columnists/%20article/0,1713,BDC_2490_3719255,00.html)

Many of the well-financed leaders of the religious right publicly support the PK ministry, such as Jerry Falwell and James Dobson of Focus on the Family. Dobson speaks at PK conferences and contributes articles to the group’s books and magazine. James Dobson, whose Focus on the Family organization is one of the largest religious right entities in the country, bankrolled PK in its early days. He has also lent a substantial number of staff to the Promise Keepers. (See www.now.org/issues/right/promise/mythfact.html)

“Promise Keepers is a Christ-centered organization dedicated to introducing men to Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord; and then helping them to grow as Christians. This is mainly accomplished through our Seven Promises and our men’s conference ministry. Millions of men have participated since 1990 when PK first began.” (See http://www.promisekeepers.org/core10)

A survey released November 29 by CBC and Environics found that two-thirds of Canadians say the issue of same-sex marriage is settled and should not be addressed again.

Egale Canada advances equality and justice for LGBT people, and their families, across Canada. Founded in 1986, Egale’s work includes political action, legal interventions and public education and awareness.

For more information:
Laurie Arron, 416 839-7178

See also: Egale's Candidate information on David Sweet

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Advancing equality and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans-identified people and their families across Canada