Canadians and our Culture

I was attending the CSBS's Spiritual Week session today whereby I heard some pretty good information on sharing our testimony which can lead to sharing the Gospel.  As an evangelical, I believe it to be of the utmost importance to share the Gospel with the lost.  While I may not agree with everything CP (the speaker) said, he has a serious passion for people, and wants desperately for lost people to come to know our Lord.  I cannot blame him for that, and I felt convicted in my own walk and was paying close attention to some of the ideas he presented.  One of the vital aspects of witnessing to people is to know the culture you're in.  While I believe strongly that it is the Gospel message that saves, regardless of culture, I think we can and should look at our surroundings and those in it to understand simple rules and expectations so as to not be caught off guard or insult those we're trying to witness to.  Interesting.
After that, I went for coffee with a friend of mine who is not from Canada.  He had some not-so-nice things to say about Canadians and our culture, which upon reflection, I agree with him.  He said "Canadians are first and foremost a passive-aggressive culture."  Now I don't want to keep any more quotations on my friend's opinions due to my ability to misquote or maybe I missed a nuance or something, but it was clear that my friend is not enamoured with this particular aspect of our national makeup.  Essentially, he claimed we as a nation aren't "straight-shooters".  We are the type of people who will say something supportive and friendly, stab you in the back, and then help stitch you back up...all the while having a smile on our faces.  We are not like Americans who will "tell-it-like-it-is".  We're not openly aggressive, but very subversive in our extreme aggression.  We smile in your face, then hammer you behind your back, never taking responsibility for the very attack, unless caught.  Then we beg for forgiveness.  The church in this nation should be called "Bertuzzi Church".
Ouch.
I have lived in this country my entire life, and come from a family (both close and extended) that are very passive-aggressive in nature.  I used to be a person who would do exactly what my friend described above (much to my shame).  I know of many people that act exactly in this matter (much to their shame).  We are often brave when it comes to social media, or any other type of conflict except the face-to-face kind.  It's there where we smile and pretend all is well.
So how do you share the gospel in a nation of passive-aggressive?  For us at Hill Country Church, we will preach the gospel message.  We will love those that come into our realm of influence.  We will be a light in a dark world, and we will rest in Him, not rest in the let-downs of humanity.  Jesus is the way, and the truth, and the light (John 14:6), and our expectations will be that people will be people, until the Lord changes them from the inside.

Join us this Sunday as we begin our series on the Gospel of John.  Coffee at 10:00, message begins at 10:30, Spray Lakes Sawmills Rec. Centre, Cochrane, AB.