Posted May 13, 2021 by Michael L. Brown

I have written previously about Rob Hoogland, imprisoned in Canada for breaking a court order not to speak publicly about his teenage daughter’s efforts to transition to male. Before his recent release with the help of a powerful criminal attorney, Hoogland was serving a 6-month sentence, confined alone to his cell 23 hours a day. He was locked up in a high-security prison, one reserved for violent offenders. And yes, this was for talking publicly about the dangerous path his own daughter was taking. What a heinous, ugly example of government overreach.

While in prison, Hoogland received a letter from Parliamentary Member Derek Sloan, which I now reproduce here in full, with my commentary inserted. (When Sloan speaks of the “recent turn of events,” he is referring to the fact that Hoogland thought he had a plea bargain in place, only to receive his harsh prison sentence, along with a substantial fine.)

Sloan wrote, “So sorry to hear about your recent turn of events. The biggest changes come from government overreach like this. You will gain far more notoriety from your public fight for this, and on this issue than if you remained silent.”

Sloan is absolutely right. It takes overreach like this – something this absurd, this unjust, this cruel – to wake up a nation. In fact, sometimes it takes repeated acts like this.

But that is what invariably happens, as those on the wrong side of history overplay their hand.

As for Hoogland gaining notoriety, that may have been the last thing he wanted. On the other hand, act, if he did want to go public and shout this to the nation, I doubt that he planned on ending up in solitary confinement in prison.

As for your average person, the last thing they want is to become the center of hostile media attention. Yet that is a price that must be paid if we want change to come.

Everyday people, just like Rosa Parks, must say, “Enough is enough.” When they do, their non-violent resistance to evil can spark a movement and move a nation.

Sloan continued, “This is a tough time, but know that you are in the hearts of many. I spoke personally with Pastor James Coates who was also in jail this spring [in his case, for holding church services in defiance of the COVID lockdown], and he really wants to reach out to you.

“Your team is busy looking to get you a crack criminal defense lawyer. [Thankfully, they were able to do that very thing, resulting in his temporary release from prison.] This is a low point, but it’s things like this that will cause your plight to spread and the government to eventually break.”

That is a very important word of hope to bring in the midst of darkness and despair, when the loneliness and boredom can seem overwhelming. Standing up for what is right – in this case, standing against his daughter making lifelong, irreversible decisions which are surely beyond her grasp at such a young age – does come with a price. But this father’s grossly unjust treatment at the hands of the courts could be just the rallying call that awakens concerned Christians and people of conscience throughout the country.

Sloan closed with this: “Stay strong, and for now, just focus on getting through this – whatever you have to do. Just stay cool, stay calm, and take one day at a time.

“You’re in all of our prayers.

“‘I look for your deliverance, LORD!’ Genesis 49:18

“God bless.”

Gandhi once said, “Liberty is a dearly bought commodity and prisons are factories where it is manufactured.”

He also said, “I care so deeply about this matter that I'm willing to take on the legal penalties, to sit in this prison cell, to sacrifice my freedom, in order to show you how deeply I care. Because when you see the depth of my concern, and how civil I am in going about this, you're bound to change your mind about me, to abandon your rigid, unjust position, and to let me help you see the truth of my cause.”

May Canada (and America, and other nations) see the truth of our cause. And may we be infused with a spirit of courage and conviction that will not bow down to threat, intimidation, or imprisonment.

That will be the path to lasting, societal change, and the overreach will, once again, backfire. May the Lord hasten it! And may He help all those struggling with the pain of gender-identity confusion.

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Comments

OT posted a comment · May 17, 2021
Who cares who did what, when, and where in the 70s It's in the word and Jesus said it! if normal christian's want to ignore it, discount it, pretend that Jesus didn't mean what He said by saying it and also say it has nothing to do with serving the LORD go for it ! But the term "Born Again" Has Everything to do with seeing the kingdom of God! and everything to do with entering the Kingdom of God! John 3: 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born [a]again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” john 3: 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
Swkh310 posted a comment · May 16, 2021
The term “Born Again” was hijacked by a small group of political hacks in the mid 1970s and successfully used as a marketing tool to amass power, intimidate voters, threaten politicians, and most importantly, make millions. In its current usage, “Born Again” has nothing to do with serving the Lord. We normal Christians are to blame for allowing this blasphemy to run unchecked and unchallenged.
OT posted a comment · May 15, 2021
1 Corinthians 2:14, NIV: "The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit."
OT posted a comment · May 15, 2021
The person who coined the term, however, was not Jerry Falwell or Billy Graham. It was Jesus. He was the one that said, “You must be born again.”........... “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” we all enter this world with a spiritual vacuum . The only one who can fill it is Jesus and when we receive him into our lives by faith, he gives us His Spirit and we are born again. We have a new life. ..... Jesus thank for the gift of your the Holy Spirit!
czarpaul posted a comment · May 14, 2021
Swkh310 say a Republican Congress had passed a law against helping a person transition and Trump had signed it would you be giving the same answer?? OR would you believe in defying such a law???
OT posted a comment · May 13, 2021
That Father did nothing Wrong to land in Jail ! Absolute gov Overreach ! I pray the favor of God be all over Rob Hoogland his family and the people who are not afraid to stand with him! and I call into accountability to God those who have broken trust and and brought about a schism and acted falsely in this Case and I declare the battle belongs to the Lord! I Pray in Jesus name - Amen!
OT posted a comment · May 13, 2021
Apathetic [ ap-uh-thet-ik ] uninterested, indifferent, unconcerned, unmoved.
OT posted a comment · May 13, 2021
EDD - Empathy Deficit Disorder: Simply put, this is a disorder where someone lacks empathy for others. someone unable to put themselves in other people"s shoes !
OT posted a comment · May 13, 2021
VERY SIMPLE: Your ap-uh-thet-ik ... you also Manifest EDD realy thats the depth of your conclusion ! Swkh310 posted a comment · May 13, 2021 Very simple: did he knowingly and willingly break the law? Did he receive a warning? If so, the repercussions are justified.
Swkh310 posted a comment · May 13, 2021
Very simple: did he knowingly and willingly break the law? Did he receive a warning? If so, the repercussions are justified.