Gerald Vandezande:
Canada’s Unassuming
Evangelicals have learned some important lessons from the long career of this
Christian social activist n By Ben Volman
On a lovely spring day in 1959,
Gerald and Wynne Vandezande
drove from their home in Sarnia, Ont., across the St. Clair
River toward Grand Rapids, Mich. Jerry
– the name he prefers – knew that Jesus
had to be the centre of his life’s work and
Wynne, his young wife, agreed. Heading
west toward Calvin College and Seminary, they felt ready to answer the call.
Vandezande had come to Canada
in 1950 at age 17 from the
Netherlands. With only a ”There are
high school education and
many pastors,
tireless resolve, he moved
but few people
on from farm work to become a Bank of Montreal
do the things
employee. At night school you do”
he learned cost accounting,
and the bank sent him to
Sarnia. But he met Wynne at the local
Christian Reformed Church and settled
down, becoming a cost accountant at
Ethyl Corporation.
Vandezande had a heart for a
number of causes. One of them was
the struggling Christian labour union
founded by immigrants from Holland.
He saw the need for such an organization to speak for biblical principles and
practices in the workplace.
That day in Michigan, Jerry and
Wynne called on Prof. H. Evan Runner
who taught philosophy at Calvin College.
Vandezande knew and respected Runner
who lectured widely, applying the philosophy of the late Dutch prime minister,
Abraham Kuyper, to current trends. Vandezande appreciated this Kuyperian perspective, which put Christ at the centre of
social life including science and politics.
Runner welcomed them warmly but,
as Jerry and Wynne spoke about preparing for pulpit ministry, Runner expressed
grave doubts. Vandezande’s strong convictions could lead to difficulties with
seminary faculty. Besides, Runner knew
Vandezande’s ability in community
leadership. “There are many pastors,
but few people do the things you do,”
Runner said. And so Jerry and Wynne
reluctantly turned back.
“After that,” Vandezande says, “I
threw myself into Christian
action with gusto.” Indeed,
Runner’s redirection ensured that Vandezande did
not miss his calling. Today
he is a veteran activist internationally renowned for his
work on projects from the
environment to abortion to
pluralism to child poverty. He earned the
Order of Canada, among other honours,
which cited his “powerful and respected
voice for social justice.”
But to understand Vandezande’s importance, just say “Jerry” to his peers.
Brian Stiller of Tyndale University College
in Toronto calls him “a gift to Evangelicals.” John McKay, a long-serving federal
politician from Toronto, says “He cast the
thinking for a generation of Evangelicals
engaged in public life.” Rick Tobias of
Yonge Street Mission says “Gerald Vandezande has done more than anyone to
raise awareness and influence the church
on the issues of poverty and injustice.”
Bob Goudzwaard of the Free University
of Amsterdam regards him as an international giant in applying principles of
current Reformed Christian philosophy.
Faith Today asked Vandezande and
a selection of his friends and colleagues
to state some of the lessons relevant to
Evangelicals today that can be drawn
from his career.
Engage the Wheels of Justice
One of Vandezande’s first guiding values is that Christians must live by scriptural principles, not simply quote the
Bible or preach their beliefs. We must
engage public institutions that are accountable for justice.
The gospel is “a radical message of
grace. It comes with radical demands to
us personally and communally as well
as to our society,” says Vandezande.
He remembers his parents risking their
lives during the Second World War in the
underground alongside Communists and
secularists to harbour Jews and resistance
fighters. He was inspired by preachers
who faced Nazis in the pews and motivated their people to demonstrate genuine
faith in the face of oppression.
This was why he responded to the
trials of the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC). Christians
wanted their own union to avoid being
forced into unions whose principles conflicted with their faith. Initially, the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB)
refused to recognize the CLAC because
membership was strictly for Christians.
But even when CLAC allowed non-Christian members, the OLRB would
not relent. Legal advisers warned that a
court challenge would not succeed.
Vandezande became CLAC’s executive secretary (and first employee) in
1961, uprooting his family to Toronto
and taking a 50 per cent cut in salary.
The CLAC needed legal status to survive but many clergy opposed taking the
