This special episode of The Confederation Report, part of the “Early Narratives” sub-series, is made possible by the generous supporters of the Cántaro Institute.

The early decades of the seventeenth century saw the dawning of a new era in Europe’s encounter with the Americas. Colonies were being planted, fur-trading companies established, and kings were eager to stake claims on vast lands across the ocean. For France, the prize of Canada — or New France, as it was called — beckoned with both material wealth and spiritual opportunity. The Jesuits, that powerful missionary arm of the Catholic Church, sent forth men of steely resolve to carry the Christian message into these new frontiers. Among them was Jean de Brébeuf, a Norman priest whose zeal and courage made him one of the most striking figures in early Canadian history.

Opening Words (00:00-00:22)

Jean de Brébeuf (00:22-12:49)

Jean de Brébeuf was born in 1593 in Condé-sur-Vire, a small town in Normandy. France at the time was emerging from the religious wars of the sixteenth century. The Catholic Reformation had taken deep root, and new religious orders such as the Society of Jesus — the Jesuits — embodied a fierce zeal for spreading Catholic teaching both in Europe and abroad, seeking to outcompete what God was doing amongst the protestants. Brébeuf entered this order in his twenties, attracted by its discipline and its devotion to mission. Though part of an order that represented and embodied a distorted Christianity, God would use Him for His glory, demonstrating that God can accomplish His purposes even with a slit of light shining through into the dark.

Closing Words (12:49-13:40)
The Confederation Report, hosted by Steven Martins of the Cántaro Institute, is expanding its uniquely Christian analysis of Canadian news and culture with new historical vignettes and a broadened scope—urging listeners to look to the past with biblical clarity and support the mission at www.cantaroinstitute.org/give

Event Reminder
Join us for the Niagara Conference, All Hail the King: Christ & Government on November 14–15, 2025, in Welland, Ontario, with Rev. Doug Wilson, Dr. Scott Masson, Dr. Michael Wagner, and myself. Register now at cantaroinstitute.org/niagara2025 for early bird rates!

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In this week’s episode of The Confederation Report, Steven R. Martins sits down with Dr. Nathaniel Jeanson—Harvard-trained biologist and author of They Had Names—to discuss his groundbreaking research on the genetic and historical roots of North America’s Indigenous peoples. From the Tower of Babel to the First Nations of Canada, Jeanson challenges prevailing narratives, integrates genetics with biblical history, and opens up new ways of understanding the deep past of the Americas.

Event Reminder
Join us November 14–15, 2025, in Welland, Ontario, for All Hail the King: Christ and Government with Douglas Wilson, Scott Masson, and Michael Wagner. Register now at cantaroinstitute.org/niagara2025 for early bird rates!

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This is The Confederation Report, a weekly analysis of Canadian news and culture from a Biblical worldview.

Excerpt: On the morning of September 10, 2025, a thirty-one-year-old American conservative Christian arrived at the University of Utah to take part in a public debate. He was a husband and father of two young children, known for living unashamed of the Gospel and letting the truth of Christ shape both his public witness and his private life. During the debate, he was assassinated.

Opening Words (00:00-00:35)

Part I: In Memoriam – Charlie Kirk (00:35–10:38)
Kirk’s death was not merely a political assassination; it was an attack on a worldview, on a witness, on a way of life grounded in Scripture and lived out with courage. It was meant as a warning, a silencing, a public spectacle to intimidate others who dare to speak.

Part II: Charlie Kirk's Memorial (10:38–14:53)
On September 21, 2025, nearly 70,000 people gathered at State Farm Stadium in Arizona to honour Charlie Kirk. Many observers noted that the memorial blended patriotic fervor, evangelical language, and deep political passion. Yet at its core—and throughout the event—Christ and His gospel were proclaimed, just as Kirk would have desired.

Did You Know? (14:53–16:24)
St. Jean de Brébeuf (1593–1649) was a French Jesuit missionary who became one of the patron saints of Canada and a towering figure of early New France.

Recommended Resource (16:24–18:08)
This week's recommended resource is The Gospel according to Marx: Stripping Political Rhetoric from the Kingship of Jesus by Joe Owen, Institute associate for biblical cosmology and director of World Outreach with Answers in Genesis.

Pre-order today!: https://www.cantaroinstitute.store/collections/frontpage/products/the-gospel-according-to-marx-stripping-political-rhetoric-from-the-kingship-of-jesus

Closing Words (18:08–18:50)

Event Reminder
Join us November 14–15, 2025, in Welland, Ontario, for All Hail the King: Christ and Government with Douglas Wilson, Scott Masson, and Michael Wagner. Register now at cantaroinstitute.org/niagara2025 for early bird rates!

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In this conversation of The Confederation Report with Doug Wilson, we probe the theme of Christ and Government—clarifying common caricatures while outlining a distinctly Christian vision for national life under Christ’s lordship. We consider how Scripture defines a nation and distinguishes it from empire, how God’s providence orders the rise and fall of peoples, and how believers can engage law, education, and public policy with humility and courage—advocating righteousness while preserving liberty of conscience and refusing coercion.

Event Reminder
Join us November 14–15, 2025, in Welland, Ontario, for All Hail the King: Christ and Government with Douglas Wilson, Scott Masson, and Michael Wagner. Register now at cantaroinstitute.org/niagara2025 for early bird rates!

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For more information, go to cantaroinstitute.org
For books on worldview, philosophy and theology, go to cantaroinstitute.store

This special episode of The Confederation Report, part of the “Early Narratives” sub-series, is made possible by the generous supporters of the Cántaro Institute.

Long before Quebec crowned the cliffs of the St. Lawrence, there was Samuel de Champlain—explorer, cartographer, soldier, diplomat, colonizer, and believer. He was no mere agent of empire, but a man driven by vision: not of gold or fleeting glory, but of a Christendom rooted in the Gospel, built with French resolve, and shared with Indigenous souls. He mapped rivers, forged alliances, and founded Quebec, but above all he labored for what he saw as the higher good of a Christian society. His tragedy lay in confusing the Gospel with French culture, yet his legacy endures as the cartographer with a cross in his compass, the soldier who fought for souls as well as soil, and the founder whose courage gave a nation its spine.

Opening Words (00:00-00:25)

Samuel de Champlain (00:25-11:00)
Samuel de Champlain, explorer and founder of Quebec, was a cartographer with a cross in his compass—driven not by gold or glory but by a vision of a Christian society in the New World.

Closing Words (11:01-12:18)
The Confederation Report, hosted by Steven Martins of the Cántaro Institute, is expanding its uniquely Christian analysis of Canadian news and culture with new historical vignettes and a broadened scope—urging listeners to look to the past with biblical clarity and support the mission at www.cantaroinstitute.org/give

Event Reminder
Join us for the Niagara Conference, All Hail the King: Christ & Government on November 14–15, 2025, in Welland, Ontario, with Rev. Doug Wilson, Dr. Scott Masson, Dr. Michael Wagner, and myself. Register now at cantaroinstitute.org/niagara2025 for early bird rates!

Follow the Cántaro Institute
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For more information, go to cantaroinstitute.org
For books on worldview, philosophy and theology, go to cantaroinstitute.store

In this week’s episode of The Confederation Report, host Steven R. Martins is joined by Jonathan Wellum—CEO and CIO of RockLinc Investment Partners and a seasoned voice in Canada’s financial world—for an in-depth look at the state of our nation’s economy. From debt and deficits to housing, jobs, and trade tensions with the United States, Wellum helps us diagnose the pressures Canadians are facing and what the future may hold. Together, they explore both the challenges and the opportunities before us, asking what it means to navigate financial uncertainty faithfully, with wisdom, prayer, and hope grounded in a biblical worldview.

Event Reminder
Join us November 14–15, 2025, in Welland, Ontario, for All Hail the King: Christ and Government with Douglas Wilson, Scott Masson, and Michael Wagner. Register now at cantaroinstitute.org/niagara2025 for early bird rates!

Follow the Cántaro Institute
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For more information, go to cantaroinstitute.org
For books on worldview, philosophy and theology, go to cantaroinstitute.store

This is The Confederation Report, a weekly analysis of Canadian news and culture from a Biblical worldview.

Excerpt: Canada’s pagan resurgence cannot be dismissed as mere immigration, for beneath the surface lies the deeper task before the church—to proclaim Christ’s lordship over all of life, remain faithful in our small corners, and recover a distinctly Scriptural vision of reality against every form of Oneism.

Opening Words (00:00-00:36)

Part I: Let's Set the Matter Straight (00:36–06:29)
Some argue that Canada is not experiencing a pagan resurgence, but simply the inevitable consequence of mass immigration; yet even if that were true, it does not refute the reality that paganism is on the rise, nor does it excuse the church from its mission to proclaim Christ’s lordship over all of life.

Part II: Be Encouraged (06:29–09:07)
Do not be discouraged, for though we sow in hard soil, Christ—our Dominion King—has already secured the victory, and our task is simply to be faithful in our little corner of the world.

Part III: Revisiting Paganism (09:07–13:00)
Every worldview apart from biblical Christianity is Oneist—collapsing the Creator–creation distinction into sameness—whereas Christianity alone is Twoist, upholding that fundamental truth without which meaning, truth, and life cannot exist.

Did You Know? (13:00–13:53)
In August 1814, British troops set Washington ablaze in retaliation for the burning of York and Niagara, sending President Madison fleeing, Dolley rescuing a portrait of Washington, and leaving the young republic humiliated in one of the War of 1812’s most dramatic moments.

Recommended Resource (13:53–15:38)
This week’s recommended resource is Discovering Dooyeweerd, edited by Danie F. M. Strauss and published by Paideia Press.

Closing Words (15:38–16:19)

Event Reminder
Join us November 14–15, 2025, in Welland, Ontario, for All Hail the King: Christ and Government with Douglas Wilson, Scott Masson, and Michael Wagner. Register now at cantaroinstitute.org/niagara2025 for early bird rates!

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For more information, go to cantaroinstitute.org
For books on worldview, philosophy and theology, go to cantaroinstitute.store

The Confederation Report returns this week with a timely and challenging conversation on Biblically Responsible Investing: On Wall Street as It Is in Heaven. Host Steven Martins is joined by Robert Netzly, CEO and Founder of Inspire Investing and author of the forthcoming book with Canon Press, to discuss how Christians can align their financial stewardship with the Lordship of Christ. Together they explore the theological foundations of investing as an act of worship, the moral pitfalls of treating investments as neutral, and the practical steps believers can take to steward their resources for the glory of God while resisting the cultural tides of Wall Street and Bay Street.

Episode Resources:
Inspire Insight
Inspire Investing

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For more information, go to cantaroinstitute.org
For books on worldview, philosophy and theology, go to cantaroinstitute.store