The church is the people

Sadly, recent events regarding St George's Tron in Glasgow (the church where I was christened by Rev Tom Allan) clearly demonstrate the Church of Scotland's determination to continue its dog in the manger attitude towards congregations which wish to secede. Presumably they hope to send out a clear message to the likes of Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, which has recently undergone a similar refurbishment paid for in large part by the congregation. I can only hope that Holyrood, Gilcomston and others send a clear message back to 121 - get back to the Bible or we're off. It is not now just a matter of the denomination's stance on homosexuality which is the problem - it is also the petty, spiteful way in which Presbyteries are acting towards congregations who reject the way the denomination is heading and who want to remain faithful to God's word. Rev David Robertson of the Free Church challenges us, both inside and outside the Church of Scotland, not to sit on the fence. I stand with my brothers and sisters who have been evicted from the Tron and I pray that their witness in Glasgow city centre will continue. The church is the people, not the building.

Here is the church
Here's the steeple
Open the doors
Look - no people!
(from an old children's action rhyme - adapted to suit Glasgow Presbytery)

Free Church abandoning the Westminster Confession?

As an Arminian Baptist, I do not subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith, which is the subordinate standard of most Presbyterian churches, including the Free Church of Scotland, because of its Calvinist standpoint and emphasis on infant baptism. I do, however, agree with its stance on Christ being the head of the church, not the Pope, and its repudiation of the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. It is therefore worrying to see that some Free Church ministers are now abandoning the Westminster Confession (and, it seems, their ordination vows) in favour of ecumenical relations with the Roman Catholic Church. Rev James Maciver, last year's Free Church moderator, joined in an ecumenical watchnight service with the Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic Church in Stornoway in December and was praised for it by Rev Professor Donald Macleod, recently retired Professor of Systematic Theology at the Free Church College in Edinburgh, in his Footnotes article for the West Highland Free Press of 30-12-11. In addition, Rev David Robertson went on air on Radio Scotland in 2010 and welcomed the Pope to Scotland as a 'fellow-christian' which is definitely not how the Pope is described in Chapter XXV of the Westminster Confession.

It seems to me that the Free Church needs to either discipline these men (who are very influential within the denomination) or else come clean and admit that they no longer regard the Westminster Confession of Faith as their confessional document. Then at least we would all know where we stand. Personally I think it is very sad that these ministers should have been so deceived as to forget what the Reformation was about and accept Roman Catholicism as a christian faith. Without the restraining influence of those who left to form the Free Church (Continuing) in 2000 it seems that the Free Church of Scotland is now beginning to go down the same path as the Church of Scotland, albeit 40 years behind. They'll be appointing women elders next.

Dog in the manger

As I said in an earlier post, a denomination is not a denomination when members do not feel that they can freely worship in all churches belonging to that denomination. That is certainly the case now with the Church of Scotland, given that some members still hold to the Bible as being not only the Word of God but our rule for living, while others have decided that they know better than the Bible and can dispense with some (all?) of its teachings. The CofS is now too broad a church to continue in its present form, which is why some congregations and ministers have already left and others are considering doing so. It would be good if the split could happen amicably however it would seem that 121 (George Street - HQ of the CofS) is determined to make it as difficult as possible. They are desperate to hold on to church buildings and manses, with the result that they are going to end up with a lot of empty buildings with no congregations or ministers and no money for the upkeep of said buildings. We have already seen the transformation of empty churches in Edinburgh into pubs and clubs and carpet warehouses over the years. Sadly, it seems that we are going to see a lot more of the same if the CofS continues with its present dog-in-the-manger attitude. It will be a pretty poor witness if Gilcomston South in Aberdeen ends up turning into a pub through the intransigence and pettiness of 121. And does 121 really think that they are going to be able to keep High Hilton going now that the minister, associate minister and a large part of the congregation have left?

The church is the people, not the building, and God will build His church in Scotland regardless of what the leadership of the CofS does, however they will still have to answer for their actions.

'Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows' Galations 6:7 (NIV)

121 speak with forked tongue?

Well, the Church of Scotland has got its knickers in a twist and no mistake. Just before the end of the Scottish Government's consultation, it finally came out and said that the laws on marriage should not be changed to allow same-sex marriage. That must have taken some soul-searching on the part of 121 (George Street – HQ of the church). Given that we already have at least one minister who has been openly living with a same-sex partner in a CofS manse, what this latest pronouncement means is that the CofS has ditched the requirement that sex should be kept only for within marriage. To put it another way, by upholding one part of Scripture, the CofS has effectively denied another. Forked tongue indeed. It will be interesting to see how they slither their way out of this one.....