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Colin
23 August 2009
Scotland and the rest of the world
Well I suppose only the future will tell whether the defining moment in the last week marks a fundamental change on how the world relates to Scotland and how Scotland relates to the world.
The decision by the Nationalist-led Scottish government to release Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi who was tried and convicted over the bringing down, in December 1988, of a Pan Am 747 over the town of Lockerbie in the south-west of Scotland has sparked huge reactions in Scotland, the UK and around the world. It is tempting to say that things – however we define the term – will never be quite the same again.
Who would have dreamed that this last week would have seen the Saltire – Scotland's national flag – waved jubilantly in an Arab country and yet figuratively-speaking being burnt on the White House lawn in Washington? Yet the bombing of flight Pan Am flight 103 which killed 259 passangers and aircrew and 11 people on the ground was itself a retaliation against a US Airforce bombing attack on Tripoli in 1986.
Following provocative incidents in the Meditteranean involving Libyian forces and an American aircraft carrier, the US launched a bombing raid on the Libyian capital by US aircraft based on RAF airfields of which the United States Airforce (USAF) took up occupancy after 1945.
In this historical context it would not normally be thought that Scotland (as part of the UK) would be Colonel Gadaffi's favourite nation. But things change; and some things, though often rooted in a long history, can change very quickly and dramatically.
The collapse of the banking system last year saw European political leaders scrambling to save their national banking institutions. And as Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond jumped on the first plane to the Gulf at that time it is not inconceivable that he (and his administration) see alliances with the oil-rich countries as a safer bet for long-term financial health and stability than the mightly US dollar.
But of course he who pays the piper calls the tune, and it would be naive to think that any financial assistance comes without strings. Of course all the wheeling and dealing is done behind closed doors (or in the privacy of a bedouin tent somewhere in North Africa) but time will no doubt tell regarding who is truly running Scotland.
Mayer Amschel Rothschild said: "Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws." Of course he the mogul wasn't saying that he didn't care about legislation, but merely indicating that the power to influence it and everything else lay in controlling the economics.
And as former US President Bill Clinton put it: "It's the economy, stupid."
The sheikdoms know all of that. And in this case we are talking about Sharia law.
15 August 2009
Here in the North of Scotland the schools are preparing to re-open for the forthcoming academic year (August - June) and the berries on the Rowan Trees are well and truly red. So the summer season is drawing to a close. However, having said that, we can sometimes get an 'Indian summer' into September. There's an expression in this part of the world: "If you don't like the (prevailing) weather, then hang around for about 10 minutes and it is sure to change."
A canine metaphor
The Terriers' Race at Moy Fair
 Just to give the wider Christians Together membership an idea of summer in the north of Sotland, two weeks ago we had a couple of summer gatherings in my local area. One was an largish agricultural affair (the Black Isle Show) with fairground and the other (held on a country estate) was more centred around game sports (fishing, shooting, hunting, etc.). The latter is called Moy Highland Field Sports Fair and the two of us went along this year.
Towards the end of the day there is an highly amusing event on the programme - the Terriers Race. This is a scaled-down version of greyhound racing and the 'track' is just the length of the main arena (field). a smaller version of greyhound racing, but it a straight line and with small terrier dogs. For those who have never seen any of those, it is extremely 'random' in terms of how the terriers behave once they are set loose. Some chase the false rabbit (the latter dragged down the field attached to a piece of chord which is wound around (and up) by the rear tyre-less wheel of an up-ended bicycle. (The faster the terriers run, the faster the pedals have to be (hand-) turned in order for the 'rabbit' to maintain a lead.
It's all rather hilarious. Some of the terriers chase the rabbit some fight with each other, some run in the opposite direction, some disappear into the crowd whilst others just don’t seem to bother doing anything much at all. (If the lead terrier does manage to catch the ‘rabbit’, the job of catching the terrier and then extracting the ‘rabbit’ from the dog’s grip brings an added frisson of excitement and expectation.)
And on a much more weighty matter the diversity of responses of the little dogs at Moy is a metaphor for the variety of responses within the Church of Scotland to the current upset. (I stress that I am not, in 'weighting' terms comparing the amusing canine cavortings to that of the serious matter in the Kirk, but just making the point that there is no clear single collective response in both of these situations.)
A significant move
With the 'moratorium' on public comment which the Church of Scotland has applied to itself on the issue of human sexuality the media have nowhere to go when a piece of news breaks – as it does from time to time. Since I last posted on this blog I had both the Inverness Courier (city) newspaper and BBC Radio Highland call me for comment. (Both media outlets carried selected parts of what I said – fairly in the main.)
The context of these calls is/was a story published in the Glasgow Herald (Scottish national daily) about a number of churches (35) around Scotland (with around half of them in the Highlands and Islands) which have affirmed to their respective congregations and anyone else who would like to know that they stand with a ‘covenant’ (faith statement) written and adopted by the Fellowship of Confessing Churches.
In making a clear statement of belief the churches concerned are, as far as these congregations are concerned, bringing a clarity to a confused situation and exercising a clear biblical leadership through the process.
However, it is not altogether clear where all this will lead as the FCC document contains a very clear and strong rebuttal of un-biblical leadership. Section 9 states:
"We reject the authority of those who have denied the
orthodox faith in word or deed. We pray for them and
call on them to repent and return to the Lord."
Mere realignment won't do..
However, this crisis has been a long time coming and no mere 'presbyterian realignment' is going to cure it (as Scottish church history testifies). What the current difficulties – but not just the current sexuality debate – are producing is a manifestation of the basically un-biblical way in which our churches are structured and run.
The three main forms of church polity are congregational (democratic; one member, one vote), episcopal (hierarchical rule) and presbyterian (in theory plural leadership; in practice often something less).
'Solutions' based on personal situations rather than corporate needs
For ministers in the latter two set ups, their support base is not the local church but rather the denomination and this dependency mindset tends to produce 'solutions' which are predicated on the needs of leaders rather than (essentially) those of the Gospel, the Kingdom and the whole body of Christ. And - at a congregational level - this boils down to the responses by a single person. In presbyterian the minister figure is sometimes referred to as the 'first amongst equals' ('primus inter pares').
But the difficulty for a lone clergyperson is that he (or nowadays often 'she') can often be functioning with a very 'mixed-bag' of elders many of whom may have been appointed - for life, and perhaps for the wrong reasons - before the present minister arrived. (And some of these elders can have substantial 'power-bases' in congregations and/or the local community.
The narrow way is seldom easy
So it is not easy; but Christ never suggested it would be. However if we were to order our gatherings in a biblical fashion we (the priesthood of all believers) would not be having to face many of the issues that currently perplex us and drain the body of Christ of vitality. (One significant township/population centre in the Highlands has several churches but not a single minister/pastor. What a tremendous opportunity for the saints there to exercise the giftings that God has given them.)
The main error to avoid (in any situation) is having our responses shaped by prevailing worldly mindsets. How many church projects are schemes are developed on the basis of whether or not it is affordable, pleasing, status-enhancing, pressing, etc. rather than on a prayerful sense of it 'seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us'.
The life of faith is about discerning the will of God (under God and not by the foolishness of our own thinking) and then ordering our steps in the path(s) He sets before us. The enemy speaks fear, doubt, anxiety but these emotions are not from the good shepherd. What to fear - in any situation - is to go forward in our own strengths and wisdom thinking that God's promises will be available to us when we are walking in what is essentially our ways and not His.
Conversaly of course a life that is based on 'faith' rather than 'sight' is a life into which God can and will pour all his blessings and support. The question for every single believer is: "What is the Lord saying to me 'Spirit to spirit'; and how am I going to respond?" The choice is ever before us.
01 August 2009
As Scottish Christians return from their holidays news is coming in of forthcoming events in the Highlands and Islands.
New pastor for Beauly church
Following the recent planting of a new Christian fellowship in Beauly (15 miles north of Inverness), the now-named Beauly Baptist Church has a full time pastor; and Christian musician John Wilson is taking part in a Music Ministry Concert in Beauly this Friday.
Shelter for the Homeless
Meanwhile, the Inverness Shelter for the Homeless pilot project is hoping to run an expanded service this coming winter. However the cost of running the service will need to reduce markedly from that involved in running the pilot scheme with Bethany Trust. Vivian Roden outlines the situation.
Hebridean politics
In the Hebrides the interest in influencing local politics will probably continue following the (very significant) introduction of a Sunday ferry service and the differing but deeply-held views across the community and church/secular divide. If a candidate is to stand in future elections, he/she would probably do better as an independent; and would need strong support from across the different denominations (no small thing to accomplish).
Some recent press reports are worth a read - CalMac causes upset at Ullapool; Demand high for isles Sunday ferry; a Stornoway columnist gives a humour take on a serious issue which affects community and family relationships.
Tent-based Gospel mission
Following on from the Luis Palau 'Highland Festival', Perth-based People With a Mission Ministries are planning to run another Gospel Outreach in Inverness this year; again in conjunction with some of the local churches. Similar events were run in the Bught Park in 2007 and 2008.
The tent-based outreach is backed up by a team manning a high-tech 'Challenger' bus which is geared up as a mobile outreach facility. In July the Challenger bus visited Skye, Harris, Lewis, Ullapool and Cromarty. The coach is due to be in Inverness from Tuesday 21 to Thursday 23 August.
Church of Scotland situation
Although the summer holiday period tends to produce a 'lull' the sad situation regarding the Church of Scotland's decision to allow the appointment of an openly-gay minister to an Aberdeen church is continuing to cause dismay, hurt and great sadness. There are strong signs that the 'gagging order' on individuals (and on committtees and official bodies) within the church is being viewed with serious concern.
Meanwhile a Free Church minister has issued a 'come on over to my (our) place' call to disaffected C of S clergy. However the Free Church is itself racked over the whether to maintain its exclusive and unaccompanied psalm-singing in worship. And that is not to mention the matter of women ministers and elders which could be hugely problematic for any possible moves towards ecclesiastical joinery. So C of S clergy are asking: "Where do I go?"
It is hoped to produce a more comprehensive report in the near future (next week or two) but essentially there is no clear concensus on the way forward. One C of S minister has already left and others have declared themselves to be 'hanging on by a thread'. Basically those who are most likely to provide any lead in the current situation will be those who (a) are in mid-career (b) are respected across the C of S evangelical constituency and (c) have not just moved to a new charge i.e. who have an established relationship with their local congregation. Recently-retired ministers might also get involved in shaping the future.
I haven't heard of anyone (on either side of the situation) who thinks that the Special Commission which is due to report in 2011 will reverse the General Assembly's decision to allow the 'gay' appointment to be made (it now has taken place). The genie is out of the bottle.
One senior minister with almost four decades of service has said: "It is sadly true that, in this ‘broad church’, there have been ministers and others who have denied fundamental points of Christian doctrine - the virgin birth, the resurrection of Christ and even the deity of Christ - and, people say, nothing has been done. Well, such matters are very serious and the church ought indeed to have taken action, but this present situation is different. It’s bad enough when individual ministers step out of line - it’s infinitely worse when the church itself acts against its own foundation in the Word of God." Read the full text of Rev. David Randall's June letter.
However, like climate change, one needs to have a long view and an understanding of the histor to get a full 'take' on all of these things. So I have been spending the last 4 weeks reading up on Scottish church history. Beyond that much of the C of S troubles (but not just the C of S) go back to the Augustinian notion of the 'visible and the invisible church' which the Reformers so emphasised to the effect that our churches today (and then) are an admixture of the truly saved and those who are merely 'religious'. This, coupled with the notion that 'evangelism' means 'getting people into steeple houses' has resulted in an unholy mixture of the saved and unsaved in our gatherings and a very mixed bag in positions of leadership and influence. (The minister under whom I came to know Christ was himself unregenerate until 4 years into his pulpit ministry; and in spite of a degree in theology and having passed the selection procedures for the Church of Scotland ministry.)
More on all of this soon when I get around to further work on Drilling Down on Christian Issues.
Bible offered up for defacing
 As a 'aside' to all of this a recent 'art' exhibition in Glasgow which invited members of the public to write their comments on a copy of the Bible attracted much anti-God response; and provoked serious concern and upset.
The gallery concerned was invited to host the stunt by the (gay)Metropolitan Community Church who wanted their sympathisers to express how marginalised they felt by the hetrosexual views held by the churches. (See 'Fury as art exhibition encourages visitors to deface the Bible.") The MCC has previously held services in the chapel at the former Inverness Royal Infirmary.
Increasing violence against Christians in Pakistan
I am getting a flood of reports of serious and widespread attacks on Christians in Pakistan. I will prepare a piece on this, but meanwhile - and for prayer - see the following links -
Link 1.
Link 2.
But finally and on a lighter note -
I trust that you have enjoyed some R & R over the summer period. Apart from reading history books I have been partly engaged on redecorating a recently-departed daughter's bedroom - so her departure into marriage has now been fully consumated. And "Thanks" to all who have been in touch with your own recent news: it's great to hear from you.
14 July 2009
The North Atlantic Drift
In the last couple of days, two significant developments have taken place – one on each side of the Atlantic.
Calmac, the ferry company serving the Scottish Western Isles has announced its intention to start Sunday sailings. This might be seen as an epoch-making move in terms of the 24/7 society arriving at one of the last (UK) bastions of a weekly work/rest/worship pattern. (Ironically, the secular French are fighting to preserve their Sunday day off.)
Meanwhile to the west of Lewis, the Episcopal Church in America (ECUSA) has voted to abandon the previously-agreed moratorium on the consecration of gay bishops. (It's amazing the liberties that people take when evangelical Christians are off with their buckets and spades.) This developments makes schism in the worldwide Anglican community almost inevitable.
The ECUSA development falls hard on the heels of the launch of the biblically-orthodox Anglican Church in North America in June this year, and in sense these developments are both highly-frustrating moves for the Archbishop of Canterbury who has been doing his best to keep the worldwide Anglican communion together.
With regard to the time-line of the American troubles (brought into initial sharp focus by the consecration of gay bishop Gene Robinson in 2003), it may be that the recent formation of both the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans and the (Scottish equivalent) Fellowship of Confessing Churches will follow a similar pattern with a gap of several years – in the American case, six – between the incident and the subsquent outcome; a flash followed later by the bang.
At the recent FCA launch Archbishop (of Sydney) Peter Jensen observed:
We are at a watershed, at a parting of the ways. Decisions have to be made.
In this country, the Christian foundations have been shaken. In this and the next generation there will be fought what may amount to the last battle for the soul of the nation. It will be an ideological war, a war of ideas. But great issues will hang upon the outcome: the fate of a culture and the eternal fate of souls. Many look to you for guidance and resource and inspiration. Can we do so any longer?
How can we test your resolve to evangelize your people? Unless you develop a deep confidence in the gospel of the saving work of God through Jesus Christ, a willingness to work together for Christ, and a determination to submit to the teaching of scripture, it will not be done. The culture will swallow you alive.
With persuasive power, the culture of the West has adopted and promulgated anti-Christian belief and practice.
Read the whole transcript....
Meanwhile a senior Scottish Episcopal clergyman has come out in favour of same-sex marriages. He also claimed he was aware of "numerous" gay and lesbian priests employed by his church and insisted that Scotland was "more grown up" than England in dealing with issues of sexuality.
What these developments relating to sexuality illustrate is that the typical Sunday-morning 'church' congregation consisting of both believers and non-believers is essentially an untenable and fissile (not to mention unbiblical) mix of different spirits.
And this battle is not ultimately about sexuality: it is an assault on the Truth of God.
Meanwhile, back on the west coast of Scotland, the 'Sunday sailings' issue has brought floating to the surface questions relating to -
- which (if any day) is 'special'
- the extent to which 'legalism' is endemic in sections of the church
- the manner in which Christians engage with and seek to bring influence upon our secular society
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Meanwhile -
 if you haven't seen a BBC drama episode of 'The Street' - if you pick up this message while the iPlayer episode is still available and
- you can handle strong language then -
Watch a very powerful story about principle and courage. As an allegory every Christian martyr would identify with the character played by Bob Hoskins of a pub landlord who is faced with paying a huge price for sticking to his beliefs and integrity.
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However, the holiday season is upon us and the Psalmist reminds us:
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones, and shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart. (Psalm 32:11)
And have a look at how Christians in China express their praise and worship.
Trusting that you manage to snatch some R & R over the period.
23 June, 2009
Well the 2-week Highland Festival is over and as the Luis Palau Association leaves the Highlands to take the Gospel elsewhere we are left with the responsibility which is ever with us to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.
The last two days of the festival were held in Bught Park (Inverness) and thousands came on both days - with the final Saturday being blessed with really good weather.
You can pick up short videos of the activities in Wick/Thurso and also in Bught Park.
During the Saturday events, Christians Together (yours truly) had a chance to speak to Andrew Palau as he reflected on the fortnight in the Highlands. <Click here> for the interview.
I hope to have a picture slideshow up soon.
There are perhaps other ways in which £500,000 pounds could have been spent on outreach work, but the team gave it their best – ably assisted by the local Highand Christian communities – and only glory will reveal the outcome.
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Meanwhile, there continues much 'behind the scenes' discussions amongst leaders, members and congregations in the Church of Scotland regarding the disastrous decisions in the May General Assembly. One report suggests that the Church's HQ in Edinburgh is being inundated with requests from congregations for copies of the Title Deeds of church buildings.
Many reports suggest that both Christian individuals and also congregations are already withholding their giving to the Church as a denomination. And if this is the case the looming financial crisis could accelerate – especially given that evangelicals tend to out-give their liberal counterparts. (During the Assembly and before the decision referred to it was reported that the Church was facing bankruptcy in 2018.)
Already it seems that many ministers who are close to retiring are just 'shrugging their shoulders' and living with the situation. Others claim they wish to stay and 'fight from within'. (History does not suggest that they will win.)
Dominic Smart who is the minister of the influential Gilcomston Church in Aberdeen has written in his June newsletter to the effect that the two-year period during which the Special Commission have to research their report to the 2011 Assembly as a 'holding position'. In ruling nothing out and nothing in he has written:
'We are not making a rushed decision to leave the C of S or a fixed decision not to. We need time to draw breath, take the very considerable emotional and psychological hits of the Assembly and take stock of where the land now lies. We also need to take counsel from others and draw close to the Lord in prayer and study together to seek the Lord’s wisdom for where we all go next. This requires meetings that draw people together from different parts of Scotland and elsewhere and from different strands of the Presbyterian Church. This two year moratorium could prove to be of great advantage.'
Meanwhile, the newly-formed Fellowship of Confessing Churches will need to decide what it aims to be. Its statement outlines the embryonic groupings aspirations as follows:
(providing) meaningful unity between gospel congregations and 'United in Scotland' in -
Gospel Mission (going wherever the need)
through
Gospel Ministry (training whoever is gifted)
with
Gospel Money (giving whatever it costs)
in
Gospel Fellowship (sharing whenever we can)
However these will need to be translated into things of substance if the FOCC is have any meaningful impact.
Meanwhile a senior Church of Scotland minister reflected on the Kirk's woes and suggested that as the national church has given up on support for the Jews (2007/8 General Assemblies), that God has given up His support for the church. (But more on this later.)
In America evangelical Anglicans have broken away from the Episcopal Church USA to form the Evangelical Anglians of North America. As a result of the ordination of a gay bishop in 2003, theological conservatives announced last year their intention to form a new province that most see as a rival body to The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada. The ACNA unites around breakaway 700 parishes – representing 100,000 conservative Anglicans – in North America into a single church that is meant to serve as an orthodox, Anglican, mission-minded, and biblically-centered province.
Recently Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, who will be installed as the first archbishop of the ACNA, told fellow conservatives that there is a great Reformation of the Christian Church underway.
"We North American Anglicans are very much in the midst of it," Duncan said. “While much of mainline Protestantism is finding itself adrift from its moorings (submission to the Word of God), just like Western Anglicanism, there is an ever-growing stream of North American Protestantism that has re-embraced Scripture’s authority (just as we have)."
Read on...
In England the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans is due to launch formally on 6th July 2009. This follows on from the GAFCON conference held in Israel in Summer 2008.
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In the Western Isles there is much controversy regarding the prospect of Sunday ferry sailings to Stornoway (Lewis), and local man Murdo Murray (who stood as an SCP candidate in the 2007 Scottish elections) has kindly agreed to respond online to questions put to him. Arising from one or two postings on the subject of the 4th commandment a 'Debate' thread has been opened on this subject to allow that particular topic to be addressed separately from the conversation with Murdo.
The subject of 'which day / the 'Lord's Day / Shabbat / every day' is a matter which is not as clear-cut as many suggest and (again, and d.v.) this will be given some additional input later.
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There is increasing evidence of Christians being harrassed by public bodies, employers and now the police. A recent case saw a group of Christians in Manchester being surrounded by police on horseback and others from a police van dressed in body armour when a 'hate' complaint was filed against the church group who were handing out Easter service invitations. If there are any believers unaware of the way the tide is running then they are not 'watching' as they should.
15 June, 2009
As the summer holiday season approaches there will be many Bible-believers in the Church of Scotland considering their futures.
The problem for individual church members is that with the national body in tatters, the local church structures to which they look are leadership mechanisms which are often wordly in dynamic and unbiblical in how some of these have evolved.
In theory the leadership within presbyterian churches is plural; and - if biblical forms are adhered to - male in composition. However two main problems exist.
- Although the leadership should be collegiate (It seemed good to the Holy Spriit and to us - cf Acts 15:28), in practice the 'primus inter pares'' (first amongst equals) dynamic predominates in many churches whereby the minister/pastor assumes an overarching role. In fairness it is he/she who is held accountable by the local presbytery (but that is another part of the problem and doesn't negate problem at local church level).
- Because the Church of Scotland is a 'broad church' many Kirk Sessions include elders who appear to have been appointed for reasons unrelated to spiritual maturity.
Because of this there can frequently arise situations whereby -
- godly ministers are opposed by unspiritual elders on the kirk session
- spiritual kirk sessions are over-ruled by dominant clergy
I have recently spoken to two evangelical Church of Scotland ministers, and their situations illustrate a big part of the challenges now faced.
The conversation with Rev. A took place prior to the General Assembly's disasterous decisions. He was in his mid-50s and due to retire early from the pastoral ministry for valid personal reasons. And he reminisced regarding the time - 30 years earlier - when, along with his peers, he had embarked on his 'career' as a Church of Scotland minister. He remembered how he and his colleagues were full of the enthusiasm, vigour and optimism of young men; convinced as they were that they were going to 'change the Church' (for the biblical better). Now 30 years later,and in spite of all that he and his friends brought to the task, the Church which he has served over that period is in worse shape than it was when he joined it.
There is an expression which says: 'If it's a contest between you and t he system - back the system'.
The second conversation was with Rev. B. He too is about to retire as he has reached that age. As we got to the end of our chat he remarked: 'Colin the next time you visit my manse you could meet a gay male or a lesbian woman minister.' How sorry we both were. But pragmatically and in the pastoral sense he felt it would be better not to de-stabalise the congregation just before he is due to depart.
A third conversation was with an elder. A godly man in an evangelical church. But his minister had decided (and the kirk session had presumably acquiesced) that it would adopt a policy of 'wait and see' what the Special Commission's 2-year study on sexuality would produce. What?
As a mature Christian in yet another church pointed out: 'What are the chances of the Commission coming out with a view which will refute the decision of last month's Assembly (which endorsed the appointment of a gay minister)?'
So the 'wait and see' minister - and evangelical by repute - is hedging his bets, failing to lead in any real way and placing his congregation in spiritual peril in the process.
But let us not be down-hearted regarding these things. The calamity which the national Kirk has become needs to die if something more wholesome is to rise in its place. The compromise, fudge and indecision needed to be clearly seen for what it is. Jesus taught that you would know the nature of a tree by the fruit it bore (Matt 12:33); and now it is clearly apparent.
Over the last 30 years, the Kirk has lost members when social standing no longer relied on church-going. Then as sport, leisure and (now) shopping en masse came along another fall-away took place. The young are not joining and the elderly are dying off. So what is left is more likely to be meeting with other believers for the right reasons.
I don't think the refining is over (and do wonder what lies ahead) but the process is vital if the bride is to be made ready. Jesus asked: 'When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? ( Luke 18:8). Let's trust that we will not disappoint him.
1 June, 2009
There are a variety of responses to the recent General Assembly decision to refer a decision on gay ordination to a Special Commission (reporting back in 2011).
One of the problems of 'leadership' is that leaders tend to be in positions (age, influence, church buildings, national committees, pensions, etc.) whereby they have most to lose in any change to the status quo. And certainly they have most to lose by leaving their denomination; and the bigger the denomination, (generally) the more there is to lose.
Now of course we know that Christians - and leaders the more-so - should be led by the Holy Spirit rather than by any human considerations such as the above. However.....
In general terms (and for the purposes of the present situation) church leaders split down into 4 camps (largely by age):
- those who are just embarking on an ecclesiastical calling
- those in 'mid-career'
- those in their early 50s
- those in or approaching their 60s
And (very roughly and generally) the propensity to jump ship decreases in the above order. For young men, those who are just going into the ministry will have tons of enthusiasm, energy and optimism. 'We will change the system'. But humanly speaking the history shows that this in not likely. It is very difficult to see how God can bless the institution in the light of where it has been heading. So pray for those who still feel the call of God to the national church. They will be operating in a dispiriting environment which could become increasingly hostile from an institutional point of view.
Generally those in 1. are up for challenging the status quo, but they do not yet have the influence and authority. Categories 3. and 4. have little interest in change and often just opt for 'getting on the job locally' and ignore what the denomination is up to. This leaves us with group 2. Those in this group have the enough clout and energy and years ahead of them to be highly motivated and well-enough-positioned to initiate and drive through change.
However, those who work (are employed) within institutional set-ups tend to develop institutional solutions i.e. when there is an explosion in the ecclesiastical order it is a case of bolting together the fragments that fit (and pulling away from the bits that don't) to create a new entity. And those in '2' are in the position of having sufficient influence but also sufficient interest in the future to create a new machine.
However whilst some expedient 'tweaking around the edges' takes place to accommodate differences that previously separated presbyterian groupings, in essence nothing much changes in terms of the essential structures and dynamic. After all why should anyone have an interest in dismantling a system that has got them to where they are and supports them in what they are doing?
Thus has Presbyterianism (as it has evolved) become as hierarchical as episcopacy, bureaucratic as the civil service and as monolithic (within its respective denominations) and as hidebound as IBM (Who? you say) the computer giant outstripped in the late 80s by a fledgling firm called Microsoft run by a couple of youngsters working in a parent's garage.
Throwing Sheep in the Church
|
There is a book going the rounds at the moment with the eye-catching title 'Throwing Sheep in the Boardroom'.
(I haven't read it, but it's about the impact on large organisations of Web 2.0 technology - Wikipedia, blogging, social networks, etc. The term 'throw a sheep' relates to grabbing someone's attention; as in a message from Facebook: 'Jim has just thrown a sheep at you'.) |
And what the C of S has failed to realise is that the world has changed. No longer can officialdom guarantee that the those at the top of the organisational pyramid have total control.
The technology of easy communication (and protest) now sits on the keyboard of every home computer in the land.
In years past a General Assembly would meet and come to decisions. These would then be communicated downwards to busy church leaders who (mostly) complied and got on with their daily jobs. Until the next General Assembly when the whole process was repeated. But now....
...electronic networking (web, e-mail, blogs, etc.) has changed all of that. And anyone – including the lowest in the corporate pecking order – can (potentially) grab as much attention as an edict from the top of the tree. Rank, status and position no longer determine influence; the power is in the impact of what someone (anyone) says and not necessarily in the position they occupy. A message has authority based on content rather than the status/position of the author. (cf Matt. 7:29)
'We say Yeah' (go on, hit the link) was the title of an old Cliff Richard song (about teenage rebellion) but the dynamic was seen recently when Joanna Lumley caught the heart of the general public and turned the Government around. The politicians said 'No!' over the matter of the ghurkas; but the rest of the nation said 'Yeah!' And the Church of Scotland - in departing from biblical truth - might not receive that traditional, quiescent and subservient compliance from the ranks that the organisation has longtime taken for granted.
Something new or just another re-shuffling of the pack?
It may be that out of all of this there could develop a national (Scottish) network of churches which are essentially autonomous (financially and operationally) and loosely networked with other Bible-believing churches in their neighbourhood for fellowship, support and accountability - irrespective of denominational tags and backgrounds.(The Baptists and Brethren for instance operate in this type of fashion.)
The newly-formed Fellowship of Confessing Churches could certainly provide a framework for this to happen. (At the time of writing the Fellowship is catering solely for Church of Scotland congregations.) However, and getting back to the beginning of this piece, radical change is not always a welcome option and the tried-and-failed denominational-rearrangement patterns of behaviour might prevail. But as Churchill advised: 'However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.' Yes, let's do.
Whatever the outcome, pray that the Spirit of God will be in driving seat.
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