Be Thou my Vision
In Scotland, we have been fortunate in never having had a state church or a state controlled church. On the contrary, Scotland has been (historically) a Calvinist culture where the church is part of society but definitely not part of the state. As in the case of Presbyterianism itself, the cracks in this model are becoming only too visible. Most people today, inside and outside the church, see religion of any kind as a purely personal matter. Very few would perceive the church as being a part of society in twenty-first century Scotland. Increasingly, most traces of the Christian tradition are ignored or marginalised in public events or issues.
Of course, plenty of people have been aware of the potential problems facing the Church of Scotland for many years. There have been initiatives – and few things seem more dated than yesterday’s innovations – with differing degrees of success. People of my age and older will recollect the Committee of Forty of the early 1970s. I remember when I was Presbytery Clerk of Aberdeen being ordered (not invited!) to attend a conference on the Committee’s deliberations. What has happened to the many recommendations from that Committee over the future shape and mission of the Kirk in Scotland? They seemed to disappear as have many of the modernising initiatives of that decade and, indeed, of subsequent decades.
More recently, there was the excellent “Church without Walls” initiative of 2001 which has been more successful in some hotspots. Yet, nationally the initiative does not seem to have made the progress nor instilled the degree of change that might have been hoped for, or which it deserved. There are other worth-while initiatives, such as Messy Church and many other local programmes.
In the meantime, dozens of men and women, ministers, elders and members of the Kirk continue to do their very best, working and giving sacrificially for the work of the Kingdom. I take my hat off to them. It is all too easy to sound negative and discouraging. That is not my aim or purpose. May God bless, strengthen and encourage them in every way.
I have already suggested (with genuine regret) that the Presbyterian system, already fragmented and likely to further division, has had its day. Unfortunately we have a habit in the church of assuming that once something is established, it must be continued unchanged for ever. This seems to be the somewhat complacent attitude of many in our Church of Scotland’s liberal establishment. We are not always good at taking our leave of traditions and practices that have served us well in the past but are no longer fit for today’s purpose. 41
One of the cries often made is that without a functioning Presbyterian system, there will be no proper church discipline. For the word “discipline”, substitute the word “control” (and usually by men). And, of course, the question of who is in control and who is the greatest in the Kingdom 42 is a question that has been around since Jesus walked the hills and lanes of Galilee. Living in a less structured church and / or faith system can seem scary, but it could work and, indeed, it may have to. It certainly worked for the early Celtic church here in Scotland.
Elsewhere in this booklet, I have been critical of those who, at various times throughout the history of the church, have tried to return to the perceived simplicity of the apostolic age. My main criticism of such an approach is that frequently it presents a romanticised view of what the early church was like. In fact, far from being a unity, it was highly diverse, as has already been suggested. So, in a roundabout way, we may actually be returning to the early church, but a very different early church from what some would have in mind.
I suggest that the church of the future will be much more diverse and even mystical in its beliefs and practices, even perhaps touching such taboo areas as reincarnation, to say nothing of radically questioning the nature of the Holy Trinity and the Person of Christ. Again, speaking from my age and background, I personally find this more than a little scary. The big difference I can foresee is that diverse views will be able to cohabit in a way that could not be even contemplated at the present time. Certainly, in 2014 there was little unity and peace in the Kirk. Since the passing of Act 1, 2015, “things” do seem to have settled down – or have they possibly run out of steam?
There will also be less need for a settled parochial ministry which, for centuries has been the backbone of our Kirk.
I believe that when it comes to numbers of ministers, members and congregations, these will continue to fall. Interestingly enough, there is a twelfth century series of prophesies by the Archbishop of Armagh, later canonised as Saint Malachy concerning the Papacy. According to some readings of the prophecies, the present Pope, Francis I, will be the last to hold that office.43 The problem of declining Christian influence in the western world is not something that is confined to any one tradition or denomination.
Of course, the one factor that all denominations and traditions tend to share is the belief that they provide the only hope for the future. More realistically, many main stream denominations such as the Church of Scotland frankly do not really know where to turn next. If the Kirk becomes stricter and more doctrinal, people may respect it for taking a stand. There can then be clear water between the values and beliefs of the world and of the Christian community. On the other hand, people may be put off by perceived rigidity and authoritarianism. If it becomes more “liberal” (whatever that means), people may find associating with it is easier. But they may then wonder what, if anything, the church does actually stand for and if it is even necessary.
When I look around me, I see many people who have questions about life and faith that they would really like to ask. In the church generally we have not always been very skilled at inviting questions or at listening. We have been extremely good (if that’s the right word) at supplying answers, often to questions that no one is actually asking. Historically, we have also been very good at excluding and withholding. Frequently we talk too much and only listen sparingly.
I remember disgracing myself with some evangelical brothers some years ago in Aberdeen when a crusade was promoted in the city entitled “Christ the Answer”. I asked at a meeting “So, what’s the question?” (Yes, I do still often ask awkward questions, just as I did when I was a schoolboy!) My question on that occasion was certainly not appreciated.
Indeed, the church often does not even like to search too deeply into its own soul. It is as though, like Parsifal in his search for the Holy Grail, the church continually fails to ask the right question. The result is that the king remains wounded and the wasteland is not healed.
I have been impressed by the work that has been done through the Alpha Courses over a wide cross-section of churches and traditions. These courses for enquirers began in the Anglican Church of Holy Trinity Brompton and have spread and developed. One of the most appealing aspects of the course is that there are no holds barred when it comes to questions. Participants may ask anything they wish about the Christian faith and they can also challenge any of its cherished doctrines. Nothing is off-limits and there is no pressure to “sign up” at the end. It is surely not surprising that these courses have been so successful. We need more of this kind of approach. There is a general theological illiteracy among the membership of the Church of Scotland, even staunch members and supporters.
I believe that although the signs are not presently good for the institutional church, the Christian gospel will certainly prevail in the longer term. I doubt if this will happen in my lifetime. It may not even happen in this century. I suggest that when Samson’s hair begins to grow again, there will be many followers of Jesus Christ but possibly less conventional than people of my vintage and background might prefer. There will a diversity of views. There will be meetings together for fellowship and discussion but possibly not always in large stone-built churches. There will be relatively fewer full time clergy. Where there are worship services, many of these, perhaps most of them will be led by lay people. They may not always be confined to a Sunday.
The God we worship and the Jesus we follow will probably be more inclusive and much more tolerant than yesterday’s (or even today’s) model. God our father will also be Godde our mother. The more feminine aspect of God will, at long last, be realised and embraced. The male left-brained, rational and hierarchical model will be balanced (but certainly not replaced) by an intuitive and compassionate feminine side. It is as though, at long last, the Prince will cut through the thickets of centuries and awaken his Sleeping Beauty.
I have certainly become convinced that we rely far too much on ministers. We (rightly) expect a great deal of them but perhaps we expect rather too much. And maybe even congregations put far too much emphasis on the personality of their own minister. As this profession is continuing to decline in number, this will perhaps become less of a problem. Many parish profiles now specifically state that Nomination Committees in vacancies are not looking for a perfect minister! This is surely to be welcomed.
I stated earlier that, by the time I had finished my first year at New College, I felt comfortable in my position as a mainstream Church of Scotland evangelical. It is now more than forty five years since I was ordained to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament on 17 June 1970.
Have I changed my outlook or beliefs? I suspect that we all change to some extent. Indeed, the Christian Gospel is all about personal change and transformation. I would hope that I am a wiser and more rounded person than I was when I was first ordained. Like most people, I have had quite a few hard knocks along the road, yet I have also had many interesting experiences.
In the last fifteen years, I have expanded an interest from my earlier days and am both a qualified hypnotherapist and a Master Practitioner of Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP). I have read, with considerable interest, many books that might be considered New Age. Some I have found helpful and others, frankly, less so. I have become much more interested in the wider aspects of spirituality and more open to discussing such difficult issues as reincarnation with others. I have become interested in the great European Heresy, referred to above.
But yet, like John Knox, I continually cast my anchor back to where I first began.
Yes, whatever label other people may slap on me, I consider myself as still belonging to the great evangelical tradition of the Church of Scotland even if I also openly describe myself as being disillusioned. If I am disillusioned, it is not with Jesus Christ; it is with some of his followers. It goes without saying that some of them are equally disillusioned with me. I find this very painful but also perfectly understandable.
I still believe that Jesus is the Saviour of the World and that the Bible is the Word of God. I maintain a deep love for and burden for our national Kirk and I feel deeply saddened when I look at the damage that has been done to it in the past few years as a result of the “gay minister” controversy. However, I frankly cannot be bothered being drawn into the blame game nor, unlike some, am I interested in scoring spiritual points.
The main change I see in myself is that I no longer feel the need always to be “right” nor do I have to gratuitously “correct” those who differ from me. I have adopted much more of a “live and let live” philosophy. Whilst I might personally prefer there to be more uniformity, I need to learn to live without it. All of us in the church will probably have to make this adjustment sooner or later, even if it is painful to do so.
People of my age and background do not find this easy. We must learn to shed ourselves of our spiritual pride and, actually, I say that to myself much more than to others. If anything I have said in this modest booklet seriously offends anyone, then that is something I genuinely regret. I am stating things that lie heavy on my heart. I may well be wrong in at least some of my perceptions. I often am. We all see through a glass darkly.
As we move towards the end of the second decade of the twenty-first century, many evangelicals find that they are disunited, hurt, angry, dispirited and confused. Individuals have become touchy and even paranoid. I suspect that any church historian attempting, in fifty years’ time, to give a fair assessment of the present difficulties will point to the uncomfortable fact that this was the decade in which the evangelicals in Scotland lost not only the plot but also their own vision. And where there is no vision, the people perish.44
It is only too easy to forget that Jesus Christ is not the property of the church. He is a cosmic figure; humanity belongs to him and he belongs to humanity. He is highly respected in many of the great non-Christian world religions. I do not feel a great need to force people of other faiths to convert. I am well aware that Jesus said that no one can come to the Father except through him.45 But, just as Christ was latent – but present – in the Old Testament, he can also be latent in other faiths. They may give their gods different names, yet the great world religions have far more in common than they themselves might think or even admit.
I make one very important exception to this. I strongly believe that Christians are specifically called to witness to the Jews. Jesus was himself a Jew and a Rabbi. It is as though we have forgotten this somewhat inconvenient fact. Of course, God is faithful beyond our understanding. He made the Old Covenant with his chosen people. He sent his only Son to them and they rejected him. Yet, because he is entirely faithful, God cannot go back on his word and will never break the Old Covenant.
When the veil that is over the eyes of the Jewish people is lifted, when they see that Jesus Christ is their Messiah, it will be, as Saint Paul tells us, life for the dead.46 That is a great event that has still to happen. When it does happen, its effects will be world shattering. At New College, Professor Tom Torrance openly suggested to us, as students, that it would probably take place within the next two hundred years.47
Our mission to the Jews has to be carried out very carefully and respectfully. There are centuries of persecution, hurt and misunderstanding to be dealt with. The Christian church has made a dreadful mess of its relationships with the Jews, to put it mildly. To the Jews, the Cross, with all its shame and all its foolishness, remains a stumbling block. The Jews will never become “Christians” because that word has too much negative baggage attached to it. We must not expect them to. They will retain their Jewish identity but they too will live under the hopes and promises of the New Covenant. They were, and still are, God’s chosen and covenanted people.
It unnecessary to point out that the modern state of Israel has not always behaved as others might wish it to. Many people in the West (including the majority of Jews in the United Kingdom) would like to see a settled Palestinian state, with well-defined borders, living at peace with its neighbours. Support for Israel and for the existence of a Palestinian State need not be co-exclusive.
Certain statements from the 2014 General Assembly seemed to indicate that the Church of Scotland is cooling considerably in its vision for the future of Israel, which is a cause of much pain and disappointment to me personally.
In closing, I want to share a vision that I had in writing the first edition of this work. I saw again a picture of the Burning Bush, the bush that Moses saw in the wilderness that burned but was not consumed. The Burning Bush is the emblem of the Church of Scotland. I believe that the fire of God is burning through his church both in judgement and in renewal.
Every year in Scotland, large areas of heather moor are burned so that healthy re-growth may take place. I believe that something similar is taking place in the Kirk. I also believe it is more important to think and pray about the possibility of renewal than to be obsessed with blaming and finger pointing.
I do genuinely perceive that God is preparing to do a new thing in Scotland although it may yet be quite some time until it comes to pass.
The New Covenant promise made in Jeremiah was, of course, fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Yet, every day, God remembers that he made his Covenant both under the old and the new dispensations. However bleak the landscape may seem for the Kirk at present, God has not forgotten this little land of Scotland.
But his judgement will fall on all of us. The evangelicals (in some cases) believe that everyone but themselves is due for judgement. That is a fatal delusion. All will be judged and all will have fallen short.
We can only do the best we can and come just as we are, and clinging only to the Cross of Christ.
At the end of the day, we are – all of us – unworthy servants, no one more so than yours truly.
This is my Story. This is my Song.
Alasdair Bothwell Gordon
BD (Hons), LLB, EdD, LCGI, KCStI