ANENT the decision of the minister and congregation of St George's Tron Parish Church in Glasgow to depart from the Church of Scotland, I wonder how its minister and elders can reconcile that decision with their ordinational commitments ("Risk of legal battle over city church", The Herald, June 15).
In adhering to the Scottish Reformation (First Article Declaratory, on which we do not have liberty of opinion), our ministers and elders are required to reject "any interpretation [of Scripture] which is contrary to any principal point of our faith, or to any other plain text of Scripture, or to the rule of love".
Further, ministers are specifically committed to being subject to their presbytery and to the General Assembly and both ministers and elders are committed to accepting that the presbyterian system of church government is agreeable to the Word of God, to seeking the peace and unity of the church (of Scotland) and to upholding its doctrine, worship, government and discipline, with the church itself, subject to the guidance of the Holy Spirit being the sole judge. Moreover, as from John Calvin, ordination commitments are Covenants with God and, therefore, not subject to progressive comprehension.
I also note that the Rev William Philip of St George's Tron refers, without qualification, to the Bible as the written Word of God. Again, as from our First Article Declaratory, this is confusing the container with the contents and the medium with the message.
Further, one must question the priorities of a congregation with has managed to raise and spend £5 million on fabric refurbishment in the last five years.
It should also be appreciated that the Church of Scotland has not yet taken a decisive decision on the ordination of practising homosexuals and lesbians. Indeed, it may be, in this context, that enough is enough, if not too much.
Dr Alexander S Waugh,
1 Pantoch Gardens,
Banchory.
I WAS saddened for two reasons to read that the congregation at St George's Tron have decided to leave the Church of Scotland.
First, the decision is premature. The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland has not ruled on whether a person in an openly-gay relationship may or may not be ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament.
Secondly, the decision represents an enormous breach of trust. When a minister and an elder are ordained, they make promises which define their working relationships within the church. The minister makes eight. The elder makes four.
Both make a promise "to seek the unity and peace of this church". Their working relationships are built upon the fragility of these promises whose inherent power lies in the faith and love which inspires their fulfilment. Interestingly, the divisive issue which has led to this act of disunity hinges on who may or may not be called to make these vows of ordination. Whatever else may be said about the difficulty in discerning whom God calls to the ministry, the argument about who may or may not take vows of ordination will never be won by those whose vows of ordination have clearly been broken.
Rev David D Scott,
The Manse, Preston Road, East Linton.
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