Category Archives: Church of Scotland

Church Of Scotland 2013 General Assembly — Special Commission On Same Sex Relationships

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General Assembly 2013 of the Church of Scotland convened yesterday and on the first day we got a bit of animated discussion about keeping the pension plan solvent and providing retired church workers an amount that is reasonable for a retirement income. I have heard that somewhere before but I have a bit more research to do if I am going to write on that.

The topic for the moment is the discussion that will begin in just a few hours. Monday at the Assembly is set aside for the consideration of the work of the Theological Commission on Same-sex Relationships and the Ministry. This group was created two years ago when that Assembly chose to move towards allowing those in same-sex relationships to become ministers in the church and to permit those in the church to preform same-sex marriages. One of the interesting, and in my opinion reasonable and good, moves that the Kirk has made is to consider all the issues related to same-sex relationships together and in a theological context.

To follow along with this debate you need to be aware of not just the Commission’s 94 page report, but the Supplement with the Legal Appendix Consequent Upon the Report of the Theological Commission on Same-Sex Relationships and the Ministry that begins on page 52. In addition, the Daily Papers covering tomorrow have notice of three motions (begins on page 28).

As I indicated above, the primary Report is an extensive document at 94 pages long. The Deliverance is sort-of straight forward with #1 to receive the report and #3 to dismiss the commission. In between the commission does not make a recommendation but offers a choice between two options – and I will return to that in a minute.

The report itself is structured around what it means to be “One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church” and develops that theme for the Church of Scotland in general. It then provides extensive discussions of what the report calls the revisionist and the traditionalist case for “Addressing issues of human sexuality.” I have not read through these sections in detail yet but from what I have read both provide very good development and background to each position.

The report is supposed to be neutral and so provides both of these discussions. In addition, even though a trajectory was chosen two years ago the Deliverance provides this Assembly an opportunity to revisit that decision and chose between two sets of recommendations based on approving the revisionist or traditionalist case.

If the revisionist option is approved an overture would be sent down to the presbyteries under the Barrier Act to approve the necessary changes to implement the new rules. In addition, liturgies would be approved for same-sex ceremonies. The ordination process for new ministers and deacons would remain on hold for another year to allow time for presbytery approval. Those ministers in same-sex relationships who are already in place would continue. And the block on discussing this outside of official business – i.e. talking to the media – would remain in place as well.

If the traditionalist option prevails in the Assembly it would reaffirm the present stance of the Kirk including the statements about homophobia being a sin, remind the members of the church of the particular burden of “homosexual Christians striving to maintain celibacy,” and “recognize that homosexual orientation in itself is not a barrier to leadership.” It would also have the Ministries Council and the Legal Questions Committee examine the implications of the decision.

As I mentioned above there are three motions of which notice has been given. The first asks that the Legal Appendix be revised to include the implications of approval and disapproval of the changes and that paper ballots be used by presbyteries in voting on the change. The third would provide another option that has stronger and simplified language of the revisionist option.

[UPDATE: My attention has been drawn to a correction to the article I discuss below. I have decided to let this stand but please see below this for the correction.]

There has been considerable concern that adoption of the revisionist option could precipitate a major departure of congregations from the Church of Scotland. The second motion from The Rev Prof David A S Fergusson is hoping to find a “third way.” Here are some excerpts from a Scotsman article that tries to explain what he hopes to accomplish:

Prof David Fergusson, principal of Edinburgh University’s divinity
school, New College, said that unless the Kirk’s General Assembly agreed
on a compromise it could take the Church a “generation to resolve”
differences between traditionalist and revisionist sides of the debate.

Insisting
that it was important that neither side should “enforce a victory” over
the other, the academic has tabled an amendment for the debate that
attempts to navigate a middle way between the two options put forward in
a Kirk committee report.

[…]

Fergusson said that this “mixed economy” approach would give
the Kirk space in which to discuss the issue further without causing a
major divide: “What I think we’re lacking so far is further reflection
on the nature of the Church as a community in which we can manage
disagreement while maintaining unity with one another, and I’d like to
see further work carried out, which would be crucial to consideration of
these matters.”

UPDATE: The Rev Prof Fergusson has issued a correction to the Scotsman article. He first wanted to make it clear that the “mixed economy” is not his idea but is in the Theological Commission’s report. His amendment simply asks to build on that approach and continue working on the nature of the church. He also points out that his motion does nothing to change the wording in the report that would allow churches but not presbyteries to opt out.

That appears to be the lay of the land. Let us see how the Assembly discerns the way forward in the midst of it. Prayers for the Assembly as the commissioners approach this task very shortly.

2013 General Assembly Of The Church Of Scotland

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  Coming up this Saturday the first large General Assembly of the 2013 season begins as the 2013 General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is convened in the Assembly Hall in Edinburgh.

The Assembly will begin at 10 AM local time on Saturday 18 May and adjourn a bit after 3 PM on Friday 24 May. The afternoon of Pentecost Sunday, 19 May, the Kirk will once again have their large public Heart and Soul festival in Prince Street Gardens (Event Guide). This year it is titled A Celebration of Celtic Christianity.

To follow along with the GA here is what you need to know

  • The Starting Point for almost everything is the General Assembly 2013 page
  • The Order of Proceedings is available as a PDF and the Daily Papers are starting to be posted. You can also find minutes and the text of speeches on that page.
  • Reports are available individually on the General Assembly 2013 page or all together in the Blue Book and Supplement
  • The Assembly will be webcast, as usual, linked to the media page
  • In addition, the media page will have the Daily Updates podcast and Assembly News Items
  • There is an official Facebook page for the Church of Scotland
  • On Twitter the official feed is @churchscotland and the Assembly hashtag is #ga2013 although I am also seeing some use of #ga13
  • Keep an eye on two other Church of Scotland Twitter accounts – the official magazine Life and Work (@cofslifeandwork), the Church of Scotland Youth (@cosy_nya) and maybe CofS World Mission (@cosworldmission)
  • A couple of other folks that I follow who will be there include Peter Nimmo (@peternimmo1) of Old High St. Stephens Inverness and Neal Pressa (@nealpresa) the Moderator of the 220th General Assembly of the PC(USA) who will be that church’s official representative to the Assembly.
  • I will add additional tweeps when the Assembly gets under way

If you want to have the polity documents at the ready you start at the Church Law web page and from there can get the Acts, Regulations, Standing Orders. Unfortunately, their publication An introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland is being revised so no version is available at this time.

This is already a high-profile year for the Assembly and it has not even convened yet. Two years in the making, the report of the Theological Commission on same-sex relationships and the Ministry has been widely anticipated and is docketed as the only business for Monday after the opening worship with communion.
While the Assembly in 2011 chose the trajectory towards, as this year’s report is calling it, the revisionist option, the Commission’s deliverance does include the opportunity for the Assembly to once again chose to reaffirm their earlier vote or consider taking the traditionalist option. For the polity wonks, or those interested in what process is next, the Supplementary Reports contains a section on how the selected trajectory would be implemented. There are three notices of intent to move amendments to the deliverance published in the first set of Daily Papers.

The second item of business which has gotten intense coverage in some quarters is the Church and Society Council’s special report The Inheritance of Abraham? A report on the ‘promised land.’ I wrote about this yesterday — how the first report had stirred up a bit of controversy in Jewish media and the report was pulled for revision after a meeting between representatives of both sides. This morning the revised version has been posted. The Council is docketed to report on Thursday, part way through the day.

On Tuesday, 21 May, there will be a special commemoration of David Livingstone for this the bicentennial year of his birth. Some of his great-grandchildren will be special guests of the Assembly that day.

I will update this info as necessary and comment in other posts as the week progresses. Prayers for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as the General Assembly meets.

Church of Scotland 2013 General Assembly — Church And Society Report On Israel

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UPDATE: The revised report is out – a few comments below.

I have been watching with interest the unfolding drama around the Church and Society Council’s business that will be before the 2013 General Assembly of the Church of Scotland next week. More specifically, in the midst of recommendations concerning climate change, education and oversight and franchise related to the Scottish independence vote, what has garnered international attention is a special report on Israel and the “promised land.” (Those are not my scare quotes but the style used for the report title.)

While my close attention may seem reasonable considering the extensive debate now going on about this report, what interests me more is the parallel to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 220th General Assembly last year. In both cases, the focus for those inside the church seemed to be on business related to human sexuality. But the business related to Israel and Palestine — in the case of the PC(USA) it was divestment from companies who “profit from non-peaceful pursuits” — caught the spotlight outside the church.

Even before the Assembly last summer in the media and social media the divestment proposal was being debated.  At the PC(USA) Assembly itself there were individuals lobbying inside the convention center (but not on the floor of the Assembly or in the committee room). And by the narrowest of margins, 333 to 331, the Assembly chose not to divest. The Assembly did approve a boycott of products made by Israeli companies in facilities in the occupied territories.

For the Church of Scotland the lightning rod was not divestment, or the specific recommendations of the Council per se, but the special report The Inheritance of Abraham? A Report On The ‘Promised Land.’ As you might guess from the question mark and the quotes around use of the term promised land, the report concluded that the modern nation of Israel does not having a scriptural basis for its existence. The response was swift and loud with coverage in the mainstream media (e.g. BBC, Herald Scotland), Jewish media (e.g. Haaretz, Algemeiner ) and internationally (e.g. Jerusalem Post, AP via ABC News, The Daily Beast). It has also caught the attention of bloggers outside the immeadeat circle including His Grace at the Cranmer blog.

There are also voices in the media speaking out in sympathy with the report including a Scotsman article about a prominent minister critical of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.

In response to the commotion a meeting was held between Church of Scotland representatives and members of the Jewish Community in Scotland. The report was removed from the web site and a statement about the meeting posted in its place. The report is being revised with a new introduction and it is planned to be ready for the Assembly next week.  In the statement the Church of Scotland reiterates four points:

  • There is no change in the Church of Scotland’s long held position of the right of Israel to exist.
  • The Church condemns all violence and acts of terrorism, where ever they happen in the world.
  • The concern of the Church about the injustices faced by the
    Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories remain firm,
    but that concern should not be misunderstood as questioning the right of
    the State of Israel to exist.
  • That the Church condemns all things that create a culture of anti Semitism.

To put a fine point on this, the distinction that they seem to be making is not the right of Israel to exist, but the lack of biblical support for the modern state of Israel.

While the report is gone from the official site it is available from another source. It begins with an introduction briefly outlining the recent history of the issue in the Church of Scotland and then lays out the topic of the paper:

There has been a widespread assumption by many Christians as well as many Jewish people that the Bible
supports an essentially Jewish state of Israel. This raises an
increasing number of difficulties and current Israeli policies regarding
the Palestinians have sharpened this questioning.

This assumption of biblical support is based on views of promises about land in the Hebrew Bible. These
views are disputed. The guidance in the Bible, notably the
interpretation in the New Testament, provides more help in responding
to questions about land and covenant. It also provides insight
(discussed later in the report) into how Christians might understand
the occupation of Palestinian land by the state of Israel, threats to
Middle East peace and security, human rights, and racial intolerance,
especially in the forms of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

It continues…

In general terms there have been three
main ways of understanding the promises about land in the Bible:

  1. A territorial guarantee
  2. A land held in trust
  3. A land with a universal mission.

The report then discusses each of these different understandings and begins the summary by saying:

Promises about the land of Israel were never intended to be taken literally,
or as applying to a defined geographical
territory. They are a way of speaking about how to live under God so
that justice and peace reign,
the weak and poor are protected, the stranger is included, and all
have a share in the community and a
contribution to make to it. The promised
land in
the Bible is not a place, so much as a metaphor of how things
ought to be among the people of God. This ‘promised land’ can be
found — or
built — anywhere.

Jesus’
vision of the kingdom is not for one limited area of territory, it is
a way of anticipating how things can be
if people are obedient to God. Metaphor and symbol are often used by
the Biblical writers. Words such as
‘widow’, ‘stranger’, ‘orphan’, ‘wilderness,’
‘neighbour,’ ‘Egypt,’ ‘exodus’ and ‘exile’ have
symbolic reference…

Now, I have to take pause at that first line where it says the promises were “never intended to be taken literally.” [emphasis mine] I do see the point of the piece in a modern context and do accept that the ultimate goal of being a “light unto the nations” (Isaiah 49:6) is that the Kingdom may encompass all of the earth. But the book of Joshua has a lot about specific physical geography as those in the second generation at the end of the exodus take position of the land that God has given them. A similar argument could be made about the return from the exile. Considering all of the history that revolves around that I personally have a hard time taking that part symbolically as the report suggests. The question really seems to be how the promises of the Old Covenant get transformed in the New Covenant?

The conclusion brings us back to the modern situation:

From this examination of the various views in the Bible about the relation of land to the people of God, it can be concluded that Christians should not be supporting any claims by Jewish or any other people, to an exclusive or even privileged divine right to possess particular territory. It is a misuse of the Bible to use it as a topographic guide to settle contemporary conflicts over land. In the Bible, God’s promises extend in hope to all land and people. Focussed as they are on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, these promises call for a commitment in every place to justice in a spirit of reconciliation.

The report then reminds readers of eight points previously agreed by General Assemblies. These points include the inequality of power in the region, that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal, that the human rights of all peoples should be respected, that negotiations need to resume and that the Church of Scotland must remain in dialogue with ecumenical partners and not do anything to promote illegal settlements.

For those who are familiar with the ecumenical statements regarding this area I would point out that the Kairos Palestine document is frequently quoted in this special report.

So, we wait to see a number of things. First, how the introduction is revised to reflect the discussions that were held last week. Second, how the Assembly receives the report — and keep in mind that it is nothing but a recommended report until and unless the Assembly adopts it as an official position of the Kirk. Finally, we will see what sort of reaction there is from the various groups within and outside the Kirk to whatever action the Assembly takes.

UPDATE 17 May 2013: The Church of Scotland has posted the revised version of the report. In addition to new opening Preface and Context sections notable revisions have been made through out the document to clarify the language. For example, the line I took issue with above, “Promises about the land of Israel were never intended to be taken literally, or as applying to a defined
geographical territory” has been revised to now read “To Christians in the 21st century, promises about the land of Israel shouldn’t be intended to be taken
literally, or as applying to a defined geographical territory.” This is typical of the changed tone of the paper as it has been re-framed as a document intended to reflect and speak to modern Christian thought.

Presbyterian News Headlines For The Week Ending May 11, 2013

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With the Church of Scotland 2013 General Assembly beginning on Saturday I hope to complete a few more posts about the Assembly and its business later this week. For the moment, the big news headline was a meeting last week between representatives of the Church of Scotland and various Jewish groups. From this there was a softening of the stand and a rewrite of the controversial report. Some of the headlines:

The Inheritance of Abraham? A report on the ‘promised land’ – Press release from the Church of Scotland

Church of Scotland Agrees to Amend Controversial Report on Israel – from The Altemeiner

Kirk and Jewish leaders hold talks in bid to mend relations – from The Herald

It also caught my attention that the news had spread beyond Scotland and the UK to some American news sources:

Church of Scotland Report Angers Jewish Community – picked up by ABC News from an AP report

Church of Scotland report angers Jewish community – picked up by the Miami Herald from the same AP story

The Church of Scotland’s Less Than Awesome Report on Israel – from The Daily Beast

And there are still some critics of Israel, like The Very Reverend Gilleasbuig Macmillan, who spoke out this week. (Polity note: Rev. Macmillan holds the position of Dean of the Thistle which is one of three positions in addition to being a former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland that gets the title “The Very Reverend.”)

Leading Church of Scotland minister slams Israel’s treatment of Palestinians – from the Daily Record

In other news…

Presbytery of Chicago is forced to sell a camp due to financial needs, partly caused by an abuse case settlement.

Abuse case leads to dunes camp sale – from WOOD TV

Don’t Destroy ‘Thin Place’ – letter to the editor of the Commercial Record

Five years after the collapse of the Presbyterian Mutual Society in Ireland six of the directors have settled legal proceedings by agreeing not to act as corporate directors for up to six years (despite what that first headline says):

Collapsed Presbyterian Mutual Society chiefs will not become company directors again – from the Belfast Telegraph

Six Presbyterian Mutual Society directors agree to stand down – from the BBC News

Programming note: Because the Church of Scotland General Assembly will be in full swing next week it may impact my time to put together this headlines post. We will see.

Presbyterian News Headlines For The Week Ending May 4, 2013

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Once again, the business before the Church of Scotland General Assembly makes the headlines but this time the story comes from the Church and Society Council:

Scottish Church denial of Jewish land rights stirs ire – From the Jerusalem Post

This is one of the few stories about this to hit the mainstream media. In the secular media the story has taken off with stories like this:

Church of Scotland Questions Right of Israel to Exist – from The Jewish Press.

Needless to say the blogosphere has taken off as well and I would point you to one of the more noted bloggers, His Grace on the Archbishop Cranmer blog.

If you want to read it for yourself you can read the Church and Society Council report and the study that is causing the commotion: The Inheritance of Abraham? A report on the ‘promised land’

And in the midst of all these issues in the Kirk the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, calls on the church not to divide:

Williams urges Kirk not to split over gay ministers – From The Scotsman

In other news…

Truth Commission hears Canadian abuse stories
– from the Church Times; and a story from the Presbyterian Church in Canada – Moderator John Vissers Addresses the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

PCUSA, Presbyterian Church of Korea Call for ‘Season of Prayer’ for Korean Peninsula – from the Christian Post

First Scots Independent Presbyterian Church officially founded in Beaufort – from the Hilton Head Island Packet

Rev Ted Mwambila dies: Ex-deputy SG [Secretary General] of CCAP Livingstonia Synod – from the Nyasa Times; while the country’s Vice-President used the occasion to speak to the church – Malawi VP Kachali begs Livingstonia CCAP Synod to tone down: Pays tribute to Rev Mwambila

General Assembly Season 2013

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Ah, the First of May — the start of General Assembly Season 2013! 

Coffee? Check.
Alarm clocks set? Check.
Internet streaming? Check.

It looks like we are all ready to go so here is this year’s line-up:

  General Assembly
Presbyterian Church of Tasmania
  14 May 2013 (begins)

  General Assembly
Church of Scotland

18-24 May 2013
Edinburgh

  General Assembly
Free Church of Scotland Continuing
20-24 May, 2013
Edinburgh

  General Assembly
Free Church of Scotland
20-24 May 2013
Edinburgh

  General Assembly
Presbyterian Church of South Australia
  27 May 2013 (begins)
North Adelaide, S.A.

General Assembly
United Free Church of Scotland
 
29-31 May 2013
Perth

  139th General Assembly

Presbyterian Church in Canada
31 May – 3 June 2013
Toronto, Ontario

  General Assembly
Presbyterian Church in Ireland
 
3-7 June 2013
Londonderry

80th General Assembly

Orthodox Presbyterian Church
5-11 June 2013
St. Mary’s College
Moraga, California

Synod
Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland
10-12 June 2013
Dromore

209th Stated Meeting of the General Synod

Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church

11-13 June 2013
Bonclarken
Flat Rock, North Carolina

183rd General Assembly
Cumberland Presbyterian Church
17-21 June 2013
Murfreesboro, Tennessee

41st General Assembly

Presbyterian Church in America
17-21 June 2013
Greenville, South Carolina

33rd General Assembly

Evangelical Presbyterian Church
18-22 June 2013
Highlands Ranch, Colorado

  General Assembly
Presbyterian Church of Queensland

  24 June 2013 (begins)
Clayfield (Brisbane), QLD

  N.S.W. State Assembly
Presbyterian Church of Australia
in the State of New South Wales

 
1 July 2013 (begins)
Croydon, N.S.W.

  77th General Synod
Bible Presbyterian Church
1-6 August 2013
Grand Island, NY

  National Youth Assembly
Church of Scotland

16-19 August 2013
Dundee
(Technically not a governing
body, but still an Assembly I track)

  General Assembly
Presbyterian Church of Australia

9 September 2013 (begins)
Surry Hills (Sydney)
(note: this is a triennial Assembly)

  General Assembly
Presbyterian Church of Victoria
  October 2013

  General Assembly
Presbyterian Church in Western Australia
  25 October 2013
Bassendean, W.A.

A few branches have biennial assemblies so those with their next assembly in 2014 include the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand.

These are the ones that I am tracking at the moment.  I will update as
appropriate.  If I have missed one, or have information wrong or incomplete, please provide the appropriate information and I will update the list.

And, to make the GA season complete here are two more items…

The first is the series of articles I wrote as an introduction to Presbyterian General Assemblies five years ago.  My GA 101 series consists of the following

GA101: Preface
GA101: Introduction – Why in the world would anybody want to do it this way?
GA101: Connectionalism – The Presbyterian Big Picture
GA101: The Cast of Characters – A score card to identify the players
GA101: The Moderator – All Things In Moderation
GA101: Where does the GA business come from? – Incoming!
GA101: Doing the business of GA — Decently and in Order

Yes, what started as a six part series expanded into seven
completed articles with two more unfinished ones in the queue.  (Maybe
this will give me some motivation to finish those up.)

And finally, on to the ridiculous.  Lest we take ourselves too seriously, a couple years ago I had a little fun with the General Assembly and in the post passed along the GA drinking game and GA Bingo. Please play both responsibly.

So, for all the GA Junkies out there I wish you the best of GA
seasons.  May you enjoy the next few months of watching us do things
decently and in order!

Presbyterian News Headlines For The Week Ending April 27, 2013

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Here are a few of the global Presbyterianism headlines that caught my attention in the past week:

A couple of weeks ago the hot topic for the Church of Scotland was the report to the General Assembly from the Theological Commission on Same-sex Relationships and the Ministry. This past week the news shifted on to a Joint Report on the Implications for the Church of Scotland of Independence for Scotland. The recommendation that seems to have caught everyone’s attention is “In the event of Scottish Independence… that the monarch should have a Scottish coronation…” Among the articles covering this are:

Scottish independence: Church of Scotland to debate coronations – From the BBC

Kirk: Give future monarch a Scots coronation after Yes vote – From The Herald

And it was noted that the Free Church of Scotland would also be exploring this topic:

Free Church to Discuss Independence – Free Church of Scotland news article

In the Free Church of Scotland there is another interesting pastoral call following last month’s call of an Italian minister to Leith:

Anglican Minister to take Free Church Congregation – From The Scotsman

In Ireland, where the Presbyterian Church opposes same-sex marriage, a political leader came under fire for his views that differ from the church’s position:

Alliance leader David Ford stands down as church elder over his support for gay marriage– From The Irish Times

And from the Presbyterian Church of Ghana:

Indiscipline amongst the youth need to be checked – Okyenhene – From GhanaWeb [note: The Okyenhene is the royal leader of a clan in Eastern Ghana. he was speaking at a Presbyterian Church.]

Politicians can’t fool Ghanaians any longer – Presby Moderator – From Vibe Ghana

Presbyterian News Headlines For The Week Ending April 20, 2013

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Well the buzz of the week was from the Church of Scotland and was related to the release of the Reports for the upcoming General Assembly. More specifically it relates to the report of the Theological Commission on Same-Sex Relationships and the Ministry. It is an interesting read — I’m about half way through it and will blog on it later this week.  But it generated a lot of media buzz so here are some of those headlines:

In other news…

Colleges and their ties to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Davidson Trustees Study, but Stop Short of Relaxing Church Connections – college press release. After a year of study the trustees have affirmed the current relationship with the PC(USA). They will keep their rare requirement that the college’s president be a Presbyterian. There is also a college press release about a petition to change that requirement.

Whitworth University Ends Exclusive 123-Year Partnership with PC(USA) – Christianity Today article. The university will be able to develop ties with other Churches of Christ.

Presbyterian Church Appoints New Clerk – from the News Letter
The lede to the article: “The general board of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland has agreed to
the nomination of the Rev Trevor Gribben as the next Clerk of the
General Assembly.”

Presbyterian News Headlines For The Week Ending April 13, 2013

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[Ed. note: Last year I started doing these headlines posts but dropped it during GA season and never restarted. Well, enough interesting things are happening that I thought I would restart this weekly post. As before, these are generally news items about global Presbyterianism that catch my attention but I don’t have time to blog about individually. I do however reserve the right to come back and write more about a story later. – SLS]

Lord High Commissioner for the Scottish General Assemblies
This is actually old news – Her Majesty’s Government issued the announcement three months ago – but it was highlighted this past week by a release from the Free Church of Scotland. While the Lord High Commissioner is technically only a position with the national Church of Scotland, they usually also visit the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland.

This year’s Lord High Commissioner is that same as last year, The Right Honourable Lord James Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, Baron Selkirk of Douglas, PC, QC.

New Role for Ex-Moderator
The Newsletter reports that the Rev. Dr. Stafford Carson has been selected as the new Principal of Union Theological College, Belfast. Rev. Carson was the Moderator of the 2009 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and is the pastor of First Portadown Presbyterian Church. Union College has about 300 students with about 10% of them training for the ministry.

The position still needs a series of approvals of which the final one is from this year’s General Assembly in early June.


Austin Presbyterian seminary receives $2.5 million gift
An article from the Austin Statesman informs us of a gift to Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary to endow the Blair R. Monie Distinguished Chair in Homiletics. The gift is from Mary and Robert J. Wright of Dallas and honors their pastor. The Rev. Monie has been a long-time trustee of Austin. (There is also a press release from the Seminary)

Asante Presbytery creates website to keep members informed
The Asante Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana has launched a new web site. The objective is clear from the article: “…to keep its members, both home and abroad, adequately informed about its activities.“

Review Of The BBC Documentary “An Independent People”

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I had heard about the BBC – Northern Ireland producing a documentary on Ulster Presbyterians titled “An Independent People.” Well, it is now released and was broadcast on the BBC this past week with the final part airing last night.

Since it was on the BBC it is available on their iPlayer, but that did not help those of us outside the UK. Well, this past weekend I found it on YouTube and spent some time watching it. In short – I was not disappointed!

This is a documentary that presbynerds and those interested in Presbyterian church history will enjoy and I suspect that others with a more passing history of Presbyterianism will as well.  As I will explain in a moment, the first episode is a good general background for any Presbyterian and the second episode has some interesting background for Americans – Presbyterian or not.

This is a three-part documentary, each part one hour long, hosted by BBC NI religion correspondent William Crawley. The program presents the history of the Ulster Presbyterians with a wonderful balance of Mr. Crawley’s narrative, expert quotes, historical and current imagery, and plenty of location shots at historical sites. I don’t think there is a studio shot in the whole three hours.

But beyond the visual richness of the series it does a great job of explaining the history and the individuals behind it without taking sides in the many conflicts and controversies throughout the history. While it seemed to me that it presented a fairly complete history – and helped fill in several holes in my understanding of the Ulster Presbyterians – I do not have a deep enough knowledge of the history to know if there were any glaring errors or omissions.

It is also worthwhile to note that it sticks very close to the Ulster Presbyterians so when it talks about Scottish or American Presbyterians it is only to the extent that the Irish were involved. The primary exception is the very beginning when the origins of Presbyterianism in Geneva and Scotland are discussed.

The first episode titled “Taking Root” begins by recounting that early history and then the first wave of Scots to Ulster in the Plantation movement and resistance they found there. The next episode is “Seeds of Liberty” and talks about the Ulster Presbyterians in American and the ideas of the Enlightenment they brought with them that found expression in the American Revolution. It also discusses how that revolution, the French Revolution and the Enlightenment influenced Ireland. The final episode is “Union and Division” and traces the history in the Union of the UK and the divisions within Ireland as well as touching on the early Presbyterian missionary efforts.

The program was produced by Below the Radar for the BBC. You can find @williamcrawley and the show’s producer Fiona Keane (@fikeane) on Twitter. There are notices from both the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and the Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland promoting the show. In addition to the BBC the show was funded in part by the Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund.

A trailer/ad is also available but I’m not sure it does the series justice — but what can you do in 30 seconds?

As you can probably figure out, the title reference to an independent people works on many levels. For those that think Presbyterian realignments are a new phenomenon this series makes it clear that it is not.  Mr. Crawley begins the third episode with this lede:

[P]resbyterianism has always been a fractious faith. The democracy that defines it also creates division and dissent.

While the Ulster Presbyterians have components of their history that are unique in the Presbyterian universe, much of their history has interesting influences and parallels throughout global, and especially western, Presbyterianism. This documentary does a good job of helping us see where those puzzle pieces fit in the larger picture.

UPDATE: After posting this I found that Gladys Ganiel had written about the series. Some interesting insights from her background living in both The States as well as currently in Belfast. She did alert me to one error in the program – the statement that Francis Makemie founded the first Presbyterian Church in America. The program could have meant the oldest active congregation but a Long Island congregation founded by English Presbyterians in the 1640’s is generally regarded as the first. Makemie did however organize the first presbytery. But Gladys has a good point that I remember no mention of Amy Carmichael in the third episode and generally little coverage of the role of women in the history. She has also written some thoughts on the first episode.

UPDATE: Another insightful review and discussion of the program by Steve Stockman on his blog Soul Surmise. (And thanks to @alaninbelfast for bringing it to my attention.)