Warning to the People of Scotland.
Last May the Free Presbyterian Synod, convened at Inverness, sent a solemn warning to the Presbyterians of Scotland (through the public Press) against the movement that is going on for years, between a Committee of the Church of Scotland, and the Episcopal Church of England. Why should this movement concern Free Presbyterians, and other Presbyterian bodies who are outside the pale of the Church of Scotland?
First, the present so-called “Church of Scotland” is the only official ecclesiastical party in Scotland which has official recognition in the Parliament of the two kingdoms of Scotland, and England. Second, any movement by this official body concerns us all whether we are within the pale of the Church of Scotland or not, for if our national status is altered, the Act of Union of 1707 of the two kingdoms must suffer accordingly, and our relationship with the Crown may be also completely changed.
We have no confidence whatever in the men at the head of affairs in the Church of Scotland. We have none in the Romanisers of the Church of England. We know what happened in 1900, 1921, and in 1929. How can any honest man have the least confidence in men who wrecked the once highly-favoured and honoured Free Church of Scotland, and continued ever since to destroy the very foundations of the Reformed and Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and are hard at it now, and if the people of Scotland will not awake to the menace that threatens them, before they realise what is going on they will be surrounded by the English Episcopal octopus.
This will mean church government of the “Bishops, by the Bishops, for the Bishops!” The most dangerous aspect of it is that the people who adhere to the Church of Scotland are so utterly unconcerned that they will join the “New Presbyterian-Episcopal” Church without a murmur! We know that their “Leaders” will throw all the dust that can be collected about the offices of the New College, Edinburgh, and Lambeth Palace into their eyes, and deafen their ears with such shibboleth as “Brotherly love,” “Union is strength,” and no doubt the 17th chapter of the Gospel according to John will be quoted with unctuous platitudes, adding another potion of death to the minds of those who will remain obedient to the “voice of the Church.”
Will those who are outside this “new union” and communion escape persecution at the hands of those who will compromise the status quo of Presbyterian Scotland? It often happens in the affairs of men, and nations that history repeats itself; and if so, we know from past records, that our national history has been blackened by native sons turning persecutors. Was it not Scotsmen that persecuted the godly, and noble Covenanters? Yes, that is true, but surely we have departed from that awful mental, and political outlook at this time of day? Not a hair’s-breadth. Times, education, money, place, and creeds never changed the heart of man. As Mr. Colquhoun is to deal with that matter we shall not enter into that awful episode!
In the Glasgow Herald of the 21st September, there is a notice of the meeting of Committee that is conferring on Union as follows:—
“RESUMED MEETING OF CHURCHMEN.”
EDINBURGH CONVERSATION.
Conversation between the delegates of the Church of Scotland and the Church of England, along with representatives from the Presbyterian Church of England and the Episcopal Church in Scotland, will be resumed at New College, Edinburgh, on Monday evening, and will continue for three days. Those expected to take part are:—
Church of Scotland—The Rev. Dr. A. C. Craig, the Very Rev. Professor J. Pitt-Watson, the Rev. Professor William S. Tindal, the Rev. Professor Thomas F. Torrance, the Rev. Dr. George Gunn, Sir Randall Philip, Q.C., and the Rev Stuart Loudon (Secretary).
Church of England—The Archbishop of York, the Bishop of Derby, the Bishop of Exeter, the Bishop of Leicester, the Rev. Canon H. E. W. Turner, and the Rev. J. P. Hickinbotham, Secretary.
Presbyterian Church of England—The Rev. Principal R. D. Whitehorn and Mr. John Ross.
Episcopal Church in Scotland—The Right Rev. Eric Graham (Bishop of Brechin) and the Right Rev. John Howe (Bishop of St Andrews).
The readers in the Church of Scotland of the Free Presbyterian Magazine can see that it is not from the spirit of prejudice, or carnal animosity, that we warn them against their so-called leaders, but in true love to our fellow-countrymen. For this wicked movement will finally lead the people of Scotland, and England, into the clutches of the Church of Rome. That is the motive, aim, and objective of the Jesuit-minded ministers of both the Church of Scotland and the Church of England. We warn, and advise the people to rise like men, and to quit themselves like true Christians in opposing this wicked movement.
—J. MacL.
Britain and South Africa’s Racial Policy.
Mr. Strijdom, the Prime Minister of South Africa, visited London during last July. On his return to Capetown on 26th July, he is reported to have said that sympathy for his Government’s racial policy would increase in Britain in the near future, and that many responsible people were very sympathetically disposed towards their traditional colour policy. One reason he gave was that Britain is coming face to face with this colour problem at home and abroad. We consider Mr. Strijdom is taking too much for granted, or was endeavouring to appease and influence the views and feelings of quite a large section of the white population in the Union of South Africa. It may not be generally known in Britain that there exists an active white women’s organisation called “The Black Sash,” which persistently and publicly protested against the Bill introduced by Strijdom to place coloured voters on a separate Roll. This “Black Sash” organisation is run by hundreds of European ladies belonging to South Africa. It is known in South Africa that Prime Minister Strijdom’s Government, and its policy has divided more sharply than ever between Africans and Europeans, and also, be it noted, it has caused division among the white population. There is a solid opinion among many whites in South Africa against much of the racial policy of Strijdom; and it is their sympathy he lacks, and he has really little or no sympathy in Britain, in spite of what he said on his return home last July. In South Africa, the British are not really welcome by the out and out supporters of Strijdom. Although Strijdom and his henchmen are Dutch Reformed in religion, there is a lack of the grace of the Gospel of Christ in their attitude to native Africans and Asiatics. We write thus, after obtaining a good idea of how things are in the Union of South Africa, when staying there for a little while in the spring of this year. We saw the “Black Sash” ladies engaged in their task of silent protest outside Parliament in Capetown, and saw and heard Strijdom in Parliament move for leave to introduce his Bill for a separate voters’ roll for all coloured people, and we gleaned information as we went about. One of the “Black Sash” ladies (they wear a black silk sash over one shoulder and across the body) to whom we spoke said, in their view the aforesaid Bill and the action of the Government anent it, was against the Constitution of South Africa and immoral. The spirit and mind of Christ and the Gospel in power are what are needed in the Union of South Africa; and also in the Rhodesias and elsewhere throughout that vast continent.
A Noise about a Skull.
Apparently a skull was found in July, 1856, in the Neanderthal Valley, Germany, and was considered to be of great age and is on exhibition in a museum in Bonn. Now this summer, a Professor Jacobshagen, an expert on “Ice Age anthropology,” announced that the fragmented skull of a “Neanderthal”-type woman was discovered by a teacher near Cassel in July this year. The Professor said the woman lived 120,000 years ago. Our reasons for commenting on this at all are that such nonsense is published by the most sober sections of the public Press, and again the B.B.C. thought this discovery of pieces of an old skull worthy to be placed among news items broadcast. Who knows how old the skull is? No one. What profit is this silly news to be to any seriously-minded person? None. And yet the science of man is no doubt a legitimate avenue of study for certain intellectuals, within the light and limits of Scripture. Where this is so, we shall not be plagued with dangerous evolutionary theories and statements about skulls being aged 100,000 years and more.
Rules Relaxed for Nuns.
The Pope at the beginning of last August ordered the abolition of some of the barriers which for hundreds of years have cut off nuns in certain orders of the R.C. Church from the rest of the world. And now nuns in certain orders may leave their convents for certain stated reasons, e.g., “to earn money.” This reason is a significant one. The report on this business in the Buffalo Evening News of 2nd August, 1956, also states that these instructions have come after disclosures that many thousands of nuns in Italy and elsewhere were living in great hardship, without adequate food, medical attention or heat in winter. What a revelation! And untold wealth is known to lie in the coffers of the Vatican. What a caricature of Christianity in Italy, when nuns are permitted to suffer under the shadow of the Vatican! Of course, we are not surprised at the poor, deluded nuns enduring these privations. It is part of their miserable religion, involving penances, etc., but maybe things have gone too far in the convents, in this modern age, and have come to light. Of course, the convent to certain orders of nuns, is nothing better than a prison. The Gospel of Christ gives liberty and light to poor sinners, spiritually and otherwise.
A Film with Immediate Evil Effects.
The film industry in America and this country have much to answer for in connection with the immoral and evil influences of many films upon youth in the past and the present. Such influences have probably taken some time to produce evil and obvious fruits. But now the Press has kept us up-to-date on facts regarding the recent showing of an American film called “Rock Around the Clock,” which on being shown and seen and heard by crowds of young people in different parts of the country, has produced immediate evil and undesirable effects upon these foolish irreligious sections of our national youth. Mobs of young people have left cinemas in a strange state of mind and uncontrolled in conduct after seeing this film. There has been noisy, unruly and violent conduct on the part of dancing and singing crowds of young people. Police and members of the public have been assaulted, and young people have been brought to court, fined and warned. Indeed, certain cities have therefore banned the film in their areas. Surely all this reveals the evil and undermining influence of such entertainment to which the young in our country are exposed. The god of this world, the Devil himself, is not separate from the preparation and spreading of such carnal and sensual entertainment, which principally includes certain kinds of music. That the Government, in a professed Christian land like ours, does not prohibit such effective means of evil among young people, is itself shameful.
A Correction.
In October issue of the Magazine we stated that the majority of the MacQueen Memorial Congregation, Inverness, advertised their services for Sabbath, 12th August, under the heading “MacQueen Memorial Free Church.” This was correct according to one edition of The Highland News. But the Secretary of the aforesaid majority section has written to state that the omission of the word “Presbyterian” after the word “Free” was a typographical error and was corrected in a later edition of the above paper the same day, and that the Editor wrote apologising for the omission. We received a perusal of this letter. Although we are altogether clear in the matter we make these comments in fairness to all concerned.