Free Church Minister in Further Ecumenical Service
Rev James Maciver, Free Church minister of Knock, has followed his role in the ecumenical Mod service, in which the Roman priest Calum MacLellan participated, by taking part in a second service with a Roman priest. This was to be broadcast on the evening of December 24 in connection with the pagan festival of Christmas. According to the announcement, prayers and readings at this service were to be contributed by Rev Angus Morrison and a Roman Catholic priest, Father Roddy Johnston. Mr Morrison, formerly a Free Presbyterian minister, was recently inducted as Church of Scotland minister in Kinross (Orwell and Portmoak), the service being conducted by a woman. Mr Morrison has a number of women on his new Kirk Session.
At any time between the Scottish Reformation of 1560 and the Second World War, Protestant ministers in Scotland who participated in joint services with Roman priests would have been deposed, and rightly so. Much of Scottish Protestantism was grossly liberal in the first part of the twentieth century, but it was at least Protestant. Now that is lost, however, and one is struck by the lack of religious conviction shown by all three men. The two Protestant ministers believe, according to their official Church teaching, that the Roman priest is deceiving men with his false doctrine and that, if he continues in his present views, he will go to hell. The Roman priest officially believes the same regarding the Protestant ministers. But all three of them were found conducting a service together! Who would bother listening to such confused people on religious matters? They need first of all to work out their own doctrine before they attempt to instruct others. “How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him” (1 Ki 18:21).
What makes things worse is that Mr Maciver’s Presbytery has considered his conduct and endorsed it, thereby making themselves a party to his folly and unfaithfulness. Such defections, by Protestant ministers who used to appear more conservative, are a warning to the professed people of God to consider whether they are holding their views from true spiritual conviction
or merely from custom and convenience. “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor 10:12). DWBS