The professing and visible Church of God in Scotland, or elsewhere, which professes devotion to the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to the Word of God, the doctrines and practice of the Apostolic Church, and the true Protestant Reformed faith, has thereby bound itself to certain principles and purposes. For example—to seek the honour of God and His Son Jesus Christ, to concern itself with being instrumental in the conversion and salvation of sinners, to have regard to the building up of believers on their most holy faith, and to be a faithful witness to the World on the side of the Truth and the whole counsel of God. It is by divinely given means alone and under the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit that these precious aims can be attained, more or less, according to the purpose and will of God.
But today we are confronted with the sad and deplorable spectacle, in the larger branches of the professing Christian Church, of the employment of purely worldly methods and means in addition to a weak and faltering attachment to the divine means of grace, to merely achieve the retention of people in the Church and to bring non-Church people into the Church. The actual Scriptural and spiritual salvation of sinners as lost and ruined by the Fall, and the feeding and edification of living and hungry regenerated Christians, has been all but lost sight of by many leaders and pastors in the larger denominations. The Church has been opened to practices which are of a Worldly nature and which will attract and satisfy the unconverted among young and old for a while at any rate with seeming success. But that success is void of the reality of salvation in the experience of precious souls. It may well be that there are some here and there in the midst of this Church state of affairs who are at heart and in conscience disturbed and dissatisfied with these unscriptural and Worldly activities and practices, but who appear to lack leadership and strength to openly and vehemently repudiate and protest against what is contrary to gospel doctrine and practice. Others lacking thoughtfulness and discernment have not given due and serious consideration to the situation so full of dishonour to Christ and the Christian faith.
In a book on “Calvinism” containing lectures given by Professor A. Kuyper of Amsterdam, at Princeton, New Jersey in 1898, Dr. Kuyper in dealing with Calvinism and Religion states: “not every intimate intercourse with the unconverted world is deemed lawful, by Calvinism, for it placed a barrier against the too unhallowed influence of this world by putting a distinct “veto” upon three things, card playing, theatres, and dancing. . . . ” As to card playing, he states that Calvin and his adherents “. . . could not help loathing a game which placed Fortune above the disposition of God, and the hankering after chance above the firm confidence in His will.” In referring to the theatre he writes especially of the actors and not the audience, and has this to say: “. . . the fact of the constant and ever-changing presentation of the character of another person, finally hampers the moulding of your personal character.” He refers to the moral degradation of actors in his own day. As to dancing, among other observations he states that the Calvinist protests against “the impurity to which it is often in danger of leading.” He sums up partly thus: “Our fathers perceived excellently well that it was just these three: Dancing, Card-playing, and Theatre-going, with which the world were madly in love. In worldly circles these pleasures were not regarded as secondary trifles, but honoured as important matters: and who ever dared to attack them, exposed himself to the bitterest scorn and enmity. For this very reason, they recognised, in these three, the Rubicon which no true Calvinist could cross without sacrificing his earnestness to dangerous mirth, and the fear of the Lord to often far from spotless pleasures.”
We submit that Professor Kuyper’s views expressed in dignified and clear terms, are views which every true, seriously-minded Christian today must endorse without hesitation. Furthermore, drama, dancing and card-playing are a threefold Worldly and evil leaven permeating not only cities and towns, but every village and country district throughout Scotland today. And the great majority of people of all walks of life consider them, in opposition to our view, to be harmless forms of amusement, attractive ways of spending valuable time, and as is often the case quick and popular methods of gathering money for every and any charitable purpose, not forgetting the needs of certain supposed Christian Church requirements. The time spent by considerable gatherings of young and old on these activities is not unimportant in our survey. Two, three and four hours devoted to these vanities is usual and not uncommon; whereas if there be Church attendance observed by some addicted to these things, it may be but one hour weekly at the most, the usual duration of Church services in the most of Churches today. Many who delight in card-playing, dancing, and plays and concerts, have no time or mind at all for even a formal attendance upon any religious services. Our point here is that the natural heart of unconverted men and women revel in these avenues of pleasure, and have no relish whatsoever for the things of God and the truths and benefits of the gospel of Christ. In other words, these activities are of the very essence and atmosphere of the unholy world, who are after their own manner satisfied and happy without any religion at all, not to speak of the holy religion of the gospel and the activities and fellowship of the godfearing Church of Christ Jesus. It may be appropriate to quote here the words from 1st Peter, chapter 4, verses 3-5 : ” For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries : Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you.” And now, as in apostolic times, the carnal and irreligious world think it strange that those who are in fact, spiritual and obedient followers of the Lord, do not run with them to card-playing, dancing and plays etc.,—speaking evil of them in 1959, as in Peter’s day. The godfearing have come out from among that which grace in the soul discerns to be of the World, the flesh, and the devil.
But let us now carry the matter to our main point; and that is, that the theatre and drama, card-playing and dancing have invaded the domain of Churches in Scotland today. And it is of course an established fact, and a sad one, that the Church of Scotland today, the principal denomination in Scotland, embraces in many of its congregational activities, the Drama, card-playing, dancing and concerts of varied kinds etc.
We would venture to ask any thoughtful, Bible reading professing Christian in the Church of Scotland today, first of all : What has the Church’s Gateway Theatre in Edinburgh, or Dramatic clubs in congregations to do with the honour of Christ or the conversion of sinners? Secondly, what has congregational whist drives and dances to offer any living Christian by way of spiritual food or edification? Thirdly, how can the drama, card-playing and dances contribute to the Christian Church’s witness before the World, as to the truth as it is in Jesus? Surely such practices and worldly pleasures are what the world without God, without Christ, without hope, without Bible and without Church connection, love and delight in; and whether outwith or within the Church such as encourage and indulge in these things are ” lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God ” (2nd Tim, 3, v. 4). And what to any extent exercises a powerful influence upon the minds and consciences of young and old to disregard God’s name and claims, to be feared, adored and worshipped after a godly and spiritual manner from the heart, is a positive danger and ruinous to precious souls. And let any thoughtful persons in Churches where these practices obtain, examine the situation in the light of the Scriptures, and seek to be guided by God as to what they should do and say on the side of the practice which is according to godliness.
Although every professing follower of the divine Redeemer in this dark time, has great personal need of seeking grace and more grace to sanctify, and keep him unto the Lord’s heavenly Kingdom; yet we would venture to urge all and any who read these pages and who are grieved with the inroads of the World into the professing Christian Church, to take every opportunity on every appropriate occasion and by every wise and proper means available to them, to express their views of the unscripturalness and Christ dishonouring and anti-Gospel nature of all worldly practices and activities within the borders of Churches claiming to promote Christian principles. Surely the apostolic injunction: “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity”: (2 Tim, chap. 2, v. 19), should actuate everyone in Scotland who fears the Lord to proclaim and protest from pulpit and pew respectively that we cannot serve God and the carnal world.
Let there be study, on the part of those interested, of part of our Lord’s interpretation of His parable on The Sower viz., “and that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection”; (Luke chap. 8, v. 14). A brief up-to-date illustration of the latter part of the Lord’s words is as follows: Attendance upon religious services on God’s Day, and on Monday evening attendance upon a congregational dance. Suffice to say that even what was read of God’s Word on the Sabbath is “choked” by the dance on the weekday, or by the activities of the Drama Club, or by the Whist Drive etc. The place of drama in the Church was defended recently by the Moderator of Dornoch Presbytery of the Church of Scotland, the Rev. A. MacKenzie, Lochinver, But those in whose experience Drama will choke the Word of God, will have “drama” enough before the judgment seat of Christ at last, unless there be given them repentance and remission of sins, through the gospel of Christ, and in heavenly grace. And let us read how Moses was exercised when he received faith from God: “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward” (Heb. xi, v. 24-26). Moses abandoned the pleasures of sin and the world for ever.
Let men and women in Scotland take their Bible in their hand and see by the whole tenor of the teachings of the Scriptures, that when the world invades the Church and is given a place therein by professing ministers of Christ and office-bearers and members, that the blessed Head of the Church, Jesus Christ will not dwell in the midst of such dishonour to His Name. Let there be prayer that He will return to the Churches in Scotland and elsewhere, and cast out what defiles His temple, by His Word and His Holy Spirit, in His divine zeal for His own glory.