Her Majesty the Queen’s Visit to Northern Ireland
The courage and devotion to duty of Her Majesty the Queen were clearly evident in Her Majesty’s visit to the strife-torn province of Ulster. In the Lord’s good providence the Queen was preserved from the many dangers to which she was exposed by her visit to that part of our land. It was certainly an arduous task to lay upon the Queen in her Silver Jubilee year, and it is with thankfulness to the Lord that we record her safe return from her two-day visit.
W.C.C. and Black Nationalists
The World Council of Churches is to continue its policy of giving aid to black nationalist movements. This year five national groups in Southern Africa are to receive $265,000 from a special fund to combat racism. The W.C.C., while acknowledging that some of the recipients of aid do use military action to try to liberate their countries, yet claimed that the money was given for humanitarian projects and that it had never been proved that it had been used for any other purpose. However that may be, one would expect a Church organisation to steer very clear of terrorist organisations in handing out aid. Surely there are other groups, not given to murder and rapine, who would be more worthy of help.
“Gay News” Conviction
The prosecution and conviction of the magazine “Gay News” for the publication of a blasphemous poem on Christ has been strongly criticised by Rev. Dr Edmund Jones, minister of Queen’s Cross Church, Aberdeen. Dr Jones has become notorious for his attacks on the fundamental truths of the Christian Faith, so in the light of this his attitude to the conviction for blasphemy of the magazine “Gay News” may not be altogether surprising. It is sad beyond words, however, that a professed minister of the Gospel should take up such an attitude. So, too, is the response of a spokesman for the Church of Scotland in connection with Dr Jones’ utterances. It was stated that Dr Jones, like any other parish minister, could preach on any subject of his choice, and that the Church, while not approving of the practice of homosexuality, did look for a fairly liberal approach to the individuals themselves and did not approve of the harassment of any minority group. If this is the attitude of the leaders of the Church of Scotland to sodomy and to the vile blasphemy of this poem, what can be said of them but that they are “blind, leaders of the blind.”