The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland opened in Edinburgh on May 17, when Rev. W.B. Johnstone of Colinton, Edinburgh was appointed Moderator. The Lord High Commissioner representing the Queen was the Earl of Elgin. As Chaplain, the Lord High Commissioner had with him his sister, Lady Alison Stewart-Patterson who is a minister in the Presbyterian Church of Canada. When she addressed the Assembly she pleaded with Scottish congregations to let more women into their pulpits. This call did not go altogether unchallenged. Rev. Brock White spoke against women in the ministry and eldership and called for reconsideration of this whole question. His proposal, however, was rejected. The Principal Clerk to the Assembly, Rev. Donald MacDonald, in answer to a question pointed out that if a minister refused to ordain women his Presbytery could take up a complaint against him and require him to answer for his actions. If he continued to disobey the Acts of Assembly the Presbytery could take appropriate action. This means that the ministers of the Church of Scotland who adhere to the Scriptural view that women should not be ordained to the ministry or eldership and refuse to ordain women to these offices will be subject to the discipline of the Church. It is as though Paul had never written under divine inspiration: “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.” 1Cor.14:34.
In connection with the ministry, the General Assembly by 559 votes to 370 voted to allow an auxiliary ministry to be set up, whose members will be fully ordained but will not be inducted to charges and will not receive a stipend. They will undergo a two-year part-time training and will be under the direction of Presbyteries. It was claimed that something had to be done to meet the shortage of ministers in the Church. One advantage is that they may not be required to run the gauntlet of the heretical teaching in the divinity colleges. However, Christ has given direction as to how the shortage of ministers is to be supplied: “Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that He may send forth labourers into His harvest.” Such sent labourers are greatly needed in the Church of Scotland today.
The publication of ‘Yes’ magazine, the Church of Scotland’s magazine for teenagers came up for review. With a circulation of 8000 it received a subsidy of £12,000 and would require to double its circulation to become self-sufficient. An attempt to suspend its circulation did not succeed. The Editor claimed it was intended for all Scottish teenagers. The content of this Magazine may be gauged from the question the Editor posed and answered. He said: “You might say, ‘What has pop music, television and films got to do with the Christian message?’ The answer is, that you have to begin where young people are.”
The General Assembly created a powerful central Council or Committee under the Convenership of Dr James Matheson. The result is likely to be that there will be a major reduction in the number of Church committees and power will be concentrated in fewer hands. Rev. Robert Logan, Inverness moved against it on grounds of cost. Mr David Maxwell Q.C., who seconded the motion against the proposal, declared: “This proposed Council is not a body with a limited remit but a new tier of Government alien to our presbyterian democratic system.” Rev. James Matheson attempted to refute this by saying that the Council must be the servant of the Assembly. In reality there is little doubt that it will tend to undermine the Presbyterian character of the Church of Scotland. Professor Torrence’s claim that only through such a powerful body could the Kirk face up to the fundamental problems of today appears to us to be an erroneous one.
The General Assembly gave continued backing to ecumenical parishes though opposition was strongly voiced to the Livingston new town ecumenical experiment on the ground of cost. This experiment has been in operation for 13 years. One minister described it as a complete disaster. One of the most unusual features of this experiment is the Lanthorn Community Centre where Protestants (Church of Scotland, Episcopal, Methodist and Congregational) and Roman Catholic congregations use the same premises for worship. Joint services of Roman Catholics and Protestants are held annually. Rome-wards is the direction in which ecumenism is leading the Church of Scotland.
Opposition to the appointment of a Roman Catholic to the Thomas Chalmers Chair of Theology at Edinburgh University was voiced by Rev. John Gray of Dunblane Cathedral when he proposed that consideration be given to a College for training ministers which would be financed and controlled by the Church. This suggestion was not adopted. Rev. James Fraser, Glasgow also spoke against Professor Mackey’s appointment. Professor Mackey, he said, had professed his loyalty to the Roman Catholic Church and to the Society of Jesus since his appointment to the Chair. He reminded the Assembly that the Society of Jesus was resuscitated at the time of the Reformation to suppress Protestantism so it was difficult to reconcile this with his appointment.
To avoid the usual nuclear debate it was proposed merely to vote on the Committee’s recommendation in favour of the maintenance of a nuclear deterrent. When this procedural issue was won by 344 votes to 323, no less than 164 commissioners recorded their dissent. The vote on the recommendation was won by 481 votes to 222. Lord Macleod still managed to get in his pacifist views later by a motion stating that the Assembly in our nuclear age practise now Christ’s example of non-violence. This was rejected by 170 votes to 150.
Dr Runcie, the new Archbishop of Canterbury received a thunderous welcome in addressing the Assembly. He saw ecumenism as an increasing part of joint mission. He maintained that the needs of today are too great to waste Christian energy in pursuing old rivalries. The Moderator of the Assembly said he hoped the two Churches would come closer together in the developing society of the Eighties.
An attempt to have raffles accepted as a means of raising funds was overwhelmingly dismissed by the Assembly which was very gratifying. Drink was referred to as the scourge of Scotland and a source of shame to its people. It was suggested that steps should be taken to eliminate mass media advertising of drink.
The Assembly expressed profound disquiet at the lack of progress on mixed marriages between Protestants and Roman Catholics. Because of this, couples in this situation faced intolerable pressures. The stumbling block was the baptism and religious upbringing of children of such marriages. The Roman Catholic Church, the Chairman of the Joint Commission said, although it requires no more from the non-R.C. partner than that he or she be made aware of the R.C. partner’s obligation, still insists that the R.C. partner do everything in his or her power to have the children baptised and brought up not simply as Christians but as R.C.’s.