Scottish Independence Referendum
The referendum on Scottish independence due to be held this month will amount to the biggest single constitutional decision in our nation’s history since 1707. In deciding how to vote in such a momentous event, we would respectfully suggest that our people take the following points into serious consideration.
Firstly, we must ask whether Scottish independence would be for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. It has been made clear that an independent Scotland would adopt a secular constitution. We hold that this will take away from Christ’s rightful position as King of nations. Certainly we are not under any illusions about the present desperate state of affairs throughout the United Kingdom, where true religion is so low everywhere. Nevertheless we fear that a move away from a specifically-Christian acknowledgement in the foundation of our national life will only strengthen the powers of the kingdom of darkness in their opposition to Christ. Under a secular constitution it will be even more difficult than it is at present to introduce legislation founded on biblical principles.
Secondly, will Scottish independence strengthen Protestantism? The securities which guaranteed Presbyterian Church Government to the Scottish people in 1707 continue to be an integral part of the Union to this day. However imperfectly the United Kingdom has implemented Christian principles over the years, the fact remains that Britain is still officially committed to protecting the Protestant faith. Breaking the Union will abolish that protection. Indeed, there can be no doubt that the Roman Catholic Church will have far greater political influence in an independent Scotland than it presently does under the Union, since the proportion of Romanists is much higher in Scotland than in Britain as a whole. This ought to be a grave concern to Protestants.
Thirdly, in an independent Scotland, the constitutional position of the Presbyterian Church under the 1921 Church of Scotland Act would be as precarious as can readily be imagined. One hostile vote in the Scottish Parliament from an alliance of Roman Catholics, secularists and others would easily sweep away the whole established position of Christianity from the national life of Scotland. This would amount to a formal and deliberate repudiation by the Scottish people and its representatives of the work of the Reformation. That, we believe, would incur the wrath of God on our land.
Fourthly, we ought to be mindful of the many blessings bestowed on Britain since 1707. Since then we have enjoyed almost uninterrupted internal peace and remarkable deliverances in wartime, accompanied by increasing temporal prosperity and much spiritual blessing. It has thus been an unspeakable privilege to have our lot in providence in a free, Christian, Protestant nation. We would be despising that inheritance in choosing to destroy our United Kingdom.
For reasons such as these we would encourage the readers of this Magazine eligible to vote in the Referendum to reject Scottish independence.
AWM
British Values
The Government response to the “Trojan Horse” scandal in Birmingham, in which some extreme Muslims allegedly tried to take control of certain state schools, has been to require all schools in England to promote “traditional British values”. The enforcing of this requirement has been placed in the hands of the notoriously pro-homosexual Equality and Human Rights Commission. Had such a requirement been made 30 years ago, when Christianity had a greater influence in Britain, there might have been some merit in it; but now it is likely to have little effect on Muslim-dominated schools but be used as an engine of persecution against schools with a conservative Christian ethos. Whatever talk there may be of “fairness” and “democracy”, it seems that the core “British values”, which must be promoted at all costs, are homosexuality and the teaching of Evolution; while the opinions that particularly endanger British society are, by implication, biblical morality and Creationism.
The Government position is sufficiently ridiculous, in that numerous pillars of British society down the centuries have held both these supposedly “dangerous” opinions. Indeed the traditional British view of sodomy has been, overwhelmingly, the biblical one: that it is evil and ought to be illegal. Only in very recent years has the active promotion of sodomy been regarded as a good thing by the authorities in Britain; and since then the ceaseless zeal of the homosexual movement to advance itself has fully justified the reluctance of former generations to allow homosexuals in positions of influence.
In another sense, however, there is a lot of (worldly) wisdom in the Government’s position. Biblical morality does not endanger British secular society in the same way as militant Islam does, but it is a mortal foe to the atheistical, pleasure-seeking lifestyle that prevails in Britain. The two cannot co-exist quietly together. Equally, those who believe in Creationism probably also believe in the literal destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, with the judgement that it entails on modern British society. The secular world recognises that it has a formidable enemy in biblical Christianity, and it is doing what it can to weaken that enemy. The people of God can take encouragement from the dread with which worldly men regard the sharp sword of divine truth. They do not want it anywhere near the young people of the nation, lest they be convicted and converted.
Misrepresenting the truth as evil, with a view to persecuting it, is no new thing. The Puritan John Owen commented 350 years ago: “The world can neither justify nor countenance itself in its persecutions of the Church, unless
they first cover it all over with reproaches. So they dealt with our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. They attempted not to take away His life, before the rage of the people was by all manner of reproaches stirred up against Him. So it is in all the sufferings and persecutions of the Church. They are always represented as heretics, schismatics, or seditious persons, opposite to all good order in Church and state, before they are exposed to violence. And this also is usually accompanied with contempt, scorn, mocking, and false accusations.”
DWBS
Assisted Dying Bill
In mid-July the former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer succeeded in moving his Assisted Dying Bill a step forward. At the second reading, after 10 hours of debate, and after hearing over 130 speeches, peers agreed to let his proposals go on to the next stage. Lord Falconer has constantly called for a change in the law on assisted suicide but until recently has met with fierce opposition from the House of Lords; however, since the last debate, in 2012, there has been a significant softening in the Lords’ approach.
The controversial changes advocated would permit doctors to prescribe lethal doses of a drug to terminally-ill patients judged to have fewer than six months to live. Two doctors would have to sign off the fatal dose. Lord Falconer’s contends that the present law permits wealthy people to travel to Switzerland to end their lives while poorer people are left to suffer “lonely and cruel deaths”. In the debate the lawyer’s language was highly emotive, insisting that sick people were “so worried about implicating their loved ones in a criminal enterprise, by asking them for help to die, that they took their own lives by hoarding pills or even putting a plastic bag over their heads”. He added that a change would “not lead to more death but to less suffering”. Neither he or his supporters mentioned the sanctity of human life or God’s prerogative to give life and take it away. And there is the obvious fact that no man can infallibly predict that a life will end within six months.
In a disturbing development, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, has dropped his opposition to assisted dying and is now backing Lord Falconer’s bill. He speaks of “the ‘mercy’ offered through death”. Such dangerous comments by a high-profile religious figure will influence many who imbibe society’s relativism; they do not believe that God is unchangeable and that He abhors all disregard of the sanctity of human life. Dr Carey claims that to support assisted dying is “quite compatible” with being a Christian and argues: “In strictly observing the sanctity of life, the Church could now actually be promoting anguish and pain, the very opposite of a Christian message of hope”.
The current Archbishop of Canterbury may be unsatisfactory on many points, but at least he is wholeheartedly opposed to this change. He wrote in The Times: “Compassion literally means ‘to suffer with’. The problem with the argument above [promoting the bill] is . . . that it fails to show enough compassion.” He went on: “Compassion is not simply a feeling; it is a commitment to sharing in the suffering of others while trying to alleviate it. True compassion can be shown through care, through expending time and resources on those suffering.” He concluded by referring to his personal anguish at the ending of treatment for his terminally-ill child. Archbishop Welby correctly believes that, by passing this bill, “we would create a society where the sword of Damocles would hang over the head of every vulnerable, terminally-ill person in the country”. He declared clearly that the Church of England’s official position is to oppose assisted suicide.
Lord Tebbit also voiced grave concerns that the bill would give “financial incentives for the frail, handicapped, ill and elderly to end their lives” as they would feel “a financial drain on their families, on pension funds, on the health service and on the economy generally”. He doubted whether the proposed safeguards would work and felt that some doctors would pre-sign certificates. He spoke of a woman who had told him: “I have no children but I have several vultures awaiting my death”. Similar sentiments were echoed by others. Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, said that the Bill was not about relieving pain and suffering but about the belief that “ending your life in circumstances of distress is an assertion of human freedom”. He too concluded on a personal note, stating that his mother had been given only weeks to live after being diagnosed with throat cancer. However, she continued to live, with good palliative care, for a further year and a half.
Despite the many objections, there was sufficient support to send the bill to the Committee stage for further scrutiny. It is to be hoped that, in the Lord’s mercy, its fatal flaws will be exposed. The Government has said that it would not block the bill if it went through, as it would be a matter for individual consciences, although it is known that both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister oppose it. David Cameron has said that he “fears that people might be pushed into things that they don’t actually want for themselves”. In any case, there may not be enough parliamentary time in the House of Commons to pursue the bill.
A Christian Concern spokesperson writes, “This bill would not promote compassion but would create a climate of fear and even cruelty . . . true compassion demands that we redouble our efforts to care for those who are in need, not . . . encourage them to kill themselves,” and called for more palliative care resources across the UK: “The way to make their lives better
is . . . to make their life better, not to end it . . . Life is a precious gift from God. This Bill reflects an outlook on life that . . . sees no meaning or purpose in suffering; that appears profoundly naive about the abuse of elderly and disabled people, and that looks forward to no future beyond the grave.”
Solemnly there is a future beyond the grave, an eternal one, for which we all must seek preparation by faith in the merits of Christ. Those who would hasten themselves or their fellow sinners into that world of spirits are guilty of the sin of murder. As the Shorter Catechism reminds us: “The Sixth Commandment forbiddeth the taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbour unjustly, or whatsoever tendeth thereunto”. KHM
Church Information
Committee Meetings
These Synod committees will meet, DV, in Inverness Free Presbyterian Church as follows on Tuesday, October 7:
10.00 – 10.30 Church Interests Committee
10.30 – 12.00 Training of the Ministry Committee
12.00 – 1.00 Sabbath Observance Committee
2.00 – 5.00 Finance Committee
2.00 – 3.00 Outreach Committee
3.00 – 5.00 Religion and Morals Committee
6.00 – 7.30 Publications and Bookroom Committee
7.30 – 8.30 Welfare of Youth Committee
7.30 – 8.30 Dominions and Overseas Committee
(Rev) John MacLeod, Clerk of Synod
Dominions and Overseas Fund
By appointment of Synod, the special collection on behalf of the Dominions and Overseas Fund is due to be taken in congregations during September.
W Campbell, General Treasurer
Relaunch of the Church’s Website
The Church’s website was relaunched at the beginning of August 2014. The site uses the same address as before: www.fpcchurch.org.uk, but visitors will notice that it has been completely redesigned and considerably extended, to make it an informative and useful resource for those within and those outside the Church. Through written and audio material, the aim is to set forth the Reformed faith in general, and the distinctive testimony of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland in particular. The Committee’s intention is to keep the site regularly updated, and looks to the Lord to make it a blessing.
(Rev) Keith M Watkins, Convener, Website Committee
FREE PRESBYTERIAN PLACES OF WORSHIP
Scotland
Aberdeen: 2 Alford Place, AB10 1YD, Sabbath 11 am, 6 pm; Tuesday, 7.15 pm. Rev D W B Somerset BSc DPhil, 18 Carlton Place, Aberdeen, AB15 4BQ; tel: 01224 645250.
Bracadale: Struan: Sabbath 12 noon; Wednesday 7 pm (fortnightly). Contact Rev J B Jardine; tel: 01859 502253.
Dingwall: Church, Hill Street: Sabbath 11 am, 6.30 pm; Wednesday 7.30 pm. Beauty (Balblair): Sabbath 6.30 pm, Thursday 7.30 pm. Rev Neil M Ross BA, 10 Achanry Rd, Dingwall, IV15 9JB; tel/fax: 01349 864351, e-mail: nmross2001@yahoo.co.uk.
Dornoch: Sabbath 11.30 am. Manse tel: 01862 810615. Bonar: Sabbath 6 pm. Wednesday 7.30 pm (alternately in Dornoch and Bonar). Laig: Church and Manse; Rogart: Church; no F P services. Contact Rev G G Hutton; tel: 01463 712872.
Dundee: Manse. No F P Church services.
Edinburgh: 63 Gilmore Place, Sabbath 11 am, 6.30 pm; Thursday 7.30 pm. Rev D Campbell, 35B Barnton Avenue West, Edinburgh EH4 6DF; tel: 0131 312 8227.
Farr (by Daviot): Sabbath 12 noon. Tomatin: Sabbath 12 noon. Stratherrick: Sabbath 12 noon, 6 pm. (Each of these services is held once in three weeks as intimated). Farr: Thursday 7.30 pm (weekly). Contact Rev G G Hutton; tel: 01463 712872.
Fort William: Monzie Square, Sabbath 11 am, 6.30 pm as intimated. Manse: 15 Perth Place, PH33 6UL; tel: 01397 708553. Contact Mr D A McKinnon. Tel: 01397 702597.
Gairloch (Ross-shire): Sabbath 11 am, 6.30 pm. Prayer meeting in Strath, Thursday 7.30 pm. Rev A E W MacDonald MA, F P Manse, Gairloch, Ross-shire, IV21 2BS; tel: 01445 712247.
Glasgow: St Jude’s Church, 137 Woodlands Road, G3 6LE. Sabbath 11 am and 6.30 pm; Wednesday 7.30 pm. Rev Roderick MacLeod BA, 4 Laurel Park Close, Glasgow, G13 1RD; tel: 0141 954 3759.
Greenock: 40 East Hamilton Street, Sabbath 2.30 pm.
Halkirk: Sabbath 11.30 am; Thursday 7.30 pm. Manse tel: 01847 831758. Thurso: Sabbath 5 pm; Wick: Church; Strathy: Church; no F P Church services.
Harris (North): Tarbert: Sabbath 12 noon, 6 pm; Thursday 7 pm. Rev J B Jardine BD, F P Manse, Tarbert, Isle of Harris, HS3 3DF; tel: 01859 502253, e-mail: northharris.fpc@btopenworld.com.
Harris (South): Leverburgh: Sabbath 12 noon, 6 pm. Sheilebost: Sabbath 12 noon (as intimated). Prayer meetings in Leverburgh, Sheilebost and Strond as intimated. Rev K D Macleod BSc, F P Manse, Leverburgh, HS3 3UA; tel: 01859 520271.
Inverness: Chapel Street, Sabbath 11 am, 6.30 pm; Wednesday 7.30 pm. Rev G G Hutton BA, 11 Auldcastle Road, Inverness, IV2 3PZ; tel: 01463 712872.
Kinlochbervie: Sabbath 11.30 am; Tuesday 7.30 pm. Manse tel: 01971 521268. Scourie: Sabbath 6 pm.
Kyle of Lochalsh: Sabbath 6 pm. Manse tel: 01599 534933. Contact Rev D A Ross; tel: 01445 731340.
Laide (Ross-shire): Sabbath 12 noon, 6 pm; Wednesday 7 pm. Rev D A Ross, F P Manse, Laide, IV22 2NB; tel: 01445 731340.
Lochcarron: Sabbath 11 am, 6 pm; Wednesday 7 pm. Manse.
Lochinver: Sabbath 12 noon. Manse tel: 01571 844484.
Ness: Sabbath 12 noon, 6 pm; Wednesday 7 pm. Rev A W MacColl MA PhD, F P Manse, Swainbost, HS2 0TA; tel: 01851 810228.
North Tolsta: Sabbath 12 noon, 6 pm; Thursday 7 pm; 1st Monday of month 7 pm. Manse tel: 01851 890325. Contact Rev J R Tallach; tel: 01851 702501.
North Uist: Bayhead: Sabbath 12 noon, 6 pm; Wednesday 7.30 pm (fortnightly). Sollas: Wednesday 7.30 pm (fortnightly). Rev D Macdonald BA, F P Manse, Bayhead, North Uist, HS6 5DS; tel: 01876 510233.
Oban: Church and Manse. No F P services at present.
Perth: Pomarium, off Leonard Street. Sabbath 11 am, 6 pm; Wednesday 7.30 pm. Contact Mr A MacPherson; tel: 01569 760370.
Portree: Sabbath 12 noon, 6.30 pm; Wednesday 7 pm. Contact Rev W A Weale; tel: 01470 562243.
Raasay: Sabbath 12 noon, 6 pm; Saturday 7 pm. Contact Rev W A Weale; tel: 01470 562243.
Shieldaig: Sabbath 11 am; Applecross: Sabbath 6pm. Tuesday 7 pm (alternately in Shieldaig and Applecross). Shieldaig manse tel: 01520 755259, Applecross manse tel: 01520 744411. Contact Rev D A Ross; tel: 01445 731340.
Staffin: Sabbath 12 noon, 5 pm; Wednesday 7 pm. Rev W A Weale, F P Manse, Staffin, IV51 9HY; tel: 01470 562243.
Stornoway: Matheson Road, Sabbath 11 am, 6.30 pm; Thursday 7.30 pm. Achmore: Sabbath 12 noon; Tuesday 7 pm. Rev J R Tallach MB ChB, 2 Fleming Place, Stornoway, HS1 2NH; tel: 01851 702501.
Tain: Church and Manse. Fearn: Church. No F P services. See Dornoch and Bonar.
Uig (Lewis) Mivaig: Sabbath 12 noon Gaelic, 6 pm English; Wednesday 7 pm. Manse tel: 01851 672251. Contact Rev J R Tallach; tel: 01851 702501.
Ullapool: Sabbath 11 am, 6 pm; Wednesday 7.30 pm. Manse: Quay Street, IV26 2UE; tel: 01854 612449.
Vatten: Sabbath 6 pm; Wednesday 7 pm (fortnightly). Glendale, Waternish: As intimated. Contact Rev J B Jardine; tel: 01859 502253.
England
Barnoldswick: Kelbrook Road, Sabbath 11 am, 6 pm; Friday 7.30 pm; Wednesday 8 pm, alternately in Sandbach and Gatley. South Manchester: Sabbath 6.00 pm, in Trinity Church, Massie Street, Cheadle (entry at rear of building). Rev K M Watkins, 1 North Street, Barnoldswick, BB18 5PE; tel: 01282 850296.
Broadstairs: Sabbath 11 am, 5 pm at Portland Centre, Hopeville Ave, St Peter’s; Tuesday 7 pm at Friends’ Meeting House, St Peter’s Park Rd. Contact Dr T Martin; tel: 01843 866369.
London: Zoar Chapel, Varden St. E1. Sabbath 11 am, 6.30 pm; Wednesday 7 pm. Rev J MacLeod MA, 6 Church Ave, Sidcup, Kent, DA14 6BU; tel: 0208 309 1623.
Northern Ireland
Larne: Station Road. Sabbath 11.30 am, 6.30 pm; Wednesday 7.30 pm. Contact Rev K M Watkins; tel: 01282 850296.
Canada
Chesley, Ontario: Church and Manse, 40 Fourth Street SW. Sabbath 10.30 am, 7 pm; Wednesday 8 pm. Contact: Mr David Kuiper; tel: 519 363 0367. Manse tel: 519 363 2502.
Toronto, Ontario: Church and Manse. No F P Church services at present.
Vancouver, British Columbia: Contact: Mr John MacLeod, 202-815 4th Avenue, New Westminster, V3M 1S8; tel: 604-516-8648.
USA
Santa Fe, Texas: Church and Manse, 4031 Jackson St 77517. Sabbath 10.30 am, 6.30 pm; Wednesday 7.30 pm. Contact Mr Joseph Smith, 5222 Kendal Glen Court, Rosharon, Texas 77583; tel: 409 927 1564.
Australia
Grafton, NSW: 172 Fitzroy Street. Sabbath 11 am, 6.30 pm; Wednesday 7 pm. Contact Rev G B Macdonald; tel: 02 9627 3408.
Sydney, NSW: Corner of Oxford and Regent Streets, Riverstone. Sabbath 10.30 am, 6.30 pm; Wednesday 7.30 pm. Rev G B Macdonald BSc, 60 Hamilton St, Riverstone, NSW 2765; tel: 02 9627 3408; e-mail: sydneyfpchurch@aapt.net.au.
New Zealand
Auckland: 45 Church Street, Otahuhu. Sabbath 11 am, 6 pm; Wednesday 7.30 pm. Rev J D Smith, 9 Pedlar Place, Conifer Grove, Auckland; tel: 09 282 4195.
Gisborne: 463a Childers Road. Sabbath 11 am, 6 pm; Wednesday 7.30 pm. Contact: Dr G Cramp; tel: 02 7454 2722.
Tauranga: Girl Guide Hall, 17th Avenue, Sabbath 11 am, 7 pm; Thursday 7 pm. Contact: Mr Dick Vermeulen; tel: 075443677.
Wellington (Carterton): Senior Citizens’ Hall, 150 High Street North. Sabbath 11 am, 4 pm; 3rd Wednesday of the month (not secondary school holidays) 7.30 pm. Contact: Mr Hank Optland, P O Box 150, Carterton, 5743; tel: 02 7432 5625.
Singapore
Singapore: Sabbath: 9.30am and 5.30 pm; Beacon International College, 70 Martaban Road, Singapore 328667 (entrance is opposite 37/39 Mandalay Road); Wednesday: 7.45 pm, Lion Building B, #02-11, 12 Arumugam Road, Singapore 409958. Contact: Mr Bernard Yong, 4 Chuan Place, Singapore 554822; tel: (65) 6383 4466, fax: 6383 4477, e-mail: byong1@singnet.com.sg.
Ukraine
Odessa: F P Mission Station, 3 Pestelya Street, 65031. Contact Mr I Zadorozhniyi, P O Box 100, Odessa-91, 65091; e-mail: antipa@eurocom.od.ua; or Mr D Levitskyi; tel:00 38 048 785 19 24; e-mail: dlevitskyi@gmail.com.
Zimbabwe
Bulawayo: Lobengula Township, PO Magwegwe, Bulawayo. Rev S Khumalo, F P Manse, Stand No 56004, Mazwi Road, Lobengula, PO Magwegwe, Bulawayo; tel: 00263 9407131, e-mail: skhumalo.byo@gmail.com.
Ingwenya: Church and Secondary School. Rev A B MacLean. Postal Address: Ingwenya Mission, Private Bag T5445, Bulawayo.
Mbuma: Church and Hospital. Rev N Sibanda. Postal Address: Mbuma Mission Hospital, Private Bag T5406, Bulawayo.
New Canaan: Church.
Zenka: Church. Rev M Mloyi. Postal Address: Private Bag T5398, Bulawayo; cell phone: 0026311 765032.