General Assembly: Fear Factor

Tuesday

The highlight of Tuesday morning was the Ecumenical Relations Committee report.   Iver Martin’s committee does a lot of good work, and they deserve our thanks.   Trips to New Zealand to the International Conference of Reformed Churches being one of the more arduous tasks they are charged with – but their involvement in the European Theatre of Operations makes it all worth while.   They have, for the last few years now, been involved in “talks” with the Church of Scotland.   To quote the CofS Ecumenical Relations report, “There are uncertainties about the goals of [this] conversation.”   Dr. Ian D. Campbell agreed with this.   He wanted to suspend discussions (perhaps for a year) to allow both parties to take stock of the situation, perhaps even to find a purpose for the talks.   Jedi Rev suspects that this amendment was defeated because of fear:

• Iver spoke of his fear of what the press would make of it if we broke of discussions right at this point.
• He spoke of the fear that we would be abandoning evangelicals in the CofS who are thankful for our conversations with the denomination.
• Some commissioners spoke of their fears that local evangelicals would no longer partner with them in the Gospel, if we broke of high level talks.

Jedi Rev thinks these fears are red herrings:

• The press will maul us whenever we get round to breaking off talks with the CofS – a virtual certainty, unless the CofS is radically transformed (something which will not – despite Iver’s suggestions – be due to our involvement in these talks).
• The CofS evangelicals Jedi Rev knows – arguably not leaders, but rank and file guys like Jedi Rev – keep asking why the Free Church is talking to the CofS, but not any of the various evangelical groups within the CofS: that would be far more profitable.
• If we were to take a pause in our discussions, that would be simple thing to explain to our evangelical neighbours – and I suspect we do them a great disservice and slur by suggesting they will break off partnerships with us as some commissioners suggested.

It is a long standing Jedi tradition that fear leads to the Dark Side – but on this issue, Jedi Rev thinks the Free Church was motivated by fear.   Iain D’s amendment was voted down, so the talks with the CofS will go on.

Jedi Rev’s verdict: Jedi Rev is all for closer partnerships with other evangelicals.   But Jedi Rev is sceptical about the purpose of high level talks with the CofS.   There are other Christians we could be more closely involved with – the APC denomination for one!   There is serious prospect of removing the scandal of that division, yet it is disappointing that so much energy is directed to a conversation that has produced a disappointing “Joint Statement” and now a confusing report on dialogue.    It is more disappointing that the arguments of fear held so much sway in this debate.

Jedi Rev thinkis it will be really bad if we break off talks with the CofS after they approve of homosexual ministers.   It makes us look like homophobes.   And what can we hide behind?   The argument that this is an unprecedented departure from the authority of Scripture?   We’ve been saying that for years already.   What makes the present crisis any worse – is it because this time it’s a gay guy?   Jedi Rev thinks voting against Iain D’s amendment will land the Free Church with real difficulties.