Church of Scotland moves forward

The Church of Scotland has made a mark in history by backing the Rev Scott Rennie, an openly homosexual minister. He is said to feel "humbled" by the Church's acceptance of him, in a vote of 326 to 267.

Reading this man's response in an article in the Daily Telegraph, I perceive a genuine, decent man who did as so many others have done, in hearing God's calling to the ministry, and most importantly, answering it.

Of course, this will doubtless breed outrage. But let us not assume that he who shouts loudest must necessarily be in the right. To me, if a man has a genuine faith in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ, and can honestly say he feels called by God to serve Him, then who is anyone to claim that he is wrong? How can anyone be so arrogant as to truly profess to know what God is doing in someone's heart and life?

Well, two ministers in the Church of Scotland are indeed doing that. In their statement, they claimed that the decision "brought great shame on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and his Church by publicly proclaiming as holy what God, the Bible, and orthodox Christianity all down the ages, and all over the world, unambiguously call sin."

Call me a heretic, offensive, and evil if you wish, but as a Christian I personally feel that such extreme homophobia ultimately brings more shame on the name of Christ and the Church. How many non-Christians do you know who have a very negative opinion of the Church when they show love and acceptance? Rather, attitudes of intolerance and prejudice are what bring the Church into disrepute, pouring upon us shame and embarrassment.

I will keep my ears open to hear the uproar created in the Church of Scotland - but this is a necessary process. If the same did not happen in the nineteenth century, perhaps slavery would still be deemed totally justifiable by the church and the world today.