• Church of Scotland rejects biblicist position on sex and marriage

    It is going to be important not to underestimate the significance of the votes in the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland today. A last ditch attempt was made to get that church to commit to the idea that sex belongs only between a married heterosexual couple. That idea was comprehensively rejected.

    People with widely differing opinions never thought we would see this day. Though the legislation that the Church of Scotland is now consulting on accepting is a dreadful mess, and a long way from equality for LGBT people, today was a huge and historic boost for those who reject the ideas of those who claim the Christian tradition to be by definition narrow and anti-gay in character.

    It seemed to me, as I watched the debate, as though those seeking to promote an anti-gay view had made a huge strategic mistake by going for an all or nothing approach and trying to get the Assembly to affirm only their view.

    Generosity won the day in Edinburgh today. Generosity that has divine fingerprints all over it.

8 responses to “Passion Sunday Sermon”

  1. Allan Ronald Avatar

    Thank you for this excellent sermon.

  2. Pam Avatar
    Pam

    Thanks for this sermon Kelvin. I now know more about spikenard than I did (which was nothing much!). And I also like the Gandhi reference.

  3. Diarmuid o Avatar
    Diarmuid o

    Very thoughtful.. Love the Quote on the smell of justice.. Love etc. thank you!

  4. RevRuth Avatar

    According to my sources spikenard is a sharp smell, somewhere between mint and ginseng. Now you see, I had it more myrrh like, more heady. But I can see that mint and ginseng would be better at covering up rotting body smells.

  5. kennedy fraser Avatar
    kennedy fraser

    Our associate priest (Bryan Owen) managed to get a spikenard candle for his sermon on Sunday

    1. kelvin Avatar

      AND WHAT DID IT SMELL OF, FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE?

      1. Ruth Avatar
        Ruth

        As it’s the same family as Valerian, it may smell strongly of smelly feet – and (like Valerian) send cats into a state of frenzy…..

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