What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • “Marriage is a sacrament”

    Here’s the third and final video that I’ll be posting this week from the collection of equal marriage campaign videos.

    It is Jaye and Ruth who are a married couple who are members of St Mary’s. They had to travel to South Africa to get married. They’ve been very much some of the most visible faces of this campaign. Pictures of them throwing a bouquet for a crowd of expectant journalists still crop up as one of the iconic images of the campaign.

    In this video, the points they make include:

    • Marriage is a sacrament
    • It was very important to have God’s blessing on the marriage from the beginning
    • When you are a person of faith, your whole life is affected by that faith
    • It is an issue of equality and fairness – we all need equal rights and equal responsibities

    The first big vote in the Scottish Parliament is today at about 8 pm with debate from about 5 pm beforehand and will be available to watch live online. Anyone still wanting to contact their MSPs can do so very quickly and easily using this link.

    Here’s what Jaye and Ruth had to say:

    , , ,

32 responses to “Sign seen”

  1. Robin Avatar
    Robin

    What was the character of the debate? If one believes that the admission of women to the threefold ministry of the Church was an extension of an existing doctrine, not a doctrinal change, and that the dropping of the ‘filioque’ clause from the Creed wasn’t a doctrinal change either (nobody is compelled to deny that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Son), the change to the doctrine of initiation was the most important doctrinal change made by the Scottish Episcopal Church not just in my lifetime but perhaps even in the SEC’s history. It amazes me that it seems to have been so uncontroversial.

    Reply
  2. Robin Avatar
    Robin

    (I don’t say I necessarily disapprove of the change. I’m quite happy not only for the unconfirmed but also for the unbaptised to be admitted to Holy Communion and would turn away no-one – except perhaps ++Judas Williams, and even then probably not – from the altar. But I can’t understand how a Church can teach two contradictory things at once.)

    Reply
    1. kelvin Avatar
      kelvin

      To a certain extent, saying two contradictory things at once is part of the consequence of having old liturgical formularies alongside modern ones, I think.

      (If you are not going to say something new, what’s the point in producing something new after all).

      The modern descriptions of marriage in the 2007 marriage rite don’t seem to me to be entirely consistent with the marriage rite of 1929, for example.

      It is the way we live now.

      Reply
  3. kelvin Avatar
    kelvin

    Well, as I said, there were several of us who spoke against the change, for one reason or another but it was passed by a fairly high majority, I think.

    It seems to me that there is just about every view about initiation into the Christian church that has ever been held is currently also held and practised in the Scottish Episcopal Church. Indeed, there are varieties of practice and procedure within congregations and even within families.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Posts

  • Radio Scotland

    “Good morning and welcome to St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Great Western Road in Glasgow.” So began yesterday’s early service on Radio Scotland. I recorded it ages ago and this was a rerun. Indeed, I didn’t know that it had been on again until folk told me as they came into church. The service yesterday…

  • Meanwhile…

    Meanwhile, whilst the debate is going on about Collaborative Ministry vs ministry that is collaborative on the post below, Chris Blethers seems to be shaking her head in weary sadness, noting the difference between her education bloggers and church bloggers. She characterises the latter as ‘self-aware, sometimes outrageous, often critical, and the comments snippy, defensive,…

  • Collecting things

    Mother Ruth wrote movingly recently on the collection of decrepit hoovers that her congregation has amassed over the years. It is a subject dear to my heart. It occurred to me this morning during the coldest Diocesan Council meeting in all of Christendom, that we collect other things like this too. Take mission plans, for…

  • Daily Service – last Monday

    Oops, nearly forgot to give a link to the BBC Daily Service last Monday. +David was doing it with Scotland’s Most Broadcast Choir. It can be heard on the listen again thingy here until Sunday.