• 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.

5 responses to “20111224 Midnight Mass – Sermon”

  1. Christmas Sermons…

    Today’s Church Times has reports of several Christmas Day sermons: ‘Atomised’ Britain is urged to seek God’s forgiveness. The full texts of some are available online. Archbishop of Canterbury Archbishop of Wales Bishop of Salisbury Bishop of St A…

  2. william Avatar
    william

    “Christ is born and all shall be well” – sounds very like Jeremiah’s “peace, peace”, but there was not peace.
    Substance is all important, whether it’s in the content of sermons or websites.
    Throughout His life, and especially in His communication with the religious Jesus took great care to communicate substantially lest at the end many should come to Him, saying Lord, Lord and He would then have to say – I don’t know you.
    Crowded churches or busy websites in themselves are nothing, as we all know – so let’s not encourage folks to busy themselves with such digressions.
    But there are ways in which we should be busying ourselves – Jesus had a lot to say about that – including our presence for worship and even the content of websites!

    1. kelvin Avatar

      > Jesus had a lot to say about …. even the content of websites!

      Oh no he didn’t!

      1. william Avatar
        william

        Kelvin, your understanding of scripture is amazingly narrow, even literalistic – at times!!

        1. kelvin Avatar

          That may well be so.

          However, I do understand irony.

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