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Glasgow May 14, 2009: A Church of Scotland
minister has spoken out against inaction in the face of
an increasingly liberal approach to homosexuality within
the Church.
The Rev Ian Watson, who heads the group Forward
Together, delivered a sermon at Kirkmuirhill Church in
Lanark in which he called on Christians to fight against
false teaching on homosexuality within the Church.
In his sermon, which was also posted on his blog, Rev
Watson said, “There are very few people who enjoy
conflict. The vast majority of decent people will do
almost anything to avoid situations of confrontation.
So, the soup may be cold, the meat tough and the pudding
inedible, but when the waiter asks us if we are enjoying
our meal we’ll smile and nod. We don’t want to complain,
we don’t want to make a fuss. We’ll even pay for the
privilege.
“This is how bullies succeed. They realise that no
matter how unhappy we are with their behaviour we’re not
going to stand up to them, because the last thing we
want is a shouting match.”
Rev Watson was speaking ahead of next week’s crunch
meeting of the Church of Scotland General Assembly,
which will rule on the appointment of openly gay
minister Rev Scott Rennie, who is being supported by the
Aberdeen Presbytery.
Almost one third of Church of Scotland ministers have
signed a petition calling for a ban on homosexuals being
appointed as clergymen. A motion has also been put
forward saying that the Church should not “train,
ordain, admit, readmit, induct or introduce to any
ministry of the church anyone involved in a sexual
relationship outside of marriage between a man and
woman”.
In his sermon, Rev Watson compared inaction over the
issue by traditionalists to the policy of appeasement to
the Nazis, a strategy which only emboldened Hitler to
make more demands and ultimately led to the Second World
War.
Other Church leaders have warned that Rev Rennie’s
appointment could lead to a split within the Church. Rev
Kenneth MacKenzie, who ministers at Crathie Kirk in
Balmoral, attended by the Queen, said, “Life in the
Church will never be the same again and my fear is that
a sizeable minority of the clergy, and perhaps a
majority of its people, may consider leaving the church,
causing a rift felt in every parish.”
Rev Watson was “sad to say” church history had many
conflicts between those upholding the truth of the Bible
and those who did not. He mentioned the Apostle Paul,
Athanasius, the Bishop of Alexandria, St Augustine,
Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox as examples of
people who had to fight for the truth of Christianity.
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