THE OUTLOOK FOR THE CHURCH SCOTLAND By The Rev. D.
P. THOMSON THE Church of Scotland occupies today a position of quite exceptional privilege• and opportunity. Re- presenting as it does some two-fifths of the population of the country, its membership outnumbers that of all other religious bodies together, and its annual legislative gather- ing, the General Assembly, is a microcosm of the national life. Its hold on the aristocracy may be comparatively small, but the overwhelming majority of public officials and professional men are actively or nominally connected with its congregations, and the bulk of the middle and working classes arc at least within the range of its influence.
The Union of five years ago with the United Free Church of Scotland has been a pronounced success, especially in the Highlands where difficulties might have been - anticipated. The new Church, however, is still feeling its way, and the work of consolidation will take some years to complete. That is the governing factor in the light of which tendencies and probabilities must alike be viewed.
Relations with other Protestant Churches are ex- tremely cordial, but union either with the Scottish Episcopal Church or with the smaller Presbyterian bodies is not yet on the horizon. There is an active and fluential " High Church " party iri the Church of Scot- land, but its numbers are small and its personnel is chiefly confined to the ministry and a very small group of the laity. • Of major questions before the Church in recent months several are likely to engage its mind for some years to come. These include the Position and Work of Women, the subject of Creedal Revision, the question of Church Extension, the problem- of Foreign Missions, and the attitude of the Church to the whole question of War.
The desire of women for admission to the diaconate, the eldership and the ministry will be disposed of at this Assembly. Admission to the diaconate, the duties of which are purely financial and' administrative, will be granted on the same terms as men, but the door to the eldership is presently closed. The vote of Presbyteries on this question has been quite decisive. Opinion in favour of this step is,- however, -likely to grow -; -and once it has been taken history points to the logical conclusion following within the space of a generation—namely, admission to the ministry itself. _ The question of Creedal Revision was raised in the former United Free Church just prior to Union, and a ' Brief Statement of the Chureh'S Faith " will be sent . „ down to Presbyteries by the General Designed _ as " A public expression of the Church's Faith:suitable to the times, and as affording an authorized basis for the instruction of catechumens,". it makes extremely interesting reading. Cordial acknowledgement is made Of biblical research, 'linguistic, literary and historiCal, the right and necessity of scientific inquiry into all the facts of nature and history is recognized ; and while the Value of confessional statements is stressed it is specially emphasized that "no such statement is to be identified . .
with the truth Of God." • The subject of Church Extension is very much to the front at the moment, the .urgent need for the provision of ordinances in the large new. housing areas having helped to accelerate the negotiations which, preceded the Union of five years ago. Bound up with it is the whole question of methods of approach to " The Churchless Million " in Scotland. It is growingly becoming recognized- that -the present system of one minister for each congregation and parish is quite inadequate to the needs of the times, and experiments like that being made at Govan Parish Church in the more adequate staffing of strategically placed centres are almost certain to be multiplied in the imme- diate future. A considerable number of theological students have already intimated to the. Assembly's Home Mission Committee their desire to .devote some years to team work in congested areas. This will be an entirely new departure for Presbyterianism in Scotland, but some break with tradition is obviously called for in 1:iew of the drift from organized religion; the diminishing attendances at the ordinary diets of worship, the-menace of a growingly aggressive Roman Catholicism, and the movement to the open-air with its reactions on Sunday Observance.
A place will also have to be found for the work, and training of specialists in evangelism, in education, and in social service if the Church is to continue to hold its own and is to make any real contribution to meeting the needs of the times.
Of- the future of the Foreign Missionary enterprise it is impossible to speak with any certainty. The shortage of man-power and money that has existed for some years shows no sign of diminishing, and the former tradition whereby a good proportion of the ablest students of each year went abroad is not being maintained. The disparity between the gaps in the ranks overseas and the record numbers in the divinity class-rooms at home for several years back is too great to be overlooked. The fact is that the missionary enthusiasm of half a century ago does not exist today, and the attention formerly directed to work overseas is being 'largely .concentrated on the home field. Unless the balance is redressed within the next decade a serious situation will emerge.
Of the burning questions of the hour none is likely to arouse greater controversy than that of the attitude of the ,Church to the .queStiOn of !kir. Feeling among the younger ministers on this subject is very, strong, and a Church of Scotland Ministers' peace Society is in process Of formation, over two hundred clerical signatures having been obtained to the recent• manifesto,. which s. include the categorical statement that "Modern ware is earn-, pletely irreconcilable. with the teaching, spirit and pur-, pose of Christ," and the assertion that the signatories have for themselVes -renomieed all active and willing participation in it Ariaing those who have appended their names to this document are the Chaplain of Glasgow University, two of the ablest of the new Theological Professors, and the majority ofthe bettei-knoWn younger ministers of the Church. . .
The significance of this gesture should not .bc over- looked. It means that the men most profoundly in- Iluencing the younger generation, and espeCially the student body, are largely committed to the Pacifist position. Perhaps it should be added that their political orientation is for the most part towards Labour, rather than Liberalism or Conservatism. There can he no doubt whatever as to the disparity of outlook On many important questions between this group and the present older leaders of the Assembly, and the logical conclusion would seem to be that more striking departures .froin tradition and precedent are -likely to be witnessed- in the next twenty years . than any similar period within living memory.
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