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Assembly roundup: Kirk opts for ‘conversation’ on same-sex relationships

The party's over, the clearing up is under way. Not much mess, no dead bodies. Nobody even got drunk. There were no serious indiscretions, at least not in public. Nobody was thrown out; no broken stained glass was found on the floor.

This week's General Assembly of the Church of Scotland was pretty low-key, writes Ron Ferguson. As a young journalist in the 1960s, I covered some passionate - furious even - assemblies. In later years, when I was a meenister, I was involved in the odd stramash, especially when I was representing the Iona Community.}

This week, no voices were raised in anger, except from the public gallery. The once-wild Scottish Presbyterian dog is now something of a domesticated national religious pet.

Or to put the matter in a different way entirely: in today's world of sophisticated coffees, the Kirk represents the decaff end of the Presbyterian brand. The pulse-racing, blood pressure-raising stuff is only to be found in the fights between island Presbyterian sects whose doctrinal differences are not visible to the naked eye.

The national Church's more subdued mood has to be understood in the context of the decline in influence of European mainstream institutions, the primacy of consumer choice, and the global postmodern market of pre-packaged ideas. In a world in which you can choose a new lifestyle every year, commitment is not the buzz-word of the day.

Yet to leave it like that is unsatisfactory. There are some signs that the decline in numbers is beginning to bottom out. Half a million signed-up adult members is a fan-base to die for.

Giving to the Kirk is on the rise. The Church of Scotland has more than 1000 trained ministers, with churches in every parish in the land. Not only that, persistent critical questions are being raised about the crippling limitations of philosophies which are destructive of community life. And the old questions about meaning and death don't go away.

The Kirk is the biggest voluntary social work agency in Scotland. So a good part of any assembly is going to be workmanlike rather than exciting. It is, after all, the Kirk's AGM, scrutinising its work.

What has given this year's event its distinctive feel is the knowledge that the issue of same-sex relationships could divide the church and devour its energies. Having looked into the abyss, all parties have pulled back from the brink and decided to work together in a national conversation on the issue.

There has been no appetite for conflict. As the German theologian Jurgen Moltmann observed: "Noah endured the stench on the Ark by observing the size of the waves outside."

Hence the more passive nature of this year's assembly. Decisions have only been postponed, but there is a hope that, when made, they will be more informed and compassionate decisions.

Good, solid work has been done. Some planning for the future has been put in place. For everything there is a season, and this is the season for reflection, conversation, and reconciliation.

I do miss the passion, though: and the tang of real coffee.

Full story at The Herald.