The Record - October 2019 by Free Church of Scotland

THE

RECORD

MONTHLY MAGAZINE OF THE FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND OCTOBER 2019 • £2.00

Editor • John Macdonald The Editor, The Record, Beltone, Moray Street Blackford PH4 1QF editor@freechurch.org News Editor • Dayspring MacLeod dayspring.macleod@icloud.com 07974 261567 Missions News • Sarah Johnson Free Church Offices, 15 North Bank Street, Edinburgh, EH1 2LS sarah@freechurch.org WFM Editor • Sarah Cumming 31 Doune Park, Dalgety Bay, KY11 9LX sarah.cumming@hotmail.co.uk Gaelic Editor • Janet MacPhail 24 North Bragar, Isle of Lewis, HS2 9DA 01851 710354 Seminary News • Rev. Thomas Davis St. Columba's Free Church, Johnston Terrace Edinburgh, EH1 2PW thomas@stcolumbas.freechurch.org Prayer Diary • Mairi Macdonald ian.macdonald57@btinternet.com Design & Layout • Fin Macrae @DUFI Art www.dufi-art.com The Record • ISSN 2042-2970

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THE RECORD

OCTOBER

Cover: Photo by Alexander Krivitskiy on Unsplash

Published • The Record is produced by The Free Church of Scotland, Free Church Offices, 15 North Bank Street, The Mound, Edinburgh, EH1 2LS 0131 226 5286 offices@freechurch.org

WELCOME TO THE OCTOBER RECORD

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together

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CONTENTS

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BEARING ONE ANOTHER'S BURDENS The Editor

SUPPORTING SASRA

WORLD NEWS UK, USA, Bahamas, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Israel, Indonesia, North Korea

PRAYER DIARY

FREE CHURCH NEWS Gardenstown Induction, Prof. Mackay in Publication, Fortrose Free Church Opening, The Moderator and Tearfund Campaign, St. Andrews Induction, Garrabost Sunday School Fundraiser

MASSIVE ONLINE RESOURCE UNLOCKS THREE ‘KEY NEEDS’ FOR SCHOOLS Richard Coton

WHY PROSTITUTION CAN AND SHOULD END Dr. Stuart Weir

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

WHEN I CONSIDER YOUR HEAVENS Roddie Rankin

VOLUNTEERING IN HUNGARY Nathan Mackay

DAWN FOR THE POOR: TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES FOR GOD'S GLORY Allan and Joanna Shearer

ETS NEWS Thomas Davis

OBITUARIES

BOOK REVIEWS

RETURN TO LEWIS: THE SEQUEL Dayspring MacLeod

MISSION MATTERS David Meredith

COIGRICH AGUS LUCHD-CUAIRT Janet MacPhail

POETRY PAGE Robert Murray M'Cheyne

POST TENEBRAS LUX Catriona Murray

brought great encouragement.

As well as the official opening of a new church building, we are able to report on two inductions in the Free Church. The first weekend in October will see a third induction, which you can read about in the next edition. These new beginnings bring hope and expectation. They are also a reminder to watch and pray. My own congregation was recently reminded by Prof. McIntosh of ETS that Psalm 90 calls us to pray for a sight of God’s work (v16). We are also to ask God to ‘establish the work of our hands’ (v17) so that we can be thrilled and return praise to him for what he is doing among us. Yet, while we celebrate with the congregations who welcome new ministers, we must also pray with almost twenty Free Church congregations who are still vacant. As a people we are grateful to those who take on pulpit supply and who serve as Interim Moderators, especially those who are retired but have chosen to continue serving. May they be sustained and greatly blessed. Even so, having too few ministers is perhaps the biggest challenge our denomination faces, and one which must be met in prayer. We also look outward this month and reflect on the damage being done in our society by drugs and by prostitution. While acknowledging these are serious and often complex problems, we are not powerless to act. You will read of practical steps we can take to love those of our neighbours who are affected by these issues. As we reflect on both difficulties and encouragements, let us learn from the example of some of our brothers and sisters in the Philippines who, as you will read later in this edition, respond to the Lord with gratitude, regardless of circumstance. Over all things, our heavenly Father is sovereign. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them’ (2 Kings 6:16). Please send your comments on the magazine, letters, news from your congregation or suggestions for articles to: editor@freechurch.org or by post to the Free Church Offices.• Yours in Christ John

That in all things he might have the pre-eminence Colossians 1:18 2019

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very year, more people are being killed by

Parliament in June that Scotland has more ‘problem’ drug users than the rest of the UK. He reported that we have an ageing population of people addicted to drugs. Their survival into middle-age is evidence of some success in the provision of social care. But drug use has changed in the last decade. With increasing frequency, people are mixing traditional drugs with new, synthesised ‘street pills’, which is proving very dangerous. This helps to explain how drug use can be fatal, but it does not explain why people take drugs in the first place. We have tended to think of drug use chiefly as an individual moral failing. But if this were the case, it would affect as diverse a cross-section of the population as any other sin rooted in a lack of selfcontrol. In reality, academic research shows a strong link between poverty and drug use. Yet, it is hard to pin down a full explanation from the available data. That is probably because the reasons drugs are taken are as unique as the people who take them. Nevertheless, some generalisations can be drawn from the available evidence. As Dr Priyadarshi noted, the addition of synthesised drugs is increasing the risks people are exposed to. Still, the vast majority of drug-related deaths last year – 86% – involved heroin. People who have their own experiences of using drugs, and those who work in related social care services, tell us that most people start using heroin as a painkiller. Heroin which, like morphine, is derived from opium, is known as an exceptionally effective (although shortlived) treatment for physical and also emotional pain. As a result, people are turning to it to relieve the mental anguish brought on by a variety of traumatic experiences. For a number of years now,

drugs.

New research shows that this is one of the consequences of the loneliness that has become part of our society. We can change this. If our churches are places of true Christian community, they will be places where people come for the fellowship, and stay for the gospel. Over the summer, the press reported the bleak news that Scotland’s drug problem is getting worse. The National Records of Scotland found that, in 2018, there were 1,187 drug-related deaths in Scotland. This is an increase of almost one third on the previous year. It is the highest number since statistics were first recorded in 1996. Many of the headlines focussed on the international comparison these statistics allow. We were told that Scotland is now - by far - the worst country in the EU in terms of drug-related deaths, and on a par with the USA. The international comparisons raised hackles and sparked a debate on the merits of the statistics themselves. There was heated argument that under-reporting in other countries is making us look bad. Unfortunately, this amounted to little more than party-political point scoring and clouded the real issue. Per capita rates are useful in their context and can assist policy-making. But they cannot tell the stories of the individuals whose lives have been lost. What we need to remember is that, last year, 1,187 of our neighbours died as a result of taking drugs. The simple fact is: there is a problem, and it is getting worse. WE ARE BEING KILLED BY DRUGS. WHY? Dr Saket Priyadarshi, Medical Director for Addictions at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, informed

BEARING ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS THE RECORD

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case studies have helped us to understand that experiencing violence, abuse, poverty or joblessness can result in lasting mental distress. If no better remedy is available, a drug like heroin brings a temporary reprieve. The known side-effects of this treatment – addiction, debt, imprisonment, death – speak of the desperation which precedes its use.

everyone who has lived through trauma follows this path. Recent research among drug users has identified an experience which, although not universal, is common. Loneliness has been identified as a cause of deep despair which, as well as leading people towards substances like heroin, makes recovery from addiction much more difficult. Dr Rachel Wurzman, a neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania, has found that the brain can translate loneliness into literal pain. The same part of the brain where this effect takes place also governs compulsive behaviour like repeated drug use. Dr Wurzman’s research helps us to understand the mechanics God saw when he said ‘It is not good that the man should be alone’ (Genesis 2:18). A lack of anyone to walk beside through harrowing times is, for many people, at the root of their resort to drugs. Research like Dr Wurzman’s describes some effects of an absence of community. It is part of a growing recognition that loneliness is a serious health problem which disproportionately affects socially isolated people like those who use drugs. A similar challenge is faced by the older people who are a significant proportion of the 9 million people in this country who are always or often lonely, according to British Red Cross. This is a problem which anyone can experience.

GOVERNMENT TASKFORCE How, then, do we prevent more people from being killed by drugs? In response to the news of increasing drug deaths, the Scottish Government has established a taskforce of experts in the field, politicians and people with experience of using drugs. We must pray that God would give this group wisdom as they try to find solutions. The taskforce met for the first time in mid-September so it is too soon to expect proposals from them. But it has been suggested in the media that decriminalisation of drugs will be considered. Although controversial, this idea has some merit. Drugs were decriminalised in Portugal in 2001, meaning people found to be in possession of small amounts are offered treatment rather than being sent to prison. The result has been a reduction in overdoses, HIV infection and drug-related crime. There has also been a decline in the number of drug-related deaths. Portugal’s experience has shown that decriminalisation can reduce the harm caused by drug use, which is a significant success. However, it does not address the reasons people turn to drugs in the first place.

LIFE TOGETHER For those familiar with the painkilling effects of drugs like heroin, these offer one way to relieve the burden of loneliness. But there is a better cure. It is to be in community, to spend time with other people. Yet this basic aspect of human existence is >>

LACK OF COMMUNITY We have noted that drug use is frequently preceded by difficult or traumatic experiences. But not

Christian community can reduce drug-related deaths in Scotland BY THE EDITOR

2019

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<< becoming less common in our society. Today, people live further from family and communicate more frequently through technology than in person. The church can provide the solution. While the internet has blessed God’s people with access to preaching, teaching and praise on demand, we have to resist the temptation to make church a ‘virtual’ experience. We must ‘not neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some’ (Hebrews 10:25). To do so would be to our own detriment, and it would also be a failure to love our lonely neighbours. Socialising helps prevent drug use; it also helps people to recover from addiction. It therefore saves lives. But Christian community does even more. Our churches are places where Good News is preached on every occasion we meet. Where we have discovered that, by grace, God welcomes us into a relationship with him which surpasses human interaction. A relationship even more consequential than the human friendships which are necessary for health and wellbeing. A relationship which, through faith, assures us that our sins are forgiven and that we will have eternal life. Our churches are places where people of different ages and backgrounds come together. There is no cost or pre-condition for joining in. The door is open. So why do people think that a certain standard must be attained, a certain pattern of behaviour achieved, before they can come in the door? Could it be that – even when we wear jeans – we are still putting on our Sunday best for church? We are sinners traversing a fallen world. If every week, everyone seems to be on top of things, then we are hiding the reality from each other. And we have not yet achieved true Christian community.

If we want our congregations to be instruments which free people from loneliness and which witness to the gospel, here is the challenge: Being a Christian community involves more than gathering together regularly. As well as welcoming others into our churches, we must be willing to welcome them into our lives. We are instructed to ‘bear one another’s burdens’ (Galatians 6:2), to ‘rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep’ (Romans 12:15). We may share food, fold laundry or sit by a hospital bed. Often, we are simply called to listen. Crucially, we cannot just expect to bear other people’s burdens. We have to be brave enough to reveal our own burdens to others. There is hard work here, but we do not rely on our own strength. In his classic book on Christian community, Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer points out that the church is not merely an assembly of people. Its focus is Jesus, and its existence depends on him, not us. Bonhoeffer writes that ‘Christian brotherhood is not an ideal which we must realize; it is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate.’ Praise God that we can benefit from this fellowship of believers, and pray that we may have the opportunity to welcome others into it. Joining together to worship, to hear God’s word preached and to encourage one another addresses our social and our spiritual needs. In other words, Christian community provides what our lonely neighbours are looking for. But are our churches places that lonely people want to enter? Do we truly give a warm welcome in Christ’s name? Are we willing to share our lives with those we meet in church? If not, we are missing a chance to love our neighbours in a way which can save them, temporally and eternally. •

For those familiar with the painkilling effects of drugs like heroin, these offer one way to relieve the burden of loneliness. But there is a better cure. It is to be in community, to spend time with other people.

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SUPPORTING SASRA T

he soldiers ’ and airmen ’ s scripture readers association

( sasra) is delighted to be placing two new Army Scripture Readers (ASRs) this autumn. Tracey Blackwell and Chika Onugha were recruited last year and have undergone training at Seminary and then in the field with established Scripture Readers before being deployed to their operational posts. SASRA has been bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to the men and women of our Armed Forces since 1838. Scripture Readers have worked in almost every operational theatre in the world. In the Second World War they accompanied the British Expeditionary Force to France, and were evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940. They landed with troops in Normandy in 1944 and worked in North Africa with the Desert Rats and in the Far East. SASRA has undertaken its gospel work around the world, and has even been instrumental in establishing churches in Nepal. The work continues today, and it is the desire of the Trustees that every individual serving in the British Army and the Royal Air Force can hear about the Lord Jesus Christ. The Armed Forces comprise mostly young people (the average age of the Army is 23), and up to 10,000 young people, mostly teenagers, are recruited each year. Most have never been to church or held a Bible. The nature of their duties means that they need to be prepared for serious injury or death, have a robust moral compass for making difficult decisions under immense pressure, and have the resilience to cope with all that they have to do and see. The only real answer to all these needs is the Lord Jesus Christ. SASRA enjoys the profound privilege of ministering the gospel behind the wire where the church is not free to go. Lord willing ASR Blackwell will commence her ministry in units around York, and ASR Onugha in units in the Midlands. Please pray for them as they take up their posts. You should find a camouflaged envelope with your publication this month – if you would like to know more about our work, support us in prayer and support us financially the details are in the envelope. • ‘……pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ…’ (Col. 4:3 ESV)

Tracey talking with a serviceman

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ASR Tracy Blackwell

ASR Chika Onugha

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WORLD NEWS AMERICASAFRICAEUROPEASIAAUSTRALASIA THE GOSPEL IS NOT FOR SALE (AMERICAS) Benny Hinn, a televangelist and one of the most well-known teachers of the ‘prosperity gospel’, has said during an interview: ‘I’m correcting my own theology…the gospel is not for sale.’ Hinn came to prominence teaching that obedience to God would bring health, wealth and happiness, and promising material blessing to those who donated to his ministry. He is well-known for his lavish lifestyle, which includes owning two multi-million-dollar mansions and luxury cars. However, during a television interview in September he said: ‘I’m done with it. I will never again ask you to give a thousand or whatever amount, because I think the Holy Ghost is just fed up with it…I think that hurts the gospel…it’s an offense to the Holy Spirit to place a price on the gospel.’ Hinn’s nephew, Costi Hinn, a pastor at Redeemer Bible Church in Gilbert, Arizona, told Christian News, ‘My desire is that Uncle Benny’s statement is not merely public remorse to save face or protect his ministry from decline, but rather that it is genuine repentance and that he would be willing to forsake everything if it means gaining Christ and the full gospel.’

DECLINE IN RELIGIOUS FUNERALS (EUROPE) Co-op Funeralcare, the UK’s largest funeral provider, has published a report which suggests a 80% fall in religious funerals since 2011. In fact, in 2018 only one in ten people wanted a religious funeral. The report, based on a survey of 4,000 people in the UK, notes that unusual locations for funerals — zoos, golf courses, a McDonalds Drive Thru — are also increasing. This seems to match analysis by the National Centre for Social Research which noted that last year a quarter of Britons defined themselves as ‘confident atheists’ — a record high.

NI CHURCH ATTACKS (EUROPE) Following a Freedom of Information request to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, CARE NI revealed that there have been nearly 450 recorded attacks on places of worship in Northern Ireland over the last three years. This is equivalent to an attack almost every other day. Saintfield Road Presbyterian Church suffered two arson attacks in July 2016, which have taken two years to repair. CARE NI is calling for government funding to support churches to install security measures such as CCTV and external lighting. Dr Alistair McCracken, Session Clerk at Saintfield Road Presbyterian Church, said they would support government measures to protect churches, while noting, ‘Looking back as a congregation we most firmly believe that out of what men meant for evil, came good and blessing.’

HURICANE DORIAN (AMERICAS) Sustained winds of 200 miles per hour destroyed 90-100% of the buildings on the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas in September, reports Christianity Today. Man-O-War Cay, one of the Abaco Islands, has fewer than 300 residents and three churches. The damage to infrastructure has been so severe that contact with the outside world has been difficult. It took three days for any outsider to reach the island. Man-O-War Cay’s Brethren heritage means it has never legalised alcohol, and so has never become a tourist destination. US churches with links to the island, and relief organisations, are bringing emergency supplies to the Bahamas as flooding recedes and airports re-open. Randy Crowe, who used to minister on Man-O-War Cay, is assisting with the relief effort. He said, ‘We all work together because that’s what makes the body of Christ so good. We’re better together.’

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ROAD TO EMMAUS (ASIA) Since 2017, archaeologists have been digging at Kiriath-Jearim, a hill overlooking Jerusalem. The site is famous for being the place where the Ark of the Covenant was kept before being moved to Jerusalem by King David. In a paper due to be published on October 24th in the journal New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and its Region, Tel Aviv University archaeologist Israel Finkelstein and Thomas Römer, a professor of biblical studies at the College de France, argue this could also be the location where Jesus appeared to two followers after his resurrection. The team has discovered fortifications which, for the first time, link the site to a place the first-century historian Josephus refers to as ‘Emmaus’. Luke’s record that Emmaus was 60 stadia from Jerusalem also matches the seven miles between the city and Kiriath-Jearim. AFRICA LEADS WORLDWIDE GROWTH (AFRICA) Research shows a surge in the growth of Christianity in Africa. Each year, the Centre for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, USA, publishes its Status of Global Christianity report. The latest data show that more Christians live in Africa than in any other continent. Africa has overtaken both Europe and Latin America since 2000, and now hosts nearly 619 million Christians. Despite slower growth elsewhere, the number of Christians has increased on every continent in the last twenty years. Christians now account for one-third of the world’s population.

DPRK PROPOGANDA (ASIA) A North Korean propaganda video obtained by anti-persecution charity Voice of the Martyrs claims that Christians are ‘religious fanatics’ and ‘spies’ operating on behalf of the South Korean government. Voice of the Martyrs believes the video was used to train North Korean security agents to identify anyone attempting to share the gospel in the country. Although Christians are considered ‘enemies of the state’ in North Korea because they believe there is a higher authority than the Kim family, it is estimated that there are between 200,000 and 400,000 Christians in the country.

NEW BIBLE TRANSLATION LAUNCHES IN TANZANIA (AFRICA) Wycliffe Bible Translators report that a decadelong scripture translation project has reached a successful conclusion launching the New Testament in Nyakyusa, a language spoken in western Tanzania and northern Malawi by around one million people. A day of celebration was held in Kyela Town, Tanzania, to mark the publication of the translation. Attendees commented that ‘even our children can understand this scripture’ and ‘now we will be able to know God better

OPPOSITION IN INDONESIA (ASIA) Religious Freedom charity Open Doors reports authorities in Indonesia are using regulations governing building permits as a pretext to close churches. Government officials broke up a church service on the island of Sumatra in August. The congregation had been worshipping in the church grounds because the building had been sealed off by authorities citing the lack of a permit. Meanwhile, churches in Java are at risk of closure as a result of local objections to their presence, according to Evangelical Times. The Family of God Church in West Jakarta has an official permit, but the congregation has not yet been able to meet due to the actions of protestors. Pastor Timotheus said the church has been threatened by the Islamic Defenders Front, the group that forced them from their last building.

MUGABE'S LEGACY (AFRICA) Following Robert Mugabe's death, the Zimbabwean Council of Churches issued a statement saying, ‘We mourn the death of one of the remnants of the rare generation of Pan-Africa and frontline states leaders. Robert Gabriel Mugabe will be remembered for the great achievements in his earlier period and also the many challenges under his watch in the later part of his reign…. It was Mugabe’s failure to design or respect a proper exit strategy that created transitional uncertainty whose effects have remained with us. Mugabe’s life must be celebrated not as an aggregation of the good and the bad, but as an unfinished legacy.’ Prominent in Zimbabwe’s liberation movement, the former teacher ensured that the country’s education system remained one of Africa’s best, outperforming economic power South Africa. Severe economic problems, division and violence marked the later years of his rule.

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PRAYER DIARY OCT/NOV 2019

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16 Tues 15th Pray for Her Majesty the Queen, that she may be protected. Give thanks for the stability and freedom we have enjoyed for many years in the UK. Pray that the current period of turmoil will not be exploited for evil and will quickly come to an end. Pray for believers in Parliament and the civil service to be courageous salt and light. Wed 16th The Go Conference is SU Scotland’s national youth conference for S4-S6 pupils who want to grow in their relationship with God. Pray that all who attended last weekend were blessed. Thurs 17th This week is National Adoption week. Pray for any you know who are considering or have already become adoptive parents as they face all that is involved in this process. Fri 18th The staff in the church offices and ETS are on holiday this weekend. Pray for a refreshing break for them. Sat 19th Pray for anyone you know who is grieving the loss of their unborn child through miscarriage or abortion. Sun 20th Pray for the small and remote congregation on Raasay as they go to worship this morning. Remember Rev. Marcos Florit, their interim moderator, and the elders as they organise supply. Mon 21st The Bible Society is supporting a project to provide the Wayuu ethnic group in Colombia with the whole Bible. Pray for this project and give thanks that the complete Bible will be used as a study text in schools. Tues 22nd Pray for the English class that takes place in Govanhill church each Tuesday morning. The church is in the most ethically, linguistically and diverse square mile of Scotland. Wed 23rd Pray for the new men in training as candidates for the Free Church ministry: James Blackwell (Dingwall), Matty Guy (St Andrews) and Geoff Murray (Cornerstone, Edinburgh). Thurs 24th Praise God that one lady who had read Holy Injil, Luke, has now moved on to reading the rest of the Bible. As copies of the second edition continue to go out, please continue to pray that many would read them and have a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ.

Fri 25th Non-ordained workers’ training is scheduled for this weekend. Pray that this will be a time of encouragement and blessing for all who attend. Sat 26th Pray for the ‘Communion today’ lectures at Badenoch Free Church, Kingussie. Tomorrow evening will be the last of the talks by Clive EveryClayton looking at the vital questions of who we are and why we are here; pray that contacts made will continue. Sun 27th This morning remember the vacant congregation of Back in our prayers. Pray for Rev. Ewen Matheson, their interim moderator, and the vacancy committee as they look for a settled ministry. Mon 28th Pray for pupils of San Andrés going through difficult circumstances, such as bereavement, family problems, health issues, etc. Please pray God would enable them to know his presence, love and provision. Pray for wisdom for the school team of chaplains and counsellors as they offer support. Tues 29th Pray for the leadership of Colegio San Andrés: César Morales and José García, as well as others on the school board. Please pray God would grant wisdom, vision, grace and love as they lead the school community. Wed 30th Praise God for Scripture Union’s Light Party Pack. Pray that it will be well used as people take the opportunity to share God’s message of hope and light this Halloween. Thurs 31st As the Board of Trustees meet today, pray that they will be guided in all their discussion and blessed in their work for the Lord in our denomination. Fri 1st Pray for Rev. David MacPherson and his wife Martha as they make preparations to leave Scotland and return to Peru. Sat 2nd Pray for the Aberdeen congregation as they say farewell to their minister and begin the journey in search for another pastor to lead their witness in the university city. Sun 3rd Pray for the Carloway congregation and their interim moderator, Rev. Murdo Campbell, as they look for a minister to lead them in their community. Mon 4th SU praise God for new staff who joined the Glasgow office in August. Pray for them as they seek to raise prayer and financial support.

Tues 5th With the increased risk of fires needing attention today, pray for all those who work in the Fire, Police and Ambulance services who often find themselves in difficult situations to protect us. Wed 6th Pray for God to bless the whole community of folks working in San Andrés, especially Catriona MacDonald. May God empower each one to serve him faithfully, demonstrate unity and model faith as they contribute to the school’s ministry. Thurs 7th Pray that the Connect and Explorers youth groups meeting in Ullapool every Thursday evening and similar groups around the church will be a means of encouraging our young folk to stay connected to our fellowships. Fri 8th Pray for those serving as church apprentices in congregations, that it will be an enriching experience for them, both now and in their futures, as well as being a blessing for the congregations. Five new apprentices have started this year . Sat 9th Pray for all those attending the Saturday Course today. Ask that their studies will stretch their minds and deepen their understanding of God’s Word. Sun 10th This morning remember the scattered congregation of South Uist & Benbecula as they go to worship. Pray for them and Rev. David MacLeod as they work towards getting a pastor. Mon 11th Pray for SU’s 95 Campaign, which is taking on the challenge of bringing the gospel to the 95% of our young people who never go to church. Tues 12th Pray for guidance, wisdom and opportunities for churches across the country as they seek to engage with children and young people in their area. Wed 13th Pray for the Board of Ministry as it looks at how best to equip men for the ministry, both by means of ETS and through service in the local church. Issues for prayer concern extending the length of the ETS course and the standardisation of local church training. Thurs 14th Pray for the many people in our country who are addicted to activities that are harmful to themselves and others. Particularly remember any you know personally.

Prayer requests to: ian.macdonald57@btinternet.com. Please take time to send requests for your congregation or ministry to be included in forthcoming Records. These prayer notes are prepared 5 weeks in advance of publication.

THE RECORD

OCTOBER

FREE CHURCH NEWS GARDENSTOWN FREE CHURCH INDUCTION

ev. robin gray was inducted into gardenstown new

It was due to a drug addiction that Robin encountered the gospel, came to faith and eventually recovered from his addiction. He served first as a ministry apprentice in the Free North congregation in Inverness before beginning his studies at Edinburgh Theological Seminary as a Free Church candidate three years ago. Robin is married to Megan and they have moved to the village with their newborn daughter, Jessica. •

church in banff on 24th august.

The congregation had been vacant for just under a year since the retirement of Rev. Donald N. Martin in 2018. Robin spent his second-year summer placement at Gardenstown with Donald. Upon his graduation from Edinburgh Theological Seminary and licensing by the Presbytery of Glasgow and Argyll in June, the congregation voted to call him to the charge. Robin said: ‘It is a privilege and also a great responsibility to share the news of God’s saving love in Jesus with others. It is a message I still need to hear and apply to myself every day. I am very grateful to the congregation of Gardenstown New Church for their warm welcome and value prayer for our family and ministry.’ The congregation is very grateful to Rev. Murdo MacLeod, minister of Nairn Free Church, for his help and guidance as Interim Moderator, and to all those who came to Gardenstown to preach during the vacancy. Robin was born and brought up in the town of Lanark and educated at Lanark Grammar School, the University of Aberdeen and Trinity College, Dublin. On graduating he began working first as a researcher and then as a reporter for STV, specialising in current affairs and politics. He then moved on to work for the BBC and several independent production companies.

PROF. MACKAY POSTHUMOUS INCLUSION IN PUBLICATION

most recent work of former Edinburgh Theological Seminary (formerly Free Church College) principal John L Mackay has been posthumously included in a new Crossway publication set for release this October. Prof. Mackay had completed a contribution to the new ESV Expository Commentary on 1 Samuel–2 Chronicles before he passed away in October 2018. ETS Principal Rev. Iver Martin said, ‘John L Mackay was one of the finest scholars which the Free Church of Scotland has produced in the last century. This commentary, published almost a year after his death in

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2018, will be regarded, like his many other works, as a classic piece of exposition, and will be hugely helpful to Bible students.’ Originally ordained and inducted as minister of Rosskeen Free Church in 1980, he was appointed as Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament Studies at the Free Church College in 1983. He was appointed Principal in 2010. As well as his teaching role at the Free Church College, Prof. Mackay served the Free Church for many years as Clerk to the General Assembly. The commentary will be available from the 3rd of October at Crossway Publications. •

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OFFICIAL OPENING OF FORTROSE FREE CHURCH BY SANDY SUTHERLAND

s mentioned in last month’s record,

Fortrose Free Church have held the official opening of their new church building. Mrs Eileen Mackintosh, an accomplished opera singer and pianist from New York State, now living in Fortrose and attending Fortrose Free Church, led a choir in singing two opening items of praise. The Moderator of The Free Church of Scotland, Rev Donald G MacDonald, read from the book of Acts before speaking on ‘The Beautiful Church’, emphasising that while a building is necessary for various reasons, the true Church is the people of God — the Living Church. Rev. Sandy Sutherland thanked everyone involved in the new church building project, including contractors, tradesmen and volunteers from the congregation. Special thanks were made to Colin Armstrong Architects (Inverness), who designed the new building and supervised the project at no cost to the congregation. Mr Colin J

Armstrong was presented with a gift. He said that it had been a pleasure and privilege to assist the congregation. The Rev. Dr Warren R Beattie, minister of Fortrose and Rosemarkie Church of Scotland, presented the congregation with an inscribed communion cup that had belonged to the original Fortrose Free Church of 1843 but had changed hands following the unions of 1900 and 1931. It was received ‘back’ to everyone’s great delight. Thanks were given to all who contributed to the project. There was a poignant moment with the mention of those who had left legacies, with special mention of Mr Donald W MacLeod, the former rector of Fortrose Academy and a former Session Clerk to the congregation. A brass plaque had been made in memory of Donald and his late parents John and Christina MacLeod. The official opening service closed with the singing of Psalm 24:7-10 to the tune St George’s Edinburgh. The roof of the new building stood firm! •

Colin Armstrong and Sandy Sutherland

Choir at Fortrose Free Church opening

Jack Kernahan and Rev. Sandy Sutherland (Presentation)

Table Decorations by Lucy Knight with sister Beth and Mum, Sally

THE RECORD

The new Fortrose Free Church building (with the roof still on!)

Rev Dr Warren R Beattie and Rev Sandy Sutherland

OCTOBER

MODERATOR LENDS SUPPORT TO TEARFUND CAMPAIGN

ree church of scotland moderator rev. donald

petition: ‘It is only when you try and do a plastic-free shop that you realise how much plastic we actually use in our day-to-day lives. The environmental and social impact of such over-use across the globe is undeniable. ‘Tearfund is doing a great job of highlighting this issue and have targeted some major companies in their campaign to address the problem. God has given us a world to look after, and a responsibility for each other. I am happy therefore to support their campaign and also to make a personal effort to try and reduce the use of unnecessary plastics.’• For more information about the campaign and to sign the petition visit www.tearfund.org.

g. macdonald

has signed a petition calling on four multinational companies (Coca-Cola, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever) to take responsibility for their plastic waste in poorer countries as part of Tearfund’s ‘Rubbish Campaign’. Tearfund’s No Time To Waste report outlined the harmful effects of unmanaged waste and warned of ‘increased illness and unnecessary deaths’ if the current trajectory continues. According to the report, every thirty seconds the UK throws away two double-decker busloads of plastic waste; and thirty double-decker busloads are burned or dumped in developing countries. Plastic pollution also affects mortality rates in these areas, with one person dying every thirty seconds due to mismanaged waste. The report acknowledged the difficulties of this problem but insisted it can be addressed. ‘Plastic pollution has a direct impact on over half of the Sustainable Development Goals; they simply won’t be met without tackling the crisis.’ ‘Urgent action is needed to address the drivers of single-use plastic pollution upstream—i.e. the generation of plastic packaging—and downstream in the collection and management of plastic waste. ‘The crisis is complex, but if all those who hold responsibility take the required action, it can be tackled.’ Mr MacDonald explained why he was keen to sign the

ImagesChris Hoskins/Tearfund

ST. ANDREWS INDUCTION

t andrews free church formally welcomed hamish sneddon as their

at his induction on the 12th September. Since moving to St Andrews in 2014 as the Associate Pastor, Hamish has overseen the student work alongside serving the wider church family, while also studying part-time at Edinburgh Theological Seminary. He will be working across the church, with a particular responsibility to oversee the training of men and women for gospel service. Hamish said, ‘We’re excited and humbled at the opportunity to continue serving the church here in the coming years. We’ve loved our time thus far in St Andrews and are hugely thankful for our church family, and are particularly conscious of the opportunities we have here in such a transient town to train up and send out men and women across Scotland and the world. ‘Jesus said that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few, and so our prayer is that the Lord would raise up workers for the harvest field from St Andrews. We’re keen to do whatever we can to serve to that end.’ Hamish grew up in Perthshire, and after graduating from Durham University was a ministry trainee at Christchurch Durham. After teaching for a couple of years he spent five years working in Durham and across north-east England for UCCF and then moved to St Andrews with his family in 2014. Hamish is married to Marije, and they have three children. • assistant minister

2019

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GARRABOST SUNDAY SCHOOL FUNDRAISER

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for a residence in Kenya which cares for babies and young children. The children heard of the residence’s need for chickens from a church member who went to Kenya last year. Free Church Youth Camps Administrator Kirsten Macdonald accompanied retired Africa Inland Missionary Katie Ann Mackinnon on a visit to the Mogogosiek Baby Home, set up by Katie Ann and opened in 2000. More than fifty children aged from two months to six years stay at the home. Chickens are a useful way of ensuring the children can have fresh eggs, as well as the occasional chicken for dinner. The children at Garrabost brought money along to Sunday School each week and watched as the total grew quickly to exceed their £500 target. Priscillah, the Manager of the Home, is hugely grateful for their support, which has allowed her to buy chickens for the Home, as well as new play equipment for the children and new flooring in the baby unit. collected over £500

The Sunday School have decided that after a visit from Mark from Open Doors UK, their next project will be to collect money which will be used to buy Bibles for Christians in Iraq who find it hard to access Bibles themselves. • More information about Mogogosiek Baby Home can be found on their website: www.chariotsforhope.org/ childrens-homes/mogogosiek

BADENOCH FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, RUTHVEN ROAD, KINGUSSIE FOUR PUBLIC LECTURES

OUR HUMAN QUEST: A LIFE WORTH LIVING CLIVE EVERY-CLAYTON EMERITUS LECTURER IN APOLOGETICS AT BBI AND CUPEI, BRUSSELS Our generation faces a crisis of understanding who we are and why we are here. Scientific and philosophical answers prove inadequate to lighten our darkness and appease our souls. Where can we turn to find out who we really are and what we are here for? SUNDAY EVENINGS OCTOBER AT 7 PM Oct 06

UNDERSTANDING YOURSELF: What is man and what are we worth? Human origins, dignity and value

Oct 13

PLEASING YOURSELF: The ‘good life’ and how to enjoy it Human flourishing and fulfilment

Oct 20

LOVING YOURSELF: True self-acceptance and the key to happiness Human hunger for love

Oct 27

FINDING YOURSELF: Why am I here and where am I going? Human purpose and hope

After each lecture there will be a time for questions/discussion. Refreshments will also be served.

ALL WELCOME - FREE ENTRY

MASSIVE ONLINE RESOURCE UNLOCKS THREE ‘KEY NEEDS’ FOR SCHOOLS BY RICHARD COTON

most pupils in our schools doomed to accept stereotypes like ‘Science has disproved religion’, ‘Only old people now believe in God’ or ‘Christians are all bigots’? How can we help them make real choices about what to believe and what to value? Andy Bathgate, CEO of Scripture Union, says, ‘Right now, we need a renewed confidence among teachers and others working in schools that the Christian faith has a valid place in education.’ To help achieve this, Christian Values in Education Scotland, a national charity, has just launched a massive, free online resource based on three ‘key needs’ its work has identified. ‘We already provide face-to-face training and networking, based on three key needs, for hundreds of Christian chaplains, teachers and parents, from the Borders to Shetland, from Glasgow to Stornoway,’ explains CVE Scotland Vice-Chair Megan Patterson. ‘Now you can unlock all these approaches right in your classroom or in your study.’ So what are those key needs? And what will you be able to get from this new online resource, the biggest of its kind in the UK? re

SHARING IDEAS Firstly, CVE Scotland believes school chaplains and churches need support. The fantastic ideas of some churches need to be shouted from the rooftops. And the brilliant resources they use need to be readily available to everyone. The new website is full of case studies and good ideas. There is a vast supply of free resources for Religious Observance and Time for Reflection assemblies as well.

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GETTING TOGETHER Christian teachers and school staff need to feel they’re not an endangered species. When we first get them together, we frequently find them isolated, unsure if they can even talk about their faith in schools, and worried about attack from militant secularists. The website has solid practical advice about how you can share your faith, where the boundaries are in the classroom, how to respond to current ‘hot’ topics...and there are lots of ideas too to help you take the initiative. READY-MADE RESOURCES Children and young people urgently need classroom resources on what our faith is all about. Find the right ‘ready to use’ materials, and they’ll be taken up by thousands of teachers who are not necessarily Christians to help pupils develop their own curiosity and understanding about Christianity. CVE Scotland is the go-to site for hundreds of these resources, linked to every part of the Scottish curriculum. Dr Fred Drummond, National Director of Evangelical Alliance Scotland, says, ‘CVE Scotland are playing a significant role in building confidence in our faith in the next generation.’ Andy Bannister, Director of SOLAS-CPC, agrees: ‘CVE Scotland do a fantastic job helping equip those working with yOung people, so that they can better understand and share about faith at school.’ • To access CVE Scotland’s free resources, visit cve-scotland.org.uk. Richard Coton is a trustee of CVE Scotland. He is former headteacher of Monifieth High School, has led a national education think-tank and has sat on various Scottish Government committees.

2019

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Things can and do change! Why do we refuse to accept the social injustice of child poverty, for example, but accept prostitution as it is?

THE MYTHS OF PROSTITUTION Prostitution is no job. In no other job do people frequently experience physical and sexual violence at the hands of their clients. The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) has regularly called for the criminalisation of people who purchase sex, rejecting the idea that prostitution is simply another type of work. It is often said of prostitution that it is the world’s ‘oldest profession’, as if this is some social sin over which we should just throw our hands up in defeat. However, we no longer tolerate slavery, which used to be legal and respectable. Things can and do change! Why do we refuse to accept the social injustice of child poverty, for example, but accept prostitution as it is? Our current laws set the boundaries for how we treat one another in our society, shaping our attitudes and behaviours. One of the great difficulties of challenging prostitution is its glamorous portrayal on our TVs and devices. Films like Pretty Woman or programmes like Secret Diary of a Call Girl are far from the reality for most women in prostitution. Just ask the folks that try to help women exit prostitution safely about that! Some argue that the best way to protect people in prostitution is to treat it as any other form of business (known as ‘full decriminalisation’), so that people are recognised in the tax system. However, this approach gives more power and freedom to people who control and exploit others: the brothel owners, pimps and traffickers. The disaster zones that the Netherlands, Germany and New Zealand demonstrate are all we need as warning shots against this line of thinking.

y guess is that for christians in scotland today

very

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prostitution. If it is discussed it is usually in the context of it being a sinful act and the paid women being the stigmatic centre of the problem. That prostitution is sinful is a fact, but are the paid women really the problem? We recognise that some people say they are in prostitution by choice. But often it is a person’s lack of choice that forces them to ‘choose’ prostitution. Exploitation within the sex industry affects some of the most vulnerable in our society. There are many women in prostitution in Scotland today: those working the streets, but also those working online and indoors. Some get involved in selling sexual services at a young age, often under 18 years old, through grooming or family circumstances. Many have experienced abuse in childhood. Home Office data shows that 45% report experience of sexual abuse and 85% physical abuse when they were children. Many have also spent time in local authority care. Studies show01 that high numbers of women in prostitution have experienced coercion from a partner, pimp or relative and that incidents of violence are much higher than in the rest of society. Drug and alcohol misuse is a problem for many. Numerous studies02 have found that between 50% and 95% of women in street prostitution are addicted to Class A drugs. Homelessness and debt are also common experiences prior to entering prostitution.03 So, while we recognise that some people say they have chosen prostitution, for the majority the experience is marked by a lack of choice. When seen as a whole, prostitution clearly contributes to social injustice. As Christians, we believe that God has compassion on those who are most vulnerable and that we have a responsibility to work for a world where people are protected from exploitation and can find hope and restoration. To achieve this in our society, legislation is required to deliver justice for the vulnerable majority.

THE RECORD

JESUS AND PROSTITUTION In Jesus’ day prostitution was no less shameful than it is in Scotland today. In one scenario Jesus uses this to his advantage to shame his religious opponents: ‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” And he answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other >>

OCTOBER

WHY PROSTITUTION CAN AND SHOULD END

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BY DR. STUART WEIR

2019

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<< son and said the same. And he answered, “I go, sir”; but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.’ (Matt. 21:28-32) Not only was the fact that prostitutes and tax collectors were going to enter the kingdom of heaven ahead of the chief priests and elders a socially embarrassing claim, but Jesus actually meant it. He was using such a claim to shame their religious hubris, but also to twist the knife in their side by explaining that ‘the prostitutes believed him; and even when [they] saw it, [they] did not afterward change [their] minds and believe him.’ The reality was that those who were socially unacceptable, those who acted in flagrant ways against God, were the very ones who recognised who Jesus was and elevated his importance. The way women in prostitution felt around Jesus, a male, is telling (Luke 7:36-50). Women in prostitution quite rightly hold men generally in suspicion because they are the instigators, the buyers of their bodies. But in Jesus they find a safe, non-predatory man. There is something so different about this one.

use the information below, but MSPs will pay more attention to your letter or email if it’s not in template form, so use your own words as best you can. KEY FACTS TO INCLUDE IN CORRESPONDENCE OR CONVERSATION • In 2014 Police Scotland found as many as 3000 online adverts for prostitution in Scotland. • Therefore, there is no doubt that indoor prostitution is a problem in Scotland. • Support services for women report that it takes up to seven years for women to exit prostitution. • Prostitution is inherently harmful, damaging people’s physical, mental and sexual health. • The Scottish Government, in its Equally Safe strategy, states that commercial sexual exploitation, which includes prostitution, is violence against women. • It is currently not a crime in Scotland to pay for sex from an adult. • Poverty is one of the main drivers for women ending up in prostitution, thus the rise in ‘sex for rent’ deals and young women lap dancing in Scotland. • Ask your MSPs to press the Scottish Government to make the following initiatives Government policy: • Criminalise the buyer of sex. Men are those who drive the demand for prostitution. If you reduce the demand in this way, men learn that this is an inappropriate way to view sex. • Commit significant funding to helping women safely exit prostitution. • Reduce the stigma of those exiting by clearing any past criminal records in connection with prostitution.

THE BUYERS — MEN The best solution to dealing with prostitution in Scotland today is to utilise the straightforward economic dynamic of supply and demand. Who drives the demand for buying sex from others? Men. Simple. Because men in great numbers wish to pay for sex from women, there is a market demand. If there were a way of starving this demand, then supply would drop. Many countries in Europe and further abroad have adopted this approach with considerable success (Sweden, Norway, Iceland, France, Canada, Israel, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland). They have done this by making it a criminal offence to purchase sex. It is not the sellers of sex, but the buyers, who continually keep prostitution alive and well in Scotland. If Scotland were to criminalise men who pay for sex, the experience of other countries shows most will not risk trying it, and by extension the numbers of women in prostitution will drop. The Scottish Government has hinted that they may pursue this kind of law in their programme for government for 2019/20.

Jesus befriended those in prostitution. By lobbying the government on their behalf, so can you. Dr Stuart Weir is National Director of CARE for Scotland: www.care.org.uk

YOU CAN HELP END PROSTITUTION IN SCOTLAND CARE for Scotland would love you write to your 8 MSPs about the problem of prostitution. To find out who your MSPs are and how to get in touch, put your postcode in at: www.writetothem.com. Remember, the hand-written letter still has the most impact! Don’t let that put you off emailing, though. You can

THE RECORD

Bindel et al., Breaking Down The Barriers: A Study Of How Women Exit Prostitution, Eaves and London South Bank University Home Office, Paying The Price: A Consultation Paper On Prostitution, 2004 All-party Parliamentary Group on Prostitution and the Global Sex Trade, Shifting The Burden, 2014

OCTOBER

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, We were disappointed to read unbalanced criticism of Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte in the World News section of September’s Record. For a magazine which wishes to bear truth in a ‘post-truth society’, I’m afraid this article largely missed the mark. Whilst Duterte is a somewhat controversial president and not a practicing Christian, he is the democratically elected leader of the Philippines, winning a landslide presidential election in 2016. To publish quotes from The Ecumenical Bishops Forum referring to Duterte as ‘destroying democracy’ and a ‘tyrannical regime’, without any sense of counterargument, displays an unfortunate political bias in The Record. The ‘Bishops Forum’ is not a neutral organisation and instead their statements are a reflection of their links to the opposition Liberal Party. We have many family and friends in the Philippines who voted for Duterte on the back of his campaign to challenge the widespread corruption and organised crime gangs that were plaguing the country. He has largely kept his promises and remains a popular leader, especially amongst evangelical Christians. The ‘national catastrophe’ that these so-called bishops have announced does not exist — it is fake news. Instead Filipinos are largely getting on with their everyday lives and in most provinces have far more freedom of religion than we do in the UK. It is common to see Filipino Christians praying for those in power and authority and the majority of politicians attend church frequently. It is also encouraging to see how Filipinos are holding strongly onto their Christian heritage and evangelical churches are continuing to grow and thrive throughout the country. I do hope that The Record will continue to report on Christianity in the Philippines; however, a more balanced reflection of the current political and religious situation of the country would better educate the readership. Yours Sincerely, Lachie and Gerlie Calder Glasgow

We would love to hear from you…please write the editor at: John Macdonald, Beltone, Moray Street Blackford PH4 1QF or e-mail editor@freechurch.org

QUOTATIONS DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

“

Just as our love for God begins with listening to God’s Word, the beginning of love for other Christians is learning to listen to them. God’s love for us is shown by the fact that God not only gives us God’s Word, but also lends us God’s ear. We do God’s work for our brothers and sisters when we learn to listen to them. So often Christians, especially preachers, think that their only service is always to have to “offer” something when they are together with other people. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking. Many people seek a sympathetic ear and do not find it among Christians, because these Christians are talking even when they should be listening. But Christians who can no longer listen to one another will soon no longer be listening to God either. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (1939)

2019

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WHEN I CONSIDER YOUR HEAVENS

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RODDIE RANKIN marvels at the wonders of the universe

THE RECORD

OCTOBER

Attempts have been made to calculate the odds of there being a universe. It usually turns out to be impossibly unlikely, akin to winning the lottery jackpot every day for a month

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human beings that you care for them?’ (Psalm 8:3-4). These men, with their wonder and worship, condemn us if, having a vastly greater knowledge of the cosmos overhead, we fail to thrill with the Godglorifying marvel of it. So can we use our greater modern-day knowledge of the universe to rekindle amazement and adoration? Here are four reasons to be staggered by the weight of God’s creative glory:

established

in a constant course of nature,

and which therefore is done every day, but would seem a miracle, and exercise our admiration, if it were done but once; nay, the ordinary things in nature, would be greater miracles than the extraordinary, which we admire most, if they were done but once. ... and only the daily doing takes off the admiration.’ John Donne, Easter Sunday Sermon, 1627. Imagine the sky was always blanketed in cloud. Days were spent under a diffuse grey light, nights were black, with unremitting monotony. Then one evening, on account of freak conditions, the cloud dispersed, and out came the Milky Way in all her splendour. The moon’s kind face was seen, stars scintillated in their constellations, meteors blazed, planets drifted lazily and the aurora bathed the north in silent colour. That one night would go down in history as a wondrous prodigy spoken of in hushed voices. All who were able would spend it outside in rapt awe, and rhapsodise its resplendent beauty ever after in poetry and song. As it is, we may witness this spectacle regularly. Strangely, we remain stubbornly indoors, lit instead by the banal glare of screens. Apparently, as D.H. Lawrence lamented in his poem Tourists, ‘There is nothing to look at any more, everything has been seen to death.’ As Christians, let us ask ourselves if we, along with so many others, have lost our wonder at what is out there in the cosmos. In the beginning God created what we see when we look up (the heavens) and what we see when we look down (the earth). That is, everything. He created the universe. Without doubt he did this expecting that every night of Milky-Way-wonder would raise human eyes in delighted contemplation, and open human lips in praise. For, ‘the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands’ (Psalm 19:1). Job asserted, ‘He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted’ (Job 9:9-10). David, who witnessed the night sky more than most, asked, ‘When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them,

2019

THE UNIVERSE EXISTS This is the one marvel we can least see for looking. Last month I called it the persistent miracle of everything. Everything shouldn’t be. Probability suggests that there should be nothing at all: no God, no creation, no one to know that there was nothing, nothing to tell us the difference between nothing and something! Attempts have been made to calculate the odds of there being a universe. It usually turns out to be impossibly unlikely, akin to winning the lottery jackpot every day for a month. Surely these attempts are misplaced. Without God to switch the lights on (and create them first) there is nothing there to give any odds ‘before’ the beginning. Try calculating the probability that your house could be built without raw materials or a workforce being involved! So the odds the universe exists would seem to be the odds the Living God exists combined with the odds he would want to make this universe. Or, put another way, the wonder of existence is the wonder that God is who he is. This sounds like Paul: ‘God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made’ (Romans 1:20). Let us behold, then, the presence, power and purpose of God in the fact we are even here at all to contemplate the world. THE UNIVERSE IS BIG It is impossible for us to grasp the scale of space. Fifty years ago, Apollo 11 took just over three days to reach the moon, at an average speed of 3,700 miles per hour. Let’s say we wanted to visit the earth-sized planet orbiting the nearest star, Proxima Centauri. How long would it take, travelling at Apollo 11’s speed? About 800,000 years, or 25,000 human generations! The distance between here and Proxima Centauri, compared to the distance from >>

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Every particle in the universe plays the same symphony in the great orchestra of creation.

<< here to the furthest objects we can see by telescope, is like comparing the thickness of a fingernail to the distance from Stornoway to Paris! Yet, in cosmic terms that is next door. The result of this is that there is zero foreseeable prospect of interstellar travel, which is why science fiction writers must be highly inventive when deciding how to get people from Star A to Star B! Twinkle, twinkle, little star, we gaze humbly from afar! Space is vast and we are small, yet in love we hear God call! Tempting as it is to be reduced to incoherent gibbering by the scale of space, we remember that it is at our address Jesus Christ chose to set up home.

with ever-increasing rapidity, from an ancient, central creative point known only to God. THE UNIVERSE WORKS We take this for granted, but it is an astounding feat: every particle in the universe plays the same symphony in the great orchestra of creation. There are no anomalies; no rogue elements where the laws are different; no ruptures in the fabric of the cosmos. The whole of existence dances in time to the beat of laws which can be described beautifully by mathematics. From the cells in our bodies to the motion of planets, these laws enable everything to function predictably. While our Scottish rail franchises cannot get a few hundred trains to run on schedule, a billion, billion, billion, billion, billion, billion, billion, billion, billion particles have followed their timetable perfectly since creation. They have even made allowance when God has sprung surprises in the form of miracles. God once asked Job, ‘Do you know the laws of the heavens?’ (Job 38:33). Today, thought and research progressively uncover ways to describe these laws in elegant equations. Why the laws are what they are, and what tells each particle the laws it must obey, only God knows. But the laws work, and because of that we can make plans for the future and realise great projects of engineering. While writing this I attended a traditional music concert involving the virtuoso instrumentalist Tim Edey. His performance on the guitar was mesmerising. What struck me most was the expression on his face while he played. It was one of continual astonishment, as though he could hardly believe for wonder the richness of the music he was creating. May we too live in wonder at the music of the spheres which plays out across the universe today. What a privilege to be in the audience when God is on stage!•

THE UNIVERSE IS CRAMMED WITH MYSTERIES These days astronomers are like excited children in a sweet shop. There is so much out there to look at, and the pictures are stunning. The universe has endless wonder-evoking vistas. NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (apod.nasa.gov) is typical of the cosmic eyecandy. Scotland’s Astronomer Royal, Prof. John Brown, has just published a book in collaboration with Scots poet Rab Wilson entitled Oor Big Braw Universe. Rich in illustration and verse, it outlines the ‘contents of the cosmos’ in details that can but stimulate praise to the God who, as Genesis says, ‘also made the stars’ (Genesis 1:16). The Professor describes how suns, moons and planets in every stage of their life-cycle abound, nebulae and novas, black holes and dark matter, galaxies and superclusters – it’s a menagerie of wonder out there! Many of those wonders, like flowers in the mountains, are seen only by God. It seems almost wastefully prolific, if the only life is in but one of the hundred billion galaxies, on a single planet orbiting but one of the hundred billion stars in that galaxy. Could it be that it takes all those resources just for God to ensure that conditions are right for life on Earth? Think about it and be amazed. After all, it takes the entirety of human history and of Earth’s resources to produce the tiny microchip in my wristwatch. This is just one of the countless mysteries with which space is crammed. Much of the universe remains entirely out of reach, beyond the range from which information has had time to reach us travelling at light speed. All of it appears to be racing outwards

THE RECORD

Rev. Roddie M. Rankin is minister of Kyle and Plockton Free Church

OCTOBER

VOLUNTEERING IN HUNGARY Women for Mission’s Support a Volunteer fund helped NATHAN MACKAY join the team at a children’s camp in Hungary earlier this year. Below he tells us about his experience at the camp.

helped to organise and lead various activities for a youth camp in hungary.

This camp offered children the chance to learn English, learn about the Bible and have fun as well. My role as a camp leader involved selecting songs, games and other activities for our Bible and English lessons. I would then help to lead these lessons each day with two partners.

Campers compete on Nintendo Wii!

Group games would take place after the lessons had finished. These included sports matches, musical games and arts and crafts sessions for the kids to enjoy. I helped to organise these along with the other leaders, and also took part in the fun. Towards the end of the camp, I presented a slideshow to all of the children and leaders about my life in Scotland. I took this opportunity to share how God has impacted members of my home church. My favourite part of this mission was talking to and playing with the children during breaks. This helped me to establish genuine friendships with many of the campers. At least a few of these kids did not come from Christian homes. I hope our friendship will make Jesus seem more attractive to both the children and their parents. It was sometimes difficult for me to be around other people so often. Each day I would have breakfast alongside those with whom I shared accommodation, then spend most of the day at the camp, and finally I would spend most of the evening with camp leaders. However, this was an opportunity to get out of my comfort zone, so I am pleased to have had the experience. I have been inspired to go on missions like this as often as possible. Witnessing God work in the lives of young children has nurtured my desire to be more involved in missions aimed at youth. My family and I have already discussed how I can prepare to go on another mission of this kind next year. I’m also motivated to be more involved in Christian work here in Scotland. I’ve already arranged to meet an OM representative to discuss my trip and what different ways there are of helping the organisation here in Glasgow. •

2019

Nathan (black t-shirt) with the other camp leaders

Bible and English lessons

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OMF are passionate to see the peoples of East Asia engaged with the gospel of Jesus, in all of its fullness, in ways which are culturally appropriate and sustainable for the longterm. OMF is an international fellowship of believers sent out by local church communities from around the world to see the gospel preached, churches established and disciples equipped. Only one in ten people living in East Asia will know anyone who is a Christian. ALLAN AND JOANNA SHEARER report on the work of OMF partners in the Philippines.

DAWN FOR THE POOR: TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES FOR GOD'S GLORY

‘S

alamat ! ’

This was a word we often heard from the lips of the urban poor in the communities we visited during a recent mission trip to the Philippines. ‘Salamat’ means ‘thank you’ in Tagalog. At first, their heartfelt thankfulness seemed surprising. Many lived in small huts, in slum areas, crammed along rivers, hillsides and abandoned land. It was not uncommon for a family of six or more to sleep on one mattress on the dusty concrete floor. The dense population, poor diet and lack of a robust sanitary system causes diseases such as tuberculosis to spread quickly. But they can’t just attend a local medical centre for help. For the urban poor there is often a choice to be made: seek medical treatment or feed the family for a week. Medical consultations and treatments are not free and so many just cannot afford them.

So why are many of the urban poor in these communities so thankful? Why is it that we never heard a single complaint the whole time we were there? Into the darkness of a difficult life, light has broken forth like the dawn! Their lives have been transformed by the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and they have a new hope! They praise, worship and thank their Lord with sheer joy and adoration!

Some sponsored students of Bukang Liwayway meeting to worship God and train to become youth leaders

We had the privilege of spending time with some of the workers from Bukang Liwayway (Dawn for the Poor), a Christian organisation partnered with OMF, which seeks to disciple the urban poor and transform communities through the gospel for the glory of God. One of the ways Bukang Liwayay works to see this vision realised is through healthcare ministry. They provide free medical check-ups and clinics, along with screening and treatment for TB, and healthcare education. They

Home visits for prayer and Bible study

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Welfareville slums along railroad tracks, Balik-Balik, Bukang Liwayway

pray for the sick and their families and invite patients to Bible studies. Through physical care, Bukang Liwayway also cares for people’s spiritual needs. Bukang Liwayway also has a student sponsorship programme which provides scholarships to children and young people so that they can go to school and college. Families in slum areas often cannot afford to send their children to school. The lack of education leads to a vicious circle of poverty, social issues and hopelessness. Through the scholarship, children are educated, but more importantly, they hear all about what God has done for them through Jesus Christ. They attend Bible studies and youth camps, and are mentored and empowered to become leaders in their communities, in turn sharing the gospel with younger people. Bukang Liwayway also reaches out to families who do not know Jesus. Through home visits and prayer many young people, together with their families, join the Bible study and church and come to know Jesus as their Saviour. It was a joy to spend time with some of the sponsored students of Bukang Liwayway, seeing school-aged children independently meeting together at weekends to worship, pray and learn the Bible so that they could be equipped to share it with others. We joined young teenagers on house visits, praying with families. It was humbling to see them cheerfully go about their Father’s business. Within the last 23 years, Bukang Liwayway has grown from one Bible study group in the largest urban poor community in the Philippines to more than 170 house churches spread throughout different slum areas. To date, more than 6,000 lives have been transformed, with many putting their faith in Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord! Thank you God—Salamat sa lyo O Diyos!

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Please pray for the urban poor in the Philippines, the work of Bukang Liwayay and the workers who labour tirelessly to transform lives and communities through Jesus Christ. Some workers travel for hours to meet with brothers and sisters in Christ to pray together, to thank God for all his goodness, and cast all their burdens on him.

The Growing Church in the Philippines

If you would like to know more about the work of Bukang Liwayay, we would be delighted to come and share about it at your church. If you would like to sponsor a student or worker, support the work financially in other ways, or receive the newsletter for regular updates, please contact uk.dawnforthepoor@gmail.com • Rev. Allan Shearer is the Minister at Dunblane Free Church

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ETS NEWS BY REV. THOMAS DAVIS

NEW SESSION BEGINS

n monday, 2nd september, the 2019/20 academic

welcomed new and returning students, along with many friends who have supported the Seminary over the years. The evening was chaired by Principal Iver Martin and the main address was given by Liam Garvie, Associate Pastor at Charlotte Chapel, Edinburgh. Liam spoke from Romans 11:33-36 and emphasised the importance of maintaining a constant sense of awe and adoration towards God throughout every stage of theological study. It was a great reminder that theological study is an extraordinary privilege as it teaches us more and more about our extraordinary God.•

with the annual ETS Opening Service at St Columba’s Free Church in Edinburgh. Each year, this service marks the official beginning of the academic year and is an opportunity to worship together as we step into the year ahead. The coming months will involve lots of classes, reading, discussion and hard work, but before any of that begins, we want to commit the year ahead to God’s service, recognising our dependence on him and our goal of being equipped to serve him. This year’s opening service session began

NEW STUDENTS FILL FIRST YEAR

ach september it is a joy to welcome new students

to ets . And this year there has been a very encouraging intake of new students to our BTh programme. In fact, the first-year class is completely full! It is an immense blessing to have reached a full capacity of students, but this also creates the not-so-wonderful consequence that there is now the risk of having to turn students away or defer applicants for twelve months. So, on the one hand, we are thrilled to have so many come and study with us, but on the other hand, we would value prayer for wisdom about how to provide the best opportunities possible for everyone if larger numbers continue.

We have been delighted to welcome students from across Scotland, the UK and overseas, and we hope that they will have a very enriching experience as they study with us. We have also seen a good number of applicants for the Saturday Course and Access to Theology course, both of which also began last month. •

WHO’S LEARNING WHAT?

fter the opening service on monday september 2nd,

again on Wednesday 4th September. Here is a brief outline of what the classes look like for each year group. First-years will be learning the ‘Alpha, Beta, Gammas’

there was then an orientation day for new students on Tuesday the 3rd before classes kicked into gear

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of elementary Greek with Prof. John Angus MacLeod. They will also start Old Testament studies under Daniel Sladek, looking at the Pentateuch followed by OT Historical writing. Church History also begins, with Thomas Davis giving a general overview of Early, Medieval and Post-Reformation Church History before Nigel Anderson looks in more detail at the Reformation in Semester 2. And in Practical Theology, this term the first-years will be looking at Christian Maturity and Leadership with Mark Stirling. Second-years will be starting Hebrew with Daniel Sladek and will continue their Church History studies with Principal Iver Martin, who will be focussing on Scottish

Church History. They will also step into the Systematic Theology department under Bob Akroyd as well as putting their Greek from first year to good use in New Testament studies, again with Prof. John Angus MacLeod. Third-years will be looking at Hebrew wisdom literature and prophecy with Will Traub in the Old Testament department. In New Testament, Alistair Wilson will lead the class through the Epistles and Revelation. In Systematic Theology, Bob Akroyd will be teaching Christology in the coming term; and, finally, in Practical Theology a number of topics will be covered, beginning with an exploration of the Great Commission under guest lecturer Derek Newton. •

MTH IN MISSIOLOGY ENTERS ITS 2ND YEAR

t’s not just the bth programme that has had an

great to see that already it is proving to be a popular and worthwhile programme for students. Led by Alistair Wilson, the MTh in Missiology takes students through a wide range of topics, all with the aim of gaining a clearer understanding of God’s mission and of being better equipped to go and serve in that mission ourselves. •

intake;

we are also delighted to welcome several new students to our post-graduate programmes, particularly the taught Masters in Missiology based at the ETS Centre for Mission. This programme is now entering its second year and it is encouraging

PLEASE PRAY FOR ETS

s the new academic year is getting under way,

please do keep the Seminary in your prayers. In particular pray for the students, both for new people settling in and also for those who are continuing their studies. Please pray for our staff, both teaching and administrative. The encouragement of high student numbers also brings a lot of extra work, particularly for our administrative team. And, finally, please pray for our graduates who are now serving across Scotland and beyond. Our great hope is that they will be sharing the good news of Jesus with the communities in which they now serve •

2019

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THE LATE REV. D. K. MACLEOD (1955-2018) BY REV. MALCOLM MACLEAN

was born in Glasgow on 11th June 1928. His father was Rev. John Macleod (known as ‘the OBE’, for the decoration awarded for his military service in World War 1) and his mother was Isobel Maclean, the only child of Rev. Professor Donald Maclean, one of the ministers who remained in the Free Church after the union of 1900. After his father’s death in 1939 the family moved to Edinburgh, although during World War 2 much time was spent in Lochcarron and Kishorn. That Wester Ross connection was important throughout his life. DK was converted at the age of sixteen at a camp and he became a communicant member in 1950. Later, he was an elder in Ardelve Free Church in Lochalsh. After national service in the Royal Artillery, DK entered agricultural college and then took a range of farming jobs of increasing responsibility, with the dream one day of running his own farm. In March 1956, DK married Christina (Nina) MacDonald in the Free North Church, Inverness. She was a daughter of Rev. A. A. MacDonald of Struan in Skye. DK and Nina had a loving, happy, devoted and long marriage. They had three children, twelve grandchildren and recently a greatgranddaughter. Despite his love of Balmacara, in south-west Ross, where he was then a farm manager, DK felt an increasing conviction of a call to the ministry, although Nina and he were well aware of the sacrifices and challenges this would involve. He was accepted as a candidate and after six years of study was ordained and inducted to the charge of Kingussie Free Church on 14 August 1967. From that day DK Macleod’s joy was to preach and present the good news of the Saviour to the congregation and community. There was, for him, no greater thrill than to know of sinners turning to Jesus. DK also served the church as Presbytery Clerk, Chairman of the Foreign Missions Board, and a leader at youth camps. In 1998 he was Moderator of the General Assembly. He was also chairman of the Leprosy Mission in Scotland. After recovering from a near-fatal car accident, DK retired from Kingussie in 1993. Settling in Inverness, he continued to serve the church with interim-moderatorships and he preached over 1,500 sermons after his retirement. When the congregation of Duthil-Dores was joined with Greyfriars in Inverness, he became an elder in Greyfriars and Stratherrick Free Church, where his wisdom was highly valued. DK loved the public worship of God. The Lord’s Day was the highlight of the week and only serious illness or hospitalisation kept him from church. To him it was a privilege to sit under Gospel preaching and to celebrate the sacraments. He relished discussion of the Scriptures and the fellowship of believers. DK enjoyed sport such as rugby, shinty and snooker.

He loved the outdoors and climbed many of our highest mountains, especially in the Cairngorms, and won a local prize for one of his photographs. His prayers on the hills breathed worship of their Creator and his experiences often emerged as illustrations in his preaching. DK was practical and loved making things work. In old age he remained keen on technology, moving from PC to iPad to smartphone. DK’s WhatsApp messages were humorous and encouraging to family and friends. DK overcame several incidents of serious ill health. And although in his prime he had been physically powerful and vigorous, he bore the infirmities and indignities of advancing years with uncomplaining cheerfulness. He often quoted at these times, ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee’ (Isaiah 26:3). To the end of his days DK was devoted in Bible study and prayer, keeping the daily worship routines he and Nina had established decades before. He also continued to read his favourite authors, such as Alec Motyer, Dale Ralph Davis and C.S. Lewis. M’Cheyne’s poem ‘Jehovah Tsidkenu’ (the Lord our Righteousness) also meant much to him. DK Macleod lived a long, full and happy life seeking to serve his Lord and Saviour. Those who loved him, and they were many, know that he succeeded. His testimony near the end of his life was, ‘The Lord has dealt wondrously graciously with me and it is a joy to be able still to declare the wonders He has wrought.’ DK passed to his eternal rest on 23rd December 2018. It was very fitting that he went to glory on the Lord’s Day, since it was the day of the week that he loved the most. The large congregation that gathered for his funeral service in Greyfriars on 4th January 2019 was testimony to the affection with which he was held and to the influence that he had on the lives of many•

onald kenneth macleod

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THE LATE REV. ROBERT M SINCLAIR (1941-2019) BY REV. JAMES MACIVER

( bob ) malcolm sinclair was born in Gaya, India on 25th April 1941. When Bob was 11, the family moved to England and he completed his secondary education in Exeter. In 1957, Bob joined the RAF as an apprentice radio technician and in 1961 he was posted to the RAF station at Aird, Uig, Isle of Lewis. In the providence of God, Lewis was to become home. Quite soon after his arrival he met Annie Mary Macleod, and they were married in Stornoway Free church in September 1964, a marriage which lasted for 55 happy years. The first three years of their married life were spent in Germany, during which Allison and Robert were born. This was followed with a posting to RAF Kinloss in 1968 and in 1969 they were posted back to Aird Uig. They set up home in Stornoway and in 1971 their third child, Monica, was born. Monica passed away in 2015. Bob was deeply affected by Annie Mary’s conversion and in due time he too came to embrace the Saviour and lived out the rest of his life consistently honouring and serving him. Shortly after his conversion, he felt the Lord was calling him into the Christian ministry. After completing his studies at the Free Church College, Edinburgh, he was ordained and inducted to the pastoral charge of Dumbarton Free Church, where he and Annie Mary served the Lord faithfully and fruitfully for over 17 years. During his time there he also served as Clerk of the Glasgow Presbytery and was a dutiful Interim Moderator for the vacant Free Church congregations of Arran, St Vincent Street, East Kilbride and Ayr. As a preacher, Bob conveyed the great themes of the gospel with Christ-centred reverence and with a genuine zeal to see all those who were still strangers to God’s grace embracing Him as their Saviour. Although he retired from the pastoral charge of Dumbarton Free Church, he never retired from being a pastor. On their return to Lewis in 2009, their

2019

obert

home at Nicol Crescent was a particularly warm and welcoming one, as is fondly remembered by their many friends. From there Bob continued a quiet but effective ministry of supporting, comforting, counselling and encouraging all those he came into contact with. After being granted a seat on the Western Isles Presbytery, Bob served with great acceptance as Interim Moderator of the Lochs congregation and the Stornoway Free Church congregation. In addition he regularly provided a much appreciated pulpit supply to the vacant congregations throughout the Western Isles. In 2012 he was elected to serve as an elder on the Kirk Session of Stornoway Free Church, where he applied himself with unfailing loyalty. One of Bob’s great concerns was for the continuance of a robust, challenging and Bible-focused pulpit ministry and he frequently provided support, wisdom and encouragement to his younger colleagues in the ministry. He loved preaching and did so up to the close of 2018 when his health issues became more apparent, forcing him to decline invitations to do so. We extend our sincere condolences to his widow Annie Mary, his daughter Allison and her husband John, his son Robert and his wife Marina, and to his grandchildren Michelle, James, Josh and Jodie, as well as to his remaining brother Peter and his wife Margaret. We pray that God will comfort and strengthen them all. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1.21

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BOOK REVIEWS This month, we bring you five very different books, which just shows how richly varied the kingdom of God is. Each of these books has the ability to touch a heart, to open a mind and to draw the reader closer to Christ.

NONE GREATER: THE UNDOMESTICATED ATTRIBUTES OF GOD MATTHEW BARRETT (2019) A besetting sin of the modern mind is its tendency to ‘domesticate’ God. We try to tame the Almighty and to make the Most High more manageable, lest he demand too much of us or make us feel uncomfortable about our sin or our compromises with the world. We also fall into the trap of imagining that God is simply a bigger and better version of ourselves, thinking about the Creator in relation to the creature, rather than the other way around (we are made in his image, after all, not he in ours). Worshipping a god other than the one revealed in Scripture is, of course, idolatry, and it should be obvious that if we get our thinking about God wrong, our worship, walk and witness as believers are all adversely affected. For this reason, we should welcome Matthew Barrett’s new book None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God, which draws deeply from Scripture and the reflections of some of the great theological minds of church history to stimulate more fitting and thus more reverent thinking about God. Some of the concepts explained by Barrett may be unfamiliar to readers – divine aseity, simplicity and impassibility to name an important three. But in becoming acquainted with these vital truths about God, our hearts and minds will be prompted afresh to bow before the divine majesty and to worship him for who he is: a being fundamentally unlike ourselves in vital and glorious ways. If our chief end is ‘to glorify God and to enjoy him forever’ this book can help point us in the right direction. • Robin Gray, Gardenstown New Church (available from Amazon)

LET’S STUDY JAMES SINCLAIR FERGUSON (2018) In this new book in the ‘Let’s Study’ series, Sinclair Ferguson expounds the letter of James in short, concise chapters. Each chapter begins with the text and then moves on to explanation and application. It is clear and easy to read, with each chapter further divided into manageable chunks, and is filled with lots of practical help for your Christian life. The discussion questions that are provided with every chapter would enable you to use this book in a small group setting. I would heartily recommend this book to everyone. • Ellen Lockington, Glasgow City Free Church (available from Banner of Truth)

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RISEN MOTHERHOOD: GOSPEL HOPE FOR EVERYDAY MOMENTS LAURA WILFER AND EMILY JENSEN (2019) I have followed Risen Motherhood on Instagram for about a year. I’ve always enjoyed reading the posts, but the demands of small children and chores made me feel like I had no time to look deeper into their resources, full blog and podcasts: how could I possibly listen to something uninterrupted for a whole 30 minutes? The book coming out looked like a great opportunity to read their main ideas all in one handy place — yet the central theme of this book challenges that premise. It is about how being a mother with small children makes it essential to be a theologian, because we all have thoughts and ideas about who God is. Laura Wifler and Emily Jensen argue that ‘the little years aren’t the lost years’, but rather sanctifying moments that need to be worked out in light of the gospel. In this season of life, it can be so easy to feel too busy to take part in church, to make idols of our children and to see our worth through our parenting achievements — all the while forgetting all that Christ has done for us as daughters of God. Laura and Emily’s style blends deep theology with relatable anecdotes, so you feel you’re at the women’s Bible study you’ve always wanted to be part of. This is not a ‘how to’ book for parents. It is an encouragement that everything we do is by God’s design and for his purposes. Our children are not saved by our perfectly orchestrated teaching moments. Nor by being clean, tidy and on time for church each Sunday. The authors remind us that our children’s salvation is in God’s hands. Our own limitations — physical, emotional or financial — are set by God, our gracious and loving father. As long as we stay true to his Word and reflect his love, the gospel will shine through to our children. After having my first baby, I decided I’d find time to get back into Bible study when things settled down. Seven years and two more children later, I’ve realised that isn’t going to happen! Laura and Emily point out that all of life is sanctifying. You do the work that God has set out in front of you right now, and ‘there is no mundane moment too small for God’s glory to shine through it.’ Reading Risen Motherhood has helped me to tackle the frustrations of day-to-day life with the gospel message that ‘God has good purposes for today’. It has renewed my desire to dig deeper into scripture. • Kimberley Macdonald, Dunblane Free Church (available from Amazon)

LIGHT AFTER DARKNESS LEE GATISS (2019) This book is a collation of lectures and talks given around the time of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation by Lee Gatiss, the director of the Church Society. The book is made up of four snappy and stirring chapters, though the writing at times veered toward the sharp and sardonic, emulating the Reformers he is detailing. While the titles suggest biographical sketches, they are more thematic in tone. And this is a major positive for the book. The scope ends up being much broader and he is able to bring the truths and doctrines that so dominated the minds of the Reformers into relevant application for the contemporary church. The pithy and eloquent chapters are filled with educational and (at times) entertaining tidbits make for a swift, edifying and pleasant read. It would be good for someone who wanted to know more about the Reformation and its continuing relevance to this day, though those in Scotland might find the chapter on the Book of Common Prayer a little distant and dull. • Ciarán Kelleher, St Andrews Free Church (available from Free Church Books)

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SCOTLAND ABLAZE TOM LENNIE (2018) I believe anyone who is both concerned and burdened about the state of Christianity in Scotland today ought to be reading and studying Scottish revival history. Acquaintance with the Holy Spirit’s work in the past will awaken us to the realities of what God can do in the present. Scotland Ablaze: The Twenty–Year Fire of Revival that Swept Scotland 1858–79 (2018) by Tom Lennie is an ideal book to introduce Scottish Christians to the Holy Spirit’s work in the past. This work is the third comprehensive contribution that Lennie has made to the area of Scottish revival history – the others are Glory in the Glen (2009) and Land of Many Revivals (2015). Each of his works provide extensive and well-documented accounts of some of the most exciting revivals which have occurred in our country. In his latest volume, Scotland Ablaze, Lennie retells the story of the revival movements which swept all across Scotland over a twenty-year period in the second half of the nineteenth century. This volume provides a great deal of evidence which supports the claim that the 1859 revival was the most extensive and enduring of all revival movements to take place in Scotland. The book is divided into four sections. In sections one and two, the author presents largely descriptive accounts of the 1859-1861 revival movements. Each chapter is organised according to the various geographical areas in which the revivals took place. They are heart-warming and soul-stirring chapters in which the reader discovers that nearly every city, town and village in Scotland was impacted by the work of the Spirit. In the final two sections of the book, he looks at further waves of revival movements which swept across Scotland for the next two decades. For instance, in section three he looks at some of the lesser-known revivals to follow those of 1859-61. In section four, Lennie devotes space to the wellknown Moody revivals of 1873-1875, and follows this section up by looking at some of the post-Moody awakenings. At the end of each section Lennie does a fair job of appraising each revival movement and the impact they had upon Scottish church and culture. There are many excellent qualities to the book: it is thoroughly researched and it relies largely on eyewitness accounts and contemporary reports. Lennie also aides the reader by providing maps of various regions, as well as photographs of places

impacted by the revivals and certain key people that were used in the revival times. He also does a great job explaining various aspects of Scottish culture (ecclesiastical traditions, customs, and local terms, etc.). Lennie ought to be commended for presenting a rich and colourful picture of our revival heritage in such an accessible way. One feature, which is hard to avoid in a work of this nature, is that comprehensive descriptions of the various revival movements given can feel repetitive. The reader felt on some occasions it stifled the momentum of the overall narrative. However, this ought not to discourage anyone from reading this work. This book is a very valuable resource on a key era in Scottish church history. It ought to be read by every Christian who longs to see revival. Whether you read this book cover to cover, or ‘dip in’ to find out what God has done in an area of interest to you, the contents of this book will have you crying out ‘O that you would rend the heavens and come down once again, Lord! •’ Andrew Longwe, Cumbernauld Free Church (available from Free Church Books)

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OCTOBER

NEW

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE? In the face of false doctrines and distortions of the truth, Christians must be prepared to boldly confess what they believe. The Westminster Confession of Faith equips you to do just that. In his book Truths We Confess, now thoroughly revised and available in a single, accessible volume, Dr. R.C. Sproul surveys this remarkable confession—explaining its insights, applying them to modern life, and helping you answer the question, “What do you believe?”

Now available at: Evangelical Bookshop (Northern Ireland), FM Bookshops (Scotland), and CLC Christian Bookshops (UK)

Monday

We are heading up the A9 in the most enormous rented van, off to show our American friends J and M the Highlands and Islands. They asked us to recommend somewhere to spend several days — a place we knew well and could show them the ‘real’ Highlands. Without missing a beat, we replied ‘Lewis!’ As they are also interested in the Church and its history, we are spending the night at one of the Black Isle’s holiest sites — the manse of an ex-Moderator who will remain unnamed (although the secret location is in Dingwall). The recently ex-Moderator serves us curry made with his own hands. It’s so delicious that I get the recipe and have made it three times since. Recipe inquiries to ‘the news editor’ at the front of this magazine…

Tuesday

I start the day with a beautiful walk, on my own, with no children and nothing but silence. What a treat! I’m going up to fetch J and M, who are staying with our host’s parents, Donnie and Sina. I have come to love this godly older couple in the many times that we have plopped ourselves down on the manse doorstep. Donnie blesses us with a prayer over the breakfast table (which I have warned the Americans will bear a strong resemblance to Mr and Mrs Beaver’s table in Narnia — groaning under the sheer quantity and variety of food — and so it proves when I arrive!). After my slow start, it’s a full day of travel. We drive to Ullapool, where there is a new food truck called The Seafood Shack above the ferry car park. I implore all readers to go and order the langoustines. And say I sent you. In the hope that they’ll give me bonus langoustines next time! The CalMac journey has our visitors in a state of ecstasy, but the magic abates somewhat when we arrive in Stornoway to encounter, in one devastating stroke, the Tesco car park and the sheer volume of midgies. We settle into our guest house in Keose, a beautiful village with the most vivid purple heather I’ve ever seen. I fall into a blissful sleep — after spending two hours putting the totally wired children to bed.

Wednesday

We drop our visitors off in town while we attend to other business: Neil at the archives, and me going to visit an old friend from St Columba’s. It’s my first visit to Tolsta (tick!). We have a delicious time catching up, and I’m late to pick up our visitors. It doesn’t matter — they’ve spent most of the afternoon cleaning out the Loom Centre shop and chatting to its owner, Ronnie! We drop in for lunch with a darling and godly cailleach, the mother of a friend. She’s been prewarned, but as we step into her cosy house, she looks perplexed: ‘Well now, let’s see if I can pull together a srùpag for you. I hope there’s some biscuits in the cupboard.’ She opens the cupboard — and produces a large salad. A loaf. Homemade oatcakes and cottage cheese. Sliced meat. A large plate of smoked salmon. A roast chicken. It’s another Mrs Beaver moment. Then she clears it all and presents us with an apple pie! We are of course all stuffed, so she insists we take half the meal home. After lunch we go to meet the best person I know, a fellow female contributor to The Record. She has brought my kids more presents than Santa, but nevertheless they head straight for the toy box at Starbucks. They’ve been to the Castle enough times to know the drill.

day ThuIt’srstourist day! Our friends love Callanish, Carloway, Dalmore, and even Point. Only the midgies and the tour buses cloud our sunny day. My favourite part is a surprise stop — Neil has discovered that some dear friends who served on our Free Church camp in Kincraig are staying just down the road at Achmore. Arriving back in Stornoway, J wants to go back to our cailleach’s house briefly to give her a small gift. Our hostess is out in the garden — the look on her face when our van pulls up is priceless. You can almost see her trying to remember if she’s anything left in the kitchen to give us!

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Friday

It’s a beautiful day for Harris. We have a full day between the sightseeing and the consumer heaven of Tarbert, but we end the afternoon joyfully frolicking on one of the many small, beautiful beaches along the road. It’s even warm enough to paddle in the waves! Getting home that night, we opt for the easiest dinner — a fry-up. But not just any fry-up. We’ve spent this whole journey trying to explain to our visitors why we’re singing about ‘a plate full of sgadan and some marag dubh’ — at last they get to try Stornoway black pudding. It’s love at first taste.

Saturday

It’s the Stornoway Carnival. The kids have been watching the rides being set up all week along South Beach, so there’s no getting out of it. We taste some delicious local wares, and the kids see their first ever parade. Is there place for a Christian witness in this hubbub?

nday SuWe’re off to Stornoway Free Church! While the others file into the church building, I go into the Memorial Hall with the three kids. With Murdo still a baby, I opt to stay in the creche, but I enjoy meeting the other helpers, and love the chat at coffee afterward. It’s great seeing people I never meet anywhere else — if only I can remember all the names! Afterward we go to lunch at the flat of one of the elders. He produces a succulent three-course meal (though every time we ask for a recipe, he blushingly admits ‘It came from the butcher’ or ‘My mum made it!’). I’d warned the Americans that they might be in for some heavy-duty scriptural Sabbath chat, but instead the afternoon takes a turn up — singing hymns together! We love island fellowship.

Monday

We’re up at the crack of dawn and into the car. We sit on the ferry half-asleep in our CalMac coffee, but kept more or less awake by our midgie bites. Our road leads through the glory of Skye, though sadly with no time to stop in on friends. We do manage to stop in on a great shop with rare Highland and Gaelic books, and in Dunvegan we go to The Dunvegan Hotel, recently taken over by Free Church owners, for the week’s best cullen skink (and that’s saying something). We arrive at our next two days’ accommodation, the vacant manse at Fort William Free Church, to be greeted by one of their members, Roddie. ‘Who do you have preaching these days?’ my husband Neil asks him innocently. Roddie takes a long, cool gaze at Neil. ‘No one, this Sunday,’ he replies. ‘I understand the interim moderator is on the search…’

y idahas FrNeil picked up his suit in Edinburgh and is on the train back to Fort William. Another Free Church friend has offered to bring him home. I’m off the hook for more driving. But I’ll be back…

Return to Lewis: The Sequel By Dayspring MacLeod 2019

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MISSION MATTERS A monthly take on some of the mission work the Free Church is involved in by our Mission Director, DAVID MEREDITH.

nyone for brigadeiro?

You can do conferences in any way which suits your local context. The maximalists among you may want to deck the building out with flags connected to your mission interests and the links of people in the congregation. Picture that invasion of colour into the sepia surroundings of our normal buildings. Banish the lasagne and ceann cropic and serve brigadeiro and matoke, although not together. This is not a gimmick; it reminds us that people all over the world live and eat differently to us. Their way is not better or worse, it’s simply different. Invite the missionaries into your homes and have small group discussions. Table talk can elicit the real stories which don’t make it to the meeting in the hall

One of the unique features about ‘old school’ Free Church culture is our communion seasons. The ‘in people’ will be able to tell you instantly which two Sundays in the year the big communions are held. The first Sunday in June and the third in November will always be ingrained in my memory and psyche. What if we added another festival to our calendar which would be just as meaningful? I am thinking of a mission conference. On the 4th Saturday in August I attended a helpful mission conference in North Harris Free Church. Mike Parker from Middle East Christian Outreach was the keynote speaker. There were other contributions from a diverse range

Our point? We want our congregations to begin to change their cultures from being parochial to being internationalist. Have you noticed that the word ‘foreign’ is no longer used in Free Church Mission? of people, ranging from a couple in the congregation going to an assignment in a very interesting country to a gap year student who will be teaching in an equally challenging context. We heard reports from children’s work in Romania and orphanages in India and Nepal. Tarbert, Harris is a little village tucked away on the Celtic fringe and yet it has an internationalist perspective. This is typical of these far-flung island communities where, in days gone past, the average man in the pew had travelled most of the known world by the time he was 30. He would then return home with stories to tell; most of them were true. Global mission is in danger of falling off the radar in many of our congregations. It’s not that we are doing less international mission in the Free Church; in fact, our congregations are doing more. One way of reminding ourselves that there is a big unreached world out there is by getting information and hearing stories from people on the ground. Conferences are good for this because we have time and space to reflect. We are able to go deeper than a one-off meeting can ever provide.

THE RECORD

or find their way to the PowerPoint presentation. The missionary will not be the speaker but will become your friend. Minimalists will tend towards the lighter touch. It may be a Sunday where the emphasis will be on mission in other places. Your own minister may expound and apply one of the great mission passages of the Bible and a missionary can relate their experience and seek coworkers to help by working, praying or funding. Our point? We want our congregations to begin to change their cultures from being parochial to being internationalist. Have you noticed that the word ‘foreign’ is no longer used in Free Church Mission? Why is that? It’s because the world has completely changed and the average congregation ought to be so diverse that ‘foreign’ is irrelevant, because the make-up of the congregation is so multi-national that there is no such thing as ‘foreign’. If every day were a mission day that would be a foretaste of heaven. We are not there yet. Let’s just start with the second weekend in September. One more thing. A single communion is communion, not communions, and a single mission conference is not Missions. Blessings to you.•

OCTOBER

Coigrich agus luchd-cuairt (Strangers and Exiles) LE JANET NICPHÀIL

a-chum nan Eabhraidheach a’ cur nar cuimhne gur e coigrich a th’annainn anns an t-saoghal-sa, agus gu bheil dachaigh bhuan air thoiseach oirnn’. Nuair a chì sinn luchd-turais, gu h-àraidh tro mhìosan an t-samhraidh, thig an fhìrinn- sa air-ais thugainn,’s sinn a’ faicinn mòran a’ tadhal air an eilean, agus air a’ Ghàidhealtachd, airson iomadh adhbhar eadardhealaichte. Ged a tha sinne nar coigrich air thalamh, tha an Cruthaidhear ag iarraidh oirnn’ a bhith a’ cleachdadh ar comasan gus am bi sinn a’ fiachainn ri nì beag air choreigin a dhèanamh a-chum maith ar co-chreutair, fhads a tha an cothrom againn. Tha E ag iarraidh oirnn’ a bhith a’ lìonadh ar n-inntinn le nithean fìor, urramach agus ion-mholta, agus nach eil iomadh nì anns an t-saoghal-sa a tharraingeadh sinn air falbh bhon sin? Mar an luchd-turais, feumaidh sinn ar làithean a chur gu feum. Dh’ fhaodadh iomadh nì anns an t-saoghal-sa ar sàrachadh gu mòr, ach ma tha eòlas againne air Dia na sìthe, faodaidh sinn a thighinn thuige-san leis gach uallach agus sàrachadh. Tha an Cruthaidhear mion-eòlach air sàrachadh gach duine beò, ged a tha E ag àithne dhuinn a bhith a’ tighinn Thuige leis gach dragh a dh’ fhaodadh a bhith oirnn’. Mar luchd-cuairt air an talamh, tha an Cruthaidhear air Leabhar mòr Obair A Làimhe fhàgail againn, gus an tuig sinn ann an tomhais glè bheag, ‘A chumhachd agus A Ghlòir’. Nach leugh sinn anns an t-Salm, ‘Glòir Dhè làn-fhoillsichidh na nèamh,’s na speuran gnìomh A Làmh’? Fàgaidh na chì sinn, ar spioradan glè thaingeil gur e Dia mòr tròcaireach a tha os cionn gach nì anns an t-saoghal. ha an litir a chaidh a sgrìobhadh

Ged a chitheadh sinne mì-rian, tha Esan ‘àrd thar gach tìr’, agus feumaidh sinn a bhith a’ cuimhneachadh gu bheil E aig amannan a’ ceadachadh nithean nach tuig sinn. Ged a dh’fhàg an Cruthaidhear Leabhar a’ Chruthachaidh againn gu bhith a’ moladh cho iongantach sa tha gach nì a rinn E, nach do dh’ fhàg E Leabhar prìseil againn, a tha gar treòrachadh gu CrannCeusaidh,far an tuig sinn ann an tomhais glè bheag, A ghràdh do shaoghal caillte? Tha obair a’ Chruthachaidh mìorbhaileach, ach, nach eil e nas iongantaich buileach gun dèan an Cruthaidhear ‘cruthachadh nuadh’ nuair a thig sluagh gu bhith a’ lùbadh an glùin d’A Mhac Iosa, mar am Fear-Saoraidh? A-rèist mar choigrich a-bhos air thalamh, ma tha sinn ag earbs’ à obair Chriosd, nach sinn a thug an turas prìseil a-steach dhan t-saoghal? Fhuair sinn an-asgaidh dhuinne, am faradh a bheir dhachaigh sinn a Ghlòir, nuair a thig an t-àm dhuinn an saoghal-sa fhàgail. Ma bha amannan prìseil againn air an talamh, nach e a bhith a’ sealbhachadh nan geallaidhean nì as rofheàrr, oir anns an dachaigh-sa, cha tig briseadh- cridhe gu bràth; cha tig aon nì a mhilleadh fois shìorraidh nan naomh. Is e a-rèist a bhith a’ cumail oirnn’ mar choigrich, gus an toir E Fhèin dhachaigh sinn, nuair a chì E Fhèin iomchaidh. Le ceann-uidhe cho glòrmhor air thoiseach oirnn’, nach sinn mar a thuirt sinn, a thug a’ chuairt phrìseil a-steach dhan t-saoghal-sa? • Chunnaic sinn sealladh tha a’ dol dhuinne thar labhairt. Chunnaic sinn sealladh de Ghràdh Athar na Glòir. Sheall E dhuinn Iosa A Mhac a phàigh ar fiachan ’s a riaraich A cheartas E mar èirig ro-mhòr.

B’ Esan a shaor sinn, b’ann uaith’ a bha an glaodh ud, ‘Tha e a-nis crìochnaicht’, is thug E suas an deò. Dh’fhosgail E slighe do shliochd Adhaimh bhith tilleadh. Cha choigrich iad tuilleadh ach teaghlach Athar na Glòir.

2019

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

POETRY PAGE JEHOVAH TSIDKENU BY ROBERT MURRAY M’CHEYNE I once was a stranger to grace and to God, I knew not my danger, and felt not my load; Though friends spoke in rapture of Christ on the tree, Jehovah Tsidkenu was nothing to me. I oft read with pleasure, to sooth or engage, Isaiah’s wild measure and John’s simple page; But e’en when they pictured the blood-sprinkled tree Jehovah Tsidkenu seem’d nothing to me. Like tears from the daughters of Zion that roll, I wept when the waters went over His soul; Yet thought not that my sins had nail’d to the tree Jehovah Tsidkenu – ’twas nothing to me. When free grace awoke me, by light from on high, Then legal fears shook me, I trembled to die; No refuge, no safety in self could I see, – Jehovah Tsidkenu my Saviour must be. My terrors all vanished before the sweet name; My guilty fears banished, with boldness I came To drink at the fountain, life-giving and free, – Jehovah Tsidkenu is all things to me. Jehovah Tsidkenu! my treasure and boast, Jehovah Tsidkenu! I ne’er can be lost; In thee I shall conquer by flood and by field, My cable, my anchor, my breast-plate and shield! Even treading the valley, the shadow of death, This ‘watchword’ shall rally my faltering breath; For while from life’s fever my God sets me free, Jehovah Tsidkenu, my death song shall be.

Robert Murray M’Cheyne (1813-1843) was minister in St Peter’s Church, Dundee, from 1836 until his death aged 29. This poem, which reflects on M’Cheyne’s own realisation of his need for salvation, was first published in the Scottish Christian Herald in 1836. The phrase ‘Jehovah Tsidkenu’ is taken from the Anglicised Hebrew of Jeremiah 23:6, translated in the ESV as ‘The LORD is our righteousness’.

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OCTOBER

Vision Weekend 2019 25th â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 27th October St Columbaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Free Church of Scotland Johnson Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2PW

Join us at the Generation Vision Weekend 2019. This annual event is about learning, working and growing together so we can see churches and the gospel flourish all across Scotland.

For more information email mission@freechurch.org

Our main speaker will be the founding pastor of Christ Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee, Scotty Smith. His theme will be Gospel Renewal. Register your place today using the URL below.

Generation-mission.org

generationvisionweekend.eventbrite.co.uk

BY CATRIONA MURRAY

POST TENEBRAS LUX

veryone

has

their

favourite time of year.

own

For some, it will be spring with all its promise of new life and longer days. Others look forward to the crispness of winter, to Christmas lights and the possibility of snow. Once upon a time, this very month would have been highly significant to the Gaelic people, as they prepared to mark the end of one pastoral year, and the beginning of the next. A safely in-gathered harvest signified the year’s end, while dark evenings and hibernating nature marked the beginning of a new one. In the ignorance of paganism, the Gaelic people filled those dark hours with beings from the Otherworld which they believed existed beyond the seen realm. On the night that marked the transition between old year and new — Samhain, or Hallowe’en as we now know it — the spirits of the dead, witches and fairies could all run amok amongst the living. In the absence of truth, people tend to make up a suitable narrative. Whichever form darkness takes — literal, spiritual, emotional — we populate it with our own demons. Our forebears had recourse to the supernatural for anything they could not explain, but it was a world devoid of God and so, ultimately, empty and frightening more than comforting. Who would have thought that, having been plucked from that ignorance, that breach in time, filled with horrors, mankind would choose to return there?

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We flatter ourselves now that we are educated; scientific, even. Our minds are far too developed to believe in nonsense like God and Satan. According to our own lights, we have moved on from them, just as we have graduated away from fairy lore and witchcraft. What we are pleased to call ‘logic’, we apply to every situation. If it is improbable that small, winged sprites live amongst our daffodils, then it is equally unlikely that the world is all the handiwork of one, invisible Creator, or that it is governed by the dark power of his enemy. A pragmatic generation, fully in command of its own destiny: that is what many of us believe about ourselves. In actual fact, we are no further on than those supposedly ‘primitive’ ancestors who believed that fairies might spirit their children away, or witches drown their menfolk. They lived in a world devoid of God and we — increasingly — occupy a space from which we have tried to absent him once more. It would be easy, as Christians, to assume that this does not apply to us. Of course, we believe that there is a God and we profess the primacy of Christ in our lives. For this to have any effect on the darkness by which we are surrounded, though, the light of that truth must shine within us. We must live as people who are unafraid of what may be lurking in the shadows, because we have a personal relationship with the One who has vanquished them all. And that knowledge ought to cast its beam outwards,

enlightening those among whom we lead our lives. If Christians try to present the law first, before they show the world Jesus, how are we any different to those who lived in ignorant superstition? They once thought that sprinkling oatmeal on the floor or painting the doorjamb with stale urine could keep fairies at bay; and there was a myriad of charms for every kind of evil that might befall them, from the evil eye to witchcraft of various shades. We laugh, now, at the childishness — and the futility — of their belief system. Yet, knowing, and even having benefitted from, the simplicity of what Jesus offers ourselves, we have complicated it for others with all our additional rules and, yes, superstitions. The Bible really couldn’t be clearer on this point. Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first the kingdom of God, and everything else will be added to that. That’s how it was for anyone whose life now belongs to Christ. You cannot be convicted of sin, or persuaded of your need for salvation, apart from him. No one can talk you into being a Christian by telling you all the ways you are going wrong: so why do we persist in approaching people that way? He drives out darkness by means of his marvellous light. We should live as people who truly believe that. Don’t tell those dwelling in the darkness that they must chase away the shadows themselves; be a living torch, illuminating the way to Christ, and he will do the rest.•

OCTOBER