Press Reporting and the Fellowship of Confessing Churches

The infamous “gagging order” that issued from the controversial General Assembly of 2009 has made communication with the press problematic. The Fellowship of Confessing Churches has been happy to comment on developments when asked and without requesting the protection of anonymity. Not all have been as candid, and recently some fabulous stories have emerged with their origins in the speculations of anonymous “church sources.” The most extraordinary of these fables thus far appeared in the Sunday Herald on 13 Sep 09.

According to this piece, our churches have formed a secret gang with politicians from Northern Ireland, presbyterians in America (from the “Presbyterian Church of America”, one of the few American denominations which actually does not exist!), and the former Chief Constable of Strathclyde Police, no less — all in order to make an audacious heist on £2 billion of assets from the Church of Scotland! Only lacking, to complete the intrigue, was the suggestion (from an un-named senior church figure, of course) that there was some gun running involved!

Perhaps the writer is confusing the Church of Scotland with the Bank of Scotland, its neighbour on the Mound? The BOS has already lost its billions. Worried readers of the Herald may now fear that the chancellor will also have to bail out the COS with public funds. Or will 121 be merged with Lloyds?

All this is so ludicrous it warrants no serious comment. It seems that the unwillingness of ministers or Church courts to make public comment to the press has forced journalists to turn their hand from reportage to fiction, crafting stories that could give the brothers Grimm a run for their money!

However, for the record, the FCC would simply re-iterate that it is no more than a fellowship of congregations within the Church of Scotland conscious of the need, in the present circumstances of public confusion about what the Church of Scotland believes and teaches, to declare our commitment to historic, orthodox Christianity. So, publicly, and on the record, we are glad to reaffirm the historic, Reformed doctrines of the Kirk.

We have no political affiliation.

We are not a lobbying organisation within the denomination (though the Special Commission has approached us for input to their process and we have co-operated as helpfully as we could).

We are committed to no unified position on campaigning or protest, far less “rebellion”.

We are simply a fellowship — of churches deeply concerned for the truth of the gospel, and for the honour of the name of Christ. We want to stand together in proclaiming the truth that alone leads to salvation. And we want to encourage one another to keep on doing so, whatever others may say or do in the face of increasingly strenuous attempts to subvert the orthodox stance and practice of our denomination.

That’s what we are. No more, no less.

And that’s Official.

We’re not shadowy ‘senior church sources’. And we are not anonymous. All our names are here on the website, and what we say, we are happy to say openly and clearly
(2 Corinthians 4:2).

FCC Steering Group
David Court, New Restalrig, Edinburgh
Peter Dickson, High Church, Hilton, Aberdeen
Peter Humphris, Kinmylies, Inverness
Ivor MacDonald, Kilmuir & Stenscholl, Skye
Jeremy Middleton, Davidson’s Mains, Edinburgh
William Philip, St George’s-Tron, Glasgow

14th September 2009