Inside Holyrood!

As the Holyrood politicians consider the forthcoming vote on the redefinition of marriage, in Scotland, many of us continue to pray that they will not follow their Westminster counterparts, but will throw the Bill out and maintain marriage as it has been historically understood - the union of a man and a woman!

This video clip shows Dr Gordon MacDonald, representing Scotland for Marriage, giving evidence before the Committee of Members that is currently scrutinising the Bill.  May his wise words have struck the hearts of those on the Committee who continue to push this minority-led agenda.

Losing a battle does not lose the war!

The Westminster Bill that changes the definition of marriage has, regretfully, been 'ramrodded' through the Parliamentary process by a coalition government that had no mandate to do so, and that deliberately ignored the voice of the vast majority of the electorate.  What those responsible may not have realised is that the God Who instituted marriage as between a man and a woman, will not ignore them!

In what may be the last of the Marriage Minutes video-clips for the time being, Dr Sharon James explains that, in the case of the Coalition for Marriage, the battle may have been lost, but the fight continues.  Of course, the situation in Scotland is different, and Scotland for Marriage will be continuing in its efforts to ensure that the Scottish Bill does not reach the Statute Book.

Losing heart - or keeping faith?

It was at the time when a number of scandals concerning 'celebrities', past and present, were headline news; when the position of Chief Constable of the soon-to-be single Scottish Police Force had not gone to the candidate preferred by many in the Strathclyde Force; when my own Chaplaincy role was coming under threat; that I shared some thoughts both at a meeting of the Christian Police Association and on this blog, regarding dealing with disappointment.

I suppose that the following could be said to speak to those of us who have been disappointed with the manner in which, at both Westminster and Holyrood, the Bills that aim to redefine marriage are progressing.  These thoughts are based on the contents of an e-mail that I received a few days ago - but that I have only just got around to opening!

David, in the 27th Psalm, reflects on his own situation, and encourages others who find themselves in similar straits. "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.  Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!" (vs.13-14).   

He provides three steps:

1. Believe in God’s Present Goodness
"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."  We worship the 'Now' God, Whose covenant name is "I AM".  He knows our situations and circumstances, and He deals with them.

2. Patiently Submit to God’s Calendar
"Wait on the LORD; ... ... wait, I say, on the LORD!"  How often we expect God to work in accordance with our timetable!  We forget that, while we see only a fleeting moment at a time, He sees the whole picture.  He is the One Who knows the end from the beginning; Who dwells outwith the time-space continuum in which we live out our mortal lives.  It isn't wise to try to "second-guess" Him - He really does know best!

3. Courageously Stand Against Fear
"... be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart;"   Sometimes, we feel that the "other side" has everything going for them.  They have the cash resources; the media contacts; the apparent power.   So did Goliath!  If we are in a battle (and I am obviously thinking of the current redefinition of marriage situation!) then just because we are "David" is not a problem.  Indeed, it's our strength!  Like him, we come "... in the Name of YHWH Sabaoth (the LORD of Hosts)" (I Sam.17:45).  We have more! "... He who is in [us] is greater than he who is in the world." (I John 4:4).

As I have repeatedly stated regarding the campaign to preserve marriage as God ordained it at the beginning of the humanrace, it's not over yet; there is all to play for - and certainly all to pray for!  Be sure that, if you live in the UK, you are doing all that you can to support the Coalition for Marriage, and Scotland for Marriage.  If not you, who?  If not now, when?  If not where you live, where?

Esther 4:14!

Looking up.

It's good to sit down in front of my computer screen!  I have been out, this evening, delivering material from Scotland for Marriage to another one hundred plus homes.  Including the walk to where I started (the point at which I had finished on Tuesday evening, when I delivered to about 180 homes!), and the walk back, that took me a little over an hour - about four miles of walking.  Thus my delight at being able to 'take the weight off my feet'.

As I've been walking around so much, I have been impressed by some of the front gardens that I have seen.  Some are genuine works of art, and are obviously the result of much planning - and not a little effort!  This evening, however, my favourite garden was the one that had a number of flower pots along the side of the path with, in each, a pithy saying.  The one that immediately struck a chord with me was the one that read "When things look down, look up"!

I have no idea whether, or not, the occupant(s) of that home is(are) in any way religious.  But I like that sentiment expressed below the front window.  When things look down - when things aren't going the way I expected, or hoped, or believed; when all I seem to receive is bad news; when there appears to be sign of the end of the tunnel; when things look down, look up!  For the disciple of Jesus, that certainly indicates that activity in which each and all may participate - prayer.  There is another well-known saying: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."   Maybe so.  However, when the going gets tough, the disciple of Jesus gets praying (or ought not that to be  "praying even more"?!).

As I have mentioned in most of the recent posts, the result of the vote in the British House of Lords, on Tuesday evening, on the Marriage (same sex couples) Bill, was a source of great disappointment to those of us who support traditional marriage, as between male and female.  I suspect that many were crestfallen - they were looking down.  The antidote to the depression that such an attitude can, all too easily, engender is to look up - to uphold Lord Dear and the other peers who opposed the Bill on Tuesday as, during the Committee Stage into which it has now passed, they seek to point out its potential pitfalls to those who are not yet ready to oppose it, but who wish to look at it more carefully.

Much of the popular media, as well as organisations such as Stonewall, are giving the impression that all is done and dusted.  Permit me to emphasise (yet again!) - THIS IS NOT THE CASE!  As I was delivering this evening, I was listening to some music on my 'phone (as one does!).  I have it set at "shuffle" and one of the tracks was a Christmas one from Larry Ford, family, and friends.  In one song, entitled "Strange way to save the world" is the repeated line "Now I'm not one to second-guess what angels have to say".  It is equally pointless to try to second-guess what Father God is going to do.  What I do know is that He calls all who claim to be His to be faithful - not successful (that's His responsibility), but faithful.  So let's keep on delivering cards and leaflets; let's keep on encouraging the folk in the Coalition for Marriage, and Scotland for Marriage; and let's keep on looking up - "... looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb 12:2).

Strengthening marriage?

In the latest of the Marriage Minutes from the Coalition for Marriage, Dr Sharon James explains how, in spite of claims to the contrary, the introduction of same-gender 'marriage' will not strengthen an already beleaguered institution, but will actually weaken it.

As always, it's only a couple of minutes long - well worth using to inform yourself of some of the indisputable facts!



If you haven't yet signed the petition - either from C4M (for Westminster), or for S4M (for Holyrood), please do so.  Every signature counts, and the momentum continues to increase.  Politicians are, at heart, pragmatists.  If they realise what a vote-loser this proposal is, they will find a way to back down.  However, the only way in which they will realise it is if we tell them!  Please sign the petitions!

Marriage mistakes!

Okay, don't be concerned.  I am not about to launch into a series of jokes about marriage such as one might hear from any stand-up "comedian" (the word is in quotes because, in my opinion, most of what is given out is not even mildly funny!).  What I am going to do, over three days, is share some thoughts on "same-gender marriage" that were given by a London pastor, Phil Moore, in a website named Church Leaders.  I am grateful to Phil's secretary for granting me permission to use them - and just hope that he doesn't withdraw that permission!

"If you believe the newspapers then it’s already been decided. The fight to legalize same-sex marriage has already been won.
Prime Minister, David Cameron, introduced a bill to the British Parliament, which will be [was] debated on February 5, that is not being opposed by the opposition.
President Obama has used his second inauguration speech to signal that he also intends to legalize gay marriage in the U.S. through federal law.
The French President, Francois Hollande, has dismissed public protests over his support for same-sex marriage as the reactionary chattering of the no-longer-radical bourgeoisie.
But while politicians steamroll their proposals into law, they are ignoring some fundamental questions. Let me point out just three of the big mistakes that they are making:

Mistake #1: Everybody Knows That Same-Sex Marriage Should be Legalized.

Suppose we held a referendum that revealed this statement to be true. Suppose the majority of Britons and Americans actually did believe that same-sex marriage should be legalized — would that therefore make it right?

If the majority of Afghans voted that women should be barred from education, they wouldn’t therefore be right. When the majority of British people voted in the early 19th century that there was nothing wrong with slavery, campaigners didn’t stop arguing that the majority was wrong.

In fact, the essence of the pro-gay argument is that majority opinion has been wrong in the past on the issue of sexuality! Even in the purest of democracies, it is accepted that the majority opinion should be tested rather than turned into hastily drafted law. Consensus has long been the refuge of rascals, who attempt to stifle debate by claiming that the matter has already been decided.

What is becoming clear, anyway, is that the majority of people do not in fact back this major change to society.

Although the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, argued in last Sunday’s issue of The Times that redefining marriage will be a vote-winner for the conservatives, the real noise at the conservative head office is that of the large numbers of Tories who feel betrayed that this legislation was not in the party’s election manifesto. The British Youth Parliament has called on the government to drop gay marriage as a priority. In scenes reminiscent of the days before the war with Iraq, we are watching politicians make decisions without consulting those who elected them, only to regret their hastiness too late afterwards."

Of course, here in Scotland, we have our own "fight".  Please remember that, if you are reading this before 1650 (4.50 p.m.) GMT today, you still have time to respond to the Scottish Government's consultation - wherever in the world you may live.  The link to the website, into which you need type only a few personal details, is:
http://scotlandformarriage.org/consultation2013/

Every response helps!

Is this hypocrisy?

There were a couple of interesting, and related, news items during the past week.  On the one hand, we were informed that the last active Church of Rome adoption agency in the UK is being forced to cease operations unless it takes homosexual/lesbian couples. The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator ruled that St Margaret’s Children and Family Care Society in Glasgow was discriminating against same-gender couples because it prioritises those who have been married for at least two years. The decision follows a ruling in England that Catholic Care, based in Leeds, could not claim an exemption under the Equality Act to allow it to operate in line with Church teaching. 

At the same time, Edward Timpson, the Children’s Minister in the UK government, announced that local Councils that fail to do enough to tackle a national shortage of adoptive parents are to be stripped of responsibility for recruiting them, and that the task of filling the backlog of would-be adopters in problem areas will be handed over to private agencies and charities instead!   Mr Timpson said that the Government could no longer “stand by” while the backlog of children cleared for adoption, but waiting to be found suitable homes, continues to grow. 

Does anyone else see the paradox here?  An admitted shortage of adoptive parents, but agencies unable to operate for no other reason than that they happen to believe - and, unlike many politicians, have the courage of their convictions to say so - that a child is best served by having two parents, one of each gender, as nature irrefutably demands!  

Meanwhile, in both Holyrood and Westminster politicians, pushing the matter of "same-gender 'marriage'" - not a part of any of their last manifestos - seem to think that as long as they are able to claim to be defending the rights of faith groups (not just Christians!) and clerics, there should be no opposition to their plans.  Of course, their so-called "safeguards" aren't worth the hot air spouted.   The recent judgements by even the European Court of Human Rights would indicate that the conscience of a Christian may be successfully challenged.  Indeed, a source close to Education Secretary Michael Gove has admitted that teachers could be sacked for opposing gay marriage - that the Government would be powerless to stop headteachers firing staff who refuse to endorse same-sex marriage! This is what those who support traditional marriage have been saying for many months.  One wonders for how long those in government have known this, but preferred to keep the information hidden!

However, as I was reminded at a recent meeting of Scotland for Marriage, "It's not over yet!"  I am fully convinced that The Lord will intervene to protect that which He ordained.  However, I also believe that He expects us to play our part by continuing in prayer; by signing petitions; by writing to, or visiting, our MPs and MSPs.  May those of us who claim to be His disciples not be found wanting.  It is to Him that we answer!