Outdated Kirk

In The Scotsman article of 22 May “Church sell-offs loom to ensure future of the Kirk”, you report that the General Assembly rejected by a significant majority the strategic plan submitted by the council of assembly on the grounds it was insufficiently radical.

The Church has a history of tackling challenges in totally unimaginative ways, failing to recognise when the real problems are of a spiritual nature.

There are two major issues. I recall the words of Bishop Michael Curry who, in his St George’s Chapel sermon, proclaimed that “Jesus began the most revolutionary movement in human history.”

The Church does its best to care for those at the edges of society but is it enough? It is not particularly known for joining Jesus in speaking forcibly against the powers and principalities which cause so much global suffering, and as for the unholy coupling of greed, growth and overconsumption – I ask you, where would Jesus have us stand? Where do we stand?

I would, however, go even further and suggest that the core problem with the Church is that it is incapable of moving beyond an outdated world view. It may come as someience thing of a surprise to many that the good news of Jesus is more than capable of taking on board what 21st century science is telling us about the origins and ongoing evolutionary development of the cosmos. But that is another story.

JOHN MILNE Ardgowan Drive, Uddingston