Free Church Foundations Free
Issue No10

October 1999


The Free Church Defence Association believe that the times call for a strong re-affirmation of the principles of the Disruption Free Church as these were carried forward by the Constitutionalists in the years prior to 1900, at a time of similar difficulty and trial for the Church.

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...and the bush was not consumed "Our Father in Heaven, give us the long view of our work and our world. Help us to see that it is better to fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed than to succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail....Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."



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Freedom


Principal Donald Macleod writing on Calvinism and Freedom in the April 1988 Monthly Record makes the following useful statements which stand in stark contrast with some of his more recent utterances. We are absolutely free from any human directive which contradicts Scripture. This is not confined to "matters of faith and worship". It applies in anything. An anti-Scriptural instruction is never binding, whether it comes from the Fuehrer or from Winston Churchill, from Hospital Matron, Consultant Surgeon, Army General, Pope or General Assembly. This was the anvil that shattered Stuart absolutism. The King thought that his authority gave legitimacy to whatever he commanded.
The Puritan conscience said, "No! You can't forbid what God commands or command what God forbids"....Secondly, we are free from any doctrine or commandment of men which is beside Scripture.....This freedom, as defined in the Confession, applies only to matters "of faith and worship"....The church's...authority is ministerial. She has no right to make laws but only to administer those laid down by Christ. If the church goes beyond that, according to Calvinism, it is a sin to obey her because such obedience is a betrayal of liberty of conscience....The simplistic argument that we must obey government simply because it is government is totally un-Calvinistic.

Contumacious


Never mind the Constitution!
What are ordination vows?
And the Westminster Confession
Does it matter anyhow?
We must modernise our worship;
This is 1999.
And we'll deem you contumacious
If you fail to toe the line.

Never mind the current "fama",
Leave our Principal alone!
The Assembly has decided,
And they've written it in stone.
We've already made our minds up;
Don't confuse us with the facts,
Or we'll deem you contumacious
If you criticise our acts.

You don't like Assembly findings?
Well, my friend, that's just too bad.
We'll just deem you contumacious;
It will make us very glad.
There are plenty other Churches,
So you know what you can do.
There's the door - we'll hold it open -
We don't want the likes of you.

The majority decision
That's what matters in the end.
Do you say you still don't like it?
Well, that's just too bad, my friend.
"Peace and Reconciliation!"
That's the catchword for today.
And we'll deem you contumacious;
So, stop getting in our way!



[Editorial][October Commision of Assembly][Towards a Manifesto of the FCC]
[A Twentieth Century Martyr][Authoritarianism in Church Discipline][It Is Finished]
[The Threat to the Free Church][Duplicity with dishonour?]
[Minorities are Sometimes Right]

Any comments or questions please E-Mail me or Rev William Macleod the Editor.