What Scotland’s Evangelical Past Can Teach Us About Its Evangelical Present – And Future
Andrew M. Jones, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of History, Reinhardt University
The missionary emphasis of nineteenth-century evangelicalism, which involved both social action at home and evangelisation abroad, was driven by the personal and communal enthusiasm to spread the gospel in word in deed. That enthusiasm often reached increased levels following local, regional, or national revival movements like the ones that impacted Scotland in the second half of the century. Thus the support for missions, both in terms of fundraising and personnel, was often seen as a metric by which to judge the spiritual temperature of the national Church.
Where can we go to visualize the best imagined future of the pro-life movement? When my students ask me this, I direct them to images of the Visitation of Mary and Elizabeth, such as this freestanding statue from The Metropolitan Museum of art. Jeweled wombs show the preciousness of what lies within Mary and Elizabeth, and every pregnant woman before or after them.
Dr Robin Taylor, Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Consultant Physician
I believe that far from being on the right lines, conceding that healthcare professionals ought in some circumstances to facilitate or procure the death of a patient as their primary intention, crosses a red line. That red line has existed for millennia and is there for good reasons.
Rev. David J. Nixon, Associate Pastor, Carrubbers Christian Centre
We are Christians – we are to follow Christ, not our temperaments – as we strive to live in this post-Christian world, while remaining distinct from it. Without a doubt this is a challenge, but it is the one that God has entrusted to this generation, and we would do well to learn from those who have walked a similar road in pre-Christendom days. May God help us and keep us faithful!