0:00:02 > 0:00:05The Church is always to be reformed, semper reformanda -
0:00:05 > 0:00:08that's a long-standing principle for Presbyterian churches
0:00:08 > 0:00:12and we've certainly seen it in practice here this week.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Last year, the General Assembly
0:00:39 > 0:00:43voted for the so-called mixed economy, which allows the induction
0:00:43 > 0:00:47and ordination of ministers in same-sex partnerships
0:00:47 > 0:00:49by individual Kirk sessions,
0:00:49 > 0:00:52while maintaining the traditional Church of Scotland doctrine
0:00:52 > 0:00:55and practice on human sexuality.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58This year, commissioners heard the legal framework for this
0:00:58 > 0:01:02and the doctrinal interpretation of the Bible
0:01:02 > 0:01:04which underwrites that mixed economy.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10The vote last Assembly created what we have come to call a mixed economy.
0:01:10 > 0:01:17Now, that is a situation in which several perspectives exist
0:01:17 > 0:01:20respectfully alongside each other.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Today we read Scripture with more than one tradition.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28'Some people joked about it'
0:01:28 > 0:01:32and they said that this is rather like having a vegetarian restaurant
0:01:32 > 0:01:35and saying, "But we also serve steak,"
0:01:35 > 0:01:41and so part of the task of the forum which I chaired was to look at
0:01:41 > 0:01:46the juxtaposition and to say, "How can we make sense of that?
0:01:46 > 0:01:49"Can we make sense of that within Scripture?
0:01:49 > 0:01:55"Can we make sense of it within the long, long history
0:01:55 > 0:01:56"of theological argument,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59"which has characterised the Church of Scotland?"
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Because we are an argumentative Church.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05We have a long history, we have stood by principles
0:02:05 > 0:02:08and we have disagreed with each other about these principles.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12And the debate demonstrated that accommodating the diversity
0:02:12 > 0:02:16of views that accepting a mixed economy necessitates can be painful.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21I feel very strongly in heart and mind
0:02:21 > 0:02:25the power of the call here to unity,
0:02:25 > 0:02:31and to maintain unity that I find in these sections,
0:02:31 > 0:02:32and that, I think, of course,
0:02:32 > 0:02:36is because it reflects clearly the teaching of Scripture.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40Paul's words in Ephesians make every effort
0:02:40 > 0:02:46"to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
0:02:46 > 0:02:51I have come to this Assembly with a heavy heart.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56And that's because the Church in which I was brought up,
0:02:56 > 0:03:01the Church which nurtured me after I came to a personal faith
0:03:01 > 0:03:06in Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Lord at the age of 18,
0:03:06 > 0:03:11the Church in which I had my first opportunity to preach,
0:03:11 > 0:03:15the Church which has prayed for me
0:03:15 > 0:03:19over these probably 30-plus years of my ministry,
0:03:19 > 0:03:23and I'm talking about the High Church in Stornoway,
0:03:23 > 0:03:28a Church that has provided, er, eight or nine ministers
0:03:28 > 0:03:31in the last 30 years for this denomination.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34That Church family...
0:03:34 > 0:03:36HE VOICE QUIVERS
0:03:38 > 0:03:39..is...
0:03:42 > 0:03:43..rent asunder.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49The larger part of the congregation has gone.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53All its elders have gone.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00Er, its theology student and a budding preacher has gone.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05All but one of its ten deacons have gone.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10SOME COUGHING
0:04:10 > 0:04:17My younger brother remains as the only office bearer in that church.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20VOICE CRACKS: I love those who remain.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24But I equally love those who have gone.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29And part of my pain here today...
0:04:31 > 0:04:37..is that I will never be able to sit again at the Father's table
0:04:37 > 0:04:40with that whole family.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45The same has happened across the country.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50We cannot but mourn.
0:04:50 > 0:04:57They have gone, because they no longer trust our ability,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00or our willingness, to follow
0:05:00 > 0:05:04what they believe the Bible clearly states.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08They will be followed by others.
0:05:08 > 0:05:14Er, Moderator, a great deal of sorrow has been expressed,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17rightly so, for people who feel, in all conscience,
0:05:17 > 0:05:22the need to leave the Church. The only comment I would make today
0:05:22 > 0:05:24would be that my sorrow goes out
0:05:24 > 0:05:28to those who are gay, both colleagues and friends,
0:05:28 > 0:05:30still within the Church,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33because, no matter how much I appreciate
0:05:33 > 0:05:37the words and the wisdom of this forum, the underlying assumption
0:05:37 > 0:05:44under this mixed economy model seems to imply that to be gay is wrong.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48That the revisionist position does not stand up
0:05:48 > 0:05:52equally in relation to that which is called traditional.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56Therefore, if we go down this road,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59I do feel a sense of apology, if not shame,
0:05:59 > 0:06:04to people who are gay within the life of the Church of Scotland
0:06:04 > 0:06:09and I hope we can find a surer remedy in the future. Thank you.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13I speak of a minister that was ordained
0:06:13 > 0:06:1618 years ago later this month.
0:06:16 > 0:06:22I stand here, because I love God and I believe God loves the world.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24In 2011...
0:06:24 > 0:06:28the press arrived at my door.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32I'd been cutting the grass. I'd just been stung by wasps.
0:06:34 > 0:06:41And they said, "Someone has said that you are in a civil partnership."
0:06:41 > 0:06:44The truth was I wasn't.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49But the truth is I had come the long painful journey of depression
0:06:49 > 0:06:54and mental illness of accepting my sexuality.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01My congregation were invaded the Sunday after the press
0:07:01 > 0:07:06and, with the help of Dr Chalmers, I have never commented
0:07:06 > 0:07:11on any of what was said about me, written about me,
0:07:11 > 0:07:17but what I want to do today is tell you the story in respect
0:07:17 > 0:07:23of what happened in Stornoway, what happened in Newburgh Abdie in Dunbog.
0:07:23 > 0:07:28The Sunday after the press got hold of the story,
0:07:28 > 0:07:33and friends and the community were invaded by the press,
0:07:33 > 0:07:37a member of our community got on Facebook.
0:07:37 > 0:07:42The following Sunday, you could not get a chair in the church,
0:07:42 > 0:07:44because the community filled it.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47And at the door of the church,
0:07:47 > 0:07:51one of the members of the parish went out the door, saying,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53"We're here today,
0:07:53 > 0:07:57"because you've been there for us when we needed you."
0:07:57 > 0:07:59I very much hope that,
0:07:59 > 0:08:05having ventilated these differences and having named the differences,
0:08:05 > 0:08:10um, we can move to a position in which we can see that it is
0:08:10 > 0:08:15an argument within the family, rather than the fact that to be
0:08:15 > 0:08:19an honourable user of Scripture, you have to leave the house.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23And this is why we use the metaphor,
0:08:23 > 0:08:28from discussion between Jews, Christians and Muslims,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31that people stand at the door of their tent,
0:08:31 > 0:08:35they come outside of their tent, but within sight of the door.
0:08:35 > 0:08:36They haven't deserted it.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41And then, at the door of their tent, this fragile structure,
0:08:41 > 0:08:45they talk to people who've come out of their tents.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Um, I also gave the Assembly yesterday, um,
0:08:48 > 0:08:54the notion of the shared overlap between insider and outsider groups
0:08:54 > 0:08:56and I suggested to the Assembly that,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00if we lack that kind of open space,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03my fear is that we become inward-looking,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06we have no hope, we have no future,
0:09:06 > 0:09:08and the Church has always grown
0:09:08 > 0:09:13when it has been able to see that kind of shared overlap.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16That's... That is the kind of area
0:09:16 > 0:09:19where I believe the Spirit is most active.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29The report of the Committee on Chaplains to Her Majesty's Forces
0:09:29 > 0:09:31was as warmly received as ever
0:09:31 > 0:09:34and the subsequent debate allowed a former moderator
0:09:34 > 0:09:38to highlight potential tensions that military chaplains must deal with.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43Just after the first Gulf War, I came home,
0:09:43 > 0:09:49I went down as the people came home to a military conference,
0:09:49 > 0:09:55and I was literally physically seized by a then RAF chaplain.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59Fortunately for me, he was rather smaller than I was.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02Not unusual, maybe. And, um...but...
0:10:02 > 0:10:09He was absolutely beside himself with disappointment in the Church,
0:10:09 > 0:10:17because...a lot of publicity had been given to various observations made
0:10:17 > 0:10:23by the Church and by, um, certain speeches by the then Moderator
0:10:23 > 0:10:29that appeared to suggest that people in the services
0:10:29 > 0:10:34were not as acutely confronted with the issues of morality
0:10:34 > 0:10:39and the questions that challenge our faith as we were here.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44And what he said to me was, "Do they not realise,
0:10:44 > 0:10:49"and do YOU not realise, that we are as anxious and as challenged
0:10:49 > 0:10:55"by these moral questions as anyone in the General Assembly?"
0:10:55 > 0:11:00I would hope that our chaplains here would realise that we do know that.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04The Church and Society Council's report covered everything
0:11:04 > 0:11:07from climate change to violence against women.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10But it prioritised the Kirk's role in tackling poverty,
0:11:10 > 0:11:14which - as its convener, Sally Foster-Fulton, spelled out -
0:11:14 > 0:11:17is a chronic reality for many people in Scotland
0:11:17 > 0:11:20and, for some, one that's getting worse.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24I remember, Moderator, in a speech to the General Assembly,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28my predecessor, Ian Galloway, expressed his utter dismay
0:11:28 > 0:11:32at the appearance of foodbanks. Roll forward just four years,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35and foodbanks are part of the landscape, growing in number
0:11:35 > 0:11:39and in scale in response to ever-increasing need.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43They've made their way into our norm and that is frightening.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45Do not misunderstand me, Moderator,
0:11:45 > 0:11:49the Church must respond to need whenever it finds it.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52But equally, we mustn't fall into the tempting trap
0:11:52 > 0:11:55of treating the symptoms and ignoring the causes.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59Our research into the work done by congregations in response
0:11:59 > 0:12:03to poverty in their areas found that many faith communities provide
0:12:03 > 0:12:09vital help, foodbanks, shelters, soup kitchens, debt advice and support.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Fewer, however, feel able to campaign or speak out
0:12:12 > 0:12:16against the devastating welfare reform policies,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19the zero-hours contracts, the low pay
0:12:19 > 0:12:21and the systems that keep people poor.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25Last year, the Assembly embraced The Lies We Tell Ourselves:
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Comfortable Myths About Poverty, a report which has helped us
0:12:28 > 0:12:33identify and effectively challenge the dangerous rhetoric
0:12:33 > 0:12:36that blames the poor for their poverty. These are lies.
0:12:36 > 0:12:42Skivers and strivers, scammers, choosing a benefits lifestyles.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45These are lies and they let us off the hook,
0:12:45 > 0:12:49blaming the victims rather than facing up to the uncomfortable truth
0:12:49 > 0:12:52that we are all part of an economic model
0:12:52 > 0:12:56which systematically disadvantages the weak.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59- This report has been...- But what are the alternatives? Well, here's one.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04In 2012, in the Special Commission's report
0:13:04 > 0:13:07on the purposes of economic activity,
0:13:07 > 0:13:11we heard that it was not the time for business as usual,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13but the Church should lead the way
0:13:13 > 0:13:17in securing better, more ethical financial options.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22Credit unions were identified as particularly important.
0:13:22 > 0:13:27Credit unions are a safe, ethical and constructive way to save,
0:13:27 > 0:13:32to invest, to borrow. They offer reasonable rates of interest
0:13:32 > 0:13:37and they incorporate financial education into their ethos.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41In collaboration with the Church of England, the Church of Wales,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Methodist Church,
0:13:44 > 0:13:48we, through the Churches' Mutual Credit Union,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52will be able to model best practice by offering membership to clergy
0:13:52 > 0:13:57and other ordained persons, to anyone employed by the Church
0:13:57 > 0:14:01or employed, in fact, by a charity run by the Church,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04such as Crossreach. This will, in turn,
0:14:04 > 0:14:08create a set of invested advocates for credit unions
0:14:08 > 0:14:13and will enable the Church to support the movement more widely.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Credit unions are not the only response to unethical lenders
0:14:17 > 0:14:20and extortionate rates of interest.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25They're not the only challenge to the status quo business-as-usual models
0:14:25 > 0:14:28that really need a shake, but, Moderator,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31they are an important tool in our kit
0:14:31 > 0:14:34and we have a chance today to sharpen it.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40And the Church offers other options. Pat Hanson and her business partner
0:14:40 > 0:14:45run a thriving cafe in Burntisland in Fife. She knows from experience
0:14:45 > 0:14:48that balancing the books isn't always easy.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53I was a single parent, I brought up both my boys on my own.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57My husband left when I was pregnant with the youngest child, um...
0:14:57 > 0:15:01and when my eldest son was 15, he broke his neck in an accident
0:15:01 > 0:15:05and became disabled and I gave up work to look after him,
0:15:05 > 0:15:08but we had to move, cos we were in a flat, so we had to move
0:15:08 > 0:15:12to a private rental until we could find somewhere suitable.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16Big rooms and a son whose disability meant the rooms needed
0:15:16 > 0:15:21to be kept warm landed Pat with huge fuel bills and a load of debt.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Friends helped her through it, but she never forgot the experience
0:15:24 > 0:15:28and, when she heard about CAP, Christians Against Poverty,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31she persuaded her church to work with her
0:15:31 > 0:15:36to help others struggling with debt. One of her clients is Linda Stewart.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41There was a loan, and moneylenders were coming to the door,
0:15:41 > 0:15:43so I took out money from them
0:15:43 > 0:15:47and, you know, the interest put on it, um...
0:15:47 > 0:15:51I started falling behind on payments, um...
0:15:51 > 0:15:53I was in arrears with council tax,
0:15:53 > 0:15:57I was getting letters from them coming through the door, um,
0:15:57 > 0:16:02and so I phoned this number and they said that they could help me.
0:16:02 > 0:16:07Um, all I had to do was list out my debts that I had
0:16:07 > 0:16:12and that I would get a visitor from them, um, Christians Against Poverty,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15and they would help me with all this debt.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20CAP advises clients on how to budget.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25'Well, Pat, what she did was she took down all my list of the creditors
0:16:25 > 0:16:29'I was due to, my debt, any letters that was there I gave them to her.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33'And she wrote them all down and took them to the head office.'
0:16:33 > 0:16:35We just need to see...
0:16:35 > 0:16:40They need this every year, they have to have new proof of income...
0:16:40 > 0:16:43CAP then negotiates with creditors and support clients
0:16:43 > 0:16:47as they work their way out of debt by sticking to a plan of repayment.
0:16:47 > 0:16:53Have allowances for, you know, food, shopping, television licence,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56all the normal expenses we all have, so allowances for all these things.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59It's going to have a bit for leisure as well, because
0:16:59 > 0:17:02everybody needs to go out and do something that's nice now and again,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05so it's all budgeted there for them.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07They're working with us for several years,
0:17:07 > 0:17:09sometimes it's only a year, sometimes it might be five years,
0:17:09 > 0:17:13but during that time, they're learning how to live on that budget
0:17:13 > 0:17:15and the nice thing is they're also saving,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18every client saves something, so not only are they learning
0:17:18 > 0:17:20to live on a budget, but they're realising that,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23even on a really small income, you can still save money.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27So, if anything goes wrong - fridge breaks down, microwave, whatever -
0:17:27 > 0:17:30they've got their own money and they're not having to borrow money.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33With a plan and a budget, and the threat
0:17:33 > 0:17:37of doorstep moneylenders gone, Linda has a fresh start.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41I'm working now, a regular income, I'm off benefits.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44'My debt's coming down and I'll have more money as well.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46'I save, which has given me'
0:17:46 > 0:17:50more confidence and... the future's looking bright.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55- Right, thanks. - 'I always had this idea in my head'
0:17:55 > 0:17:58that I would like to go and do mission work.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01And in my head, that was going to be somewhere lovely and hot,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04you know, it might be Africa or it might be South America or Nepal,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07somewhere like that, and it ended up being Kirkcaldy,
0:18:07 > 0:18:12doing CAP work, which is also... And it lets me go out
0:18:12 > 0:18:16and do what's biblical and go out on the streets and help people.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24I don't know if I can express enough what a privilege it is
0:18:24 > 0:18:28to walk into somebody's home, who's not left the house for six months
0:18:28 > 0:18:31because of the shame, and just shine a light in there and give them
0:18:31 > 0:18:34a little bit of hope, so, for me, it's like the best job in the world.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49The Assembly strengthened its call for national
0:18:49 > 0:18:53and local government to address issues surrounding funeral poverty.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57Moderator, the issue of funeral poverty across our country is
0:18:57 > 0:19:00one that's growing and, in all probability,
0:19:00 > 0:19:02will touch every parish in our denomination.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05According to a recent report by Sun Life AXA,
0:19:05 > 0:19:07the cost of a funeral has ridden...
0:19:07 > 0:19:12risen 80% in the last decade, with the average cost in 2013
0:19:12 > 0:19:16of being almost £3,500. As the report mentions,
0:19:16 > 0:19:20local authorities have increasing costs for burial and cremation
0:19:20 > 0:19:24in a way that seems to be out of control in many cases.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27In my own local authority area, South Lanarkshire,
0:19:27 > 0:19:31which has one of the highest set of fees in Scotland, the cost
0:19:31 > 0:19:35for a burial plot, and to have it opened for the first time, is...
0:19:35 > 0:19:39£1,883.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42This is an eye-wateringly high rise
0:19:42 > 0:19:46of around 345% in the last five years,
0:19:46 > 0:19:51according to figures obtained by the Church and Society Council.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55I've been ordained for 18 months or so and have already conducted
0:19:55 > 0:19:58somewhere in the region of 80 funerals,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02two of which have been what some call environmental funerals,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05known in the past as pauper's funerals -
0:20:05 > 0:20:08a burial of someone who has no family to claim their body.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10On one such occasion,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14I had literally said the amen of my benediction
0:20:14 > 0:20:16when three young people hurried toward
0:20:16 > 0:20:19what turned out to be the graveside of their mother,
0:20:19 > 0:20:24with whom they had no longer spoke for one reason or another.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27But the reason they did not come forward and claim their mother,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30who had died in October, and this was now December,
0:20:30 > 0:20:35was because they could not afford any form or funeral and
0:20:35 > 0:20:39thought that, if they kept silent, then someone would handle things.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42I'm not telling you this in search of your opinion on how you thought
0:20:42 > 0:20:45these three young people handled the situation.
0:20:45 > 0:20:46I'm telling you this because,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48despite not speaking to their mother,
0:20:48 > 0:20:52they were denied an opportunity to give tribute to her,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55to have been known and consulted.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58The only thing I had to say about this lady's life,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01who had passed away at the age of 55,
0:21:01 > 0:21:05was that a neighbour noticed that she loved models of angels.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08But because of the fear of not being able to afford a funeral,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11and being afraid to come forward to ask for help
0:21:11 > 0:21:14in case they claimed responsibility as a consequence,
0:21:14 > 0:21:16they were robbed of this right.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19As you said in your support of credit unions, Moderator,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22it is the poorest who always offer the most.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Moderator, with situations like this in mind, I am delighted
0:21:27 > 0:21:31that the Assembly has accepted Mr Kerr's amendment in the hope
0:21:31 > 0:21:35that it paves way to such painful events one day coming to an end.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Assisted dying is a live and very sensitive issue
0:21:41 > 0:21:44and the Assembly felt that the recommendation to maintain
0:21:44 > 0:21:48the status quo and oppose any suggested change in the law
0:21:48 > 0:21:53didn't go far enough. Instead, it supported an amendment which calls
0:21:53 > 0:21:58for theological reflection on the issues surrounding assisted dying.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Polls consistently show
0:22:00 > 0:22:03that the vast majority of people in the UK are in favour
0:22:03 > 0:22:07of a change in the law to permit assisted dying in some form.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11Moreover, Professor Linda Woodhead from Lancaster University's
0:22:11 > 0:22:16recent large project investigating social attitudes among faith groups
0:22:16 > 0:22:20also show that a vast majority of people in faith groups
0:22:20 > 0:22:25support change, with the exception of Muslims and Baptists.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28So there is a pressing need for theological resources
0:22:28 > 0:22:33to promote improved decision-making on this sensitive issue,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36for our Church and indeed ecumenically.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38So again, for the avoidance of doubt, Moderator,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41I am not expecting the report I am calling for
0:22:41 > 0:22:45to propose a change in the Church's thinking, but of course, it may.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49I'm aware that there are some guidance to congregations,
0:22:49 > 0:22:51but it frames the division in terms of
0:22:51 > 0:22:55secular motivations to change the law
0:22:55 > 0:23:00against Christian responses against it, and that's simply misleading.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03There are many Christian voices who support a change,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07which is why I'm specifically asking the reporters to take account,
0:23:07 > 0:23:11not agree with, but to take account of those voices.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13Moderator, five years ago,
0:23:13 > 0:23:18I knew exactly where I stood on the issue of assisted suicide.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23I would have supported a simple restatement of the Church's stance.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26But now, I don't know where I stand
0:23:26 > 0:23:30and I would love for better theological minds than mine to offer
0:23:30 > 0:23:35an up-to-date considered reflection on all aspects of the debate.
0:23:37 > 0:23:38And that's because, five years ago,
0:23:38 > 0:23:45my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer and, 18 months ago, he died.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49For the last two months of his life, I was privileged
0:23:49 > 0:23:53to have been released from my parish to nurse him at home
0:23:53 > 0:23:56and, in the last days of his life,
0:23:56 > 0:23:58his blood oxygen level dropped so low
0:23:58 > 0:24:02that he became agitated and delirious.
0:24:02 > 0:24:08And during a brief few hours' visit to A&E, he was given antibiotics and
0:24:08 > 0:24:14given a sedative and, at midnight, my mum and I took him home to die.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16The doctor gave me sleeping pills
0:24:16 > 0:24:20to give to my dad once we got home to help him sleep.
0:24:20 > 0:24:25And once home and settled, I gave Dad the pills,
0:24:25 > 0:24:29telling him that the doctor said they would help him sleep,
0:24:29 > 0:24:33and he took them and he slept.
0:24:33 > 0:24:39When Dad awoke a few hours later, he looked me in the eye and said...
0:24:39 > 0:24:42"The goodbye pills haven't worked."
0:24:44 > 0:24:49Dad was never lucid again, dying very peacefully four days later.
0:24:51 > 0:24:59I am still in the process of trying to understand my dad's last words.
0:24:59 > 0:25:05What did it mean when he thought that I was giving him suicide pills?
0:25:05 > 0:25:10What did it mean when he took them willingly?
0:25:10 > 0:25:16And what did it mean that he was disappointed when, to quote him,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19they "hadn't worked"?
0:25:19 > 0:25:22And all of that means I no longer know
0:25:22 > 0:25:27where I stand on the issue of assisted suicide
0:25:27 > 0:25:31and I long for a dialogue in this area
0:25:31 > 0:25:35to hear the theological arguments on all sides,
0:25:35 > 0:25:37because such a theological discussion
0:25:37 > 0:25:42would be helpful for me and for others whose minds,
0:25:42 > 0:25:47like mine, are in a guddle in this whole area.
0:25:47 > 0:25:52And so, I would support this additional motion. Thank you.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01I think what the Church was trying to do this week
0:26:01 > 0:26:06was clear a space to focus on other things and maybe the...
0:26:06 > 0:26:10the measures internally that we've been dealing with could be
0:26:10 > 0:26:14coming to a pause, at the very least, while we refocus on
0:26:14 > 0:26:20some of the things that, um, are more important than internal division.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23I think we need to go away and think about how we make sure that,
0:26:23 > 0:26:27when we spend a lot of time in preparation and debate,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30that the most important things are taken first.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33- What are the most important things? - Well, I think they're...
0:26:33 > 0:26:35They're first of all to do with
0:26:35 > 0:26:37how we build up the life of the local church
0:26:37 > 0:26:42and how we affirm what those in ministry of all kinds are doing
0:26:42 > 0:26:45and that needs to be profiled, it needs to be,
0:26:45 > 0:26:48um, in the shop window and we need to spend a lot of time
0:26:48 > 0:26:51thinking about it, so ministry and mission is terribly important.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54And then, closely behind that, is the way in which
0:26:54 > 0:26:58we make an impression, er, on the...
0:26:58 > 0:27:05the values and the ethics of our common life, um, and again,
0:27:05 > 0:27:10sometimes that gets buried in debate, rather than showcased upfront.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14We read scary headlines about the state of the Kirk.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Is the Church of Scotland healthy?
0:27:17 > 0:27:21I think it's in a state of change at the moment, er,
0:27:21 > 0:27:24and that's always healthy. It's difficult, but it's healthy.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27I think we used to have our position in Scotland,
0:27:27 > 0:27:29because it was our position,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32but we've got a Scottish Parliament now, we've got, um,
0:27:32 > 0:27:38to rethink how we relate to the other institutions in our nations
0:27:38 > 0:27:42and we need to assert that we have a place at the table,
0:27:42 > 0:27:46because we deserve it, because we've worked for it,
0:27:46 > 0:27:50because we're respected and I think that, over the last couple of years,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53and certainly this week, that's what we've been trying to do.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57We don't want to be there because we're privileged, but because we're useful.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59Some would say the quality of debate in this hall
0:27:59 > 0:28:03is superior to that in other nearby halls.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07I couldn't possibly comment, but, er, I've always said that the quality
0:28:07 > 0:28:10of debate at the General Assembly is as good as it gets.
0:28:10 > 0:28:15Um, I think the people that are commissioners year-on-year
0:28:15 > 0:28:17are some of our smartest people in Scotland
0:28:17 > 0:28:23and they're people who have, um, possibly, in many cases,
0:28:23 > 0:28:27given up the opportunity of other important high-profile positions,
0:28:27 > 0:28:30because they want to serve the Church and want to serve God in this way,
0:28:30 > 0:28:34er, and their talent shows when they come here.
0:28:34 > 0:28:43# ..and in God's house forevermore
0:28:43 > 0:28:53# My dwelling place shall be. #