Rev George Cowie - Church of Scotland General Assembly 2009
Channel: Graeme Cowie
Date: 2022-05-23

In 2009, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland heard a complaint against the appointment of Rev Scott Rennie as the new minister at Queen's Cross Church in Aberdeen.

The complaint alleged that Aberdeen Presbytery had acted wrongly in sustaining the congregation's subscribed call. Rennie, then the minister of Brechin Cathedral, was openly in a same-sex relationship.

Rev George Cowie, as Joint Presbytery Clerk of Aberdeen Presbytery, defended the decision to uphold the call. He explained that to have rejected the call would have represented a breach of natural justice, by preventing Scott Rennie the opportunity to answer the terms of the complaint. He also pointed out that matters of discipline were properly to be addressed by Rev Rennie's existing Presbytery (Angus) if any complaint were to be raised; they were not ones for the Presbytery of Aberdeen to address. Far from curtailing prayerful dialogue, he insisted, Aberdeen Presbytery's decision upheld it.

Perhaps most importantly of all, however, he reminded the assembly that:

"This is not just about principles. It is also about people. An important question now faces the General Assembly: how ought the Church of Scotland ought to express the love of Christ towards gay and lesbian people in this country.

In the course of the past 50 years, the common understanding of homosexuality has changed enormously both within and outwith the Church. Homosexuality was once considered to be an illness or a lifestyle choice. Many many people now believe that such a view is untenable, considering instead that sexual orientation is part of an individual's make-up. This enlightened understanding has generated a much more compassionate view of gay and lesbian people both in society and in the Church. Indeed, two years ago, the General Assembly ratified its own Act anent Discrimination, acknowledging the reality of sexual orientation and making it illegal for the Church to discriminate on such grounds...

It is perhaps extraordinary that we struggle so much with this one particular issue. When we look to the Scriptures, we discover that Jesus never spoke about sexual orientation. When we look to gay and lesbian people, we might ask ourselves how Jesus would have approached them. Throughout the Gospels, we find and overwhelming message that Jesus often embraced those who were rejected by religious authorities.

Are we really being called to break up households and committed relationships? Are we actually to tell people because of the way that God has made you, you must live alone, and you cannot have a life companion. The Church now has a real opportunity to show Christ's love. It can be brave enough to play its part by helping to depart from some of the discriminatory attitudes of the past. We might remember what Mark Twain wrote about the abolition of slavery: loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul in this world and never will."