The Decline of the Church in Scotland

Having just downloaded Os Guinness’ “The Last Christian on Earth” to my Kindle, it seems rather ominous to read in the Spectator Damian Thompson’s article, “2067: the end of British Christianity”. http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/9555222/2067-the-end-of-british-christianity/

Thomson, the editor of the Spectator, writes from a Catholic perspective, but the statistics are chilling for Protestants as well. If current rates of decline continue, Christianity will cease to have any real presence beyond 2067.  Indeed, that is a generous reading of the figures, because others would place the terminal point much sooner:

“The Church of England is declining faster than other denominations; if it carries on shrinking at the rate suggested by the latest British Social Attitudes survey, Anglicanism will disappear from Britain in 2033. One day the last native-born Christian will die and that will be that.”

Not that Scottish Presbyterians fare any better:

“Self-identification with the Church of Scotland has fallen off a cliff: from 36 per cent of Scots in 2001 to 18 per cent in 2013.”

Of course Thompson is writing from a statistical rather than a theological viewpoint, but the point is beyond dispute that the visible church in the UK in general, including Scotland, is shrinking fast.  His analysis is perceptive in pointing to the role of secularism in its many forms.  However, there may be other reasons found within the churches themselves.

The Church of Scotland, a broad based denomination that has embraced theological “diversity” (i.e. heresy) and moral depravity ( e.g. practicing homosexuals in membership and office) is shrinking in part because of its apostasy. Meanwhile the Free Church of Scotland, a biblically conservative denomination true to the Reformed faith and Scripture, is showing signs of new life and experiencing a measure of modest growth.

The forthcoming visit of atheist bishop Jack Spong to a Church of Scotland in Glasgow is a celebrating of theological and moral confusion, but it should also be noted that during his twenty plus years as bishop in Newark his diocese saw a 43.5% decline, (over 20% higher than the already disastrous decline in the ECUSA in general). Theological liberalism, pseudo-christiainity, is an ally of secularism and a catalyst for decline.

The Church of Scotland is following the same trajectory as the PCUSA, who embraced practicing homosexuals in office and have now gone on to “redefine” marriage as the union of two persons.  It will follow the same pattern of decline. The PCUSA lost 92,433 members in 2014, and showed an overall percentage decline 2012-2014 of more than 15%.

Figures may be found at : http://www.layman.org/pcusa-continues-membership-decline-92433-members-gone-in-2014/

Reports to the Church of Scotland’s 2015 General Assembly show membership declined by 16,000 last year, and by more than 150,000 people in the last decade.  Overall the percentage  of Scottish people identifying as Church of Scotland has declined from 36% of the population in 2001 to just 18% in 2013.  In the face of a 300 members a week haemorrhage the Church of Scotland speaks of “gentle decline”; the same spokesman would probably have described the sinking of the Titanic as a “gentle submergence”.

The Kirk has also sought to disguise the decline by insisting that membership rolls  are so passé, and that those who look at their web-sites could also be considered part of the church, or those who for whatever reason attend whatever meeting that happens to use the facilities of the denomination. 

The antidote for decline is the Gospel, but any church denomination that no longer has the Gospel and thinks that atheist bishop Spong will bring healthy discussion and growth to the church, deserves to decline.  Equally any conservative denomination that has the Gospel but does not choose to take the Gospel to the community around would also deserve to decline.

The true church in Scotland will not die as long as it is faithful to the Word, true to the Faith, and enthusiastic in sharing the Gospel.  The challenge may be great, the days getting darker, but Christ “will build his church and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” (Matthew 6:18, NLT)