In an age when we so often feel that the secular cultural is against Christianity, it is refreshing to find the BBC featuring a series on students training for the Free Church of Scotland ministry and doing so in a most sympathetic manner.
For non Gaelic speakers this BBC Alba programme is fully subtitled, so English speakers are not left out.
One word of caution, however. The series might give those unfamiliar with the Free Church the impression that we are a predominantly Gaelic speaking denomination who only sing metrical psalms. Neither is true. The Free Church is a national evangelical church embracing both English speaking and Gaelic speaking congregations. We are culturally diverse, united by a common commitment to the Reformed faith. In part this is a powerful evidence of the unifying power of the Gospel. It is natural, however, that the Gaelic language BBC service (Alba) features Gaelic speaking students - I could not see BBC Scotland, (the English language service) making an equivalent series!
Our theological college, the Edinburgh Theological Seminary, also trains ladies, not for the ministry of Word and Sacrament but for other pastoral roles within the church. Thus the female presence in lectures. We also have non Free Church students who train at the ETS, and its student numbers are growing every year.
I for one will not only be looking to follow this excellent series, but praying that it might have a positive and spiritual benefit for all who watch it:
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