From The Editor
EDITORIAL
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HOW would you reform the Church?
This month marks the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther famously pinning his 95 theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany, signalling the first step of a movement which would redefine Christianity for some across Europe.
It was a small step – and the impact of this gesture could not have been foreseen.
Today, Christianity in the western world is struggling in what has been defined as a post-Christendom society. Perceptions of churches and religion have changed in the wake of the rise of fundamentalist terrorist attacks that claim to have their roots in religion, but in reality bear no resemblance to the religion they purport to represent.
Many simply shrug their shoulders and say this is the way it has ‘aye been’ – the Church has witnessed many rises and falls during its history. But this is undoubtedly a time of unprecedented challenge and change.
The roots of the Church of Scotland of today lie in that Reformation moment of 500 years ago when the first steps towards a new Christianity were forged.
History shows this was a momentous time – although it possibly did not feel so at the time. It’s likely there were moments of doubt and panic as change swept across Europe and a new Christianity was forged. But this did not happen overnight: it took many years for the changes to take place.
Perhaps the directions for the journey of today lie in the pages of yesterday.
No western Christian church has the solution to the declining interest in matters of faith today. Yet humanity is still questing for answers to big questions such as: ‘why am I here?’’ ‘is there life after death?’ and even ‘what’s it all about?’
“Perceptions of churches and religion have changed in the wake of the rise of fundamentalist terrorist attacks that claim to have their roots in religion, but in reality bear no resemblance to the religion they purport to represent.
There is also spiritual longing. In the aftermath of the tragedies and disasters we have witnessed this year in Manchester, London and Barcelona, people were again drawn to churches, which threw open their doors, as communities attempted to make sense of horror and seek a place of sanctuary and quiet stillness and come to terms with what they now knew.
This role is something that cannot be fulfilled by secular spaces: quiet and calm spaces are increasingly rare commodoties in 21st century living.
Reform may mean simply being where the people are and offering a quiet, reflective space of sanctuary amid the pressures of living today – and support to those seeking something deeper and more meaningful as they find a way to journey through the increasingly complex maze of 21st century living.
Lynne McNeil
Editor