Scottish church seeks to combat secularism with more faith schools

-25/07/06

Conservat


Scottish church seeks to combat secularism with more faith schools

-25/07/06

Conservative Protestants in Scotland, who are anxious at what they consider the ìsustained attackî on their countryís ìChristian heritageî, are calling for a fresh wave of Presbyterian schools to be established across the country.

The move has come from ministers who fear children being educated in an entirely secular culture, says the Scotsman newspaper, reporting from the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland ñ the ëWee Freesí, as they are often known.

The church, which has some 12,000 adherents including about 5,000 communicants, says it is looking into whether the schools would be able to be established with state funding, or whether they would have to be set up privately.

A resolution adopted by the Free Kirk noted ìwith particular concern that the Scottish Executive now deems it appropriate to use schools to further a secular social and cultural agenda.î

The Rev David Robertson, a minister in Dundee, said: ìWe need to look at the possibility of having to set up Christian-based schools. Ideally we would want Scotlandís school system to return to its Christian foundations. Both the Free Church and the Church of Scotland established complete systems of schools in the 19th century which they later handed over to the state.î

Mr Robertson, who proposed the resolution at the Churchís Assembly, conceded that it was unlikely the tiny denomination ñ part of the original Free Church of Scotland that rejected union with the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland in 1900 ñ would be able to set up and maintain schools with just its own resources.

This means the Church, which has remained fiercely independent and critical of the Christian standing of those it disagrees with, would need to consider cooperation with others ñ such as the Scottish Baptists, or Scotlandís largest (and state-recognised) denomination, the Church of Scotland.

Recently the Church of Scotland itself has pledged to establish Kirk schools as part of an effort to maintain a significant presence of churches in Scottish society. Similarly, the Church of England (which is Anglican, not Presbyterian like its Scottish namesake) has made the establishment of publicly-funded state schools a major part of its mission strategy.

Critics of church and other faith schools, who include both religious and secular voices, say that it is wrong and divisive to have schools within the state system that select on the basis of religious affiliation, and that publicly-funded schools should encourage openness towards people of all convictions.

A Church of England school in Exeter, south west England, recently hit the headlines by barring John Lennonís famous song ëImagineí from a school concert because some people thought it was anti-religious. The move was criticised both by the British Humanist Association and by the UK Christian think tank Ekklesia.

Ekklesia has this month published a book, Faith and Politics After Christendom, which says that the increasing defensiveness of churches and other religious groups to a plural society is based on a negative reaction to the continued loss of their power base in society.

But Ekklesia argues that this is the wrong approach, and that Christian churches and organisations should embrace their more marginal status as an opportunity to rediscover the subversive message of a Gospel which originated on the edge of empire ñ and has been badly compromised by its alliance with the state.

The attempt to impose Christianity on others through coercion or privilege corrupts its message and is counter-productive, says the think tank in its latest discussion paper ñ which believes that the government should adopt a stance of ëinterested neutralityí towards faith and non-faith, creating a level playing field for all.

[Also on Ekklesia: Redeeming Religion in the Public Square 24 July , 2006; Why education should not divide on faith – Andrew Copson of BHA; Government plans reopen debate on faith schools; UK debate about faith schools hots up; New education minister walks into row on faith schools; Senior clergy may reignite controversy over faith schools; Concerns raised about school segregation by race and faith; Faith schools ñ pluralism or privilege?; Church schools should end discrimination says Government adviser; Statement on religious education opens church schools up to accusation of double standards; Anglican schools ‘will face resentment’ whilst they select on the basis of faith; Churches told collective school worship is not on; Call for Christian rethink over religious hatred; Faith and politics controversy ahead of BBC2 documentary; Call for non-religious chaplains in education and beyond; London launch for controversial faith and politics agenda; Change faith versus politics standoff, says Christian think tank]


Scottish church seeks to combat secularism with more faith schools

-25/07/06

Conservative Protestants in Scotland, who are anxious at what they consider the ìsustained attackî on their countryís ìChristian heritageî, are calling for a fresh wave of Presbyterian schools to be established across the country.

The move has come from ministers who fear children being educated in an entirely secular culture, says the Scotsman newspaper, reporting from the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland ñ the ëWee Freesí, as they are often known.

The church, which has some 12,000 adherents including about 5,000 communicants, says it is looking into whether the schools would be able to be established with state funding, or whether they would have to be set up privately.

A resolution adopted by the Free Kirk noted ìwith particular concern that the Scottish Executive now deems it appropriate to use schools to further a secular social and cultural agenda.î

The Rev David Robertson, a minister in Dundee, said: ìWe need to look at the possibility of having to set up Christian-based schools. Ideally we would want Scotlandís school system to return to its Christian foundations. Both the Free Church and the Church of Scotland established complete systems of schools in the 19th century which they later handed over to the state.î

Mr Robertson, who proposed the resolution at the Churchís Assembly, conceded that it was unlikely the tiny denomination ñ part of the original Free Church of Scotland that rejected union with the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland in 1900 ñ would be able to set up and maintain schools with just its own resources.

This means the Church, which has remained fiercely independent and critical of the Christian standing of those it disagrees with, would need to consider cooperation with others ñ such as the Scottish Baptists, or Scotlandís largest (and state-recognised) denomination, the Church of Scotland.

Recently the Church of Scotland itself has pledged to establish Kirk schools as part of an effort to maintain a significant presence of churches in Scottish society. Similarly, the Church of England (which is Anglican, not Presbyterian like its Scottish namesake) has made the establishment of publicly-funded state schools a major part of its mission strategy.

Critics of church and other faith schools, who include both religious and secular voices, say that it is wrong and divisive to have schools within the state system that select on the basis of religious affiliation, and that publicly-funded schools should encourage openness towards people of all convictions.

A Church of England school in Exeter, south west England, recently hit the headlines by barring John Lennonís famous song ëImagineí from a school concert because some people thought it was anti-religious. The move was criticised both by the British Humanist Association and by the UK Christian think tank Ekklesia.

Ekklesia has this month published a book, Faith and Politics After Christendom, which says that the increasing defensiveness of churches and other religious groups to a plural society is based on a negative reaction to the continued loss of their power base in society.

But Ekklesia argues that this is the wrong approach, and that Christian churches and organisations should embrace their more marginal status as an opportunity to rediscover the subversive message of a Gospel which originated on the edge of empire ñ and has been badly compromised by its alliance with the state.

The attempt to impose Christianity on others through coercion or privilege corrupts its message and is counter-productive, says the think tank in its latest discussion paper ñ which believes that the government should adopt a stance of ëinterested neutralityí towards faith and non-faith, creating a level playing field for all.

[Also on Ekklesia: Redeeming Religion in the Public Square 24 July , 2006; Why education should not divide on faith – Andrew Copson of BHA; Government plans reopen debate on faith schools; UK debate about faith schools hots up; New education minister walks into row on faith schools; Senior clergy may reignite controversy over faith schools; Concerns raised about school segregation by race and faith; Faith schools ñ pluralism or privilege?; Church schools should end discrimination says Government adviser; Statement on religious education opens church schools up to accusation of double standards; Anglican schools ‘will face resentment’ whilst they select on the basis of faith; Churches told collective school worship is not on; Call for Christian rethink over religious hatred; Faith and politics controversy ahead of BBC2 documentary; Call for non-religious chaplains in education and beyond; London launch for controversial faith and politics agenda; Change faith versus politics standoff, says Christian think tank]