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Life and Work magazine April 2007 issue review
A ‘Presbyterian Agnostic'
Lord Sutherland of Houndwood, the former Principal of
the University of Edinburgh and the chair of the Royal
Commission which implemented free care for the elderly
in Scotland is profiled in this month’s issue.
Insisting the implementation of the commission’s recommendations has
provided an effective care system for Scotland’s
elderly, he admits there are still improvements to be
made, but claims the system has proved largely successful.
"It sounds very arrogant, but the proof of it
is that it works. In England where it hasn’t gone
through, the government is still really under the burden
of not having a policy that works, despite lots of initiatives,
headlines and money.
"There are still things to iron out, of course,
and the process will change over the years. If we wrote
a report now it wouldn’t be exactly the same.
But we had the right direction for them to go. However,
powerful people in government now can’t accept
that we were right and they were wrong. I am still known
there as the guy who did this."
Who was Judas?
The Easter issue of the magazine of the Church of Scotland
offers a fresh insight into the disciple who betrayed
Christ. Larry W. Hurtado, Professor of New Testament Language,
Literature and Theology at Edinburgh University examines
suggestions that Judas was invented as a warning to Christians
'tempted to apostasy or betrayal'. He also analyses the
precise language used in Gospel references and indicates
this may reveal clues to the exact nature of the disciple’s
behaviour in the events which led to the Resurrection.
Hurtado concludes, however, that it was not Judas’ conduct that led to
his failure as one of the disciples: "The final
tragedy of Judas is not that, for whatever reason, he
so blatantly failed as a disciple of Jesus. Others failed
miserably then and thereafter.
"Perhaps his tragedy is that, when he realised
how heinous his act was, he cut himself off from mercy
and restoration. The final failure of his faith was
a failure to repent."
Night for the world
The Rev Jane Barron, the Church of Scotland’s first
woman minister at St Andrew’s Church, Jerusalem,
offers an update of daily life in the Holy Land and warns
of the continuing decline in the number of Christians
living in the 'cradle of Christianity'.
"It can seem like a permanent night-time here
in Israel Palestine – and for many people their
lives are permanent night times. Even a day behind the
wall affects those of us lucky enough to come back.
Speech falls silent. We notice it. And there are 169,000
Christians remaining in the land and falling. According
to UN figures Muslims and Christians are leaving in
equal numbers – but with the number so low for
Christians every single one leaving is significant now."
Ends
nr/32/03/07
Wednesday 15 March 2007
Note to newsdesks
For further information, please contact Muriel Armstrong,
depute editor of Life and Work on 0131 225 5722.
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