The Church without the Bible

I am not being provocative when I open my speech with this phrase. The purpose behind the title will become clear.

We in the Amos Scripture Care Trust are concerned to assist all Churches and we do not focus on any particular denomination. However, this meeting is being held in a Church belonging to the Church of Scotland, whose General Assembly has just concluded. I want to talk about an aspect of the assembly that relates to our work.

You may be surprised to learn that during the television reporting of the General Assembly the word 'Bible' is only mentioned twice. You may even more surprised that the speeches of the conveners who presented their reports to the Assembly make no mention of the Bible at all. I know this because the speeches have been put on the Internet.

It is clear that ministers and members of the Church of Scotland still value the Bible because the speeches and reports are full of Biblical insights. Scripture, Mission, the Kingdom, Prayer, Faith, are still at the forefront of the Church's concern. So does it matter that the word 'Bible' is not used? After all, the early Church, led by the spirit and the power of Christ's words, grew and prospered without a New Testament.