Kirkcudbright Parish Church in The Spectator magazine

Kirkcudbright Parish Church features this week in an article on the website of the weekly politics and culture magazine The Spectator, which is viewed more than 75 million times annually.

‘Why has Scottish politics forgotten about religion?‘ is by writer, commentator and academic Gerry Hassan, who has attended the church since moving to Kirkcudbright two years ago.

In it, he argues that Scotland has rushed to “overthrow old and oppressive traditions (which the worst of the Church embodied) to be modern and progressive”, and that we now “need to put the Church (by which I mean organised religion and the faith tradition in its many strands) back into Scotland to explain who we are as a country, to better understand our history”.

This reflects personal experience: “First, I thought of myself as an atheist; then an agnostic; then became a person respectful of faith and people of faith; and subsequently I have become a member of a faith community myself; a Christian.”

Gerry contrasts the Kirk of his childhood with what he finds today. “Kirkcudbright Parish Church sits in the centre of the town, not only as a striking building, but one inside filled with space, light and beauty which cascade through its windows and which visitors regularly comment upon.

“It is a place of hope, calmness and activity. The congregation is welcoming, outward-facing and active in the town. They are an embodiment of the best of the practices of faith. It helps that my local minister, Rev. James Gatherer, is thoughtful, curious and has a humanity which informs his sermons and how he addresses his ministry.

“He discusses the stories and parables of the Bible, grounding them to known recorded history and observations of the wider world. This is all done in a generous, non-dogmatic, non-didactic way, miles removed from how I experienced Ardler [a childhood minister] all those years ago.”

The full article is available on the Spectator website.