Help Sitemap Home Skip Navigation Contact Us Disability Statement


Ex-wife says gay minister's opponents lack compassion

Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image

Published Date: 18 May 2009
By MARTYN McLAUGHLIN
THE former wife of the gay minister at a centre of a row that threatens to polarise the Church of Scotland has accused his detractors of showing "very little compassion".
Ruth Rennie, who was married to the Rev Scott Rennie, 37, for five years, yesterday said it would be a "tremendous loss" to the Church if he was denied the opportunity to serve Queen's Cross Church in Aberdeen.

Ms Rennie said his experience in coming to terms with his sexuality had made him an "even better pastor".

A motion proposing the exclusion of homosexuals from the ministry will be heard this week by the Kirk's General Assembly.

More than 11,000 signatures have been added to an online petition attempting to overturn the move, which argues that Mr Rennie's appointment is incompatible with scripture. Other petitions have garnered support for Mr Rennie, minister of Brechin Cathedral since 1999.

Ms Rennie yesterday said her former husband was popular with his congregation in Angus, and said he made a "courageous" decision by coming out.

She said: "In his ministry, Scott is a naturally sensitive and caring person, and what he has faced up to has probably made him an even better pastor."





Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 17 May 2009 9:27 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Church of Scotland
 
1

Douglas,

Bathgate 18/05/2009 00:11:47
The Kirk might want to take a Setler over Mr Rennie.
2

Tracker,

18/05/2009 00:19:58
I do not think it right that a man be kicked out of his job because he is gay. I hope that the 11,000 signatories who support this witch hunt do not reflect churchgoers as a whole. Could they not focus there attention on world problems instead?
3

S'me,

Edinburgh 18/05/2009 00:54:37
#2 Exactly, his ex wife obviously knows him more than anyone and surely if she can understand him and knows he will make a good minister.
4

Davy,

18/05/2009 01:23:20
A minister should know better.
He knows the rules; we just can’t bend them whenever it pleases.
Very sad, he should find something else to do.
5

,

18/05/2009 04:04:10
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
6

albanman,

Edinburgh 18/05/2009 07:32:11
No.5 W Smith: I see that, although you say you live in the Middle East, that you still peddle your narrow-minded bigotry against Muslims. Now you're also slagging gays. You're really a piece of horse manure.
7

albanman,

Edinburgh 18/05/2009 07:37:17
Oh, I presume that the people of Brechin were happy with Scott Rennie and that the folk in Aberdeen are well aware of his orientation. If they're willing to accept a gay person, good for the parish of Queen's Cross.
8

Kate,

Zurich 18/05/2009 07:49:17
#4 Davy, what rules exactly?
#7 Albanman, although I no longer live in the area, my mother does and knows Scott and his family well. I have attended many services run by Scott, when I have visited Brechin and he is a very good minister and a lovely person. He does not deserve this witch hunt.

Does anyone know the website to sign a petition supporting Scott?
9

David North,

18/05/2009 07:58:25
#4

"A minister should know better.
He knows the rules; we just can’t bend them whenever it pleases."

The rules used to say that women should not be allowed in, and slavery was quite acceptable.
10

Duncan in Edinburgh,

18/05/2009 08:10:51
#5 The 11,000 signatures are *opposing* his appointment, so are pretty unlikely to be from gay activists! You can read who they are online at the petition site. Misguided knee-jerkers the lot of them, and I doubt 1% of them have ever even met Scott Rennie.

The key point about this case is not whether he is gay, but that the congregation called the minister, and the presbytery approved the appointment, which is all that is ever required under the CoS rules. For the General Assembly to step in as Court and overrule the presbytery would essentially remove the right of churches and presbyteries to appoint as they see fit, which has been the root cause of the splits in the church over the centuries, and was the direct cause of the formation of the wee frees.
11

Kate,

Zurich 18/05/2009 09:42:25
all you posters, what is not mentioned is that this church is the one Scott went to as a child!
12

Proud2Be,

Perth 18/05/2009 10:02:59
the right of a congregation to call there own ministers is one of the founding principals of The Kirk. The presbytery is there to approve the congregations choice not censure it!

As such if the congregation see him fit to lead them in worship then it is nobody elses business! The Church has long pooled its resources to maintain a presence in all communities to allow worshipers a choice of where to worship god and to select to be part of a congregation of their choice! If there are people in the congregation who are unhappy with his appointment then they should either have:

1. spoke up sooner and more vocally against his appontment
2. select a new congregation where they feel more happy.

you can be sure that there will be a large number of people who have strayed that will find their way back to the curch as a result of this congregations positive attitude!
13

Duncan in Edinburgh,

18/05/2009 10:41:05
#12 Absolutely right - and it should be further noted that the presbytery in this case *did* approve the choice of the congregation - the issue has arisen because others outside the area have complained, and whipped up a great deal of unpleasantness and bad feeling.
14

King Richard IV,

Brisbane 18/05/2009 11:03:41
"Gays in the church"-well who would have thought it! Wake up an smell the thorns people,once upon a time it was manditory - although never mentioned outloud.Its rife,its just now their "Coming Out".If your sitting in church and the Rev Rennie is delivering a sermon and your wondering as a man, whats he like in bed? Should you be in church in the first place?
15

,

18/05/2009 11:13:11
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
16

James (1),

18/05/2009 11:29:32
#3 If his wife knew him better that anyone then why did she not know he was gay?
Why did he not know he was gay? If he did then why did he get married? Apparently if you believe the hype by our gay friends you are born that way?
He also apparently did not know the church are against homosexuals? Why not become Catholic as he probably does not know they are against it as well?
I suppose that only if you think being gay is acceptable should you comment?
So don't ask billions of Muslim and Catholics.
It's amazing how gays want to be accepted into areas they are not welcome yet cannot understand that certain those areas of society don't want them!
17

Kate,

Zurich 18/05/2009 13:02:20
#16, James, Scott did not acknowledge his homosexuality for a long time, like many people, he had to come to terms with it himself, during which time, he had tried to live a so-called conventional life. There are many many other people around the world who have not been able to face up to or open up about their true feelings. For Scott to to this must have been incredibly hard, not only for him but for his family and wider networks. The ramifications of this are horrendous.

The Scots Kirk is not against homosexuality, the congregation and the majority of the Kirk elected Scott to be minister in Aberdeen. This petition has been started and signed up to by bigoted people who have nothing whatsoever to do with either his previous parish in Brechin or his new one in Aberdeen.
18

danbob,

18/05/2009 16:18:59
Tracker at post 2# hit the nail on the head when he/she said "he should not lose his job because he's gay" Because that's all it is, a job. OK it does speak out against homosexuality in the bible. But it also speaks out against a myriad of other things that both the Kirk and it's Oh so right congregation practice every day. The bible also speaks against fornication, I bet many of the petition signing, God fearing folk casting judgement are happy to ignore that. Let he who is without sin. It may come as a shock to some in the Kirk but your teachings are a million miles from what the bible really says, so dont get all sanctimonious. The day is coming when the churches will be banned from stopping gay priests under employment and discrimination laws. Good or bad I dont know, but it is coming.
19

sicasapig,

turra 18/05/2009 17:12:35
i dont see how anyone can blame him, blame the churches after
all if they go around dressing men in skirts and the men get to like that way of dressing then who is to blame
20

,

23/05/2009 18:43:43
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
21

Linmal,

Livingston 26/05/2009 12:34:18
I think everyone is missing the point here. The Christian Church teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman, as do the Jews, Muslims and nearly every other religion on this earth. It is a sin to to go against this, but no-one is against the person, it is the sin they are against. Never heard the phrase "hate the sin, love the sinner"? No-one can help their feelings, but the Church tells people with God's help you can control them and, whilst no-one would advocate someone who was truly gay getting married to someone of the opposite sex, the line taken should be that they should abstain from co-habiting with a partner, either that, they should not be seeking any form of office in the Church. You cannot make up the rules as you go along. Granted some views would not be held in the modern world, but the basic rules of morality should hold true at any time. The Church is also against sex before marriage and goodness knows adherence to this would have prevented no end of heartache and hardships for many a young girl in recent years.

 

Comment on this Story

 

In order to post comments you must Register or Sign In

 
 
RSS Feed of this article's comments
Delivery formats: RSS, Atom, Javascript & Email
 
  

 
 


Sister Newspapers:
Press Complaints Commission

This website and its associated newspaper adheres to the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then contact the Editor by clicking here.

If you remain dissatisfied with the response provided then you can contact the PCC by clicking here.