BLOG 10.25.19. “GOD’S SILLIE VASSAL”

BLOG 10/25/19. “GOD’S SILLIE VASSAL”

There is an interesting anecdote from Scottish history that is germane to the political chaos we are experiencing at this time in this country. Granted that my Scottish Presbyterian ancestors were renowned for being “a warring and quarrelsome lot,” even so the story bears pondering. The Protestant Reformation had taken deep root in Scotland, and the reformers had taken significant positions in the government in the sixteenth century. King James VI was restless with these Protestant leaders in parliament, and sought to control the church through his royal power.

There was a certain vocal member of parliament, Andrew Melville, who would have nothing of it. (I hope I have my historical facts straight) He approached King James with this rebuke: “There are twa (two) kings, and twa kingdoms here in Scotland, there is the kingdom of Scotland in which James is lord and king. But there is also the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in that kingdom James is neither lord nor king, but God’s sillie vassal.” So there!

The church of Jesus Christ, from the beginning, has lived with this tension, beginning with Rome. It has also made of Christian people a difficult and transformational factor with whom national leaders (beginning with Caesar and the Roman Empire) have had to engage. When the church’s primary allegiance is with the sovereignty of our God and of his Christ, … then the church’s priority with Jesus Christ makes them to be salt and light, even when it costs them their lives.

In Scotland, when the Scottish reformers became the majority of parliament, remarkable changes took place. The king had to be cognizant of the reality that he was not the ultimate authority, but only “God’s sillie vassal.” This tension has existed right down to the present, and has produced faithful witnesses and martyrs. In our country, in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches we are watching that tension play-out day by day.

Here’s to more counterparts to Andrew Melville, willing to confront the issue of ultimate authority. Lord have mercy! Christ have mercy! Lord have mercy!

Amen.

About rthenderson

Sixty years a pastor-teacher within the Presbyterian Church. Author of several books, the latest of which are a trilogy on missional ecclesiology: ENCHANTED COMMUNITY: JOURNEY INTO THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH, then, REFOUNDING THE CHURCH FROM THE UNDERSIDE, then THE CHURCH AND THE RELENTLESS DARKNESS. Previous to this trilogy was A DOOR OF HOPE: SPIRITUAL CONFLICT IN PASTORAL MINISTRY, and SUBVERSIVE JESUS, RADICAL FAITH. I am a native of West Palm Beach, Florida, a graduate of Davidson College, then of Columbia and Westminster Theological Seminaries.
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