Highland Theological College

My theology degree was formally awarded to me this week and I have received a number of ‘congratulations’ from our many friends in and around Inverness. The degree was awarded in absentia because I was attending the CoS emerging church conference in Glasgow. The conference was great and I blog about that elsewhere but significantly, whilst explaining to one individual that my theological training involved HTC the comment came back ‘oh yes, they are very reformed…’. This comment is not unusual and was, at least in my view, a gentle knock at the HTC take on scripture.

I have to say that I was mildly irritated by the comment on two grounds;
First because I have to thank HTC, in no small measure, for my place in ministry. Since having almost completed my training as an auxiliary minister in the CoS I woke one morning to the firm conviction that I should really be a full time minister. This created quite a few problems for the CoS because I was fast approaching the ‘age barrier’ of 55. Even so within a few days CoS had said they could accommodate the change but I had to find a way to extend my theological studies to complete a degree before the last day of my 55th year. None of the major universities could do it and although I had approached HTC it looked as though they could not do it either. So it looked as though I was simply too late. Imagine then my delight when two weeks later I should get a call which said ‘there is a way’…
The fact is that the vice principal had spent what time he managed to find ‘spare’ to see if a way could be found that fitted my circumstances and the ‘rules’. The CoS agreed to the proposal and thus I find myself here on Islay. Brillant!
The second cause of my irritation was that my ‘learning experience’ at HTC was really invigorating and contrasted with the almost ‘anything goes’ interpretation of the Bible that I had experienced elsewhere. In attending this reformed college I did not find that I had to respond ‘as taught’, I did not have to ‘suspend my intellect’ as some seem to think reformed theology is all about, but I could learn what the scriptures were about.
So, if any of you are thinking about learning more I commend HTC to you. Whatever stage of learning you are at I think you will find a place to start. Just as importantly the staff there will be supportive and encouraging. Go for it!
The ignorance that exists about the gospel in our culture is profound, and growing… but I will blog about that later too.