Book Review: The Minister And The Murderer by Stuart Kelly

I have been intrigued by this book for a long time before I actually stumped up the cold hard £12 to buy an electronic version of it. This book covers an interesting part of the Church Of Scotland's history telling the story of James Nelson a murderer who was seeking ordination as a minister of the church.

The author had clearly done his research in terms of church polity and whilst not everyone's cup of tea chapters on things such as the Barrier Act did make interesting reading for me. As an ordained minister who sits on a presbytery now this book did challenge me as to what I/We would do in a similar situation. Some in the church felt this his crime was beyond the pale whilst others felt that forgiveness was the heart of the gospel and that forgiveness should be extended to all.

I have to say that throughout I felt myself siding with Nelson that as Oscar Wilde said "every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. Not all in the church saw it that way and for many that attitude still exists even today. A parishioner often tells me "the LORD may forgive you for what you have done but the church won't." This book is a good introduction to many things, Scottish Ecclesiastical History, Church Polity and it does make one question the nature of forgiveness.

However there were some drawbacks to the book, firstly the book did come across as someone setting out to prove how intelligent they were and how well read they were. This came across with the authors constant harking back to how murder was perceived and portrayed in various ancient texts which the ordinary reader (me most of all) are unfamiliar with.

Secondly I found the authors constant looking to attribute various things to Nelson as infuriating. I wonder the author often quotes if this was on Nelson's mind as he did a deed or said a thing. Whilst this may be interesting it is ultimately futile as we will never know what was on Nelson's mind.

Thirdly whilst the author is clearly well read in theology and able to engage in discussion one of the most disheartening things was a fundamental misunderstanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He states that Nelson's Christianity had not made him a better person, whilst this may be true that is not the nature of the gospel or the nature of our redemption.

Christ did not come to make us better people, Christ came to bring us to God, Christ came not because we were people of great potential but precisely because we had no hope. Nelson's Christianity may not have made him a better person but it did if his faith was truly in Jesus Christ change his standing before God.

Read this book for its interesting subject matter it is not an easy read but it is a fascinating read.