How do strong confessional churches that seem to be doing all the right things drift inexorably from the truth? What is clear from Ian Hamilton’s fascinating study is that it doesn’t happen overnight but it is a gradual erosion of theological and doctrinal standards. Nineteenth century Scotland was seen as a Presbyterian nation composed of church-going people. The future looked bright and optimism marked many of the church leaders and congregations. Yet the sad fact is that most of them were blind to the presence of the warning signs that ultimately pointed, not to be continued growth, but rather to the decline and sidelining of the confessional voice in Scotland which has become sadly evident in recent years.
