Broken Communion

I am in the same boat with you, Ed. I guess what we are is believers in Christ, but not so much in the Church. I am a pastor and I am often frustrated by the restrictive attitude my companions in ministry have. I prefer to hold open the doors and invite everyone in (I think there was a parable or something about this, don't you think?). You lose nothing by welcoming everyone to Christ's table, but you only stand to lose by blocking even one person who might otherwise discover a better path. Well, I can't get reservations at those high class, bow tie & tails Diners either. So I suggest we keep the doors open, the lights on, and see who comes to the party. Religion ain't a reward (if it is, they need to rethink the compensation package), its a way of LIVING.

Let's not over-complicate this. As a Baptist minister, I know exactly what your minister meant. As Baptists, truth is not based on traditions, creeds, confessions, teachings, etc (as with Catholics). Our teaching is based on the Bible (more than any other denomination). I hope this doesn't sound arrogant - I'm just trying to make this short and blunt.

Anyway, the Bible does teach that communion is for believers only. This should be obvious. Communion is a confession of the Cross. Furthermore, the Bible also teaches that we should "examine" oneself before partaking. This is a PERSONAL confession. Baptists (in general) would instruct a congregation, but leave the taking of the bread and cup up to the participant. Why? Because Jesus is our great high priest (not the minister) - see Hebrews. Catholic priests withhold communion (because Catholics apparently don't read Hebrews). So let's not confuse how both groups operate.

In short (and in a Baptist tradition), do you need to be a believer? Yes. Your choice to partake in communion at that point is up to you. To do so Biblically, one must "examine" oneself and prepare properly for such a confession.

I'm right up there with you, Bro. Ed! Try being a Pentecostal pastor (such as myself) and a progressive! Hee...hee...hee. It's not always easy -- but one thing to remember is that faith supercedes patriotism, it trumps nationalism -- and that in Jesus Christ all are equals. One young lady once asked me why it was ok for churches like the one our Brother pastors (Baptist) to send women (as missionaries) among the "heathen" in "foreign" lands to "christianize" them, often placing their lives in imminent danger, but the organization won't let them "have an American pulpit" because "women pastoring would be a sin."

Just as the slogan I liked from a few years back: "The Moral Majority is neither!"

Not that I have any stones to throw (I don't). However, let's get beyond this current religio-/political mess and really show the world the love, grace, peace, and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ!

A simple suggestion would be to follow Jesus as he instructed those who would choose to be his disciples. He did not not teach adherence to greeds or promote dogmas. Just do I as do, I believe was his message. We have chosen to follow another man's interpretation of what he felt Jesus meant by the words he supposely uttered. As we can't be 100 percent certain, as his word were not initially put on paper. I am certain that his disciples did not follow a creed or dogma; they looked directly to him for guidance. I many ways the churches have reconstituted the same old burdens that Jesus warned the people about. The message of the Lord's Prayer is that men and women can commune directly with God and no middle man/institution is required.

Asinus Gravis:

I'm certainly not afraid of exposure to Southern Baptists, having grown up amongst them, albeit in the days before the "conservative" takeover of the denomination and the suppression of "liberal" views in all but a few scattered congregations. And yes, I understand that plenty of these folk are good people living better lives than I am.

But their leaders have drawn lines in the sand on the nature of Christian belief that clearly exclude a lot of people who consider themselves Christians. And while dialogue is always in order, there is indeed a large gulf between us that shouldn't be minimized and isn't going away.

Sam:

To be clear, I wasn't confused or particularly concerned about what I described as a "mild and watered-down" fencing of the altar at the Baptist Church in question. I brought it up simply because it was the departure point for my own "examination of conscience" about this faith community's definition of "believer" and my own.

Ed Kilgore

It appears that Russ Carter's message is "It is all about me!"

The Great Commandment thus becomes: you shall love your God (yourself) with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength; and then you shall love yourself some more. Don't waste any of your heart, mind, soul, or strength on anyone else. End of sermon.

It is wonderful how this approach transforms the gospel into following a course of rampant self-interest.