Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!europa.asd.contel.com!gatech!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: dvnspc1!tom@tredysvr.tredydev.unisys.com (Tom Albrecht) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: doctrinal standards Message-ID: Date: 27 Jun 91 06:43:30 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Unisys Corporation, Devon Engineering Offices Lines: 37 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article hedrick@geneva.rutgers.edu writes: >What particularly angers me (as most readers surely know by now) is >closed communion. ... Let me speak from the perspective of one who belongs to a presbyterian denomination that is somewhat more confessional than OFM's denomination. Most of our congregations observe a modified version of closed communion (if by closed you mean closed to non-members of the local congregation). The formula generally used in the PCA is to welcome to the communion table "members in good standing of an evangelical church, or those who have previously met with the session." I believe this solves the concerns of the moderator, as well as the concerns of those like myself who worry about the "discerning the Lord's body" matter. When the session meets with someone either for membership or to invite them to the communion table, we would expect to hear an understanding of the Christian faith along the lines of the Apostles Creed, i.e., that they would understand that Jesus Christ died for the remission of their sins, and that they are trusting in Him for their salvation, not in their own good works. Some folks would object to our use of the term "evangelical church." We believe it is entirely consistent with the tradition of reformed and presbyterian denominations. We do not apologize for the fact that we are not Roman Catholics or eastern Orthodox. Our tradition of sola scriptura means we cannot in good conscience recognize those denominations as authentic "evangelical" churches. By offering to folks who come in from one of these churches the opportunity to meet with the session, we are recognizing that there may be genuine Christians who could righty discern the Lord's body. -- Tom Albrecht