Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: mangoe@cs.umd.edu (Charley Wingate) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: doctrinal standards Message-ID: Date: 30 Jun 91 18:28:17 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Lines: 42 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Good point. Amended article follows: ------ Subject: Re: doctrinal standards >What particularly angers me (as most readers surely know by now) is closed >communion. (I'm speaking of closing communion for doctrinal reasons. I >don't want to get into church discipline here.) I think I have pointed out before that the Episcopal Church has taken an open communion position. Given the numbers of Roman Catholics whose theology is wildly at variance from that promulgated from Rome, the "protection" of closed communion becomes ever more laughable-- or reprehensible, depending upon your viewpoint. I'd be willing to bet that the congregation at your typical anglo-catholic eucharist hews to the Roman line more closely than those at the RC church down the block. And the difference in the official theology is so tiny. The difference between (anglican at least) Real Presence and consubstantiation and transsubstantiation is not worth fighting over; it does not result in any significant differences in eucharistic piety or practice. If I may be so blunt, closed communion is really about pride. Closed communion is the province of the pharisee in the temple, not the publican. It says that those others over there, they are so much worse sinners than we are, we who have the One True Doctrine. If Jesus can share table with Zacchaeus, so can we. One of the repellent things about latter-day american christianity is how we feel so compelled to drive others away. The arch-Roman Catholic condescends to his protestant in-laws. The hyper-liberal anglican is quite willing to rend the church and drive out all those who will not subscribe to his political ideology. The myriad baptist-polity groups are all busily condemning one another. THe SBC is in the midst of a power struggle. Is this charity? NO. Just goes to prove that Dorothy Sayers was right about the church. -- C. Wingate + "How blest are they who have not seen, + and yet whose faith has constant been, mangoe@cs.umd.edu + for they eternal life shall win. tove!mangoe + Alleluia!"