Open Table Eucharist
Thanks to Danny for referring us to this post: Open or Closed Table Eucharist/Communion - WWJD? by Mike Morrell.
As you may know, I've been very interested in the Eucharist ever since I took a class with Dr. Craig Keen--one of my favorite people--and since he made me read The Eucharist by Andrea Bieler and Luise Schottroff. I've read some other stuff since then and one of the big questions I still have is whether or not the Table should be open to all or reserved only for people who are serious followers of Christ. Mike's article touches on some of the complications within this question and he makes a great case for an open table.
Here's some from the article:
As you may know, I've been very interested in the Eucharist ever since I took a class with Dr. Craig Keen--one of my favorite people--and since he made me read The Eucharist by Andrea Bieler and Luise Schottroff. I've read some other stuff since then and one of the big questions I still have is whether or not the Table should be open to all or reserved only for people who are serious followers of Christ. Mike's article touches on some of the complications within this question and he makes a great case for an open table.
Here's some from the article:
And Jesus gave us a meal – sometimes somber, sometimes joyous, in re-membrance of him, embodying Christ for the sake of each other and the world. And the question we post-Christendom, postmodern friends of God in the way of Jesus are asking ourselves is,And...
How then shall we eat?
And with whom?
I have to conclude that, overwhelmingly, in his eating Jesus is precisely at his most inclusive. This is when he dines with terrorists and sex workers and tax collectors, whilst the religious authorities of his day were disgusted.Check out the article
Comments
Carl McColman sites a helpful essay (long but insightful) about Communion and Baptism from Anglican Theologian James Farrwell that is the balancing perspective. I really enjoyed it and you might also:
http://www.anglicantheologicalreview.org/read/conversations/1/