To the Conference of Bishops of the ELCA: We bring before you our concerns regarding “radical hospitality,” which we understand to propose the invitation of the unbaptized to the Lord’s Supper as a matter of principle. We are informed that such “radical hospitality” is already practiced in some ELCA congregations and is being advocated in others by certain leaders and teachers.
1. “Radical hospitality” disregards in principle the stringent warning against unworthy reception in the Scripture, as in I Corinthians 11:27–28.
2. It further disregards in principle the repeated emphasis of the Lutheran Confessions that the sacrament of the altar is for those who have received the Lord Jesus Christ in faith and public profession—a faith and confession whose first act is holy Baptism into the Lord’s death and resurrection. See especially The Large Catechism on “The Sacrament of the Altar” and The Formula of Concord 7, “Concerning the Holy Supper.”
3. It discards the age-old rule of faith by which the church has always understood Baptism as the entry into the cross-carrying Christian life, for which holy Communion is the nourishment.
4. As such, it also discards the ELCA’s own teaching in “The Use of the Means of Grace” (1997) as expressed in Principle 37 and Applications 37E and 37G.
5. The proposal of “radical hospitality” misleads by falsely suggesting that identifying the addressee of the promise of holy Communion as the baptized is an act of anti-gospel exclusion.
6. “Radical hospitality” fails to recognize Baptism itself as the truly radical act of inclusion. All people in every nation are called by the gospel to join themselves to Christ, who “has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14), by baptism into a community in which “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female” (Galatians 3:28).
7. Under the cover of inclusivity, “radical hospitality” in fact deceives the unbaptized, encouraging them to participate in the sacrament without recognizing the entailed commitment to the cross of Jesus Christ and without discerning His body, both in the blessed bread and wine and in the holy community of those who take and eat it.
8. Baptism, repentance, and faith are not legalistic preconditions for grace, but the form grace takes as the Holy Spirit draws persons into a lifegiving new relationship with God.
9. As we approach the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, we call upon the ELCA to remember in principle and in power the opening words of the Ninety-Five Theses: “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent,’ he meant for the entire life of the Christian to be one of repentance.”
10. We exhort pastors and laity of the ELCA to self-examination as to whether our own lives reflect the way of the cross, the life of repentance, and the joy of faith, which are our proper witnesses to the unbaptized and in themselves an invitation to Baptism.
11. And we ask the Conference of Bishops to reiterate clearly the teaching of the whole church, the Lutheran Confessions, and the ELCA: holy communion is intended for the baptized, just as baptism is intended for the world.
Updates
August 26, 2014
THE STORIES I AM HEARING FROM CONCERNED FAITHFUL MEMBERS ARE ABSOLUTELY POWERFUL!! WE ARE PUSHING HARD TO ENSURE THE INTEGRITY OF THE SACRAMENT REMAINS A PRIORITY FOR OUR LEADERSHIP!! KEEP HOLDING FAST TO THE TRUTH BECAUSE WE ARE NOT BACKING DOWN ANYTIME SOON!!
August 26, 2014
THIS MOMENTUM IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE AND SHOWS THAT SO MANY PEOPLE ARE READY TO STAND UP FOR THE TRUTH!! WE ARE MAKING A MASSIVE IMPACT BY PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY OF THE SACRAMENT TOGETHER!!
Reached 100 supporters
August 26, 2014
12 Comments
However Jay, our Lutheran Confession even tells us that there is a need for faith in order to receive communion properly in the Small Catechism. There needs to be the belief that the body and blood was given and shed for you as well as the belief that it was done for the forgiveness of sin. If people don't believe this, then communion means nothing to them. We believe that in Christ's true presence with, in, and under the bread and the wine that we are reassured the promise of God that our sin is forgiven. If we do not believe we are a transgressor or for that matter in need of any forgiveness or that what Jesus has done has no meaning or bearing on my life then, according to the Small Catechism, we are not receiving communion properly and we should not be given communion.
The shrill tone of your argument has convinced me to sign this petition and to encourage "this church" to focus on a solid catechumenate which leads to baptism, which leads to the Eucharist. If there is any shame to be had is the emotionalism of your screed.
It is essential to maintain the integrity of our Christian faith and preserve the understanding that through death and resurrection with Christ in baptism and with repentant hearts we may enter the holy banquet table to receive the gifts of everlasting life and be welcomed into God’s Kingdom. Doing anything else would be a mockery and insult to what Jesus did for us on the cross.
Communion without baptism is trying to have the wedding feast before the wedding. It makes no sense theologically and honestly hurts the witness of the church.
As Dr. Eric Gritsch used to remind his students, "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." So, in this case, the absence of the record of the baptism of the apostles is not evidence of the absence of their baptisms. Also, Last Supper, shared by Jews (Jesus and His disciples) before the death and resurrection of Christ, while the foundation upon which the Church's celebration of the Mass/Eucharist/etc. is based, is not precisely identical to the Church's post-resurrection celebration of the sacraments, particularly as observed by Gentiles grafted into the people of God by baptism.
I would love to learn more
The teachings of Jesus and the revelation of the New Testament affirm the difference between those who are children of God and those who are not. Both St. Paul and St. John distinguish between children of light and children of darkness, between children of wrath and children of mercy. The call of God creates a distinction between those who are within the reign of God and those who are outside of God’s kingdom. Yes, this distinction sets up two groups – insiders and outsiders. What keeps this distinction from being exclusive is the Great Commission which offers everyone a place in the Kingdom of God by inviting all people to become disciples through baptism and instruction. We do not achieve inclusivity by blurring or removing the distinction between children of light and children of darkness. That would be counterproductive to the mission of the church. We achieve inclusivity by proclaiming the Gospel and inviting people into the community, not as a guest at the table but as a member of the family. The concern for showing hospitality and inclusivity is a valid one. The church has not always been very good at including those who come from outside the family. But when Jesus demonstrated hospitality and inclusivity, he did it by being willing to go to the outsiders and share a meal with them in their own context. When he instituted Holy Communion, he hosted a meal for his closest disciples and shared his own body and blood with them. Holy Communion is an experience of fellowship with God and with sisters and brothers in the faith. Baptism is the entrance rite into that community, that family of God. So Baptism comes first.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via . Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
By signing, you accept our Terms and Privacy Policy and agree to occasional emails about petitions. Unsubscribe anytime.
Share this petition
Share this petition to help it reach more people.
Your share link
To the Conference of Bishops of the ELCA: We bring before you our concerns regarding “radical hospitality,” which we understand to propose the invitation of the unbaptized to the Lord’s Supper as a matter of principle. We are informed that such “radical hospitality” is already practiced in some ELCA congregations and is being advocated in others by certain leaders and teachers.
1. “Radical hospitality” disregards in principle the stringent warning against unworthy reception in the Scripture, as in I Corinthians 11:27–28.
2. It further disregards in principle the repeated emphasis of the Lutheran Confessions that the sacrament of the altar is for those who have received the Lord Jesus Christ in faith and public profession—a faith and confession whose first act is holy Baptism into the Lord’s death and resurrection. See especially The Large Catechism on “The Sacrament of the Altar” and The Formula of Concord 7, “Concerning the Holy Supper.”
3. It discards the age-old rule of faith by which the church has always understood Baptism as the entry into the cross-carrying Christian life, for which holy Communion is the nourishment.
4. As such, it also discards the ELCA’s own teaching in “The Use of the Means of Grace” (1997) as expressed in Principle 37 and Applications 37E and 37G.
5. The proposal of “radical hospitality” misleads by falsely suggesting that identifying the addressee of the promise of holy Communion as the baptized is an act of anti-gospel exclusion.
6. “Radical hospitality” fails to recognize Baptism itself as the truly radical act of inclusion. All people in every nation are called by the gospel to join themselves to Christ, who “has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14), by baptism into a community in which “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female” (Galatians 3:28).
7. Under the cover of inclusivity, “radical hospitality” in fact deceives the unbaptized, encouraging them to participate in the sacrament without recognizing the entailed commitment to the cross of Jesus Christ and without discerning His body, both in the blessed bread and wine and in the holy community of those who take and eat it.
8. Baptism, repentance, and faith are not legalistic preconditions for grace, but the form grace takes as the Holy Spirit draws persons into a lifegiving new relationship with God.
9. As we approach the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, we call upon the ELCA to remember in principle and in power the opening words of the Ninety-Five Theses: “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent,’ he meant for the entire life of the Christian to be one of repentance.”
10. We exhort pastors and laity of the ELCA to self-examination as to whether our own lives reflect the way of the cross, the life of repentance, and the joy of faith, which are our proper witnesses to the unbaptized and in themselves an invitation to Baptism.
11. And we ask the Conference of Bishops to reiterate clearly the teaching of the whole church, the Lutheran Confessions, and the ELCA: holy communion is intended for the baptized, just as baptism is intended for the world.
Updates
August 26, 2014
THE STORIES I AM HEARING FROM CONCERNED FAITHFUL MEMBERS ARE ABSOLUTELY POWERFUL!! WE ARE PUSHING HARD TO ENSURE THE INTEGRITY OF THE SACRAMENT REMAINS A PRIORITY FOR OUR LEADERSHIP!! KEEP HOLDING FAST TO THE TRUTH BECAUSE WE ARE NOT BACKING DOWN ANYTIME SOON!!
August 26, 2014
THIS MOMENTUM IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE AND SHOWS THAT SO MANY PEOPLE ARE READY TO STAND UP FOR THE TRUTH!! WE ARE MAKING A MASSIVE IMPACT BY PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY OF THE SACRAMENT TOGETHER!!
Reached 100 supporters
August 26, 2014
12 Comments
If there is shame, you need to be shaming St. Paul and 2000 years of Christian pastors and teachers. Shaming doesn't lead to discussion.
However Jay, our Lutheran Confession even tells us that there is a need for faith in order to receive communion properly in the Small Catechism. There needs to be the belief that the body and blood was given and shed for you as well as the belief that it was done for the forgiveness of sin. If people don't believe this, then communion means nothing to them. We believe that in Christ's true presence with, in, and under the bread and the wine that we are reassured the promise of God that our sin is forgiven. If we do not believe we are a transgressor or for that matter in need of any forgiveness or that what Jesus has done has no meaning or bearing on my life then, according to the Small Catechism, we are not receiving communion properly and we should not be given communion.
The shrill tone of your argument has convinced me to sign this petition and to encourage "this church" to focus on a solid catechumenate which leads to baptism, which leads to the Eucharist. If there is any shame to be had is the emotionalism of your screed.
It is essential to maintain the integrity of our Christian faith and preserve the understanding that through death and resurrection with Christ in baptism and with repentant hearts we may enter the holy banquet table to receive the gifts of everlasting life and be welcomed into God’s Kingdom. Doing anything else would be a mockery and insult to what Jesus did for us on the cross.
Communion without baptism is trying to have the wedding feast before the wedding. It makes no sense theologically and honestly hurts the witness of the church.
As Dr. Eric Gritsch used to remind his students, "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." So, in this case, the absence of the record of the baptism of the apostles is not evidence of the absence of their baptisms. Also, Last Supper, shared by Jews (Jesus and His disciples) before the death and resurrection of Christ, while the foundation upon which the Church's celebration of the Mass/Eucharist/etc. is based, is not precisely identical to the Church's post-resurrection celebration of the sacraments, particularly as observed by Gentiles grafted into the people of God by baptism.
I would love to learn more
The teachings of Jesus and the revelation of the New Testament affirm the difference between those who are children of God and those who are not. Both St. Paul and St. John distinguish between children of light and children of darkness, between children of wrath and children of mercy. The call of God creates a distinction between those who are within the reign of God and those who are outside of God’s kingdom. Yes, this distinction sets up two groups – insiders and outsiders. What keeps this distinction from being exclusive is the Great Commission which offers everyone a place in the Kingdom of God by inviting all people to become disciples through baptism and instruction. We do not achieve inclusivity by blurring or removing the distinction between children of light and children of darkness. That would be counterproductive to the mission of the church. We achieve inclusivity by proclaiming the Gospel and inviting people into the community, not as a guest at the table but as a member of the family. The concern for showing hospitality and inclusivity is a valid one. The church has not always been very good at including those who come from outside the family. But when Jesus demonstrated hospitality and inclusivity, he did it by being willing to go to the outsiders and share a meal with them in their own context. When he instituted Holy Communion, he hosted a meal for his closest disciples and shared his own body and blood with them. Holy Communion is an experience of fellowship with God and with sisters and brothers in the faith. Baptism is the entrance rite into that community, that family of God. So Baptism comes first.
Help this petition grow
Share it with friends to help reach 250 signatures.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via .
Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
Signing with Google or Facebook verifies your signature instantly — no email needed.
By signing, you accept our Terms and Privacy Policy and agree to occasional emails about petitions. Unsubscribe anytime.
Share this petition
Share this petition to help it reach more people.
Your share link
Petitions like this
Other petitions you might want to support
Scan to share
Anyone who scans this can sign the petition.
If there is shame, you need to be shaming St. Paul and 2000 years of Christian pastors and teachers. Shaming doesn't lead to discussion.