CRC becomes Paedocommunionist (with addendum link)

The document acknowledges that while profession of faith is important, nothing in scripture or elsewhere requires it before someone takes the Lord’s Supper

via Synod Opens Table to Children- Christian Reformed Church.

This hardly means the CRC is going in a positive direction over all, but this change is indeed Biblical.

The Report also shows a commitment to the the Bible in how they deal with our ubiquitous baptists culture:

“When parents request infant or child dedication in public worship, the pastor and elders of the local congregation  should (1) engage in pastorally appropriate ways to celebrate the birth or adoption of a child, to pray for the child and parents, and to call for the commitment of the parents to nurture their children in the Lord, (2) engage in convicted … teaching on the subject of infant baptism, and (3) refrain from leading rituals of infant or child dedication in public worship services,” it said.

“Many people do not embrace infant baptism because they do not understand how it is consistent with Scripture. Teaching on the subject offers a rich opportunity to promote greater biblical understanding and may lead the parents to present their children for baptism.”

All things being equal, I think the CRC will find it much easier to convince parents of the truth of paedobaptism in the context of a paedocommunion practice. It simply makes sense. Paedobaptism without paedocommunion seems contrived.

I thought the objections were also interesting:

Rev. Ed Laarman, a delegate from Classis Central Plains, expressed concern about removing the requirement for profession of faith from the process leading to a person partaking in the Lord’s Supper.

“By moving this way, we are moving in a profoundly disturbing direction,” he said. “It is good to be building bridges (to allow young people to participate in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper), and yet (with this change) we don’t want them to subscribe to … what we believe.”

So it seems “profession of faith” is a code phrase for something else: memorizing and public affirmation of a catechism of some size. The Lord’s Supper is held out as a reward for a level of doctrinal knowledge.

First the decalogue then afterwards Passover and Manna? Don’t think it is supposed to work that way.

PS See Doug’s post on pastoral matters.

2 thoughts on “CRC becomes Paedocommunionist (with addendum link)

  1. pentamom

    On the last couple of paragraphs, that’s just Dutch Reformedism of the last century or so. I’d be surprised, more than surprised, if a reaction like that didn’t occur out of the CRC. They (and their ethnic and cultural kin within the OPC) are knowledge-oriented in a way that PCAers can hardly even grasp.

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