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Eastern Oregon Wants Episcopal Church to allow Communion without Baptism
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
March 26, 2012
If the Diocese of Eastern Oregon has its way and a resolution it presents to the next General Convention to change the Constitution and Canons and the Prayer Book to " invite all to Holy Communion, "regardless of age, denomination or baptism", the church officially will be on record to say that anyone, including people of other religions, no religion or without recognizable Christian Faith, can take the sacraments.
Eastern Oregon, at its 2010 diocesan Convention, ratified the resolution for submission to General Convention. It would delete from the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church Canon 1.17.7, which says, "No unbaptized person shall be eligible to receive Holy Communion in this church."
The explanation attached to the resolution also says that "We know from our strivings within ecumenism and mission that the communion Christ intended for all is perilous and difficult, and that boldness in offering radical hospitality is our calling, rather than canonically driven caution."
Delegates from St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Ontario, OR, proposed the Open Table resolution. "It would not have happened without a unanimous vote at Convention that this was the direction we wanted to go. This was the work of many people," said The Rev. Anna R. Carmichael, rector of St. Mark's, Hood River, OR, who prepared the document that will go to General Convention.
"In recent decades the Episcopal Church, with prayerful consideration and deliberation, has consistently moved to being a more inclusive, open and welcoming member of Christ's Body," says the Explanation attached to the resolution. "Such grace is riveted on the teachings and actions of Jesus and the compassionate embrace he had for all...no matter their creed or race. We believe it essential our Liturgy reflects the unconditional hospitality our Lord employed for his mission.
"We believe such an open invitation for all to fully participate in the Eucharist is in keeping with our catechism's teaching of grace: Grace is God's favor toward us, unearned and undeserved; by grace God forgives our sins, enlightens our minds, stirs our hearts, and strengthens our wills." (Catechism, p. 858)
"We believe appropriate preparation and readiness to receive the spiritual body and blood of Christ is experienced within the unfolding of the Divine Liturgy, providing whatever an individual needs for examination, repentance and forgiveness amid the call to be in love and charity with all people." (Catechism, p. 860)
The Diocese of Eastern Oregon, which includes all of Oregon east of the Cascade Mountains as well as Klickitat County in Washington State, includes 22 parishes and about 2,600 Episcopalians.
It is clear that in their desperate desire to grow the church or stall the present hemorrhaging, the concept of "inclusion" is being expanded beyond changes in the church's teaching on human sexuality to include anyone who passes through the red doors of an Episcopal Church. It may well transcend the inevitable passage of Rites for same sex blessings that seems destined to pass at GC2012 this summer.
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