This is an honest question: Why is it that people who are paedo-baptists (infant baptisers) don't invite non-believers to share in the Lord's Supper?
As a Baptist, I don't baptise infants simply because infants do not have a clear profession of faith--they are not believers. And I'm as certain as can be that non-believers should not be baptised.
Paedo-baptists have their own theological explanation as to why infants should be baptised, but at this point in my theological acuity, I still can't quite grasp their argument.
Being that as it may, I now wonder why paedo-baptists don't invite non-believers to share in communion. Or, to ask it another way, Why don't paedo-baptists put a speck of bread and a drop of juice into an infants mouth, much in the same way as they baptise the infant. Just as the infant might share in the death, burial and resurrection as portrayed in baptism, the infant might also share in the body and blood of Christ through communion.
Although the covenantal argument for infant baptism is too complex for me to really grasp, I would think that it could also be applied to infant communion. So, with this in mind, why don't paedo-baptists believe in infant communion.
My argument against infant communion is the same as my argument against infant baptism: non-believers shouldn't take communion or be baptised.
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4 comments:
It's better for them to be inconsistent in this matter than for them to partake infant communinion and sinning against the body and blood of Christ (and perhaps cause people in the congregation to get sick and die).
Also, if you have time, please check out my new blog at http://thomasgrantham.blogspot.com/ =). Thanks.
Jim, there are some infant sprinklers who are willing to give communion to babies. Still a minority for now. I agree with you that they are more consistent than the majority.
By communion do you mean the altar call or bread and wine.
After growing up in a SBC church I came to the realization later in life that I had a yearning for liturgical worhsip with weekly communion. I realized that the typical baptist church had replaced weekly communion with weekly altar calls. Speaking of inconsistencies...shouldn't everyone walk to the front of the church and rededicate their life to the Lord...the answer: yes. This is what communion i all about.
Say what you will about Douglas Wilson and the paedocommunioners...but we all pick our heresies.
Have you seen the new collection of books by Douglas Wilson from Logos Bible Software?
It contains, among other things, an interesting book on infant baptism.
I thought you might be interested: Douglas Wilson Collection
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