Liturgy & Sacraments

As I recently told a friend, I am baptist in my theology, it's just that most baptist churches don't preach baptist theology. Why not? Because of their overwhelming concern for the seekers. Sometimes we forget that worship is for the believers. Worship is not entertainment, and it isn't for non-believers, it's for those who desire to make an offering to God. I'm not trying to say that we shouldn't contextualize worship, just that we shouldn't design worship to accomodate non-believers, or make non-believers feel comfortable in the presence of a Holy God. Nor, should believers feel comfortable in the presence of a Holy God.

Well, my two concerns about the episcopal church are the two sacraments, communion and baptism. Here's what the Episcopal Church's web page had to say:

Baptism is the sacrament whereby people become Christians, and thereby members of the Church. At Baptism, the new Christian (or in the case of a child, the parents or guardians) professes belief in Jesus, renounces evil before the Church, and then is immersed in (or sprinkled with) water three times—in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Baptism represents our participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and assures us of our salvation through belief in him.

All baptized Christians participate in the Eucharist (from the Greek, meaning “Thanksgiving”) or as it is also called “Holy Communion,” “the Lord’s Supper,” or “The Mass.” The Eucharist was instituted, according to the Bible, by Jesus himself on the night of his arrest, before he was crucified. During the Eucharist, bread and wine are blessed as symbols of Christ’s body and blood. The bread is broken and shared, and then the cup of wine is passed among the worshipers as a sign of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and resurrection. The Eucharist is a continual remembrance of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection until he comes again.

So let me know what you think. This looks to be in the evangelical reformed tradition. The only part I disagree with is allowing infant baptism. So I have to decide what's more important. Taking the worship of a Holy God seriously, or allowing infant baptism. I'm not sure...