'Do not deny anyone communion ever': the hard question
- Is it true that no one should ever be denied communion?
A listener statement brought via a Twitter question argues communion is never to be denied ('Remember, Jesus fed Judas'). A host calls the framing a straw man — real restrictions aim to protect people from taking judgment on themselves, per 1 Corinthians 11. The hosts read 1 Corinthians 11:20–34 at length, debating what 'unworthy manner' means (demeaning the poor vs. failing to acknowledge the covenant), the church-history practice of inviting unbelievers to leave, Catholic practice, and whether a parent should withhold communion from children until they understand and are baptized — ending on 'communion is an acknowledgment of our sinfulness, and everybody needs to take it.'
More on Communion
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Dear LFTP: sobriety and communion wine
- How should a recovering alcoholic handle communion wine at church?
A listener eighteen months sober writes that her church serves wine, not grape juice, for communion and she has been told to avoid all alcohol.
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GodIsImaginary proof 29: communion as cannibalism
- Is communion ritualistic cannibalism?
The hosts walk through proof 29 of the GodIsImaginary.com 50-proofs series, which argues communion (Mark 14, Luke 22, John 6:53) looks like ritualistic cannibalism.
From No. 127 · December 17 2012
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Rebutting proof 28 and a preview of proof 29
- How do you know your God is the right one?
The hosts answer proof 28: the counterfeit-dollar analogy (one true answer among 20 wrong ones isn't disproven by the crowd), the category error of lumping the biblical God with…
From No. 126 · December 10 2012
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Can you read too much Bible? The flat-reading case
Ben kicks off the first hard question and Mike makes the opening case: you cannot take in too much of God's inspired word, but the teaching layer (books, podcasts, YouTube videos) is different.
From No. 541 · Why Not The Second Heaven