The Spring 2007 issue of the Calvin Theological Seminary Forum has four fine articles on an issue that will be addressed by the Christian Reformed Church denomination at its annual synod this June: the place of children at the sacrament of the Lord's Supper.- "Children at the Lord's Supper and Reformed Theology," by Lyle D. Bierma
- "United, Separated, Re-United: The Story of Baptism and the Lord's Supper," by David Rylaarsdam
- "Children at the Lord's Supper and the Key Text of 1 Corinthians 11:17-34," by Jeffrey A. D. Weima
- "Children at the Table: Some Provisional Answers to the Practical Questions," by John D. Witvliet
(For background to this, see the report of a task force of the CRC Synod which addresses this issue in the CRC's 2007 Agenda for Synod.)
The above-mentioned article by David Rylaarsdam, in two succinct pages, tells the story of the shift from the intimate connection of the sacraments of baptism and communion in the early church, through their separation in the Middle Ages and Reformation period, and the present desire of some Protestant denominations to re-unite them. Since this history is not only fascinating, but also unfamiliar to many, I've added a bibliography below to supplement the article:
- Fisher, John Douglas Close. Christian Initiation: Baptism in the Medieval West: A Study in the Disintegration of the Primitive Rite of Initiation. London: S.P.C.K., 1965.
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- Fisher, John Douglas Close. Christian Initiation: Confirmation Then and Now. Chicago: Hillenbrand, 2005 (Reprint of SPCK edition, 1978).
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- Gallant, Tim. Feed My Lambs: Why the Lord's Table Should Be Restored to Covenant Children. Grande Prairie, AB: Pactum Reformanda Pub., c2002.
Hekman Lib BX9423.C5 G35 2002 - Hinant, John T. Children at the Lord's Table. Indianapolis, IN: Three Fountains Publishing, c2005.
Hekman Lib BX7325.5 .L67 H56 2005 MRC-Circ - Holeton, David. Infant Communion--Then and Now. Bramcote, Nottingham: Grove Books, 1981.
Hekman Lib BV825.58 .H62 1981 - Jewett, Paul King. Infant Baptism and the Covenant of Grace: an appraisal of the argument that as infants were once circumcised, so they should now be baptized. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, c1978.
Hekman Lib BV813.2 .J44 - Johnson, Maxwell E. The Rites of Christian Initiation :Their Evolution and Interpretation. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, c1999.
Hekman Lib BV873.I54 J64 1999 - Mitchell, Nathan. “Dissolution of the Rite of Christian Initiation.” In Made, Not Born: New Perspectives on Christian Initiation and the Catechumenate, from the Murphy Center for Liturgical Research, 50-82. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1976.
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