The Case for Covenant Communion

by Gregg Strawbridge (Editor)

What is the status of baptized children when it comes to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper? Are they to be treated the same as unbelievers and kept from the table until they can profess certain things about Christ or about the bread and the wine? Do they exist in something of a third category, somewhere between believer and unbeliever? Or do they belong at the Lord's table by right of their baptism? If covenant children belong to Christ, is there any good reason to functionally excommunicate them? These questions and more are explored in The Case for Covenant Communion, a collection of works by Douglas Wilson, Gregg Strawbridge, Robert Rayburn, Jeffrey Meyers, Tim Gallant, James Jordan, Ray Sutton, Rich Lusk, Peter Leithart, Blake Purcell and Steve Wilkins. Approaching the subject from biblical, theological, historical and pastoral perspectives, these essays will challenge readers to think about this subject in new ways and hopefully reconsider the common practices of the Church in this age.

Genres: Theology, Ecclesiology

210 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Rick Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. Some chapters are more helpful than others, but I think the case made for the practice of paedocommunion is powerful.

[Jared Mcnabb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the chapters were great, some were good. Book is worth purchasing just for the article by Jeff Myers, "Presbyterian, Examine Thyself."


Second read through entire book in January 2024. Still great.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meyers, Rayburn, Jordan and Gallant have very helpful essays on paedocommunion.

[Sammie Hargrave · Rating 5 out of 5]

The content is in the title. Leithart’s essay is worth it alone. All the others are fantastic

[Jesse Beauford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not convinced of the position of Paedocommunion but I’m convinced that my Baptist brethren are correct, paedobaptism as taught by Presbyterians is inconsistent.

There are a lot of strong points and arguments in many different areas. Currently, I would say the Keystone of the problem for the defense of exclusion rests in the Passover connection with the Lord’s Supper. Did covenant children eat the Passover? If they did, (which I believe they did), where is the New Covenant prohibition against children eating at the table? If they are in the covenant, what are the actual advantages of being in the covenant?

Also, if children grow up and don’t produce fruit, how can we excommunicate someone who isn’t communing?

How can the session hold that they have the responsibility and authority to examine covenant children and have an open table to outsiders?

Why does the apostle Paul reference the old covenant promises when instructing children and parents with the qualifier “in the Lord”?

These and many questions more points to an inconsistent view of our children and need to be addressed.

Below is an interesting and powerful quote from the end of the book.

It is imperative that the doctrine of covenant succession be recovered in our churches. Its loss has deeply diminished the church's appreciation of and wonder over the liberality and perfection of divine grace. Further, the appropriation by faith of this divine promise and summons is the means appointed to furnish the church with generation after generation of great multitudes of Christian servants and soldiers who reach manhood and womanhood well taught, sturdy in faith, animated by love for God and man, sophisticated in the ways of the world and the Devil, polished in the manners of genuine Christian brotherhood, overshadowed by the specter of the Last Day, nerved to deny themselves and take up their cross so as to be counted worthy of greater exploits for Christ and Kingdom.
Currently the church not only suffers a terrible shortage of such other-worldly and resolute Christians, superbly prepared for spiritual warfare, but, in fact, is hemorrhaging its children into the world. Christian evangelism will never make a decisive difference in our culture when it amounts merely in an effort to replace losses due to widespread desertion from our own camp. The gospel will always fail to command attention and carry conviction when large numbers of those who grow up under its influence are observed abandoning it for the world. Recovering our Presbyterian inheritance and inscribing the doctrine of covenant succession upon the heart of family and church must have a wonderfully solemnizing and galvanizing effect. It will set Christian parents seriously to work on the spiritual nurture of their children, equipping them and requiring them to live the life of covenant faith and duty to which their God and Savior called them at the headwaters of life. And, ever conscious of the greater effect of parental example, they will forsake the easy way, shamelessly and joyfully to live a life of devotion and obedience which adorns and ennobles the faith in the eyes of their children. This they will do, who embrace the Bible's doctrine, lest the Lord on the Great Day should say to them: "You took your sons and daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed them to idols."

Robert Rayburn.

[Peter Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book with articles from several perspectives. I liked most of the articles. Robert Rayburn's article, which is attached as an appendix, is worth the price of the book.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the exception of a few not wholly helpful chapters, this is a great collection for anyone wanting to know why very young children should not be excluded from the Lord's Supper. The authors provide comprehensive biblical arguments establishing that children always were included in the festal meals of God's people and nowhere were they subsequently excluded. The same reasons for baptizing infants apply with equal force to allowing them table fellowship with the other saints.

Those who deny infants and young children (and sometimes even young teenagers and the mentally handicapped) participation in the elements tend to rely extremely heavily on 1 Cor 11 and the supposed need to "examine oneself" in order to partake. The authors show clearly that this argument relies on very faulty exegesis of the chapter as well as a seriously misguided idea of what type of examination is in view. (It is also true that the command to examine is only a command to those who can, just like the command to work in order to eat does not apply to infants incapable of labor.)

Liked it a lot. With larger print and a couple of subtractions I would have given it 5 stars.

[Dale Hagwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid work presenting welcoming children to the Lord’s Table. Not every article is worth reading, as I lightly skimmed a few. However, Robert S. Rayburn’s opening chapter and the appendix he wrote at the end, with Jeff Meyers, Purcell, and Strawbridge’s chapters are the most valuable. James Jordan’s article showing the connection between Old and New Testament sacramental meals, ceremonies, etc. is also quite helpful. It’s understandable to be wary of the book given most of the author’s association with Federal Vision theology, and it does appear to come through at points. Yet, the crux of the position seeks to apply paedobaptist logic for admitting children to baptism on to the Lord’s Supper as well. Certainly, that deduction is debatable. Still, it seems reasonable to conclude that someone could legitimately hold the Paedocommunion view without being FV, though both often go together. As far as the authors go, a cogent and compelling argument is made for Paedocommunion.

[Cullen Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the essays were not equally helpful, but they are all still very good.
Robert Rayburn's appendix essay on the (neglected) doctrine of covenant succession in Presbyterian theology is necessary and striking.

Overall this is a thought-provoking study, and worth reading by anyone interested in this complicated subject.

[Micah Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful grouping of essays in support of Paedo-Communion, strongly Covenant Theology flavored. I appreciated the Scriptural argumentation throughout and the single essay exploring The Testimony of the Ancient Church, but more emphasis on the teaching, practice, and tradition of the Early Church would have been helpful.

[Zach McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the essays were undeniably spot on. Others left me wanting.

[Chris Comis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made a good case for paedocommunion. Probably needs an essay or two from some anti-paedocommunion guys, just to provide some context for the pro-paedo essays. Some really good essays in here though.

[Jake Ruefer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oddly hostile tone to this thing…

[Michael Kidd · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely superb work. Were I not already persuaded of this biblical practice, I most certainly would be now.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Canvases all of the major topics of controversy and gives clear argumentation. It isn't the most in-depth treatment, but probably one of the better introductory reads for those wanting to get the pro paedocommunion position.

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sturdy.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book on paedocommunion... best to date.

[Kirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good collection of essays... some very convincing in looking at the biblical data whereas a few were either a little too confusing or a little too snarky