In America the Galesburg Rule became a sort of banner for the apostolic and catholic and Lutheran confession of the Lord's Supper and what went with it: closed communion. -- Dr. Norman Nagel, Lutheran Forum, Vol. 25, No. 2, p. 28.
The 19th century Galesburg Rule says "Lutheran Altars for Lutherans only". This does not split hairs over LCMS, ELCA, or WELS. Obviously, those 3 denominations were not in play as they are today. In the spirit of Galesburg Rule all of our Lutheran Altars are OPEN to all Lutherans. Dr. Nagel in his simple way does not understand the practical way the Galesburg Rule can be interpreted in our 21st century.
Best to include that last sentence up front, lest someone quote Nagel as being for pan-Lutheran communion, which in our day would be open communion, unionism (and maybe syncretism), considering all the "pulpit & altar fellowships" e__a is engaged in.
Presently I wouldn't commune at half the lcms altars in this town, given what passes for a Sunday service in some of them.
I should have, Helen! The whole article is on closed communion, so it actually leaves no question about that. But snippets always run the danger of being heard outside the whole.
The 19th century Galesburg Rule
ReplyDeletesays "Lutheran Altars for Lutherans
only". This does not split hairs
over LCMS, ELCA, or WELS. Obviously,
those 3 denominations were not
in play as they are today. In the
spirit of Galesburg Rule all of our
Lutheran Altars are OPEN to all
Lutherans. Dr. Nagel in his simple
way does not understand the practical
way the Galesburg Rule can be
interpreted in our 21st century.
His last sentence in the paragraph: "What happened more recently is another story."
ReplyDeleteBest to include that last sentence up front, lest someone quote Nagel as being for pan-Lutheran communion, which in our day would be open communion, unionism (and maybe syncretism), considering all the "pulpit & altar fellowships" e__a is engaged in.
ReplyDeletePresently I wouldn't commune at half the lcms altars in this town, given what passes for a Sunday service in some of them.
--helen
I should have, Helen! The whole article is on closed communion, so it actually leaves no question about that. But snippets always run the danger of being heard outside the whole.
ReplyDeletePresently I wouldn't commune at half the lcms altars in this town, given what passes for a Sunday service in some of them.
ReplyDeleteHelen, half is pretty good from what I can tell of the LCMS. I am assuming you are talking about what is less than a Lutheran Mass.