One netfriend wrote: [Roman Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne] Pell never shut anybody out – he simply said people who are ‘proud’ of their Homosexuality could not take communion – which I believe is right.

Nathan responded:

I’d be interested to hear how you think this should be handled in Baptist churches. I don’t share Cardinal Pell’s views on the subject, but I accept that he has canon law on his side and he can rightly say that he is simply being true to the law and teaching of the Roman Catholic church. However, we Baptists do not have a code of canon law, and also unlike the RC’s, most of our congregations have an open table practice at communion. If our invitations to the table include such phrases as “whosoever will may come,” or “all who love Jesus and desire to follow him are welcome”, we would surely be creating all sorts of headaches if we start making exceptions. Open table policies generally work by putting the onus for deciding who can come to the table on the individuals themselves – “examine yourselves carefully” and all that. Once you create a category of people who may not receive communion (as opposed to particular individuals upon whom the church has imposed some disciplinary process), where do you draw the line? You may have a full agenda at the next church meeting, with everybody proposing other categories of sin which should preclude people from communion.

Do you have any suggestions for how this should be introduced under Baptist polity?

Another responded:

He also shut down the prayer groups which were the focus of spiritual life for charismatic Catholics. We have had a number of beautiful Catholics come to Beth Tephillah for ministry as a result.