Gordon H. Clark: The Reformed Episcopal Church and Altars

The Reformed Episcopal denomination and a few particular Protestant Episcopal congregations require the communion table to be far enough away from the wall as to permit the minister to stand behind it. This is to show that the table is not an altar.  -- Gordon H. Clark

I found the following quote from Gordon H. Clark in the book, What Is the Christian Life?  Sadly, his comment about the Reformed Episcopal Church is no longer true.  Many of their churches these days are no longer Reformed but are instead Anglo-Catholic and practice Romish views of the Lord's Supper rather than Protestant and Reformed views:

The point is that there were many Jewish priests because the death of one necessitated the administrations of another. But Christ’s death did not put an end to his priesthood, and therefore he has no successors.  The claim to be a successor to Christ in the priestly office is to claim that death ended Christ’s priesthood.

Furthermore, if the mass is a sacrifice to atone for our sins, then the cross of Christ is denied its power. The Romanists have altars in their churches. They are erected in contact with the back wall so that no one can stand between the altar and the wall. The Reformed Episcopal denomination and a few particular Protestant Episcopal congregations require the communion table to be far enough away from the wall as to permit the minister to stand behind it. This is to show that the table is not an altar. A church that has an altar substitutes itself for the cross on Calvary. But if Christ has secured eternal redemption for us, and saves us “to the uttermost” (eis to panteles [εἰς τὸ παντελὲς (Heb 7:25 BYZ)] = completely, wholly, for all time), reliance on a later sacrifice denies the effectiveness of Christ. Christ said, “It is finished”; Rome says, “We will finish it for him.”

The anti-Scriptural implications of the mass are many. Here is one more. The Lord’s Supper is a Thanksgiving service: It is called the eucharist. In it we receive nourishment from God and thank him for his mercies. But the mass is not something God gives to us; it is a sacrifice we give to God for the expiation of our sins. In the Lord’s Supper God gives and we receive; in the mass man gives and God is supposed to receive. Now, if the mass is a sacrifice, the idea of communion, if not obliterated, is degraded; for a sacrifice-mass can be offered by just one person, i.e., private masses without a communing congregation. Mass therefore changes communication into excommunication, as Calvin neatly puts it, for the priest separates himself to eat and drink by himself.

Gordon H. Clark (2013-03-04T05:00:00+00:00). What Is The Christian Life? (Kindle Locations 1426-1442). The Trinity Foundation. Kindle Edition.

See also, The Declaration of Principles and Anglicans Ablaze:  The Reformed Episcopal Church in Retrospect.  The Reformed Episcopal Church now has congregations where there are altars against the back wall instead of a table where the minister can stand behind the table.

Peace,

Charlie