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Though wine versus grape juice can be a church splitter, Communion logistics typically rouse fewer passions than Communion theory. The leading sixteenth-century reformers, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli, famously divided on the meaning of "This is my body," while (as noted in an earlier newsletter) eighteenth-century American preacher Jonathan Edwards lost his job over his belief that only persons who could demonstrate personal conversion should receive the elements. The question of whether a person can share Communion with someone from a church not "in communion" with his or her own continues to cause unrest in places such as Northern Ireland.

The assembly-line efficiency of Communion preparation at a church like Southeast Christian seems like it could strip some of the mystery and meaning from the ancient ceremony, but that doesn't bother me terribly. What goes on in the sanctuary and in each believer's heart is certainly more important than what went on the kitchen several hours earlier. It does bother me, however, that so many evangelicals can get excited about efficiency while so few actively engage in dialogues on ecumenism, sacramentalism/symbolism, or even eucharistic theology. Somehow the "what" and "why" of Communion have been subordinated to the "how."

As an evangelical myself, I'm not just pointing fingers here. Honestly, I wonder what we might be missing.

Elesha Coffman is former managing editor for Christian History & Biography.

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Plus: Communion, Continued

* For more on Catholic Communion practices, specifically the reasons for serving bread only, see www.newadvent.org/cathen/04175a.htm. Articles from other perspectives can be found at these addresses:

Orthodox: http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith
/articles/article7077.asp
Wikipedia: Eucharistic theologies contrasted

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