Substantiated Claims…

Different factions of Christianity make different claims about what the power in the Eucharist. Generally speaking, the claims made regarding Communion epitomize the differences between major factions of the Christian Church. Roman Catholics claim the bread and the wine become the actually Body and Blood of Christ; Lutherans and Anglicans claim that Christ’s real presence is in, through, and around the bread and wine; and Evangelicals claim that the Lord’s Supper is simply a symbolic remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice.

I hope you will entertain my suggestion that each of these perspectives is valid, and sustains scriptural viability. When taken in the proper manner, the Eucharist may be a symbolic representation of Christ’s real presence with us that has transforming implications that change our essence more and more into the likeness of Christ.

For too long, church discussion of the Eucharist has been pre-occupied with what kind of food is served, but when Christ spoke of The Banquet, His discussion was always more concerned about who made it to the Table and how they got there than what food was served. With this in mind, I would like to discuss the three prominent views of the Lord’s Supper from an church-centered paradigm rather than the often contentious naturalistic one.