The Lord's Supper.

Book Review

Smith, Gordon T. (editor) The Lord’s Supper. Five views: Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, Baptist, Pentecostal. IVP Academia. InterVarsity Press. 2008.

Comment. Henry
A very informative resource giving the theological positions of five church organizations on a very basic Christian practice, the celebrating of the Lord’s Supper. When Christ instituted this practice it was to have a major unifying impact on the followers of Christ. It has actually been very divisive at times. A strength of this presentation is the interactive response on each essay. I think it is helpful to gain a new appreciation for how we celebrate the Lord’s Supper and gain a greater appreciation how others celebrate it.

The Roman Catholic view. Brother Jeffery Gros,F.S.C., Professor of Church History, Memphis Theological Seminary.
“Externally, the bread and wine retain their appearance even after consecration. Yet at the same time the whole Christ is sacramentally present in them- the whole Christ, body and blood, soul and divinity. Thus he is indeed bodily present in the form of bread and wine.” (17) “The doctrine of transubstantiation has been used in order to give a theological articulation to this (Catholic) faith.” (18) Progress has been made in ecumenical discussions (to bring unity to churches) on the topic of the Eucharist (Lord’s Supper) in recent years. “Condemnations study” (25) carried on by Reformed, Lutheran and Catholic scholars in the 1980’s in Germany have resulted in further progress in unity.

Response:
Lutheran: “We have arrived at mutual courtesy, but we have not yet fully engaged each other at deeper levels.” (33)
Reformed: Accepting the presence of common ground and ongoing conversation.
Baptist: Are focused on the wide gap between Protestant and Catholic teaching but recognize that the gap is not as wide as it used to be.
Pentecostal: Spending a year as a scholar in a Roman Catholic institution has ‘colored’ the responder’s response.

The Lutheran view. John R. Stephenson, Professor of Historical Theology, Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Catharines, Ont.
“Concerning the sacraments of the altar, Lutherans are split between the adherents of Luther on the one hand, and of Melanchthon on the other, and- the numerical superiority of these groupings.” (47) The Lord’s Supper is meant for all but Lutherans practice ‘closed communion’. It must be properly understood and those who would partake should be adequately prepared having ‘examined themselves’.

Response:
Catholic: It is important to “understand that shared Christological faith is at the roots of our divisions, and that only by a high Christological approach to theological dialogue toward unity will such divisions be healed.” (59)
Reform: Sacramental theology is necessary to understand the Lord’s Supper. The “personal presence and bodily presence” (62) are welcome topics of conversation.
Baptist: Critical of Stephenson’s position not representing all Lutherans.
Pentecostal: This view reveals “an insuperable wall of separation between orthodox Lutherans and the wide world of Protestantism”. (66)

The Reformed view. Leanne VanDyk. Academic Dean and Professor of Reformed Theology, Western Theological Seminary, Holland, Michigan.
The Reformed tradition is very international and represents a variety of theological options that have created an environment of change. Zwingli, Bullinger, and Calvin, the fathers of Reform, had views that brought a range of meanings to the subject. These views are represented in the “Consensus Tigurinus of 1549, a key Reformed document of sacramental theology”. (73) Zwingli had a ‘memorial view’, Bullinger a ‘parallelism view’, and Calvin had an ‘instrumentalism view’ of the Lord’s Supper.

Response:
Catholic: Conciliatory.
Lutheran: Takes exception to the variations in the Reform view.
Baptist: Celebrates VanDyk’s views but stresses that it is in fact not a singular view but rather a variety of views.
Pentecostal: An appreciation of the “differentiation on the Lord’s Supper theology”. (89) Reference to the Holy Spirit in the celebration is welcomed.

TheBaptist view. Roger E. Olson. Professor of Theology George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Waco, Texas.
Baptists are known for their wild diversity. They are united on the doctrine and practice of baptism. There is no single view on the Lord’s Supper. A number of Baptist theologians “emphasize the aspects of commemoration and proclamation” (99) of the Lord’s Supper.

Response:
Roman Catholic: An appreciation for the “ecumenical methodology in approaching the Baptist communities”. (109) There is a willingness to learn from other traditions.
Lutheran: The absence of the presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper is unacceptable and a misinterpretation of Jesus’ words at the Last Supper.
Reformed: Shares view of the Lord’s Table as a place of memorial.
Pentecostal: Have a shared view.

The Pentecostal view. Veli-Matti Karkkainen. Professor of Systematic Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, Cal.
Pentecostals avoid the term Eucharist and prefer the term Lord’s Supper or Communion. It is an ordinance. It is a memorial meal where bread and juice (wine) have symbolic meaning. “Pentecostals at times envision partaking in the Lord’s Supper as a place of healing.” (126)

Response:
Roman Catholic: Focus on the aspect of the Holy Spirit and the element of healing as challenging concepts.
Lutheran: Also taken with the healing aspect.
Reformed: Take issue with the ordinance designation.
Baptist: Acknowledge similarities but have a problem with the healing aspect.