What Will It Take?

The Voice Behind You	Isaiah 30:21

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Posted by: JoeBoysel Original: 6/16/2008 7:05 PM Views: 44 Comments: 2 eProps: 2 Read Comments Post a Comment Back to Your Xanga Site

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Monday, June 16, 2008

I am writing a dissertation that argues that Sunday service of Word and Table (Preaching and Eucharist) is the weekly paradigm for shaping Christians into whole persons. In short, it argues that truncating the Sunday service by removing either preaching or the Lord's Supper from the program leaves the believer without an essential nutrient necessary for their spiritual development.

Now I do stipulate that God can make up for whatever we lack and, in fact, God often does provide grace in extraordinary ways when church leaders fail to provide that which they have been charged to oversee. However, that does not mean that the primary means of grace are superfluous. Nor does it mean that Christians are just as well without one (or both) of the means as they would be if it were provided.

If you would indulge me for a moment, then, by stipulating to the claims of my thesis without argument...just...well...for the sake of another argument, I wonder: What would it take for the church to change? I mean, what if I'm right and all Christians need a weekly diet of preaching and Communion? Could they get it in their present worshiping environments? Would or could the historic, sacramental churches begin to have a preaching piety that matches their Eucharistic praxis? And would or could Evangelicals ever start providing a weekly Communion service that is really a Lord's Supper for the entire community?

Posted 6/16/2008 7:05 PM - 44 Views - 2 eProps - 2 comments

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Joe, I don't know if I ever told you, the Pentecostal church I grew up in had communion and a preach every Sunday morning, don't remember it being a well of deep spirituality though!
Here in Scotland, the word and table churches, the Scottish Episcopal mainly, are the most out right liberal churches you can find and so are in terminal decline.
Word & Table ... there must be another factor

Posted 6/17/2008 6:24 AM by JamesPetticrew

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Good point, James. I do qualify things a bit more in the study. First, there is the limitation of "faithful" preaching (which rules out the Scottish Episcopal Church!) and a "true" Eucharist (which likely does the same thing with most Evangelicals). The former has to do with both content and delivery while the latter stipulates that the meal is more than an esoteric, stale snack.

Notwithstanding my qualifications, I agree, there is more to it. In a way I guess it's like saying people need food & water to survive. Yes, they need food and water to survive, but they need a lot more to thrive, don't they? Nevertheless, that doesn't diminish the basic need for sustenance. My argument is that Christians in the Western world are usually malnourished in some way, so let's deal with the basics before going on to the other parts of a holistic spirituality.

There is a show on TV over here with some former British special forces guy (Bear Grills, I think his name is, and the show is called Man vs. Wild.) Anyway, this fellow is dropped off in a wilderness setting with a knife and a flint stone and it's up to him to find his way to safety. In every show the first thing he does is find water and food then he looks to find a way out. That's all I'm offering: the basics. Unfortunately, not many churches are offering the basics in my opinion and I think it has led to many of the problems we find in Christianity.

I think you'll see my position more clearly if you watch this video by our friend Tom Wright on YouTube. BTW, remember, I started this study long before this talk was given!