On March 25, the Baltimore-Washington Conference webpage posted this piece by theologian and historian Ryan Danker. In the article, Dr. Danker decries virtual or online Communion as “sacramentally impossible from a United Methodist perspective.”
He augments this argument by appealing to two theological axioms and practical assertions: 1) our UMC eucharistic theology inescapably entails a physical, same-space gathering for the materialization of the Real Presence of Christ, and 2) the Communion must be administered by authorized clerics also present in the same space as the congregation.
To accent these axioms, Dr. Danker appeals to Word and Table I and the double-epiclesis, which, Dr. Danker argues, assumes the Real Presence of Christ manifests in the Eucharist when we have A) physical bread and wine, and B) a corporeally congregated ecclesia. Read More
Also See:
A Missional Meal: The Digital Practice of the Lord's Supper
Churches Find Communion with Online Lord’s Supper
As Coronavirus Keeps Parishioners Homebound, Christian Clergy Debate Online Communion
Virtual Communion: Church Leaders Say It Can Be Done
Advisory Opinion: Communion in an Emergency/Pandemic
Doing Communion Online Right
Tips for Videoing Online Communion from DisciplesNet Church
A Plea for More Online Celebrations of the Lord's Supper
Holy Communion in a Coronavirus World
"Do This in Remembrance of Me": Celebrating the Lord's Supper Online
Virtual Communion in a Time of Pandemic
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