Eucharist and Receptive Ecumenism
Eucharist and Receptive Ecumenism
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All doctrinal development and debate occurs against the background of Christian practice and worship. By attending to what Christians have done in the eucharist, Kimberly Belcher provides a new perspective on the history of eucharistic doctrine and Christian divisions today. Stepping back from the metaphysical approaches that divide the churches, she focuses on a phenomenological approach to the eucharist and a retrieval of forgotten elements in Ambrose's and Augustine's work. The core of the eucharist is the act of giving thanks to the Father – for the covenant and for the world. This unitive core allows for significant diversity on questions about presence, sacrifice, ecclesiology, and ministry. Belcher shows that the key is humility about what we know and what we do not, which gives us a willingness to receive differences in Christian teachings as gifts that will allow us to move forward in a new way.
- Receptive ecumenism is a relatively new approach to dialogue between Christians from different denominations.; this book is both an exercise in the method and a demonstration of scholarly humility in action
- The historical context of theological development, especially what Christians were doing and what they thought they ought to be doing, is used to contextualize contentious doctrines and debates like transubstantiation and sacrifice
- The author's approach both expands our understanding of the eucharist and illuminates the role of thanksgiving in our daily and spiritual life
Reviews & endorsements
'For so many centuries the Eucharist has functioned not as the empowering manifestation of the church's unity but as an effective symbol of division. Kimberly Hope Belcher joins her formidable philosophical and theological knowledge to astute pastoral observation and prayerful wisdom to achieve an analysis of the neuralgic points impeding ecumenical communion. Eschewing the hegemony of metaphysics that has so long dominated Roman Catholic eucharistic theology, Belcher's phenomenological method unfolds what various Christians already share in such eucharistic experiences as givenness and thanksgiving to construct a theology full of promise for those willing to dialogue in a humility true to the liturgical experience of the sacrament.' Bruce T. Morrill, S.J., Vanderbilt University, Tennessee
'In this ecumenically sensitive volume, Kimberly Hope Belcher presents an intriguing argument for shared participation at the altar/table between diverse Christian communities … the tone of the book pulls the reader along and provides a sense of hope and possibility.' Paul Galbreath, Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology
'a remarkable feat in ecumenical theology. In fact, so thorough is her argumentation and so clear is her grasp of Roman Catholic liturgy, patristics, and even the theologies of leading Reformation theologians, to name a few, that this review cannot do justice to her offering ... this is a very powerful work of ecumenical theology that, it is our hope, is read by committed Roman Catholics as well as by anyone interested in seeing ecclesial schisms healed, reflecting in turn the eschatological unity anticipated by the Eucharist. Highly recommended.' Thomas Haviland-Pabst, Journal of Reformed Theology
Product details
October 2020Hardback
9781108839563
300 pages
236 × 160 × 25 mm
0.5kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Contents
- Preface
- 1. The call of unity
- 2. Diversity is the tradition
- 3. A phenomenology of giving thanks
- 4. Eucharistia and Revelation
- 5. Ambrose's words and the Roman canon
- 6. Augustine and the assembly's destiny
- 7. Consecrating and offering the ordinary
- 8. The Eschatological exception
- 9. Outdo one another in showing honor
- 10. Into the heart of God.
