Lord's Supper. Eucharist. Communion. Sacrament. Ordinance.
While it's the meal that should unite us as followers of Christ, it sometimes appears we can't even agree on what to call it, let alone how we might share a common theological view of its significance. Even if we cannot reach full agreement, how can we better understand one another and this central observance of the Christian faith?
In this Spectrum Multiview volume Gordon Smith has invited five representatives of differing views within Christian tradition. Each holds his or her views with conviction and makes the case for that tradition. Each responds to the other views with charity, highlighting significant areas of agreement and disagreement. The views and contributors include
- The Roman Catholic View―Brother Jeffrey Gros, F.S.C., Professor of Church History, Memphis Theological Seminary, Memphis, Tennessee
- The Lutheran View―John R. Stephenson, Professor of Historical Theology, Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Catherines, Ontario
- The Reformed View―Leanne Van Dyk, Academic Dean and Professor of Reformed Theology, Western Theological Seminary, Holland, Michigan
- The Baptist View―Roger E. Olson, Professor of Theology, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Waco, Texas
- The Pentecostal View―Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Professor of Systematic Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California
Here's a book that offers more light than heat on an important topic.
Spectrum Multiview Books offer a range of viewpoints on contested topics within Christianity, giving contributors the opportunity to present their position and also respond to others in this dynamic publishing format.
Gordon T. Smith is the president of Ambrose University and Seminary in Calgary, Alberta, where he also serves as professor of systematic and spiritual theology. He is an ordained minister with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and a teaching fellow at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia. He is the author of many books, including Institutional Intelligence, Called to Be Saints, and Your Calling Here and Now.
Roger E. Olson (PhD, Rice University) is professor of theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He is the author of The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition Reform, The Mosaic of Christian Belief: Twenty Centuries of Unity Diversity and Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities (all InterVarsity Press).
Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen (Dr.Theol.Habil., University of Helsinki) is professor of systematic theology at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and docent of ecumenics at the University of Helsinki. He is ordained by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and is also an expert on Pentecostal/charismatic movements. He has served as visiting professor in various schools around the world and has participated in numerous international theological, missiological, and interfaith consultations. His many books include The Trinity: Global Perspectives, An Introduction to the Theology of Religions, and the five-volume series A Constructive Christian Theology for the Pluralistic World.
