Category Archives: Sacraments

Mercy not Sacrifice (4): The Act that Counters Contempt

Mercy not Sacrifice (4): The Act that Counters Contempt We are thinking through Richard Beck’s illuminating book, Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality. In our first post, we introduced his suggestion that disgust psychology can help explain the ways we view and treat other people. Do we view them through the lens of sacrificeContinue reading “Mercy not Sacrifice (4): The Act that Counters Contempt”

Online Communion?

Online Communion? The Covid-19 pandemic has forced local congregations online. Some of you watched my humble attempt to provide a bit of encouragement to my own little church by providing prayers, scripture, preaching, and songs from the sanctuary to folks stuck at home via YouTube (see Sunday’s post). All well and good, as far asContinue reading “Online Communion?”

Another Look: Sacramental from the Beginning

Note from CM: I recently read two other perspectives that, to some extent, critique evangelicals’ attraction to — but fuzzy understanding of — sacramentalism as an answer to living in a “disenchanted” world. I encourage you to follow these links and read Jake Meador’s comments on Derek Mishmawy’s post. • • • …the mysterious characterContinue reading “Another Look: Sacramental from the Beginning”

Wednesday with Michael Spencer: Thoughts on Weekly Communion

Wednesday with Michael Spencer Thoughts on Weekly Communion (2008) In June of last year, I began taking the Lord’s Supper weekly. I’d like to write about what this has meant to me, and to the community of worshiping Christians that I lead. My Southern Baptist tradition has been de-emphasizing the Lord’s Supper for a goodContinue reading “Wednesday with Michael Spencer: Thoughts on Weekly Communion”

Transaction or Sacrament?

Tuesday with Michael Spencer from 2007 Debates about “transactionalism” have often been debates about the atonement. The Bible places the death of Jesus as the apex of a scriptural thread of sacrificial theology. Sacrifice is plainly transactional. No one can deny that, and I wouldn’t try. But is the death of Jesus a transaction, orContinue reading “Transaction or Sacrament?”

Rowan Williams on the Eucharist (2)

Rowan Williams on the Eucharist (2) Today we continue our series of reflections on Rowan Williams’s book, Being Christian: Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer, continuing with the third big theme of the practice of being Christian — the sacrament celebrating how God welcomes us to his table: the Eucharist. The resurrected Jesus is doing what heContinue reading “Rowan Williams on the Eucharist (2)”

Rowan Williams on the Eucharist (1)

Rowan Williams on the Eucharist (1) Today we continue our series of reflections on Rowan Williams’s book, Being Christian: Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer, turning to the third big theme of the practice of being Christian — the sacrament celebrating how God welcomes us to his table: the Eucharist. For Christians, to share in the Eucharist,Continue reading “Rowan Williams on the Eucharist (1)”

Rowan Williams on Baptism (2)

Rowan Williams on Baptism (2) Today we continue our series of reflections on Rowan Williams’s book, Being Christian: Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer. As we continue to hear what Williams has to say about baptism, he reminds us that, being baptized into the life of Christ, we partake of and grow into his identity. One classicContinue reading “Rowan Williams on Baptism (2)”

Rowan Williams on Baptism (1)

Rowan Williams on Baptism (1) Today we begin a series of reflections on Rowan Williams’s book, Being Christian: Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer. My congregation celebrated its 180th anniversary yesterday. That’s quite a historical legacy. When I serve as interim pastor this winter, I’ve been thinking about doing some preaching and teaching that goes back toContinue reading “Rowan Williams on Baptism (1)”