Re: The Left Hand of God or "is God a socialist"

At 10:35 AM 3/7/2006, Ted Davis wrote:

>... I think it's completely correct to say that "the majority of
>Christians over
>the ages" and perhaps a majority of Christians in our own day would consider
>the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist (ie, transsubstantiation or
>something darn close to it) to be "essential to the Christian faith." The
>Reformed view on this (the Eucharist as a means of grace) doesn't fit into
>this view and nor does the view of many fundamentalists (the MSLutherans
>would be an obvious exception) and all of the Anabaptists (the Eucharist is
>a remembrance of Christ, an ordinance rather than a sacrament). A lot of
>people in the ASA, at TDI, and at Answersingenesis would probably dissent
>from that opinion (and it isn't easy to say something like that). I'm
>curious, Janice--what do you personally think about this one? How
>"pluralistic" do you want to be, on something as "essential" as this? ..."

@ I go by what Jesus said (paraphrased): "... Whenever you do
this, do it in remembrance of me" - a memorial. Christ is always
present in his people.

If you believe that to please God, it is essential for you to
actually go somewhere so that you can "literally" bring Christ down
from heaven and sacrifice him anew at communion in order to atone for
your sins, it is essential for you.

Essentials of the faith don't revolve around rituals, they revolve
around who God is and what he is doing.

There are, and will be plenty of Christians in heaven for whom
Transubstantiation or Consubstantiation wasn't an "essential" belief.

Or do you not believe that?

~ Janice
Received on Tue Mar 7 11:36:32 2006