Eucharist and Receptive Ecumenism
From Thanksgiving to Communion

This book bridges Catholic and Protestant theologies of the eucharist using ritual practice and the act of giving thanks.

Kimberly Hope Belcher (Author)

9781108813365, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 5 June 2025

254 pages
22.8 x 15.1 x 1.6 cm, 0.4 kg

'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

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.

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.

Subject Areas: Christian spirituality & religious experience [HRCS], Christian worship, rites & ceremonies [HRCR], Christian theology [HRCM], Ecumenism [HRCJ], Christianity [HRC]