Abstract
A significant liturgical controversy of the COVID-19 pandemic is whether Christians should celebrate communion online. Much of the discussion of online communion has been based on theological and theoretical claims, rather than concrete observations and experiences, and much of this reflection has been directed toward specific denominational contexts. In contrast, this ethnographic study centers on participant observation of twelve worship services that included communion, or would ordinarily have included communion, that occurred between Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday of April 2020 in Free Church, mainline Protestant, Anglican, and Roman Catholic settings. It takes the approach of receptive ecumenism and asks what gifts Christians from various traditions can receive from one another in relation to online communion both during and beyond times of crisis. Rather than making a case for or against celebrating communion online, it explores the ways in which community is demonstrated and effected in online communion practices.
Highlights
A significant liturgical controversy of the COVID-19 pandemic is whether and how Christian communities can or should celebrate communion online.[1]
Much of the discussion of online communion has been based on theological and theoretical claims, rather than concrete observations and experiences of online communion, and much of this reflection has been directed toward specific denominational contexts
New practices of online communion have emerged as Christians who usually have the privilege and ability to attend worship in person are not permitted to gather
Summary
A significant liturgical controversy of the COVID-19 pandemic is whether and how Christian communities can or should celebrate communion online.[1] Whether profound or. The absence of the celebration of communion as a result of online worship is considered. Celebrating communion online is not a new question, it is a question perceived to have greater urgency and importance when it is an issue for everyone, for those who are continually socially isolated—people who are homebound or disabled, geographically remote, or without local clergy. New practices of online communion have emerged as Christians who usually have the privilege and ability to attend worship in person are not permitted to gather. It is regrettable that this situation was required to engage in a serious discussion and exploration of online communion across traditions, the implications for those for whom social distancing is an ongoing reality may reach far beyond seasons of widespread social distancing
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