Updated 7/2/20
As the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the closure of public worship worldwide, churches are grappling with how (if at all) live-streaming or videoconferencing in worship is compatible with a practice of the Holy Eucharist.
Our interest is not to insist on a radical revision of historic Anglican Eucharistic practice, nor to disallow various proposal for “virtual communion” but rather to start a serious conversation about sacramental theology. Context – the ongoing situation and the “signs of the times” – can and should affect our theology. The question is how. The current coronavirus crisis provides an opportunity to begin deep, sustained, and open-minded theological reflection on sacraments and technology.
The resources below are a starting point for such a conversation. This page will be updated as the theological dialogue continues.
I am also interested in organizing a virtual discussion group to make space to work through some of these issues together. If you are interested in being part of such a group, please email me at hannah@yptheology.org.
—Hannah Bowman
Resources:
On Our Theology of Worship from the Most Rev. Michael Curry
Pastoral letter from the Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle, Diocese of Texas
Jason Goroncy: Holy Communion and COVID-19: The Body of Christ in a time of social distancing
Simon Rundell: MA Dissertation: Sacraments in Digital Space—A Theological Reflection of Three Church’s Position Statements
Andrew McGowan: Liturgy in a Time of Plague: A Letter to a Colleague
Samuel Wells and Abigail Kocher, Keeping the Feast: Thoughts on Virtual Communion in a Lockdown Era
Julia Gatta, Communion with Christ and One Another in a Time of Pandemic
Joshua Case, Towards a Digital Sacrament: a Moment 40+ Years in the Praying
Diana Butler Bass, On Hoarding Eucharist in a Hungry World
Deanna A. Thompson: Christ is Really Present Virtually: A Proposal for Virtual Communion
Dirk Lange, Digital Worship and Sacramental Life in a Time of Pandemic
Kathryn Reklis, X-Reality and the Incarnation
Mark Brett and Rachelle Gilmour, Worship in exile as an ‘essential service’
Tony Hunt, In Spirit and In Truth
Kevin J. Moroney, On Presence, Real and Impaired
Matthew S.C. Olver, Worship in a Time of Pandemic, Part 2
Hannah Bowman, Virtual Communion and the Call to Discern the Body
Dana Delap, How We Shared the Bread and Wine on Zoom
Peter Carrell, Online Worship: The Presence and Future of Zoom Eucharists?
Elizabeth Anderson, Of Literal Resurrection and Spiritual Communion
Scott MacDougall, Common Discernment about Common Prayer During Lockdown
Hannah Bowman and Neil Dhingra, Virtual Communion, COVID-19, and the Nature of the Body of Christ
Graham Ward, Cities of God