An Anglican Theology Of The Lord’s Supper

Anglicans believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. They reject any doctrine of a crudely material presence. The Thirty-nine Articles, the sixteenth-century Anglican statement of doctrine and polity, also rejected the less crudely materialist Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. The following paragraphs outline four ways that Anglicans explain Christ's real, sacramental presence. Real But Not Carnal or Local Presence The Anglican Communion (sixty million worldwide) is catholic and evangelical. It is catholic in that its creeds, sacramental theology, and polity (episcopacy) conform to the undivided church prior to the East/West division of the eleventh century. At the same time, the English church has concluded that the main doctrinal developments of the Protestant Reformation, such as the authority of Scripture and the necessity of personal faith, are also part of the ancient faith. These catholic and evangelical threads are reflected in the Anglican view of the p…