A Wesleyan Theology of the Eucharist: The Presence of God for Christian Life and Ministry

Duke Divinity School Dean Elaine A. Heath and Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Wainwright are among a diverse group of theologians and scholars contributing to a new book on the connection between the Eucharist and areas of Christian theology, life, and ministry.

The new book, A Wesleyan Theology of the Eucharist: The Presence of God for Christian Life and Ministry, was published this month by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM). It shares the voices of noted Wesleyans who seek to recover the importance of Holy Communion.

“These essays bear witness to renewed interest among Wesleyan communities in this rich part of our heritage,” said Randy L. Maddox, William Kellon Quick Professor of Wesleyan and Methodist studies at the Divinity School. He also serves as general editor of the Wesley Works Editorial Project. “More important, they provide encouragement and wisdom for reclaiming the centrality of the Eucharist to Christian worship, nurture, and life.”

Jason Vickers, a professor of theology and site coordinator at the Memphis Campus of Asbury Theological Seminary, served as the general editor for the book released by the publishing ministry of GBHEM, the leadership development agency of The United Methodist Church.

This book is in two parts. In the first, leading Wesleyan theologians reflect on the Eucharist in connection with each of the major areas of Christian theology, with Wainwright writing an essay on the doctrine of the Trinity. In the second, scholars reflect on the relationship between the Eucharist and aspects of Christian life and ministry, with Dean Heath writing on evangelism.

Heath, who began her tenure as dean earlier this year, is also the professor of missional and pastoral theology at the Divinity School. Wainwright is the Robert Earl Cushman Professor Emeritus of Christian Theology.