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Understanding Four Views on the Lord's Supper (Counterpoints: Church Life) | 
 enlarge | Creators: Russell D. Moore, John Hesselink, David Scaer, Thomas Baima, John H. Armstrong, Paul E. Engle
Publisher: Zondervan
Category: Book
List Price: $14.99
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Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 418277
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8
ISBN: 0310262682
Dewey Decimal Number: 234.163
EAN: 9780310262688
ASIN: 0310262682
Publication Date: November 1, 2007
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Condition: Brand new item. Over 4 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Few left in stock - order soon. Code: Z20081231014235D
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Product Description
Four different ways Christians understand the Lord’s Supper—Baptist view (memorialism), Reformed (spiritual presence), Lutheran (consubstantiation), and Roman Catholic (transubstantiation)—are fairly represented and debated to provide readers with an opportunity to draw their own conclusion on this important Christian institution.
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| Customer Reviews:
 A Terrific Addition to the Counterpoints Series October 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'm a big fan of Zondervan's Counterpoints series. I enjoy reading different perspectives on any number of doctrines. I eagerly awaited the Counterpoints contribution to the Lord's Supper, and I was not disappointed.
Understanding Four Views on the Lord's Supper lays out the Baptist, Reformed, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic views of the Lord's Supper. Russ Moore (dean of the school of theology at Southern Seminary) starts off the book. It's hard to believe that Moore is actually articulating a Baptist position! As a lifelong Baptist, I have yet to come across Baptist pastors who articulate such a rich, (indeed sacramental) understanding of the memorialist view (except perhaps for Charles Spurgeon). Moore's contribution includes the most Scripture - another good thing for a Baptist. He also rightly shows how different atonement theories are visible in the Lord's Supper proclamation.
John Hesselink brings the Reformed position into view, quoting Calvin and the Reformed confessions at length. David Scaer clearly articulates the Lutheran position, and Thomas Baima contributes the chapter on the Roman Catholic view.
Understanding Four Views on the Lord's Supper is a terrific addition to the Counterpoints series. I find much to be commended in each of the four views, though I would probably land somewhere in between the Baptist and Reformed perspective. The authors' responses to the other contributors also help the reader distinguish the differing doctrines. After reading this book, I came across with a clearer understanding of how all of our theology is affected by or at least made evident in our doctrine of the Lord's Supper.
I must not fail to mention the helpful appendix. This section includes confessions of faith from many traditions as well as a compendium of quotes from important church figures, both Protestant and Roman Catholic. One's view of the Lord's Supper will be enriched simply by spending time with the giants of church history whose thoughts are included in this book.
Not a Breakthrough, but a Valuable Resource May 6, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Understanding Four Views on the Lord's Supper is one of the more important titles in the Counterpoints series published by Zondervan. This is because as a theological issue the Lord's Supper is among the most hotly contested -- not just in our day but throughout church history. To give it a yet greater weight, the debate over the Lord's Supper isn't merely a hotly contested side issue, but a hotly contested central issue. Christians of all stripes agree that the Lord's Supper is a very important theological topic for the church to get right.
The contributors chosen for this book and their respective positions are Russell D. Moore representing the Baptist perspective, I. John Hesselink representing the Reformed perspective, David P. Scaer representing the Lutheran perspective, and Thomas A. Baima representing the Roman Catholic perspective. Each contributor is given room to present his view and then a chance to offer a short rebuttal to the presentations of the others. The editor John H. Armstrong opens the book with an introductory chapter and concludes it with some final thoughts. This structure has amazing potential to bring about spirited discussion. Unfortunately, the space limitations for the rebuttals stifles theological interaction among the authors. Moore's presentation is 15 pages, and his three rebuttals put together equal 10 pages. Hesselink's presentation is 12 pages, and his three rebuttals equal 8 pages. Scaer's presentation is 14 pages, and his three rebuttals equal the same number. Finally, Baima's presentation lasts for 17 pages, while his rebuttals total 8 pages. Needless to say, for this reason Understanding Four Views on the Lord's Supper fails to become a breakthrough work in this discussion.
But if Understanding Four Views falls short of becoming a great addition to the debate over the Lord's Supper, it by no means falls short of becoming a great resource. After the editor's conclusion are two appendices filled with helpful historical formulations. Appendix 1 contains statements on the Lord's Supper in creeds, confessions, and catechisms. Appendix 2 contains quotations on the Lord's Supper from important figures in church history. Beyond that there are sections that aid the reader in finding resources for further study, a Scripture index, a subject index, and discussion and reflection questions. It really is a complete work. And all of this is in addition to the competent and erudite presentations of each of the contributors for their positions.
With that said, with the exception of Moore the contributors leave a lot to be desired in the area of Scriptural support for their positions. I understand that it is impossible to exhaust the exegetical evidence for each position in a few pages, yet it seemed as if Hesselink, Scaer and Baima gave little prominence to Scriptural argumentation for their views. I think Moore did the best job both in his presentation as well as in his responses, with Scaer coming in second. All four exhibited a very respectful tone, which can never be a bad thing, but maybe they could've been a bit more combative in their rebuttals. All in all, not a breakthrough, but a valuable resource.
 More definition and description than defense March 31, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
This book forms a companion with the previously-released Counterpoints "Understanding Four Views of Baptism." I was more impressed with the earlier book than with this one. Perhaps it's because I was already more familiar with the competing views of the Lord's Supper -- a subject which has caused some of the sharpest disagreements among the Christian community -- and this book didn't add much to my understanding.
This book is commendable (especially in comparison to the "Baptism" Counterpoints book) in that it includes a chapter devoted to the Roman Catholic view -- a stark contrast from the other 3 views. Each author also presents a succinct, easy-to-understand description of his respective position. Not only do they discuss the theology and nature of the Lord's Supper, but also practical considerations such as who may administer the sacrament, where should it be received, and who should receive it. Several authors include a brief historical overview of their tradition's development, in addition to its current practice.
Unfortunately, that is about all you get. The allure of the "Counterpoints" series has always been the way that different authors are able to defend their own views and critique those of their opponents. Here, the essays are so brief (barely 15 pages long) and the responses so cursory (about 3 pages apiece) that they barely scratch the surface of any deeper impications of each view. Consequently, many questions that might occur even to a casual reader are ignored. (e.g., Is the Roman Catholic "Mass" truly a heretical attempt to repeat the once-and-for-all sacrifice of Jesus on the cross? Many Protestant theologians have maintained that it is, but I suspect the Catholic contributor to this book might have answered differently, or at least put a different nuance to this idea. But we cannot know, because none of the authors even raises the question.)
Also disappointing is the paucity of Scripture references in each of the essays. The Baptist author (Moore) makes the best attempt to ground his views in the Bible, but the other three quote Scripture sparingly, and appeal more to John Calvin, Martin Luther, and the Roman Catholic Church proclamations. While this tendency does define their views well, it also makes them difficult to critique -- the only people who will be convinced by each essay are the people who already hold that view anyway.
In short, this is an excellent introduction to four major views on the Lord's Supper. Readers will come away with a clear awareness of what the areas of agreement and disagreement are. But this book could have been even stronger if the authors had been encouraged to go a little deeper in defining their own views, or a little longer in their comments & critiques of the competing author's essays.
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