With Gratitude To Rev. Vincent C. Schwahn
Some parts of the review…
… This book, written by Claudio Carvalhaes, a Brazilian-born theologian and ordained Presbyterian pastor, begins precisely by talking about the implications of the eucharist in relation to Oscar Romero’s sacrifice and death at the altar while celebrating Mass, and the profound relationship Romero witnessed to between the sacramental celebration of the eucharist and social change. Carvalhaes states in his introduction that “Christian churches can be powerful social agents in changing unequal and unfair aspects of globalization and can offer a sustainable model for a new world” (p. 5).
… Academic readers will enjoy the challenge, but this message is so important to church and society that these stories of real “eucharistic” living should be made available to those who might be daunted by the academic and professional language of its subject matter. In the hands of Christian educators using this book as a resource, the book is a veritable gold mine of stories, concepts, and provocative questions for churches to explore and ponder. I would recommend this book to any leader of eucharistic worship (ordained or lay) struggling with their own borders and limitations with the eucharist, as those boundaries have been handed down to us by our own ecclesiastical institutions.
… It is a timely book for settings where there is serious discussion taking place around the question, “Who should be welcome around our tables?” Timely too, in reminding all Christian leaders that the eucharist is, and has always been, a means of transformation, both individually and societally.
VINCENT C. SCHWAHN
Instituto de Liderazgo Hispano Los Angeles, California
Read the whole Book Review here:
Anglican Theological Review: Fall: Volume 97, Number 4, Fall 2015
