Holy Communion. What was the origin of this ‘celebration’? Unlikely to be have been a formal last meal of Jesus with his disciples, though they ate together often and there would have been a last time – whether anticipated or not. A common thought is that the last supper is based on either the Passover meal or the traditional Friday evening family meal prior to the Sabbath. John explored these options in some depth and noted that there are elements of both in the Gospel accounts (blessing of the wine and then bread from Friday; singing of Ps 136 from the Passover) as well as inconsistencies (the Passover lamb was not a sacrifice for sin – that was wheat). Overall John thought the Last Supper was closer in form to the Friday evening meal. We appreciated the ‘Take, Bless, Break, Give’ as a summary of Communion and as a celebration of the whole of life put forward by Hunt.
Dubious Doctrines and Suspicious Scriptures. This is only a short piece. We accept most of the ‘heresies’ identified. Our understanding is that orthodoxy is less important than orthopraxis. The purpose of the Gospel is to disturb and motivate people into action for a more just, compassionate world for all – not to stimulate academic discussions!