Today we take up the third view of the relationship of Christ to the sacrament of the Supper that has appeared in church history, that of the so-called memorial view. Traditionally associated with Ulrich Zwingli (although there is evidence he was moving away from this view toward the end of his life) and held by many Christians who trace their spiritual ancestry to Anabaptism, this view of the Supper maintains that the sacrament is purely memorial. Nothing more transpires than that the recipient focuses his mind upon Christ and his sacrifice. Christ is nomore or less present at the celebration of the Supper than he is when a Christian prays or reads his Bible. There is no special channel of grace to the Christian by his participation in this sacrament. This view is probably the majority position among those who would call themselves evangelical or fundamentalist. Wags have referred tot his view as the doctrine of "the real absence," because it emphasizes that Jesus is neither physically present nor especially spiritually present in the Supper, as opposed to the other views that compete for the designation, "the real presence."
The fourth view, that held by Reformed Christians, will be discussed in more detail when we consider the seventh paragraph of this chapter.
Tomorrow: Transubstantiation denied.
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