Can the church celebrate the eucharist in "contagious times," like the coronavirus pandemic, and if so, how? In this book, Richard Burridge investigates a wide range of proposed options, both in the everyday physical world (fasting the eucharist, spiritual communion, solo and concelebrated communions, lay presidency, drive-in and drive-thru eucharists, and extended communion) and in cyberspace (computer services for avatars, broadcast eucharists online, and narrowcast communions using webinar software like Zoom). Along the way, he tackles the whole range of concepts of the church, ordination, and the eucharist. This book is essential reading for anyone desiring an informed and provocative guide to the theology and practice of holy communion in our challenging times.
The Revd Canon Professor Richard A. Burridge is an internationally recognized biblical scholar, ethicist, theologian and social commentator. During his career, he has been a schoolmaster, parish priest, university chaplain, academic, and professor, and he served as Dean of King's College London for over 25 years from 1993 to 2019. He is the author of several books, including the ground breaking What are the Gospels? He was awarded the 2013 Ratzinger Prize by Pope Francis, the first non-Roman Catholic to receive this prize for academic scholarship.
