Virtual Sacraments
To a friend in the ministry who, with respect to "virtual communion," notes that "we're not physically together online. That makes me wonder . . .":
This unease seems to be pretty much the universal complaint, where complaint there is, and I think it will ultimately kill virtual sacraments among serious Christians. There are always people who will leap upon any new practice (1) that gives them comfort or some other advantage, and (2) for which a logical argument can be confected—like serving gluten-free "bread" at Communion. This case rests upon the question of whether an ethereal electronic connection of persons is in essence the same as a connection across a space of plain air or in a shared meal. (It is raised with artificial amplification of the human voice, and continues with greater intensity in transmission by wires or airwaves.)
The yes or no—and it must be a "yes" or "no"—rests upon a shared pastoral intuition for which there is no strictly empirical demonstration. (In general, the judgment of the Church has been that voice amplification is acceptable for delivery of divine discourse, but this is not a theologically un-laden question, and I would not blame anyone who refused it. I myself do not normally listen to sermons on radio, television, or computer, and admit this is more a matter of taste than conviction—but where does this "taste" come from?)
That we are uneasy with virtual sacraments is all the proof we will have, but the dis-ease points to a reality beyond itself, and before which we also wonder whether we may be bound to appear and give cause. That is why your "wondering" is significant, especially when it is shared by so many men of spiritual responsibility who are collectively making the decision, "This far and no further."
S. M. Hutchens is a senior editor and longtime writer for Touchstone.
A Journal of Mere Christianity—Delivered to Your Door
- Essays on theology, culture, and the Church
- Contributors from across the Christian traditions
Six print issues (one year) of Touchstone, plus full online access and PDF downloads for only $39.95.
Get a one-year full-access subscription to the Touchstone online archives for only $19.95.
bulk subscriptions
Order Touchstone subscriptions in bulk and save $10 per sub! Each subscription includes 6 issues of Touchstone plus full online access to touchstonemag.com—including archives, videos, and pdf downloads of recent issues for only $29.95 each! Great for churches or study groups.
Transactions will be processed on a secure server.
more on ministry from the online archives
32.1—January/February 2019
Sex, Women's Ordination & the Rejection of Hierarchy & Equality by James A. Altena
more from the online archives
31.5—September/October 2018
Errands into the Moral Wilderness
Forms of Christian Family Witness & Renewal by Allan C. Carlson
33.1—January/February 2020
on a Saint's Charism That Cures Toxic Perfectionism by Colleen Carroll Campbell
32.5—September/October 2019
Some Trivial Thoughts on the Study of Philosophy by Graeme Hunter
calling all readers
Please Donate
"There are magazines worth reading but few worth saving . . . Touchstone is just such a magazine."
—Alice von Hildebrand
"Here we do not concede one square millimeter of territory to falsehood, folly, contemporary sentimentality, or fashion. We speak the truth, and let God be our judge. . . . Touchstone is the one committedly Christian conservative journal."
—Anthony Esolen, Touchstone senior editor
