Risky Food and Eucharistic Hospitality: A Methodist Approach to Open Table

Abstract

Can persons from diverse traditions remain true to their distinctive religious commitments while participating in Christian worship? This is a huge question, obviously, and I begin with the disclaimer that I will not pretend to be able to answer this question from the side of other religions. It may be very possible for a devotee of some religions, Hinduism, for example, to participate in Christian worship on their own terms and without fear that this violates their basic belief system or religious practices. What I want to explore in this thought experiment, however, is this: regardless of the beliefs of others, what should Christians tell (let us say “warn”) non-Christian attenders about the effects of participation in Christian worship, focusing on the specific case of the Lord’s Supper?