Why GFJF?

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Gluten-Free Communion

I've been doing quite a bit of research on gf-communion lately.

It's an issue close to my heart for several reasons. I'm gluten-intolerant, for one, but I'm also on the road to ordination and (Lord willing) will someday be serving a church where I will want to include all baptized believers at Christ's table. No ifs, ands, buts, or allergies will stand in the way. There will be gluten-free bread.

I'm a strong believer in the importance of offering non-alcoholic wine (and/or grape juice) along with wine for those in a given church who struggle with alcoholism as well. Why make anyone who is joyfully following their Lord have to think twice about partaking in his supper? Why risk causing an alcoholic to go back to their poison because of a sip of communion wine?

The amount and type of information on gluten-free communion is both heartening and discouraging. It's heartening because it's an issue that's beginning to be heard and understood. Calvin College has an "Institute of Christian Worship" that mentions the issue in one of its sessions. I know of two churches in my immediate are that offer gf breads or wafers alongside (but not too close!) to the regular ones. Gluten-free communion wafers are available from the Church Supply Warehouse as well as Ener-G, and for fairly reasonable prices.

It's discouraging because there is still much education to be done in our churches (most don't offer gf-options simply because they don't know it might be helpful), but also because there seems to be a good bit of controversy surrounding gluten-free communion. What controversy, you ask?

Well, there's the Catholic church's refusal to offer a completely gluten-free host. Why? Because the Vatican has decided that gluten is an integral part of the body of Christ. Jesus used wheat bread, so we must use wheat bread, too. Um... what? This also leaves out the obvious truth that Jesus used bread-like bread, while many churches use wafers that look and feel... well... distinctly un-bread-like.

To their credit, some kindhearted Benedictine nuns have made it their mission to create the lowest gluten-containing host known to humankind, and have come up with something that has only 0.01% gluten. You can find their story here.

While this is indeed a noble effort, and I respect their theological differences, the Vatican's stance does ignore the fact that even a minuscule amount of gluten can cause a reaction in someone who is very sensitive, as well as the fact that each molecule of gluten is damaging to a celiac sufferer. It's a little bit like eating only a tiny bit of rat poison. That couldn't hurt, right? Right...

The other controversy is the one so many of us face in our day-to-day lives: the perception that staying 100% gluten-free can't be that important, that the gluten-intolerant among us couldn't possibly get that sick when we eat some. Occasionally a well-meaning Christian person will also layer that lovely religious guilt over it, too: "Well, if playing your silly little food allergy game is more important than Jesus, then I guess that's your business." Good golly, Miss Molly.

I'm a dedicated and passionate follower of Jesus, but I kind of want to kick those people in the shins.

We're not on a diet. We're not "faking it." We don't do this for the (often negative) attention.

Gluten-intolerance is a fact. Celiac is a disease. Those of us who suffer from one or both go through dozens of inconveniences every day. Please don't bar us from this sacrament as well.

For those of you who are gf--speak up! Tell your pastor; go to your board of deacons or your session; spread the word at Bible study. Adding a few gf-crackers to the Lord's table is a simple fix, and one that may be as easy as a thirty-second conversation with your pastor. If/when I step into a pastoral position, I am considering baking my own bread each week to share with the congregation. There's no reason the whole congregation can't share a gf (or even all-allergen-free) loaf together.

The body of Christ is broken for you, too. 

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