The Reformed tradition has often made doctrine the starting point for eucharistic theology. In this book Martha Moore-Keish seeks to counter that tendency, placing the Reformed tradition in conversation with liturgical theology and ritual theory to move toward a fuller appreciation of the ritual dimension of the Lord's Supper.
While liturgical theologians assert more strongly than most Reformed theologians that knowledge of God comes primarily through liturgy, both groups, says Moore-Keish, have not always attended closely to local practice. In keeping with ritual scholars who urge closer attention to particular practices, Moore-Keish argues that we need to be cautious about claiming what the eucharist universally is and does. We must not allow predetermined 'meaning' to blind us to the 'doing' of eucharist in local churches. An in-depth study of a particular congregation helps flesh out Moore-Keish's thesis.
