The Rice Cake We Break: Rethinking the Traditional Use of Bread and Wine for the Eucharistic Meal in Light of Cross-Cultural Contexts

Abstract

At the end of the 20th century, prominent Anglican Church leaders gathered to determine whether or not non-Western Anglican churches would be permitted to substitute the traditional bread and wine for other, more culturally appropriate food and drink during their regular Eucharistic meals. Because of the abuse suffered by many non-Western countries in the last several centuries, foods like bread and wine—which were once simply everyday staples to a first century Jewish community—have become synonymous with European and North American culture and often raise unpleasant connotations of colonialism, racism and oppression for non- white Christians. However, despite agreeing that Eucharistic substitutions are acceptable and even preferable in many cross-cultural contexts, the Anglican Church at large has still failed to express this sentiment in their statement of doctrinal beliefs—a move that I argue would lead to more established unity in the Church at large and a better representation of Christ’s original mandate to remember Him in the daily acts of eating and drinking together.