CommunionAt a meeting of the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry held in Nashville, Tenn. September 30-October 1, United Methodist bishops, scholars, agency executives and pastors debated the increasingly hot topic of whether the Lord's Supper should be offered via the world wide web.

The conference was organized by the Board of Discipleship and United Methodist Communications. Ed Philips, Candler's associate professor of worship and liturgical theology and coordinator of the initiative in religious practices and practical theology was in attendance, and shared his thoughts on the matter.

"Here’s one thing you can’t do online: You can’t give somebody a bowl of hot soup and you can’t touch their hand while you are giving it to them. You can’t give them a hug if they’re down," Phillips said. "Maybe we ought to pay more attention to the sharing (of the sacrament)."

Phillips served from 2001 to 2004 as chair of the Holy Communion Study Committee for the denomination’s General Conference. 

You can read the full story on the United Methodist News Service's site by clicking here: bit.ly/19nVnR6