Help Me Get to the Free University!
I'm working on a Ph.D. in theology at the Free University of Amsterdam , studying the history of the weekly communion debate in Reformed churches. As a controversial topic, and one that impacts the worship of millions of people world-wide, I hope to help pastors and leaders guide their churches into a deeper understanding of the Lord's Supper.
Although I am able to pursue my degree from a distance, I have to travel to the Free University for summer seminars, which costs around $2,500 per year. The Davenant Trust has agreed to help sponsor my travel for this coming year by matching $1,250 of your donations. So please consider supporting me with whatever you are able, knowing that every dollar you give will be doubled!
Bio: Gregory Soderberg has taught Theology, Literature, and Greek at Cary Christian School and is an Evangelist for Christ Church in NC. He loves teaching high school students and helping them to become servant leaders in the community. He is studying for a Ph.D. in historical theology at Free (Vrije -"Liberated") Universiteit of Amsterdam. He holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts and Culture from New St. Andrews College. After studying at Reformed Theological Seminary, he earned a M.A. in Church History from the University of Pretoria. He also studied liturgical theology at Trinity Theological College. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the American Society of Church History. He and his wife have four rambunctious children.
Why this project? It is well known that John Calvin desired to hold weekly communion services in both Strasbourg and Geneva. However, many in the Reformed tradition have rejected this idea. Infrequent communion is the norm and weekly communion is a minority practice in Reformed churches. In some Reformed polemics, weekly communion is viewed as a “Roman Catholic” practice. From the perspective of historical theology, this study is relevant because it will provide the first systematic examination of the debate, particularly in the Anglo-American tradition. For Reformed theology, this study is significant because it forces us to re-examine many of the standard assumptions about the purpose of communion by revisiting the sources. For ecumenical theology, the issue is significant because, like many Reformed churches, both the Roman Catholic church and the Orthodox churches have struggled with communion reluctance, and this study makes it possible to compare causes and backgrounds of this phenomenon. For Reformed churches, this study will provide a much-needed resource for conducting the ongoing debate on weekly communion in a historically sound and informed way.
