The Eucharist and Sacerdotalism in the Context of Priesthood of all Believers in the Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola: Towards a Postcolonial Eucharistic Theology

Abstract

The sacraments of Eucharist and Baptism are the main sacraments adopted by most protestant churches. The Evangelical Congregational church in Angola has also adopted the two sacraments. The Old Testament gives us various typologies concerning the origin and development of the Eucharist (Gen 14; Ex 12; 13; 25; Deut. 12; 16; Lev. 24), as well as the New Testament (Mt 26:26-28; Mk 14:22-23; Lk 22:19-20; 1 Cor 11). The Passover meal in the Old Testament as well as the Eucharist in the New Testament was celebrated in people’s houses and the head of the family was responsible, it was not necessarily done by an ordained clergy. As time went by change was introduced in the church in the sense that the Eucharist started to be celebrated by an ordained clergy, because priests were seen as those who represent God and are a people set apart. For that reason, the lay person was excluded from this priestly activity even in the churches that believe and teach the priesthood of all believers. This research investigated the faith and practice in regard to the administration of the sacrament of the Eucharist in the IECA and the sacerdotalism in order to reflect on the restriction of the laity in IECA and to arrive at a celebration of the Eucharist by the laity based on priesthood of all believers in the context of pandemics. This study established that there is the need of using postcolonial lenses for theological reflections on the faith and practice in the sacramental theology of the IECA. The research established the origin and historical development of sacerdotalism in the history of the Church. Besides, it sought to ascertain whether restricting celebration of the Eucharist to priests was the question of power dynamics in the Church. Finally, it sought to determine whether opening the practice of celebration to the laity would compromise the virtues of the sacrament of the Eucharist. The research found that if theological reflection through postcolonial hermeneutics on the faith and practice on the sacramental theology of IECA is done, the doctrine of priesthood of all believers can be used to solve the problem of restriction on the administration of the Eucharist and opening the celebration to the laity. The research proposes to the IECA in particular and the universal church in general to embark on theological reflections on the administration of the Eucharist so as to allow the laity to celebrate it during pandemics or in specific context.