What you believe about the real presence drives real behavior.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
by Armenian artist Ariel Agemian

“Real presence” is the Christian doctrine that Jesus’ real body and blood is physically, literally present in the bread and wine consumed at communion.[1]

There is a rather narrow spectrum of refinements on this idea. Most denominations either do, or do not, believe this. Those that “do” disagree on what form Jesus’ presence takes, and that varies from “just as real as you and me” to “spiritually real.”[2]

If you want to know more, check out the footnotes. Regarding the belief/behavior relationship:

If you don’t believe in the real presence:

* You can go to any church that satisfies your needs for Christian fellowship and teaching.

* The sanctuary is generally noisy and active before and after a service.

* You can convert a sanctuary into a gymnasium without giving it a second thought.

* Attending at a certain place at a certain time is important, eg, Sunday morning service.

If you do believe in the real presence:

* You can go to any church of the same denomination because Jesus is really, physically, literally there (regardless of what or who else might also be there).

* You can go to church anytime, any day, and really, physically, literally receive Jesus.

* The sanctuary is generally quieter and more reflective because Jesus is physically present in a way that is different than “Jesus is here because he’s everywhere.”

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There is a right and wrong here, but more of the sort that’s corrected by encouragement, not dogmatic insistence.

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CS Lewis

I read a long time ago in one of CS Lewis’s essays that one shouldn't go church-hopping just because you don’t like the pastor, or the choir, or for some other trivial reason.

Lewis was Church of England. It occurred to me only recently that this would make no sense to an evangelical Protestant. For many Protestants, disliking the pastor is a primary reason one moves along to a new church, and most will travel miles every Sunday to the one spot that holds the right assortment of personalities, music, beliefs, etc.

Large, hierarchical denominations encourage attendance and support in the local parish, because the sacraments and doctrines don’t change, and in fact are the primary reasons for attending.

[2014-03-17]

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I know this seems trivial to a lot of folks, and I do wrestle with ideas that don’t matter to most people most of the time, but in the microcosm I grew up in, questions like this were enormous, and still are; and of course, a few hundred years ago, it was sort of a big deal.

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[1]

There are many types of elements used in communion. I was brought up with grape juice and matzoh (unleavened bread). Some denominations use real wine and specially-made unleavened wafers that have a symbol impressed or embossed. Some use regular bread, some use water.

There may be exceptions, but I know of no denomination that believes in the real presence and uses juice or regular bread.

[2]

Those at the “100% real Jesus” end of the spectrum preserve or consume leftover communion. Consecrated leftovers are retained in an “ark.” Christians that believe this treat the elements as though they were a person (and indeed they believe it is).

At the other end are those who believe Jesus is really in the elements but only spiritually, not physically and literally. It is different (but only slightly) from those that believe the bread and wine are nothing more than bread and wine, for once you say “Jesus is spiritually in this,” you've only said “of all the places Jesus is, I choose to focus on this one piece of real estate for the time being.”

My denomination of choice, LCMS Lutheranism, believes in the real presence; the shape that takes in each church varies widely. Some have an ark and preserve the elements, some are more informal with less visible emphasis on this doctrine.

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