Spirit and Sacrament: An Invitation to Eucharismatic Worship

by Andrew Wilson

Spirit and Sacrament by pastor and author Andrew Wilson is an impassioned call to join together two traditions that are frequently and unnecessarily kept separate. It is an invitation to pursue the best of both worlds in worship, the Eucharistic and the charismatic, with the grace of God at the center.

Wilson envisions church services in which healing testimonies and prayers of confession coexist, the congregation sings When I Survey the Wondrous Cross followed by Happy Day, and creeds move the soul while singing moves the body. He imagines a worship service that could come out of the book of Young men see visions, old men dream dreams, sons and daughters prophesy, and they all come together to the same Table and go on their way rejoicing.

In short, Spirit and Sacrament is an appeal to bring out of the church's storehouse all of its treasures, so that God's people can worship our unrivaled Savior with sacraments and spiritual gifts, raised hands and lowered faces.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Nonfiction, Church, Faith, Ecclesiology, Spirituality

134 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 8, 2019

About the author

Andrew is Teaching Pastor at King's Church London, and has theology degrees from Cambridge (MA), London School of Theology (MTh), and King's College London (PhD). He is a columnist for Christianity Today, and has written several books, including Echoes of Exodus (Crossway, 2018) and Spirit and Sacrament: An Invitation to Eucharismatic Worship (Zondervan, 2018).

Reviews

[Brian Parks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more than an argument for continuationism. It is an argument that churches should wed both a focus on the gift of the eucharist and baptism with seeking and practicing the charismatic gifts. He is an excellent writer though uses quite a few idiomatic phrases throughout and therefore it might not be the best book for non-Western readers. I'm right with him in the importance of the eucharist and baptism along with a rich and rooted liturgy. But, in the end, I feel his argument for continuationism is weaker than, say, Tom Schreiner's for cessationism.

A couple of points:
I like his focus on the need for joy and celebration in the life of the church
I think he borders on pitting "knowing" against "loves" with his argument for a rich liturgy (though I completely buy the argument for liturgy. I just think it starts with knowing.
I find his hermeneutical argument thin. He mainly says, "Paul says seek the gift of prophecy a lot" so we should therefore seek the gift of prophecy.

Additional Reflections:
I want to be open to the practice of the charismatic gifts. Aside from 1 Corinthians though, the focus in the epistles seems to be on a teaching ministry which would seem to point toward a diminishing role for those gifts. Also, I simply have not ever seen it practiced in a way that a) made any significant differentiation between impressions and so-called prophecy or b) avoided the entirely self-centered and individualistic prophecy of the prosperity preachers. Much of the prophecy in the Bible (both NT and OT) is warning and judgment. But you never hear that. More often you hear that 'you will be healed of this or that' or 'you will get a bonus check from work' or "you're going to get your breakthrough'. I know that Wilson is not of their ilk and he would condemn what I've just described.

They both seem like men I'd love to learn from and spend time with though. Just saying...

Update: The Themelios 44.1 Journal has articles by both Schreiner and Wilson. Schreiner is even more convincing in his article and his response to Wilson (whose arguments are largely taken from his book).

[Matthew Westerholm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just the sort of book that needed to be written. Building upon the instincts of Gordon Smith (Evangelical, Sacramental, and Pentecostal) and Melanie Ross (Evangelical vs. Liturgical), Wilson makes the convivial case for worship gatherings that receive all of God's gifts to his church.

[Ryan Linkous · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading Andrew Wilson for about eight years now, and I have always been shaped by how he weds biblical studies acumen (he has a PhD from Kings College), theological reflection, and pastoral wisdom into all things. He's witty and writes well. Though I don't know him personally, he appears to love his wife and children well. Because of his writing, for years I've said that I would love to be a "Reformed Liturgical Charismatic Baptist" although I don't know if I have the courage to be and seriously doubt if many churches in my Southern Baptist tradition would be willing to go on such a ride with me. "Spirit and Sacrament" presents a compelling vision for both liturgical and charismatic worship.

Wilson structures the book with an (1) intro, and chapters on (2) grace (charis) and (3) joy (chara), then explains why churches should be (4) "Eucharistic" (liturgical) and (5)"Charismatic" (openness to all spiritual gifts in the present) and concludes with a chapter offering several suggestions on how to become (6) "Eucharismatic"

As mentioned above, the book is written well. Wilson's chapters on "Grace" and "Joy" would stand as an excellent place to demonstrate to someone a fully-bodied theology of these in the Christian life. God gives us all good things to enjoy. Also, the acknowledgment in the final chapter that a step in either a liturgical or charismatic direction could be challenging for a congregation was helpful and encourages me to take the long game.

[Makayla Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I get a BOTH AND.
This is my kind of book. Eucharistic and charismatic. Liturgy and spiritual gifts. Not only does Andrew Wilson give a compelling vision, but he writes so well that I want to read everything he's written down to his grocery lists.

[Josh Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

First read of 2020, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being the best book I read all year.

Clear. Kind. Compelling. Convincing.

[Joshua Biggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Might be my favorite book I’ve read this year.

Wilson casts a compelling biblical vision of a church led by the Bible, rooted in history, formed by liturgy, revering the sacraments, and living in an joyful/experiential relationship with God in the fullness of the Spirit and all his gifts given for the building up of the church into maturity in Christ. In other words: the kind of church we read about in the New Testament.

A short and extremely helpful book!

[Matthew Manchester · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who went directly from the Assemblies of God to the EPC (Presbyterian), this book is in my wheelhouse.

SUMMARY

The author's goal is to show how beneficial a church seeking both the sacraments and the Spirit could be. He spend much of the time showing why each tradition should be valued.

THE GOOD

I enjoy the down to earth conversational tone.

I found the book to be fair to both sides, though not deeply expounding (especially on the charismatic side). However, I did appreciate how he shows the value of each side before debating any arguments.

THE CHALLENGES

Simply put, it feels like a pastoral fire side chat. That's not a bad thing, but this is not *the* book on this subject. There's not enough data, research, expounding, etc for it to be. However, it is a wonderful conversation piece.

CONCLUSION

I find this book to be a good discussion book. If a cessationist and continuationist (or a Presbyterian & Pentecostal) wanted to discuss what they could learn from each other and the kind of church they could create together, then this is the book I'd recommend. However, it will not give them much help in creating that kind of church. In this respect, I find Sam Storms's Practicing the Power: Welcoming the Gifts of the Holy Spirit in Your Life to be more beneficial if that's what you're looking for.

Three stars.

[Carly Kruse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow wow wow!! I have yet to feel so KNOWN in a present struggle/wrestling with the Lord over particular burdens for the church as I have with this book!

Spirit and Sacrament paints a beautiful picture of the goal for God’s church to be equally Eucharistic and charismatic (a concept he calls “Eucharismatic”). And Wilson does an excellent job at making a case for why we should care about this, whether your church is more on the side of liturgy/tradition or at the opposite end of the spiritual spectrum with spiritual gifts/vibrant worship or if your church is in the middle not really pursuing much of either. I felt like his defense/support was unbiased and extremely rooted in Scripture, which definitely helped convince me!!

I have been talking to the Lord about similar burdens as presented in this book for a while now, so this was so refreshing to read from someone who has put some of my exact thoughts into words!! Rather than dwelling in frustration regarding the spiritual status of the church I attend or even the church in the West at large, I was encouraged to press on and see that a Eucharismatic church is totally possible and accessible—just look at the early church in the New Testament!!

Wilson says it best here:
“To be Eucharismatic is to have our minds persuaded, and our hearts captivated, by this biblical and historical reality: the Triune God has showered his church with gifts, and every one of them is good, and we will maximize our joy (chara) and our appreciation of his grace (charis) as we receive and treasure all of them.” (136-137)

[Zach Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know Christian celebrity culture is dangerous, but I think Andrew Wilson might be my new guy. He is insightful, biblical, earnest, and funny. His blog is the best I’ve found for thoughtful evangelical theology.

His arguments in this book are powerful. Basically, we can be charismatic and Eucharistic at the same time.

Charismatic:
- Standard biblical defense of continuationism
- Historical evidence for continuationism as well
- Interesting comments on angels and demons

Eucharistic:
- He identified more Jewish traditions in the NT than I previously knew about
- Even where evangelicals are Eucharistic, we typically fall short of the NT tone
- James K.A. Smith
- Liturgy is story-forming

I also loved his comments on joy and grace. I want to live the life he describes.

[Megan Mae Oitzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woooof. So good. One I’ll re-read often!!

[Josh Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Chandler hit the nail on it's head well in his preface. There is no need for both Eucharistic and Charasmatic brothers and sisters in Christ to be divided. Eucharistic (some would call traditional according to its most negative practice) and Charasmatic (some would call emotionalism when at its worst) are both much needed biblical characteristics of worship practices for Sunday gathering. Choose reformation rather than revolt, is one of the main messages of this book. This book helps us to see ourselves as the united big "C" church, rather than thinking we are God's gift to the earth with all the answers to the problems that plague us in the western church. I recommend this book!

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up charasmatic and now going to a Presbyterian Church, I've really struggled with the seeming opposition between these two schools of thought. Why not both? Wilson ties the two together beautifully. His arguments are compelling and insightful. Even if you don't agree with his argument, it's definitely worth a read to help better understand your fellow believers in different denominations.

[Dave Betts · Rating 5 out of 5]

A helpful, solid and possibly stretching argument for a “Eucharismatic” community. If you’re dead set against tradition and liturgy, or alternatively, if you’re convinced that there is little room for the work of the Holy Spirit today, this book will certainly challenge you. A must read!

[Brandon Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great. As a deacon of a church which I think wants to strive to do this well, yet our spiritual side of things may be lacking (we're wrestling with how this plays out in the church setting), I actually found his argument for liturgical side of things much more convicting. I loved that this book didn't just go here's spiritual gifts, now use them, but actually did a bit of a Biblical Theology of gifts in general. I think his lists of ways to incorporate more liturgical or spiritual practices were great, and there was some awesome ones I'd love to see our church incorporate.

[Salvador Blanco · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an excellent book with an attainable vision for churches and individual Christians to aim for. Wilson writes so beautifully and concisely. He makes reasonable arguments and suggestions. To anyone wanting to think about wedding both sacramental and charismatic practice - this is book is required reading!

[Andrew Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interesting book. A lot of Christian books don’t actually say anything creative or challenging, and when they do, they say them in a boring way. That’s not this book. Wilson is a great writer who paints a compelling vision of liturgical and charismatic expressions of worship coexisting.

I walked away with several questions for our own church.

[Daniel Tanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does a good job defining what it means to be a Spirit filled and sacramental Christian, particularly what it means for the church. This is not the go-to if you want the most full-orbed argument for Continuationism, but it does a good job nonetheless. We absolutely can be filled with the Spirit, using the many gifts God has given the church, while simultaneously soaking ourselves in historical repetitive liturgical practices.

[Samuel G. Parkison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It doesn't answer every question, but it portrays a pretty compelling vision.

[Tyler Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful, but closed it wanting more. Thankfully the footnotes are filled with good resources to go to next.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last Summer I had the privilege of visiting a church that displayed this book in their lobby as recommended reading. They practiced "Eucharismatic" worship, and I loved it, so I knew I needed to read this book. While by no means thorough (could you really be thorough in less than 200 pages?), this little book is a well-balanced, concise introduction to the concept of combining Liturgy with the Spiritual Gifts.

[Steven Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know if I have ever read a book that better captures what I believe about and hope for the Church. It asks a brilliant question: Why can't we have both? Why can't we be both charismatic *and* sacramental in our worship? Why can't we seek all of the miraculous gifts, and also claim the depths of sacramental theology and practice? Why can't we look back into history and realize that the Church has been both charismatic and liturgical? At every turn, I found myself answering with an emphatic YES!

Wilson's argument has many merits, but I was especially grateful for his masterful use of scripture and history for both charismatic and sacramental worship. As it turns out, there are deep scriptural currents undergirding both a full acceptance of the gifts and rich sacramental liturgy. And there are surprising historical precedents for both as well. (Have you ever read a book that cites Athanasius, Augustine, Justin, Irenaeus, and Origen as proof that the patristic era was full of charismatic practices? I know I never have... and Wilson cites Tertullian, the most charismatic of the bunch, almost as an afterthought! That's saying something.)

When I think about the future of the Church, this is what it looks like.

True, being charismatic and sacramental are not the only things the Church should be. Some important things are presupposed by the book (being richly Trinitarian, Christocentric, cruciform, Biblically grounded, etc) and some things are missing but not negated (evangelism, mercy/alms, justice, contemplative spirituality, emotional health and wholeness, etc), but as far as core values go, charismatic and eucharistic rank pretty high up there.

Thank you, Andrew Wilson, for writing a perfect short single-volume summary of what many voices in the Church have been calling for for a while. This book is the fruitful convergence of those voices. May God's Spirit continue to pour out all of the gifts!

[K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that I really wanted to like. Wilson is an excellent writer, and I had been awaiting this book for some time. I am attracted to the vision of "eucharismatic" worship that Wilson describes. At the end of the day, however, there were two big problems. First, I still don't know what a church like this would look like; Wilson only hints at this, and admits to not being able to offer concrete examples. I suspect this is what some Anglican churches are trying to pull off with, at least from testimonies I've heard, very mixed results. Second, I am what many would call a theoretical continuationist but a parctical cessationist. That is, I see no Biblical evidence that miraculous spiritual gifts were only for the early church, but I remain unconvince that what we see in the American charismatic movement resembles what was going on in the early church to any serious degree. Even despite Craig Keener's massive book on Miracles, most of the testimony I hear does not strike me as miraculous (see Bethel Church's extensive page of healing testimony--if Bethel, probably the most well known charismatic church in America, can't offer compelling evidence I'm not sure who can.) So ultimately, this book left me unsatisfied.

[Josh Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is it really Pentecostal if it advocates for experiences not recorded in Scripture at Pentecost? That is the question.

There are some good things here. I'm glad to see a call to a sacramental and experiential faith. I don't think the two are opposed, and neither did the Reformers, the Puritans, or even Spurgeon or Martyn Lloyd-Jones after them. However, where the two part company is here: The former would say that experience must be regulated according to Scripture, and the author of the book, and surprisingly Matt Chandler in the forward seem fine with experiences not found in Scripture, not do they seem really interested in having Scripture regulate them. Chandler specifically advocates for the "wildness of the Spirit."

For readers looking for a more sacramental and experiential faith, you won't find it here. At least if you're serious about Sola Scriptura. If you're looking for it, go back to the sources. Martyn Lloyd-Jones "Joy Unspeakable" is a good distillation of Puritanical experiential faith in the vein of Owen and Whitefield.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wilson warmly persuades those unlikely to call their way of doing church “liturgical” to recognize their own liturgy and inject more of the tested and biblically taught things that adorn the gospel. A call to worship, reciting a creed, call and response, the reading of Scripture (apart from the sermon), and confession etc.

At the same time, he attempts to bring an embrace and fervent pursuit of supernatural gifts to places typically more reserved and cautious.

While ardent cessationists (those that presume the gifts ended with the end of biblical canon or ministry of the original apostles) will not be convinced, since Wilson takes just a brief moment to present a Charismatic basis, the interaction with the church fathers’ experience of the miraculous is worthwhile.

Throughout I was struck that what Wilson is presenting is a full-bodied biblical church. This is the model of the New Testament and should be a rich way forward for the church.

[Cat Caird · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, Andrew Wilson is spot on with his desire to bring together the charismatic and the eucharistic. Like with most of our human endeavours there is beauty and folly in what we do, especially in how we do church, but the book inspires fresh eyes on ancient traditions that we have forgotten or misplaced. It's a challenge.

[Reign Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read!! If you come from a liturgical community and the charismatic movement scares you. Or if you come from the charismatic movement and liturgy seems dry.
This book is for you. They go together

[Robbie Deacon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an effort in Evangelical retrieval theology. These arguments usually proceed along the lines of “the modern protestant church needs to be more like the ancient Church, which definitely was evangelical with some tweaks, rather than Catholic/Orthodox.” The inevitable downside of such retrieval is that it’s based entirely on the author’s personal historic preferences; they’ll argue that we should integrate some bit of catholic doctrine or practice from the first centuries of the church, but they’ll ignore all of the things they don’t like from that period. In the case of Spirit and Sacrament, Andrew Wilson argues for a vision of the church that is both charismatic (in the way that pentecostals are) and liturgical (in the way that low-church reformed Anglicans are). Wilson argues for a recentring of the sacraments in evangelical worship, but for him, the eucharist and baptism are primarily symbolic (he might personally adopt a Calvinist view of sacraments, but he keeps it vague here to appeal to a broader audience). The book boils down to a statement of “hey we should take communion more and say the nicene creed at church,” which is ultimately an arbitrary appeal to Wilson’s preferred bits of Church history; he isn’t actually arguing that evangelicals should model their churches after the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th - 16th century Church, because that would mean a maximalist sacramentology, bishops, confession and penance, and a number of other practices that Wilson would certainly label as Papist accretions.

Wilson’s vision for a “eucharismatic” Church fails because he is unwilling to actually retrieve the attitudes of the early church towards Sacraments and Liturgy. In the patristic-era, sacraments are an objective means of grace that act upon the people who receive them, and are the centre of Christian worship. Communion wasn’t a thing that happened at Christian gatherings - Christians gathered in order to celebrate the Eucharist, the Christian sacrifice. We have unambiguous written and archaeological evidence that early Christians worshipped the eucharist, bowing down before it because it was a unique manifestation of Jesus Christ’s presence. Augustine, who protestants such as Wilson love to appeal to as a “safe” (i.e. not-papist) Church father, says that to not worship (latria) the eucharist is a sin. Because he is unwilling to challenge evangelicals to change their underlying sacramental theology to conform with the universal historic practices of the Church, Wilson’s argument is essentially aesthetic, surface-level, and arbitrary.

A lot of evangelical Churches would benefit from adopting Wilson’s eucharismatic approach, but it doesn’t go nearly far enough; Spirit and Sacrament’s recommendations might move low-church protestants closer to the way that the early church practiced, but it won’t help them reach the complete expression of the faith that is found in the apostolic traditions.

[Boaz Rees · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5

This is a fantastically written and persuasive argument from Andrew Wilson, casting a vision for church that combines both the rich traditions of hymns, creeds and prayers centering around the Sacraments and a charismatic emphasis on the Spirits work among His people empowering and equipping them!

I love his vision for church and can get behind a lot of it! I think this would be a much harder book to read for someone who is a convinced cessationist however as someone who has not formed a strong conviction on the matter yet I found a lot of his arguments very reasonable!

I find in my own experience of Church a longing for rich Eucharistic worship, hymns, creeds, Psalms and Scripture readings combined with a sense of expectancy for the Spirit of God to be at work, corporately and personally, not just from the preacher as he proclaims the Word but as Spirit filled Christians gather and build one another up! I long for orderly disorder in the order of service as prompted by the Spirit and spontaneous sayings of ancient prayers combined with a structuring around the Lord's supper. There were parts of his argument where I was utterly persuaded and other parts I was less convinced but it really did help me think about my ecclesiology more! I pray it continues to sharpen and shape my views on the church to be more scriptural! Wilson has helped me to see that church doesn't have to be a 'Either-Or' but rather a 'Both-And.'

Overall there was a lot I could get behind and a lot of food for thought! I pray for richer and deeper worship, rooted in receiving the gifts God has given and then putting those gifts into action, for my local church and the worldwide church!

[Brendan Low · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wilson approaches readers with a bold thesis (humanly speaking) to "imagine a church that captures the best of both worlds - the treasures of charismatic practice and sacramental worship." He argues that the early church was Eucharismatic, an amalgamation of Eucharistic and Charismatic. In doing so, he necessarily has to defend the continuationist view, a point he wisely delayed until the second last chapter of the book, because his purpose was not to address the debate, but to put forward a model of church worship that sees charismatic gifts as having a deserving place among 'ancient' liturgy. Indeed, he reveals liturgy to not be 'ancient', but to involve words thankfulness and high praise carried throughout generations of Christians. His historical survey indicated early church fathers such as Cyril of Alexandria writing about spiritual gifts continuing without any indication of controversy despite that time period being post New Testament (and so where cessationists will argue the gifts have stopped). He also provides practical advice as to how churches can hold to the sacraments (by this he means the practice of the Eucharist at least as the focus of his book) while earnestly pursuing spiritual gifts. Wilson has not dispelled all the tension in the area, but because this book serves as an "invitation" and "practical guide", there is nothing for me to criticize in this aspect.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply outstanding book which sets out

A theological vision for the church the treasures all of God’s gifts, the eucharistic and the charismatic, beginning with charis (grace) and culminating in chara (joy). It is a call to pursue the best of both worlds, an appeal to bring out of the church’s storehouse both old and new treasures, so that God’s people can enjoy his grace in Spirit and sacrament, with liturgy and levity, with raised hands and lowered faces, confession and dance.

A book all Church leaders should read and which for me sets out the best of the various and varied churches I have been a member of, while also challenging all of them.