Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Theology (Th.M)

First Advisor

Dr. Lois Malcolm

Abstract

This thesis will describe Luther’s understanding of grace and its centrality for the Lutheran understanding of the Lord’s Supper. The thesis will also describe and analyze theological and pastoral problems of withholding the sacraments to non-communicant members by the LCCN, which claims to follow after Luther’s teaching. This thesis is not anti-church discipline, but rather, will argue for a better form of church discipline than withholding the Lord’s Supper from the excluded members of the church. The thesis will also provide some suggestions for a better form of church discipline than withholding communion from excluded members of the church. This will help the church to change its sacramental administration or practice to accommodate everyone in the body of Christ without the fear of being seen as encouraging or promoting immoral acts amongst its members. This will help the church check the loss of its members to other church denominations on the grounds that they have been denied access to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Moreover, it will develop a theology for the church where grace and forgiveness of sins are offered freely to people through the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper rather than being a place where grace and forgiveness of sins are withheld from people.

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