Poll; Does Your Congregation Use Fermented Wine Or Grape Juice In The Lord's Supper ?

[JimmyH]

Does Your Congregation Use Fermented Wine Or Grape Juice In The Lord's Supper ? Due to the current debate, in another thread, on fermented wine vs grape juice being appropriate this is an attempt to discern what most congregations are using.
When I was a union ironworker many years ago, labor disputes were sometimes brought to court to determine who had jurisdiction over a particular type of work.
One of the major determining factors was 'area practice.'
Ironworkers were to set precast beams/panels. The work generally would be done in a day and since there was a building boom at the time members didn't want to go out of the hiring hall for a day so operating engineers began taking the work.
When work got slow the ironworkers wanted the precast back but the judge ruled that due to 'area practice', ie. operating engineers have been doing it, we, the ironworkers lost the work.
So, in terms of wine vs grape juice ...... what is your 'area practice' ?

 

[NaphtaliPress]

I put other because while my church has wine, there are exceptions of grape juice on the outer rim. The elders know the exceptions which are few enough I didn't know we did this. I did get the juice once before I found this out.

 

[Nate]

We use a ruby port... I guess our position is that "normal" wine doesn't have enough alcohol!

 

[Andrew P.C.]

With the current situation of being in a SDA church when we meet on the Lords Day, we are not allowed to use wine. It’s unfortunate, which is why I don’t partake.

 

[Logan]

With the current situation of being in a SDA church when we meet on the Lords Day, we are not allowed to use wine. It’s unfortunate, which is why I don’t partake.

I lament this lack of unity and "communion"! Perhaps some think all these problems will go away if people would only do things "right", but so many people have varying ideas of what "right" is, should we all abstain because we have a different idea of what is most proper? How tragic!

I will gladly participate in the Supper whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic "fruit of the vine" is used, whether leavened or unleavened bread, whether broken from a loaf or already in small pieces, whether one cup is used or many, whether we are around a table or in the pews. I might in conscience think one particular way is proper but I can't deny it is the sacrament.

 

[TrustGzus]

I selected “other” because we have both. My church is OPC. In the trays we have juice in the outer ring on the trays in tinted cups and wine in the inner rings in clear cups.

 

[Jack K]

My current church uses juice, but I prefer wine and have taken both. Like Logan, I will not abstain because of the type of bread or wine/juice or the way they are distributed, even though I know what I think is best. The command to partake in a spirit of unity is far clearer than is any instruction about these other matters.

 

[Dachaser]

Does Your Congregation Use Fermented Wine Or Grape Juice In The Lord's Supper ? Due to the current debate, in another thread, on fermented wine vs grape juice being appropriate this is an attempt to discern what most congregations are using.
When I was a union ironworker many years ago, labor disputes were sometimes brought to court to determine who had jurisdiction over a particular type of work.
One of the major determining factors was 'area practice.'
Ironworkers were to set precast beams/panels. The work generally would be done in a day and since there was a building boom at the time members didn't want to go out of the hiring hall for a day so operating engineers began taking the work.
When work got slow the ironworkers wanted the precast back but the judge ruled that due to 'area practice', ie. operating engineers have been doing it, we, the ironworkers lost the work.
So, in terms of wine vs grape juice ...... what is your 'area practice' ?

We use the grape juice, as that is the traditional baptist way to take the Communion drink.

 

[Matthew1344]

Both for conscience sake.

We dip. One cup of juice. One cup of wine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bill The Baptist]

We use the grape juice, as that is the traditional baptist way to take the Communion drink.

Traditional if you mean since the late 1800’s. The process of pastuerizing grape juice, and thus preventing fermentation, was not developed until 1869.

 

[Ed Walsh]

I put other because while my church has wine, there are exceptions of grape juice on the outer rim.

Same here. Only the grape juice is on the inside. :-(

 

[Dachaser]

Traditional if you mean since the late 1800’s. The process of pastuerizing grape juice, and thus preventing fermentation, was not developed until 1869.

I think that many Baptists reject using it due to being against all forms of alcohol, which is not my position, as think scriptures teach moderation regarding use of it, and not a strict prohibition.

 

[Unworthy_Servant]

We use the grape juice, as that is the traditional baptist way to take the Communion drink.

If by traditional you mean non-confessional then you may be right. Reformed Baptist churches that hold to the 1689/1677 LBC (Like ARBCA) exclusively use wine. See Chapter 30 paragraph 3 of the confession.

 

[RBachman]

Wine, with grape juice around the rim, and a cup of gluten free bread chips in the middle. I rejoice every time that I can take wine. I was saved and grew up in an armenian church, then a fundamentalist Baptist Church, then a Charismatic Church - all of them wineless - with humanistic legalism and so much non-Biblical nonsense that it was due solely to God's providence I didn't go down the tubes.

Every little plastic cup of wine reminds me that the humanistic manmade moralism of the late 19th and early 20th century is not really about wine/alcohol, it is really about man's attempt at a Biblical law substitute. Sorry if you feel differently, but it is what it is. The same humanistic urge that led to legislated moralism leading to Prohibition was the death rattle of the Enlightenment that thought it could create a new human righteousness, Godless Heaven, deity-free Paradise, and wine-free communion. It did not rely on God, the Bible, or anything supernatural. It created, in my view, a whole grape-juice-only GJO mythology. Sorry if this offends you. It is my view, if you disagree you are not stupid, or heretical.

 

[Edward]

We dip.

I don't want to derail this thread, but you might go back and look at the threads on intinction from a few years ago.

 

[timfost]

I voted for fermented wine, though if someone requests grape juice there would not be opposition.

 

[Dachaser]

If by traditional you mean non-confessional then you may be right. Reformed Baptist churches that hold to the 1689/1677 LBC (Like ARBCA) exclusively use wine. See Chapter 30 paragraph 3 of the confession.

I would prefer to use real wine, as per the Confession, but being in a traditional Baptist church, agree to take the grape juice at Communion time.

 

[bookslover]

I voted "other" because my OPC church uses both.

 

[Scott Bushey]

Has anyone ever heard of a alcoholic that was on the wagon fall off due to partaking of the sacrament? Nothing historically that I am aware of. You’d think this happens often the way it is treated.

 

[Jack K]

Has anyone ever heard of a alcoholic that was on the wagon fall off due to partaking of the sacrament? Nothing historically that I am aware of. You’d think this happens often the way it is treated.

I've never heard of that happening. Nor can I recall having ever heard someone make that argument as a reason for serving grape juice—though I would imagine someone, somewhere probably has. Do people actually say that to you? It sounds like a weak argument.

 

[Scott Bushey]

Jack,
The whole temperance movement is rooted in this thinking, i.e. stumbling a reformed alcoholic by his partaking of a thimble of wine.

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

Jack,
The whole temperance movement is rooted in this thinking, i.e. stumbling a reformed alcoholic by his partaking of a thimble of wine.

This is true based off my experience. (Meaning that I always hear people saying this about alcohol)

 

[Dachaser]

This is true based off my experience.

The belief held is that one can be tempted to sin by taking real wine, so why tempt being forced into that situation?

 

[Ben Zartman]

I have a hard time believing that a recovering alcoholic would HAVE to dash out of church immediately after communion and go on a bender. Self Control is the fruit of the Spirit. I think we should use real wine, and not worry that the means of grace might cause a saint to fall. Not that I think using juice negates the sacrament, just that wine is better.
DISCLAIMERS: my church uses grape juice; I was never an alcoholic; I don't like the taste of wine.

 

[Logan]

As an interesting complication, at one time in the not-so-distant-past, the ordination vows of RPCNA ministers including not ever taking any alcoholic drink. Perhaps one could argue those are invalid vows, but there are still numerous active RPCNA ministers who would be breaking that vow were the denomination shift to wine exclusively.

Not saying it shouldn't be done, God's law would obviously trump man's, but it would be a complication.

 

[therussellhome]

Another "other" as my PCA church offers both

 

[jwithnell]

I've heard the argument that wine is what is given in scripture and offering an alternative of grape juice is a break in unity.

 

[Jake]

Congregation I'm a member of uses wine; the one I am currently attending uses grape juice. I think wine is best as it's likely closer to the original and communicates the symbolism best, but I'm willing to participate in communion when the fruit of the vine and bread is used, regardless of whether the bread is leavened or not or the fruit of the wine is allowed to ferment or not.

 

[Bill The Baptist]

I personally don’t like grape juice because it’s too sweet, and frankly too purple. Is it supposed to represent the blood of Christ or Barney? This is not to say that I don’t think grape juice is an acceptable alternative to wine, I’m just giving some more practical reasons to stick with real wine.

 

[Gforce9]

I personally don’t like grape juice because it’s too sweet, and frankly too purple. Is it supposed to represent the blood of Christ or Barney? This is not to say that I don’t think grape juice is an acceptable alternative to wine, I’m just giving some more practical reasons to stick with real wine.

Bill- You made me laugh......thank you....