Why do many Protestant Churches use grape juice instead of wine for communion?

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veilofveronica

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Hi there,
I mean no disrespect to our Protestant friends with this question-I’m honestly curious. Why do many Protestant communion celebrations use grape juice instead of the wine that Catholics use? And why do many also use bread cubes/regular “bread” instead of the wafters (unleavened bread) that we use?

Thanks!
 
Many have a prohibition against any form of alcohol. I have always found this to be, at the very least, a pretty tepid approach to an important sacrament.

james
 
I can only speak for the faith I was raised in. They believe that in biblical times, wine referred to unfermented grape juice. They also believe that the consumption of alcohol, other than for medicinal use (and not a shot of whiskey straight), is not allowed. They seem alcohol as a great evil, and something that degrades man.

Therefore, in their communion, they use tiny cups of grape juice, and wafers of bread. They do NOT believe in the real presence, but see communion as a symbolic act only. This is what was always served at the church where my maternal grandfather was a minister.
 
That is very similar to the thought where I was raised in that all alcohol use was considered evil. Communion was seen as nothing more than symbolic, but it was a glass similar to a shot glass and what looked like broken saltine crackers.

One Sunday a month was for the communion service. When we entered the church, the smell of the warm grape juice in the small glasses was wonderful. The glasses were in trays with holes where they nested. The trays were passed much like an offering basket. The bread worked the same way, small pieces of crackers in metal plates being passed. If you see the end of the movie “Places in the Heart”, you will see a fair representation.

It never really clicked with me that alcohol was evil in any amount, but I heard the story that Jesus’ first miracle was really turning water into grape juice. I don’t think the narrative supports that. I was very much in the minority in that interpretation.
 
My grandmother and grandfather were raised Southern Baptist and have always been of the mindset that alcohol is a great evil. I’ve never seen either one touch a drop of the stuff in my entire life of almost 28 years–not even for special occasions. My grandmother once told me that alcohol was of the devil and it causes so much pain in our society by alcoholics and drunk drivers. While I don’t drink alcohol very often at all, I think holding such a viewpoint is rather severe. I do agree that consuming alcohol to the point of being drunk is careless.

My grandparents changed to a United Methodist Church about 10 years ago or so and, before my reversion to the Church, I attended a few times and was able to witness the communion service. They only hold it once a month. The congregation processes by pew down to the altar area where the person takes a very tiny thimble sized cup of grape juice and a very small piece of regular wheat bread. It is only symbolic of the Last Supper and is nothing like the Eucharist at Catholic Churches.
 
Presbyterians do communion once a month with bread (I’ve been to a few with wafers) and grape juice. And we don’t go up for communion, it is passed through the pews.

As stated before, Protestants believe the communion is symbolic. It is one of only two sacraments.
 
icamay said:
Presbyterians do communion once a month with bread (I’ve been to a few with wafers) and grape juice. And we don’t go up for communion, it is passed through the pews.

As stated before, Protestants believe the communion is symbolic. It is one of only two sacraments.
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I should clarify - I was baptized PCUSA. I believe that Orthodox Presbyterian still use wine.
 
I think the strict prohibition on alcohol found in many of the Protestant churches is definitely relaxed starting particularly with the baby boomers. I remember growing up in the Methodist Church my great aunt and many of the older ladies definitely frowned upon the idea of anybody drinking let alone the pastor. This came from temperance movement especially the WCTU. People in my great aunt’s age range didn’t stop just with alcohol they also didn’t like “tools of the devil” like cards and dice and dancing.

People in my parents age range don’t have those same compunctions. Even though they don’t see anything wrong with drinking in moderation, the idea of switching to wine for communion is still forbidden. I think it’s still ingrained as part of the general Protestant culture and something that makes them distinct from Catholics.

ChadS
 
Protestants do believe wine is a great sin but the Bible speaks of wine over and over. Having said that, I live in a city with three private protestant Universities, the kids at those schools drink more alcohol than any people I ever knew. There are piles of beer cans in their apartment complexes outside. I know this because my job takes me there 2 times a month.
 
In addition, in the end, they don’t have the “mind of the Church” in the intention of adhering to the matter and form of the sacrament. This stems from their theology, that the justification of Sanctifying Grace is a covering or imputing of Christ’s Merits to the sinner instead of SG being a new interior life, grace perfecting nature. As seven is the number of perfection and covenant, why would there not be seven sacraments in the New Covenant?
 
As a Lutheran, I have never known grape juice to be used, except as an option for people who for medical reasons could not consume alcohol.
 
Because us protestants are whiny little brats who think ALCOHOL IS SATAN.
No, Really, we’re sort of lame like that. There’s a reason I always hated growing up with protestants, all the things that we just do WRONG. 😦
 
The_Old_Medic said:
I can only speak for the faith I was raised in. They believe that in biblical times, wine referred to unfermented grape juice.
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**This was always my favorite argument against drinking wine because the fermentation process begins as soon as the skin of the grape is broken. **

It wasn’t until the 1920’s when the Welch’s company invented the process that halts fermentation that we were able to store grape juice for long periods of time.
 
I never “got” the fundy wine prohibition - after all if it was “good for the Hebrew children”, it ought to be good enough for fundies. The Hebrew Bible says something to the effect that “wine brings good cheer” - surely unfermented grape juice does not
 
elvisman said:
This was always my favorite argument against drinking wine because the fermentation process begins as soon as the skin of the grape is broken.

It wasn’t until the 1920’s when the Welch’s company invented the process that halts fermentation that we were able to store grape juice for long periods of time.
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What do you know? You’re right!
I actually read an article about it a couple of months ago that said it was 1925! Oh, well - it was still over 1800 years AFTER Christ.

Thanks for the info. 👍
 
Wow, the explanations here are borderline insulting and very definitely overly simplified. Many protestant denominations do believe in a real presence but may not define it in the same way, but to say communion is purely symbolic for Lutherans (WELS, ELCA and LCMS) , UCC, UMC, Presbyterians, Moravians, Episcopalians is simply inaccurate.The bread used at our Lutheran church is homemade unleavened bread that is then torn into small pieces. Other churches use the same wafers I’ve seen used in the local Catholic Church. As for grape juice vs. wine. My church offers both. There are those who do not partake of alcohol for any reason and some who shouldn’t. To say “protestants” believe is a dangerous thing. It’s like thinking you know a culture after speaking to one member or one subset.
 
elvisman said:
This was always my favorite argument against drinking wine because the fermentation process begins as soon as the skin of the grape is broken.

It wasn’t until the 1920’s when the Welch’s company invented the process that halts fermentation that we were able to store grape juice for long periods of time.
Click to expand...
The Wesleyan Methodist Connexion, which was founded in 1843, required from its beginning that unfermented wine be used in their Lord’s Supper. Apparently there are traditional methods to prepare unfermented wine (or at least almost completely unfermented), such as boiling raisins, or adding preservatives.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bramwell_Welch
I’m citing wikipedia, and I’m not apologizing for it.
 
Spirithound said:
The Wesleyan Methodist Connexion, which was founded in 1843, required from its beginning that unfermented wine be used in their Lord’s Supper. Apparently there are traditional methods to prepare unfermented wine (or at least almost completely unfermented), such as boiling raisins, or adding preservatives.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bramwell_Welch
I’m citing wikipedia, and I’m not apologizing for it.
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Yes, yes - and I’m sure they did the same thing in the 1st century when making their “unfermented wine” . . .:rolleyes:

We know that Jesus made real, fermented wine at the Wedding at Cana because of the remark made by the head steward. He observed, "Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now."

This implies that people don’t care how good the wine is after they’ve had plenty to drink - they just want more.

We also know that Jesus drank real, fermented wine because of his statement:
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners’ (Luke 7:34).

Jesus is telling them how they called him a glutton and a drunkard for eating and drinking with his friends.

I’m citing the Bible and I certainly won’t apologize for it . . . 😉
 
elvisman said:
Yes, yes - and I’m sure they did the same thing in the 1st century when making their “unfermented wine” . . .:rolleyes:

We know that Jesus made real, fermented wine at the Wedding at Cana because of the remark made by the head steward. He observed, "Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now."

This implies that people don’t care how good the wine is after they’ve had plenty to drink - they just want more.

We also know that Jesus drank real, fermented wine because of his statement:
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners’ (Luke 7:34).

Jesus is telling them how they called him a glutton and a drunkard for eating and drinking with his friends.

I’m citing the Bible and I certainly won’t apologize for it . . . 😉
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Good call! I agree with your analysis; it is very clear to me that Jesus did use alcohol.

But, I’m sorry, I didn’t express myself as well as I could have. I also meant my post to speak to the wider question of the thread, namely, whether Dr. Welch originated the Protestant idea of not using alcohol, and it seems that he did not.

The technology did exist in the 1st century to preserve unfermented grape juice.

biblicalperspectives.com/books/wine_in_the_bible/3.html
not wikipedia this time 😉
 
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