A monstrance, in the Roman Catholic Church, is a finely worked vessel, usually made of gold or silver, which contains the consecrated Host. This, Catholics believe, is the Real Presence of Christ. The monstrance of Protestantism, however, is the preaching of its ministers, and the faith of the Reformers was based on the assurance that "God met His people in His word." Using this comparison, Dr. Henry Sloane Coffin, 76, longtime president of Union Theological Seminary and onetime (1943-44) Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., has written Communion Through Preaching (Scribner; $2.50), a short but striking book about the preaching sacrament...
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