Samuel Torvend, PhD, is a priest in the Diocese of Olympia and professor of religion at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. He is the author of Flowing Water, Uncommon Birth: Christian Baptism in a Post-Christian Culture; Daily Bread, Holy Meal: Opening the Gifts of Holy Communion; and Luther and the Hungry Poor: Gathered Fragments. His many published articles focus on the Eucharist and social ethics.