The Independent News Source
NCR on Kindle - NCR classifieds - YouTube - Twitter - Facebook - Email Alerts - RSS
Printer-friendly version
PDF versionBaptism agreement shows all Christians part of same family
by Bill Tammeus on Jan. 11, 2011
A few weeks ago, the American Catholic Church and the Presbyterian Church (USA) -- my spiritual home -- joined to become one church.
Did you miss it?
What happened was this: The Presbyterians -- not to mention three other Reformed churches -- reached agreement with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on mutual recognition of each other’s baptisms.
If we agree that our baptisms are legitimate and in essence the same, we have become the same church. Really.
Now, that doesn’t mean we’ve settled the rest of what divides us -- the place of bishops, how we understand the Eucharist, how many sacraments there are and more. But at least we all now officially agree on how being part of the church, the body of Christ, starts.
The “Common Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Baptism” -- approved by the Presbyterians in 2008 and by the USCCB in mid-November -- calls baptism “the sacramental gateway into the Christian life.” It says baptism “is to be conferred only once, because those who are baptized are decisively incorporated into the body of Christ.”
Christians and non-Christians alike may not understand all the differences of theology and polity that divide Catholics from Protestants and both from the Orthodox. And I even grant that some of those differences are quite important.
But if we can come to a common understanding of baptism, the “sacramental gateway” into the faith, many of those other differences now can be thought of as simple preferences within the same faith rather than as lines in the sand over which we need to fight in perpetuity.
Indeed, I consider baptism so central that within my own denomination I argue it should be the determining factor in whether we give otherwise-qualified gays and lesbians the opportunity to be ordained as clergy and as elders and deacons. (The “otherwise-qualified” phrase refers to their sense of call to be ordained and their capability to carry out the required roles.)
Once we’re baptized, I argue, we’re church members -- although we may set a certain age or the successful completion of confirmation class as a requirement for being a voting member of a particular congregation.
In the end, the Christian faith is about discipleship. We acknowledge Jesus Christ as our savior and we pledge to do our best to follow him into a transformed life that now will be shaped by the revolution of love and grace he brought. That’s the essence.
Subscribe to NCR
Want to read more about important issues in the life of the Church? A subscription to NCR will keep you up to date and informed.
If that’s true, why should it divide us that some of us think apostolic succession is important and others place more emphasis on the priesthood of all believers? Why should it matter so much that Catholics rely on transubstantiation to explain the real presence of Christ in the sacrament of Holy Communion while Presbyterians affirm that same real presence without using transubstantiation as an explanation of it?
Can’t we simply agree to disagree about such things now that we hold in common the affirmation that our two churches (as well as the Reformed Church in America, the Christian Reformed Church in North America and the United Church of Christ) do baptisms that are all equally valid?
Look, it’s easy to find things theological about which to fight. And as my friend Kathleen Norris says in one of her books, we Presbyterians get especially vicious when those fights are over the holy of holies, the church kitchen.
But how about if instead of looking for more reasons to disagree, we celebrate the new reality that we are together on baptism and that now we should look for other ways to act as if we’re part of the same family?
The reality is that there are no normal human families. Each one has its eccentricities, its dark secrets, its goofball members.
The same is true of church families. Can’t we just admit we all come from the irregular bin and love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ?
[Bill Tammeus, a Presbyterian elder and former award-winning faith columnist for The Kansas City Star, writes the daily "Faith Matters" blog for The Star’s website and a monthly column for The Presbyterian Outlook. His latest book, co-authored with Rabbi Jacques Cukierkorn, is They Were Just People: Stories of Rescue in Poland During the Holocaust. His e-mail address is wtammeus@kc.rr.com.]
| Editor's Note: We can send you an e-mail alert every time Tammeus' column, "A small c catholic," is posted to NCRonline.org. Go to this page and follow directions: E-mail alert sign-up. If you already receive e-mail alerts from us, click on the "update my profile" button to add Tammeus to your list. |
The Catholic faith has always
The Catholic faith has always taught that the Baptism of all Christian faiths that use the proper form, matter and intention are valid. This is not new to the Catholics. Pentecostal and Morman baptisms are not valid. But, thanks for claifying for those who may not have known it.
January 11, 2011 Bill, thank
January 11, 2011
Bill, thank you so much for your article "Baptism Agreement Shows All Christians Part of the Same Family". I am a Catholic, an ecumenist, and I believe that in the Christian family of God there are many mansions and many paths and I am entirely in agreement with you. I remember Christ's command "That all may be One, as the Father and I are One, that they, too, may be One in us".
Peter D. Aglione, Hawthorne, NY
Dear Bill, thank you for this
Dear Bill, thank you for this pleasant piece. Although I am Irish born I have
been fortunate not to have ever had "communion" problems. My Dublin in the 40s and 50s was a place where Church of Ireland, Prebyterian, and Catholic as well as Jewish people all got on well together. It is a total mystery to me.
Correct Catholic doctrine has always held that the is only One Christ, One Body and One Church. Nothing in our history has taken place to change that.
The only shameful part to me was for any one member to start claiming some kind of superiority, or to claim falsely, that any other member is somehow not worthy or deficient or less than. May we all be One in Spirit. May the
ecumenical intentions of Vatican 2 bear fruit. I can say without hesitation that the present trend in our Catholic portion is less than healthy and I ask for the prayers of all the other members to help us in this time of trouble.
Gob Bless.
TomC.
I love how you think and
I love how you think and speak, Tammeus. Would that we stop with the differences and seek out the similarities. There are so many areas that would change for the better if we followed your lead. Thank you
I agree. I have family and
I agree. I have family and friends of many different religious backgrounds. Because the unity of family and friendship makes us one, we concentrate on and celebrate the beliefs we hold in common. We are aware of the differences, but they are less important to us than the many values and beliefs we hold in common. Unity does not mean uniformity. Accepting each other in love is what makes us one.
Ever since Vatican II, I have
Ever since Vatican II, I have understood that the Roman Catholic Church had accepted most Protestant Baptisms as valid, as in my own father's case.
so why is this new agreement so earthshaking?? Perhaps because a Protestant denomination officially recognized Catholic Baptisms as valid???
I know of several people who
I know of several people who have left the Catholic church in the last 20 years to attend various Protestant churches (UCC, Lutheran and Episcopal) and in each case the Catholic baptisms were accepted. So I also don't understand what's new here. Is it something that has always been done without "official policy"?
There are some Baptists who
There are some Baptists who don't recognize Latin Church baptisms (some Orthodox don't either) because we don't always baptize by immersion. However, I don't think that has been a problem for most mainline Protestant churches. They have consistently recognized Roman rite baptisms.
PS. I knew some Lutherans who converted many years ago and they were not re-baptized, but were confirmed after their "oath of fealty" to the pope. I thought we got rid of that nonsense of having heretics make vows.
How wonderful it would be if
How wonderful it would be if we could check baptism off on the list of things we need to come together on in order to be truly solid church family members. I long for all of us to become one. Can enough of us agree on this point of baptism? May it be so.
Jesus is probably jumping up
Jesus is probably jumping up and down saying,
"Alleluia...Amen...
now come on and get down to the real business
of forming a church family that looks like "Jesus"
the reign of God will only be when we break down the
walls that divide us...
The Catholic Church has
The Catholic Church has always recognized that everyone that is baptized share the same common baptism. I am happy that this Presbyterian church and the other churches have come into agreement about the common baptism; this is a step in true Ecumenism....but I would not say that just because of this we should not pay attention to Catholic teaching which has been led by the Holy Spirit from the moment Christ instituted The Church.
The Catholic Church has
The Catholic Church has always recognized that everyone that is baptized share the same common baptism. I am happy that this Presbyterian church and the other churches have come into agreement about the common baptism; this is a step in true Ecumenism....but I would not say that just because of this we should not pay attention to Catholic teaching which has been led by the Holy Spirit from the moment Christ instituted The Church.
All who are validly baptized
All who are validly baptized become Catholics. The theological manuals have been saying this for centuries. Now we need to move on and give all Protestants holy communion too. They, like all Catholics, are the best judges of their own spiritual disposition and know best whether they are in a state of grace.
It makes no sense to deny Protestants holy communion because they don't accept transubstantiation or the sacrificial nature of Mass, when priests know OR SHOULD KNOW, most of their fellow Roman Catholics don't accept transubstantiation or the Mass as a sacrifice either.
Catholicism is rapidly becoming the new repository for Zwinglian eucharistic belief. While traditional Catholic views of the eucharist are becoming more widely accepted within the Reformed Churches.
Just another case of what comes around goes around.
Does this mean that Bill
Does this mean that Bill Tammeus will stop bashing Catholics on his blog?
And about your book, Bill, there are some reviews on Amazon that indicate that you did a pretty good job of bashing Poles in it, who were, largely, of course Catholic.
Are you reconsidering your position, of is this just for the Reporter?
Randall, your comment is a
Randall, your comment is a direct attack on the author and has absolutely nothing to do with the subject of the column. Hopefully NCR will remove it and this admonition.
As a member of the American
As a member of the American Ecumenical Catholic Church I cannot agree with you more. Let's celebrate our differences and learn from each other. We do not all have to live in the same house,but we must respect each other. God loves us all, why can't we?
Amen.
Amen.
"There is one body and one
"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, ONE BAPTISM."
Of course, the idea that water Baptism immediately brings one into the Kingdom, regardless of age, understanding, will, or desire is foolishness: "this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God." The pledge of a good conscience toward God is something that each person must do for themselves, and water doesn't effect that.
It is conceited and ridiculous to claim that Baptism "is to be conferred only once, because those who are baptized are decisively incorporated into the body of Christ.”
Ah, the arrogance of mere mortals who claim that their trivial actions can result in the immediate translation of a person into God's Kingdom! But at least the arrogant souls are beginning to unite!
I wonder what happens when
I wonder what happens when one partner is catholic and they want to marry or remarry and one is caught up in the web of Canon Law.
I suggest Bill, you take a look at the Marriage Tribunal process and suggest some form of agreement by one or the before the ring is on the finger.
Then there's the matter of the children if any.
It's not as simple as it looks and will be an issue.
Great: No more "Creator,
Great: No more "Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier" Presbyterian "baptisms:"
5. Together we affirm that baptism is a sacrament of the church, enacted in obedience to the mission confided to it by Christ’s own word. For our baptisms to be mutually recognized, water and the scriptural Trinitarian formula “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28: 19-20) must be used in the baptismal rite.
Great: Presbyterian accept that the sacrament is conferred ex opere operato.
6. Together we affirm that the validity of Baptism depends on its celebration according to the apostolic witness by the church and its authorized ministers.
Nothing new at all for Catholics, but a lot of movement for Presbyterians.
Meanwhile, across the
Meanwhile, across the pond:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1348133/The-christening-Christia...
For those of us who practice
For those of us who practice "Believer's Baptism" after conversion (new birth), baptismal rites celebrate and illustrate the concept that the "One Baptism" being discussed here is that of biblically being "Born of the Spirit" which in eternity, produces eternal life for the believer and a common oneness in Christ, not by a denomination nor church, nor earthly hierarchy. The real "Sacrament" (means of grace) is not from the water, nor the administrator, nor our priestly privileges, but from God Himself who has washed us spiritually by our personal faith in His unconditional grace.
Post new comment