A reader writes:
I was not raised as a Christian; I came to faith as a teenager and was baptized in an evangelical Presbyterian congregation. Recently, I began worshiping at an Orthodox mission church near me, and I have entered the catechumenate there. I have been told recently that to formally enter the Orthodox Church I may have to be baptized again, and this situation is the subject of my question.
The logic behind this (possible) requirement is that in many Protestant denominations these days the traditional Baptismal formula is often not followed and "Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer" (or some such wording) is used in place of "Father, Son and Holy Spirit." Apparently there is a list of denominations detailing which can be trusted to have administered valid baptisms and which not. I have not yet seen that document, but as the denomination I in which I was baptized was quite liberal, I’m very much afraid that it will be on the "black list."
The problem is that, since I was an adult when I was baptized, I know what was done and said and that the traditional formula was used. Furthermore, the minister who baptized me was very conservative and would never have gone in for that sort of thing.
I don’t know how those objections would be received in the event that my old denomination is on the "do not trust" list. I’m trying to work out to myself what my response should be in the event that I am required to undergo another baptism. As I know that my baptism at age 18 was valid, should I dig in my heels over this? Or would submitting myself to the Church’s judgment be the right thing to do?
I know that you cannot answer this question from the perspective of Orthodox Church law or tradition. I know also that the bottom line answer for you would most likely be "you should be becoming Catholic, not Orthodox," and that might make the whole question moot in your mind.
Well, yes, you should become Catholic rather than Orthodox, but no that does not make the question moot.
You know that the correct formula was used in your baptism your first baptism was valid, and it would be an insult to the work that the Holy Spirit did in your baptism to rebaptize you. If they insist on an unconditional rebaptism then you would be morally obliged to refuse on the grounds that it would be a sacrilege.
That being said, it seems to me that you could explore two options (besides becoming Catholic):
- Explain to them that you have a memory of the baptism and that you know the correct formula was used (possibly supplemented by a written statement from the pastor who did it or anothr eye-witness) and see if that will either nix the proposal or get it modified into the section option:
- Get them to administer a conditional baptism (for example, one using the formula "If you are not baptized, I baptize you . . . "). Conditional baptisms are not sacrilege because they are only baptisms if the person is not already baptized. They show the willingness of all involved to make sure that the person is validly baptized and they confess our own limitations in determining prior validity together with our will to do what God wants done.
Hope this helps!
20
I hope this doesn’t bread the rule but I have never heard of a conditional baptismal formula. Do you know a document this can be found in?
This is just a question, not a contradiction in a pastoral situation, so no rule is broken.
The Code of Canon Law provides:
“Can. 869 ยง1. If there is a doubt whether a person has been baptized or whether baptism was conferred validly and the doubt remains after a serious investigation, baptism is to be conferred conditionally.”
As to the formula, a quick check of The Rites did not turn up any particular mandated formula. Any conditional formula would be valid as long as it takes the standard formula “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” and modifies it to make it conditional, e.g., by including “If you are not baptized . . . ” at the beginning of it.
Well. I am a bit late to this subject. But I will chime in anyway. Orthodox Christians are not all of the same mind on the subject of re-baptism. However, I am fairly sure that all of the canonical Orthodox Churches in the United States frown on or simply forbid re-baptism if there is reason to believe that the original was valid. However I know that some of the ultra-conservative Orthodox sects such as the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) cling to a very strict belief that heresy renders null the grace needed for valid sacraments. So they would (and do) argue that all “heterodox” are not even Christian since they were not validly baptised. The formula is not important to them. If Your are not Orthodox you can’t baptise. This is the subject of a pretty heated debate within Orthodoxy right now. But it would seem that the consensus is building in favor of recognizing the validity of baptisms when the correct (i.e. Trinitarian) formula is used. I am not sure which of the various Orthodox denominations you are joining but I would encourage you to make sure they are canonical and in good standing with the rest of the Orthodox world. If they are not… you might want to reconsider joining that particular church.