Sometimes we are so busy disagreeing with one another that we forget how often we give very similar sounding advice or how often we handle a given situation in very similar ways. I have before argued for the Orthodox view of faith and works, but this time, I would rather look at how often we actually sound alike on this subject, even though we explain it in different ways.
Let me give you an example from children. We all know that Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Presbyterians, etc., all baptize their infants. We know that Mennonites, Amish, Brethren, Baptists, Assembly of God, etc., do not. We have different theologies of what it means to baptize someone. But, now, let’s look at the practice. Have you ever noticed that all Christians agree that you do something with a child born of Christian parents? You either baptize or dedicate the infant. And, yes, I have heard Baptists preachers talking about how important it is to dedicate a child to the Lord as did Hannah with Samuel, etc. And, you might be surprised to hear that I have even heard of dedication sermons that used the fact that John the Forerunner (the Baptist) kicked and recognized his Lord in the womb. And, except for the Orthodox, all other Christian groups also have some form of ceremony that requires an adult to make a formal commitment to the Lord and to the Christian community. Some call it baptism, but the majority call it confirmation, a time when you confirm the faith that is in you. In other words, just about all Christians agree that an adult needs to make a public manifestation of his/her faith. We describe it different; we have different theologies to explain those two moments; but most of us have those two moments in the life of a child born of Christian parents. One moment is near the birth (infant baptism or dedication) and another moment is around adulthood (confirmation or adult baptism). We disagree on the theology of those two moments, but our practices are actually similar.
In the same way, we disagree over the role of sanctification in the scheme of salvation. But, we actually agree, more than you think, on the outward expression of Christianity. Jean Cauvin (John Calvin) was very strong on the idea of the Perseverance of the Saints. But, another way to put it is that if someone has been elect of God, then someone will consistently behave as a Christian throughout their life. Consistency does not mean perfection, but does mean a somewhat visible manifestation of Christianity. We also agree that certain acts are so outside of Christian behavior that those who commit those acts are not headed for the Kingdom of Heaven. For instance, many conservative Christians, even if they believe in once saved always saved, will argue that a physician who runs an abortion clinic is not in the Kingdom of Heaven regardless of his/her church membership, and even if they are otherwise behaving as Christians, and–most often–even if they have come forward to accept the Lord sometime earlier in their life. In actuality, we have a certain understood agreement among all Christians that certain types of behavior may tell us whether one is a Christian or not. We also have a certain expectation among all Christians that there needs to be a certain manifestation of the life of Jesus Christ in our outward behavior or else we are going to speak and preach to you as though you are not a believer.
OK, but what does this have to do with the cartoon on yesterday’s post? Well, we also have another set of agreements that most of us do not realize that we have. And, tomorrow I will indeed get to the Scripture from St. Paul.
===MORE TO COME===
Interesting series. In an Orthodox context, I rather see First Confession as a conversion “rite of passage,” functionally equivalent to Confirmation and/or First Communion or Baptism elsewhere.
Yes, First Confession can definitely function that way, provided the priest makes sure that it does. We have not formalized a time for adult commitment in the way the groups descended from the West have. Part of me wishes that we had such a formalized official time.
Nevertheless, we Orthodox understand that a child needs to grow up to make an adult commitment, we just have no big Church-approved time when an adult does it in a formal way. Perhaps the wisdom in that is that people are not “forced” to make an adult commitment that they may not be ready to make or wish to make. The danger of adult baptism or confirmation is the danger of the Church making people into hypocrites. And, most children who grow up in credo-baptist groups (adult baptism) do not make it out of junior-high without having made their “commitment,” sometimes under severe pressure.