RESPONSE TO A QUESTION FROM A WESTERN ORTHODOX BROTHER CONFUSED BY PETER HEERS

The Conversion of the Slavs in AD 874 through the Highly Irregular Means of Marching the Armies of Prince Vladimir through the Dnieper River is Still Considered the Beginning of the Christian Kyivan Rus. God’s Grace is Not Limited by Strict Forms, but is Expressed in Faith and the Power of the Holy Spirit. When Forms are Lacking, We Go Back and Correct Them in Order to Preserve an Icon of the Truth! 

Dear Brother, 

Christ is in our midst!

The practice of the whole Orthodox world right now is fairly consistent. If a person comes to us from a church that believes in the Trinity and the Divinity of Jesus Christ, has received water baptism in the Name of the Trinity, and is willing to renounce all other heresies, then that person is catechized and receives Chrismation as a completion of the baptismal rite they received. Their baptism is not accounted as “valid,” but of the right form for the substance that the Church brings to it, the Holy Spirit, which fills these definitions and forms with the true meaning and the fullness of God’s spirit. The Orthodox never talk about the “validity” of a sacrament outside of the Church. That doesn’t make sense, just like saying a human organ that is detached from the body is somehow “alive.” What matters is connection to the Church, and that connection is maintained through the right-believing Bishops in Apostolic Succession and in Communion with one another through canonical Synod.

If someone comes to us from a group that does not have even basic theological categories in line with the Nicene Creed, we baptize them. It is that simple. So, groups that do not have theological categories that are compatible with historical orthodoxy, seeing that they often baptize in the Name of Jesus, and that they are modalist in their understanding of the Trinity are not candidates for Chrismation. However, people coming from other Protestant traditions, such as Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, etc., often do have an understanding and form that matches the Nicene Creed and that is recognizable to the Orthodox. As such, they are received by the laying on of hands and anointing with holy oil, not baptism. This is consistent with the practice of the ancient Church and the Fathers that you already mentioned in your email, and is also the current opinion of all the canonical Churches around the world. 

All of this, of course, is a case by case process, one that requires discernment and good interaction, and that must be done in light of the end goal, which is salvation. This authority is given to the local Orthodox bishop, and to his priests as his representative, so you must trust in their decision and submit to their authority. Desiring to insure your own salvation through personal knowledge and in contrast to your Bishop is a form of Gnosticism and Protestantism, and one of the reasons I counsel all of our faithful to stay as far away from Heers and his followers as possible. If your Bishop received you through Chrismation, then any defect in your Protestant baptism was filled by the power of the Holy Spirit and His Grace. You are fully Orthodox.

May God bless you and keep you!

In Name of the Most Holy and Consubstantial Trinity,

Bp. Joseph (Ancient Church of the West)