Thoughts from theologian Ben Myers on baptism:
(faith-theology.blogspot.com)
"If you want to be ordained in order to become a really serious and committed disciple of Christ, then you have denied your baptism. If you want to be ordained in order to progress beyond ordinary d...iscipleship, then you have denied your baptism. If you want to be ordained in order to “serve the Lord full-time”, then you have denied your baptism."
This makes sense to me as a criticism of certain improper motives for seeking ordination. Others also might take it as a criticism of the institutional practice of ordination. What do you think?
(This is the entire post.)
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"Make me a channel of Your Peace."
-St. Francis
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Baptism and Ordination
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1 comment:
It feels a little harsh to me. In each case the word "denied" is presumptive. It assumes that an individual really understands and comprehends his baptism. Why couldn't it be the case that I want to be ordained to progress beyond ordinary discipleship because I am naive to the nature of my baptism and the nature of spiritual progress? Prehaps it would be wiser to say that I am missing the totality of my baptism.
I also cannot help pondering my time at a Christian University. I would love to say that it is easy to stay as spiritually minded as when I was surrounded by like-minded students, taking religious-focused classes, and attending chapel services. Unfortunately, I think much of my time is spent on things without a mind for God. I realize that this is not the fault of the activity but a fault of my own. I think there is practicality in thinking that placing myself in an environment of pastoral training will facilitate a more serious and committed discipleship or a progression from the ordinary or a full time service of the Lord. In the end, I would conceed that it would be better if they had a better understanding of their baptism into Christ, but I would be compelled to see them as misinformed or infantile in their belief versus presuming any kind of denial of their baptism.
These thoughts remind me of the idea of being versus doing. I would be interested in what other posters think about this. One Christian will be a Christian and therefore they will do what a Christian should do. Another Christian will do what Christians do in order to be a Christian. Do you see these as separable ideas? Can I be without doing or do without becoming? What do you think of Aristotles thought that we are what we repeatedly do?
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