What Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians say requires a church

Program / Course 2: The Solitary Christian in Depth / Lesson 3.2

What you will learn

• Sort Christian practices into those any believer can do alone and those the traditions say need ordained ministers or a church community.
• State the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant positions on the sacraments in the terms their own adherents would use.
• Explain the emergency exception for baptism in the traditions that allow it.
• Describe what the major traditions say about people who cannot reach a church.

The big idea

Almost every Christian practice that can be done alone, such as prayer, reading Scripture, fasting and almsgiving, has always been open to the individual believer. The traditions differ on the sacraments (or ordinances). Catholics and Orthodox teach that most sacraments need an ordained minister and the church community. Lutheran and Reformed Christians say the Word and the sacraments belong to the gathered church under called ministers. Some Protestant groups practice no outward sacraments at all. A solitary Christian should know where each tradition draws the line, because that is what its members will say a solitary life cannot replace.

Key terms

Sacrament

A rite that Christians believe to be a means of grace instituted by Christ. Catholics and Orthodox count seven (Orthodox often call them mysteries). Most Protestants count two, baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Ordinance

A word many Baptists and other Protestants prefer to sacrament for baptism and the Lord’s Supper, stressing that these are acts of obedience commanded by Christ.

Eucharist

The Lord’s Supper, also called Holy Communion or the Divine Liturgy in Orthodox use. Christians remember Christ’s last meal with bread and wine.

Ordination

The act by which a person is set apart for ministry, usually by prayer and the laying on of hands.

Absolution

The declaration of forgiveness given to a person who confesses sin, in traditions that practice confession.

Valid

In Catholic and Orthodox use, a sacrament is valid when it has the right matter, form, minister and intention, so that it truly takes place.

Background

A common question for a person without a congregation is: what, exactly, can I do alone, and what do I need other people for? The answers depend on the tradition. This lesson sets them out side by side. It does not say which is correct. It tries to state each as its own members would, and to leave the decision about what to do with the reader and with those he or she trusts.

Notice from the start that all of the traditions agree on a large area. Private prayer, Scripture reading, meditation, fasting, works of mercy and daily thanks are open to every baptized believer in every tradition. The differences concern a smaller set of acts: the sacraments, the declaration of forgiveness, public teaching and the setting apart of ministers.

Step-by-step explanation

Step 1: What every tradition allows alone

Jesus says, “when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret” (Matthew 6:6). Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians all accept private prayer, reading of Scripture, fasting and almsgiving as good for any believer. Catholic and Orthodox churches also encourage lay people to pray the church’s daily prayers at home. Protestants usually describe these as the believer’s regular devotion.

So the question is not whether a Christian may pray alone. It is what else the faith holds that a person cannot supply for himself.

Step 2: The Catholic position

The Catholic Catechism teaches that only a validly ordained priest can consecrate the Eucharist. Confession and absolution are given by a priest, and anointing of the sick by a priest. Confirmation is normally given by a bishop. Holy orders are conferred by a bishop. Baptism is normally given by a bishop, priest or deacon, but in an emergency any person, even one who is not baptized, can baptize validly, if he uses water and the Trinitarian words and intends to do what the church does. In the Latin Church, marriage is conferred by the spouses to each other, but, with some exceptions, it must be witnessed by a priest or deacon or another authorized person.

Catholics are also taught that Sunday Mass is a serious obligation for the baptized, unless prevented by illness, distance or another grave reason. The Church recognizes that some people cannot reach a priest, and for them encourages prayer, Scripture reading and the practice of spiritual communion, an act of desire for union with Christ, which does not take the place of sacramental communion.

Step 3: The Orthodox position

Orthodox teaching is similar in outline. The Eucharist is celebrated by a bishop or priest, who acts within the gathered church. Baptism, chrismation (anointing with oil, given with baptism), confession, marriage, holy unction and ordination are celebrated by clergy, with the bishop’s authority. In an emergency, a layperson may baptize, and the baptism is completed by a priest later. The Orthodox stress that the sacraments are the life of the church and are not private events, and they hold that being cut off from the liturgy is a serious loss, whatever one’s personal piety.

In practice Orthodox pastors often counsel people who cannot attend to keep a prayer rule, read Scripture, and receive a priest’s visit when possible.

Step 4: Protestant positions

Lutheran and Reformed Christians teach that the church is found where the Word is rightly preached and the sacraments rightly administered. The Augsburg Confession says no one should teach publicly or administer the sacraments in the church unless properly called (Article 14). The Westminster Confession says sacraments are to be administered by ministers of the Word lawfully ordained (chapter 27). Lutherans allow emergency baptism by a layperson. Reformed teaching is more restrictive. Many Lutherans also value private confession and absolution, although Lutheran and Reformed Christians do not treat priestly absolution as necessary for forgiveness.

Baptists and many evangelical groups hold that baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances to be practiced in the local congregation, and that the believers of the local church hold the authority to administer them. Quakers do not practice outward baptism or communion at all and understand them spiritually. Pentecostal and non-denominational groups vary widely. Protestants as a whole stress that every believer may come to God directly, through Christ alone (1 Timothy 2:5), and may read and pray without a priest.

Step 5: Draw a table in your notebook

Make three columns, one for each tradition, and list the following in rows: the Lord’s Supper, baptism, confession and forgiveness, marriage, ordination, regular worship, teaching. For each, write what that tradition says about who may do it. Where you are unsure, note it and ask someone from that tradition. The table is a way to see how much agreement and how much difference there is, and to see where your own situation falls.

1. Which practices in my own life depend on another person or on a community?
2. What do I believe about the Lord’s Supper, and who do I believe may celebrate it?
3. Do I believe forgiveness requires a human minister, and why?
4. What does my own tradition, or the one I most respect, say about people in my position?
5. Have I ever asked a priest or pastor from a tradition other than my own what they teach about this?
6. If I decided one of these traditions was right, what would that ask of me?

Examples

Different perspectives

Catholic

The sacraments are acts of Christ through the church. Most require an ordained minister in communion with the bishop. The faithful are obliged to take part in Sunday Mass. Private devotion is praised and expected, and is meant to lead toward the sacraments.

Orthodox

The mysteries of the church are celebrated in the church by its clergy. Prayer at home is encouraged, but the Divine Liturgy is held to be the center of Christian life. Orthodox Christians consult a priest or spiritual father about their rule and about any extended absence.

Protestant

Lutheran and Reformed churches link Word and sacrament to called ministers and gathered congregations. Baptists see ordinances as acts of a local church. Quakers and some others do not practice outward sacraments. All stress the believer’s direct access to God.

Scholarly

Historians of doctrine note that the question of who may administer baptism and the Eucharist was debated in the early church, including disputes over baptism by heretics in the third century. The traditions have answered such questions differently, and their answers are tied to their larger views of the church.

Why it matters

Knowing where each tradition draws its lines lets you be honest about what a solitary life leaves out. Some of what you will miss is a matter of conviction, some of preference, and some of ordinary human need. If you do not know what the traditions say, you cannot tell which is which. You also cannot fairly judge any of them. This lesson does not tell you what to believe. It tells you what you would be disagreeing with, if you disagree.

Common misunderstandings

Knowledge check

Think it through

1. Which row of your table (Lord’s Supper, baptism, forgiveness, and so on) do you find hardest to settle?
2. Which tradition other than your own could you ask, in person or by letter, to explain its position to you?
3. Is the question of who may administer a sacrament a question you have thought about before?
4. What do you do with the parts of your faith that you cannot do alone?

Independent assignment

Three traditions on one question

Choose one practice from the lesson: Lord’s Supper, baptism or forgiveness. In your own notebook, write 350 to 500 words. State what the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant traditions each teach about who may perform it, using the library sources where you can. Do not argue for any of them. Then write a short paragraph on which position you find most persuasive and what you would still need to learn.

Further study

• Catholic Church, Catechism of the Catholic Church Read the sections on the sacraments in general, baptism, the Eucharist and penance.
• Timothy (Kallistos) Ware, The Orthodox Church Look for the chapter on the mysteries (sacraments).
• Westminster Assembly, The Westminster Confession of Faith Read chapters 25 to 29 on the church and sacraments.
• Martin Luther, The Small Catechism Read the parts on baptism, confession and the Lord’s Supper.
• John of Damascus, An Exposition of the Orthodox Faith Read Book 4 for an early Eastern account of the sacraments.
• Matthew 28:19 Baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• 1 Timothy 2:5 One mediator between God and men.
• James 5:14 Call for the elders of the church.