The Great Purification of the Church and Baptismal Practice

The Great Purification of the Church and Baptismal Practice Orthodox churches should not accept the baptisms of mainline denominations that have chosen to revise their teachings such that they are no longer orthodox in theology or ethical practices. Many looking at this question content themselves with whether the right form of baptism was administered—baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This idea stems from what the Church decided in the Donatist Controversy, that baptism was still valid despite the theological or ethical state of the priest administering it. That decision should be separated from the challenge facing the Church in our day, where the form of orthodoxy is still practiced but the substance of orthodox convictions and practices are rejected. This crisis of the Church today centres around homosexuality and gender ideology, but it is not limited to it. Because of this revision of orthodox teaching in what were once orthodox denominations and churches, many have separated themselves and their churches and even formed new denominations. However, the question of whether their baptisms can be accepted is a serious issue. Father Luis Ladaria, S.J., has ...