The Catechumen

Catechumen: In ecclesiology, a catechumen; from Latin catechumenus, Greek κατηχουμενος , instructed) is one receiving instruction in the principles of the Christian religion with a view to baptism.
[definition courtesy of Wikipedia]

Last week, I formally began instruction with Fr. C in the faith. Having professed Christianity as my religion for the greater part of my life, it initially (and very briefly) seemed odd to require formal instruction. But when making this kind of leap, it is crucial to know exactly what I'm getting into and precisely what is expected of me. By receiving formal instruction, not only am I moving forward with eyes wide open, but I am moving into a unity of belief with what the Church teaches.

Like all good instruction does, my own has started with some fairly foundational principles: creation, original sin, original innocence, definition of the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity as well as their respective excesses and defects. Nothing so far is brand new or especially surprising, but what I love about going through all this is is that I am learning: this is what the Church teaches. This is what we profess to believe. Period.

We see the command for converts to be instructed in the faith when Christ issued the Great Commission:

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."
Matthew 28:19-20 (emphasis mine)

Christ clearly expected believers to receive instruction; it was never His intent that we should be in any way ignorant where our faith and its practice is concerned. There will always be mysteries, there will always be room to increase our knowledge. But part of what Christ commissioned His disciples with was instruction -- a faith education, as it were.

I know that practice amongst the various Protestant denominations varies, but growing up, I received no formal instruction as far as church doctrine and dogma were concerned. I participated in Five-Day Clubs, listened to the Bible stories played out by Sunday school teacher's hands with static feltboard figures, recited memory verses, and learned the requisite songs. I suppose in my young mind, I assumed that as far as professing Christians were concerned, everyone else's experience was the same.

As I grew up, I couldn't help but notice the wide variety of Protestant denominations: Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Covenant, Pentecostal, Assemblies of God, Nazarene, non-denominational, and so on. Wikipedia lists several hundred Protestant denominations and within those, several more sub-denominations. Each has its own set of doctrine and beliefs that makes it different than another. Some have governing bodies, though many are self-governing.

So what do Protestants believe? I suppose the easiest way to answer that would begin with it depends: it depends on what church you go to, who the pastor is, what the denomination is, etc. No wonder belief can be so confusing at times.

Coming from an entirely Protestant background (raised from birth in a non-denominational church), I never thought of it that way before. I always just thought, we're all Christians and we believe different things about doctrine, dogma, and practice of faith, but we all claim Christ as Savior. Many Protestants will profess unity despite the wide variance and range of beliefs present under the heading of those who call themselves "Christian". I am coming to think that unity is reduced to a muddy abstraction as opposed to a concrete nitty-gritty way of living our faith when we claim "one church" but act as though we are churches unto ourselves, deciding on our own what we do and do not believe. I am so very guilty of paying lip service to unity as a concept while simultaneously failing to embody it. This is so very troubling to me; I am certain this disparity of belief and practice is not part of Christ's design, and it saddens me deeply. Have mercy, Lord.

One of the things that is drawing me toward the Catholic faith is the continuity and unity of teaching on every point of faith you can imagine. I'm not going to make the claim that there is never disagreement amongst believers in the Catholic church; they have experienced their fair share of division also. But regardless of this, the teaching of the Church stays the same. This is is the purpose of my going through the catechism; I am receiving the same instruction that has been given to other believers regardless of locale, the priest who is teaching it, or historical period. It should not be surprising that given the number of denominations out there, there is no uniform Protestant instruction. And really, many Protestant believers I know (myself included, at one time) seem perfectly okay with it being that way. We may disagree on just about anything: baptism, predestination, original sin, the roles women in the church, eternal security, what is necessary for salvation, you name it. And we all claim Christ as the head, naming many of these things non-essentials.

Do I dare to ask the question I asked myself when I started this learning process?:

What if?

What if I'm wrong, lacking, incorrect, deficient in my belief or in its practice? I am human and prone to error; that is a given. What if I'm wrong about what is and what is not essential where faith is concerned? Is this not a question worth examining? If I'm honest, the answer is an emphatic yes. That's really what this process is about for me: challenging myself, going through my beliefs with a fine-toothed comb, weeding out those things that when examined closely, simply don't make sense anymore or do not belong.

The Baltimore Catechism spells out quite clearly the dogmas and doctrines of the Church and explains what they mean. There is something comforting about having it all spelled out in black and white, knowing that this is what Catholics profess to believe. This is the teaching of the Church, this is the truth to which you submit yourself. It's not conditional on geography, on the instructor, on whether it's the year 1885 or 2007. I think it's fantastic that as someone seriously considering conversion, I must be instructed on these points of faith before I can be baptized or partake in the Eucharist. It's not simply a matter of walking in the door and goes beyond taking a membership class. It's an education that takes months to complete.

Something I have bumped up against with other believers as I've undertaken my study is resistance to the idea of Church authority (which began with the Reformation). Many believers take issue with the idea that they can be told what they can and cannot believe. It seems the prevailing opinion amongst Protestant believers is that each should be permitted to interpret Scripture and abide by it according to individual interpretation. While not even Catholics would disagree that each individual believer's mind and intellect should be fully engaged in the life of faith, and that each believer is individually responsible to study that faith, there is a clear understanding that the Church is the ultimate authority on doctrine, dogma, and the practice of faith -- not the individual believer. Whether or not I like, agree with, or am comfortable with a teaching of the Church, I must submit to that. As a member of the Church, I accept that it is more likely that I am in error than the Church fathers from whom the essentials of the faith were passed down.

If there is an authority in place, it is my duty as a believer in Christ to submit to that authority (Romans 13:1-3; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13). I do not want to debate the finer points of this particular topic since that is not the purpose of this particular post, but assuming Christ instituted a specific plan and structure of authority in order that the Church might accomplish its purpose of baptizing and making disciples, is it not my role to submit to Christ's plan? Since Christ was specific about submitting to the authorities He has set in place, I have to believe that this includes not just governments, not just employers, but the Church also. Or do we think He ascended into Heaven, gave the disciples a thumbs up, and said, good luck with the mission, guys! Quite simply said, I don't think the idea that Christ delegated His authority is up for debate (this is another topic for another post, perhaps), nor do I believe He left earth for heaven without implementing a specific plan by which the Church would fulfill the task of making disciples. And if I believe that, then the natural end of that belief is that I must be the one to bend myself to what Christ has already established.

In speaking of the requirements and appropriate behaviors for deacons of the Church, St. Paul writes to Timothy,

"...if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth."
1 Timothy 3:15

Paul himself calls the Church the pillar and foundation of the truth. The Church is the final authority on the truth, not the individual believer. The more I allow my mind and soul to marinate in Paul's words, the more I see how wrong I have been. Yes, the Lord wants me to know, to be instructed, to be fully engaging my faith with heart, soul, and intellect. But ultimately, the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth. If there is disagreement between me and what the Church teaches, it's up to me to submit. I'm not saying I like it, but I am saying that I believe this is what Christ wants of me. Of all believers, really.

There is so much more I could say, so many things where I barely scratched the surface that I could expound upon; perhaps in future posts I will. For now, this catechumen moves forward with full conviction, basking in God's goodness. It has seemed dark to me lately, but I trust these are the moments when He is hardest at work in me, making a stubborn heart tender, teaching humility by degrees to my prideful will. He's created a plan, provided a way. He's given us the Church to instruct and guide each us in order that we may please our Heavenly Father and join Him one day in heaven.

So with David, the prayer of my heart is, Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. - Psalm 86:11