Troubling the Waters
The subtleties of sacramental theology rarely make headlines, even in the Christian press. It was therefore something of an anomaly when, in late August of last year, local, national, and even international outlets hurriedly published articles attempting to explain the intricacies of sacramental "form," "matter," "intention," and "validity." The immediate impetus for this sudden and surprising interest was (as a Detroit Free Press headline announced) the revelation that a "Catholic priest finds his baptism was invalid."
That priest was Father Matthew Hood, who'd had good reason to believe . . .
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Korey D. Maas is an associate professor of history at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan.
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