A soldier serving in the United States Army recently converted from a neo-Protestant denomination to Orthodoxy, receiving baptism at the Church of St. Nicholas in Flămânzi, Botoșani County in northern Romania. He was later married in the same parish community.
The announcement of the baptism was made at the end of last week by Father Valentin Cârlan, who wrote on Facebook:
“A new Christian of Christ! Receiving the baptismal name of Ezekiel, after a period of catechesis and several meetings, after learning the Creed and the teachings of the Orthodox faith, he was baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity, converting to Orthodoxy! From a soldier in the U.S. Army, he became a ‘new soldier of Christ’!”
Naturally, the soldier’s new Orthodox faith does not prevent him from continuing his service in the U.S. military. On the contrary, the metaphor reminds us that all baptized Christians are soldiers of Christ, regardless of their professional calling.
