| When it comes to
baptism there is a profound disconnect between what churches and clergy
understand it to mean and the understanding of those non-churchgoing families
seeking the rite for their children.
Clergy and regular churchgoers feel that the church is being used and
abused by families seeking a baptism, when they perceive them to be looking
for ‘just an excuse for a party’. On the other hand, families seeking a
christening in their local churches are baffled by the lack of enthusiasm and
encouragement they find when they approach their local
church.
Using a new
interdisciplinary approach to practical theology, A Rite on the
Edge, reflects theologically on the findings of research conducted
by Sarah Lawrence into baptism in the Church of England and in English
culture more widely, using insights and research methods from corpus
linguistics.
It offers a profound challenge for those struggling to comprehend
how ‘outsiders’ understand baptism. More fundamentally, it asks how the
Church of England can remain ‘present and available for all’ at a time of
heightened tensions and confused expectations about who the church is
‘for’. |