Abstract
Until I read this book, I had not realized that the tension between the words ‘christening’ and ‘baptism’ goes back centuries. The author has undertaken extensive research showing how the Old English word ‘christen’ has persisted among the general population, while the Norman interloper ‘baptism’ has on the whole been used by the clergy and the more educated. Examples are given from court transcripts, newspapers and Hansard. Even at the time of the Reformation, clergy were trying to downplay the traditional accoutrements of a child’s ‘christening’, in order to emphasize the Christian commitment in ‘baptism’. In written texts, the use of ‘baptism’ surpassed the use of ‘christen’ in the middle of the sixteenth century – but one has to remember that it was the clergy and the educated who were responsible for those texts.
The association of baptism with naming and the importance of naming are explored in some depth. Naturally, in a society where infants were baptized soon after birth, the ceremony could be the first public use of a child’s name. The author shows how, even when the registration of a birth became a task of the state in 1836, some would not consider a child properly named unless they had been through the Christian rite of initiation. The author suggests that naming a child continues to be of great significance to parents, and that clergy preparing and leading services should pay more attention to this aspect, despite the fact that the Common Worship liturgy makes minimal reference to the candidate’s name. The use of the Common Worship service of Affirmation of Baptismal Faith for a transgendered person to establish their new identity in the community and before God is also touched upon. This is seen in terms of re-naming, whereas according to the official Pastoral Guidance it is as much about the individual expressing their continuity of Christian discipleship.
The author goes on to explore three more aspects of what parents look for in a christening, as evidenced in contemporary sources. The desire for a celebration is real, and not to be dismissed by a Church that rejoices in a generous and creative God. Choosing and appointing godparents has been played down by the Church in recent decades but is still of importance to parents, and may have a part to play in the maturing of infants into responsible members of society. And there is a modern (post-1990) perception that a christening is an opportunity for parents to make ‘marriage-like vows’ to love and care for their children.
There is still today a tension between, on the one hand, the ecclesial expectation that this is a rite of Christian initiation, and, on the other, the aspirations of parents who might not be regular churchgoers. The author asks whether we should for missional reasons acquiesce in this evolution of an historic Christian ceremony. She also rehearses the debate as to whether the Church of England is here for the committed who finance and keep it going, or for the more nebulous group of people who identify with it but rarely attend.
The concluding chapter has recommendations for the future. While the use of the service ‘Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child’ as a ‘naming service’ is given consideration, the author’s heart seems to be with ‘christening’. Not to dismiss the word, but to welcome those who come with the expectations attached to it, building on the value they place on the social aspects of the ceremony, although they do not feature in the authorized liturgy, and remembering all the while that even asking for this rite is now a countercultural thing to do.