Not so many families these days ask for their children to be christened. A possible explanation is that there are phrases in the service which they find difficult.

In the Anglican baptism service for example, the first stumbling block is the phrase: “Our Lord Jesus Christ told us that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven we must be born of water and the Holy Spirit.”

A puzzled parent might ask: “Is the Church saying that only those who have been baptised will go to heaven after death?” Then come the words: “In baptism this child begins their journey of faith,” to which the reply might be: “Does this imply that other people don’t have a ‘journey of faith’.

The biggest hurdle comes in the promises. “Do you reject the devil and all rebellion against God?” Response: “But I don’t believe in a devil.” Finally, the families are asked to recite the creed. A savvy parent might say: “As far as I can remember that was written about 1,600 years ago. I have serious questions about some of the phrases.”

These doubts may account for the fact that many families stay away.

These are the sort of issues that the Kendal Ecumenical Group has been considering over the years.

Recently, we had a speaker who actually suggested that ‘doubt’ has a positive value, because it means that the person is thinking for themselves. It may indicate that the Church has some thinking to do in relation to the Baptism Service.

The Rev Tim Baynes, Kendal Ecumenical Group