Same water, different words

The Liturgical Commission of the Church of England was charged with producing a form of the baptism service which is accessible to those who are not used to being in church and unfamiliar with its language and symbolism. The trial rite is available here. I’ll compare this with the current provision using the following abbreviations:

current: CW = Common Worship provision for Christian washing

wanted: WC = Water Ceremony for a word-weary culture

What begins with baptism?

CW: Both “their new life in Christ” and therefore “their journey of faith”.

WC: Only “their journey of faith” (alternatively it can be said that children are helped to “become part of God’s family” but the “community of faith” is removed from the promises made by parents and godparents and use of the language of "help" in the context of becoming a member of a family is at least curious.)

Has baptism anything to do with belonging to a church community?

CW asks parents and godparents, “Will you care for them, and help them to take their place within the life and worship of Christ’s Church?” (To which parents and godparents hopefully reply, “With the help of God, we will.”)

WC doesn’t and the Commission is content to say that “there will always be a place for you here” (as if this isn’t true for the unbaptised?).

What does dying to sin involve?

CW: rejecting the devil and rebellion against God, renouncing the receipt and corruption of evil, repenting of the sins that separate us from God and neighbour.

WC: dying to “sin”? We die to “all that destroys” by rejecting what all good people reject: evil in all its many forms and with all its empty promises. We may decide for ourselves what this might mean without reference to sin, the devil or God.

What does new life in Christ involve?

CW: Turning to Christ as Saviour; submitting to Christ as Lord; coming to Christ, the way, the truth, and the life.

WC: No calling upon Christ as Saviour, no mention of obedience, but a promise to follow him (which in our culture may be understood as living by “Christian values” – the sort of thing every good citizen would want to – without any need to take up one’s cross).

What’s the significance of the sign of the cross?

CW: Confessing the faith of Christ crucified which puts one at odds with sin, the world and the devil.

WC: Belonging to Christ, opposed to evil (as above, being Christ’s “faithful disciple” apparently need not involve the scandal of the cross nor any realisation that we make ourselves enemies by being loyal to Christ).

What’s the significance of water?

CW explores the main ways in which water functions in the Scriptures from creation to Christ who leads us to new life.

WC only mentions the baptism of Jesus (Prayer 1) or the deliverance through the Red Sea (Prayer 2) alongside the cleansing and washing (from “the deep waters of sin” in Prayer 2 in a context which may suggest that sin is what others do to us).

CW speaks of being born again by the Holy Spirit, WC of knowing ourselves loved as God’s children. Here and throughout the prayer over the water there are some interestingly nuanced differences. At the risk of oversimplification: CW prays as if baptism is something “which now saves you” (1 Peter 3:21), while WC looks back to Christ as having rescued us and “shown us the way of salvation”, praying that baptism will bring such a filling with the Holy Spirit that these truths become better known to us.

What’s the faith into which we are baptised?

There is a close relationship between the Apostles’ Creed and baptism. There are other valid forms of affirming our faith but because baptism initiates into the church of all times and places, it is especially fitting that we should used (a translation of) the creed which has been used at baptisms throughout the world throughout time.

CW allows for the use of an “alternative Profession of Faith” “where there are strong pastoral reasons”.

WC makes this the standard affirmation of faith which is fitting for a ceremony which tends to play down the link between baptism and belonging to the church.

To what does baptism commission us?

CW offers a pretty full picture of the Christian life which includes a question and answer format which stresses the commitment involved in embarking on this journey.

WC offers guidance for a short extempore homily rather than a specific form of words and paints a more realistic picture of what life is like for the unchurched baptised. Thankfully, WC finally affirms that baptism joins to the church through space and time and even suggests that “being a Christian means going to church” (“and more” of course, which includes learning “the story of Christ’s birth, death and resurrection, the pattern of his loving life, and the teaching that he gave” and prayer as well as standing up for “fairness, truth, and kindness”).

Beyond words on the page

The main argument for the WC liturgy is that it provides a form of words which people may find easier to affirm; better to say WC words and mean them than to make CW promises with no intention of keeping them. But is WC really saying the same things in simpler words or does it present a different picture of Christ and of the Christian faith and life? And if the latter, is this different presentation adequate or one which falls short of proclaiming Christ crucified?

And pastorally: Would we need to use the WC liturgy also with the children of regular members of the congregation to prevent the impression that there is an entrance into the church for the committed and one for the rest? Shall therefore even the faithful be deprived of a celebration of baptism which indulges us in the meat of biblical teaching?