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VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam//NONSGML v1.0//EN
NAME:PhD defence M. Swires-Hennessy
METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART:20261014T114500
DTEND:20261014T131500
DTSTAMP:20261014T114500
UID:phd-defense-m-swires-hennessy@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573
CREATED:20261015T175843
LOCATION:Main building VU, 1105, Auditorium, De Boelelaan, 1081 HV, Amsterdam
SUMMARY:PhD defence M. Swires-Hennessy
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html: Baptising the Englis
h: Navigating Liturgical and Ecclesial Tensions in Belonging to an Es
tablished Church in a Post-Christian Culture
Bapt
ism Practices in the Church of England Are Under Pressure
The number of families having their children baptized in the Chu
rch of England is declining sharply. Theologian Matthew Swires-Hennes
sy’s study on the meaning of baptism and church membership suggests
that the number of infant baptisms could drop to zero as early as 20
38 if current trends continue.
Swires-Hennessy examined how the
Church of England is addressing the changing relationship between th
e church and society. In doing so, he studied, among other things, li
turgical texts, statistics, guidelines for clergy, and theological pu
blications.
According to the study, tension arises because, on
the one hand, the church wants to fulfill a broad social role, while
on the other hand, it must provide clarity about what baptism means.
Communication and new projects sometimes make the meaning and expecta
tions surrounding the liturgy less clear.
Swires-Hennessy there
fore advocates for a fundamental reorientation of the church: less em
phasis on national or institutional status and more attention to fait
h communities, faith, and discipleship. In this context, baptism shou
ld be presented more clearly as a meaningful and radical step within
the Christian faith, combined with a strong emphasis on hospitality a
nd community building.
The social significance extends beyond t
he practice of baptism itself. The decline in the number of baptism r
equests demonstrates how significantly the position of Christianity i
n everyday life in England is changing. The Church of England is thus
faced with the question of how it can shape its public role and iden
tity in a society where Christian engagement is no longer a given.
Swires-Hennessy explicitly argues against linking England’s nat
ional identity too closely to Christian baptism. Instead, she propose
s a vision of the church in which faith communities and their shared
Christian practice take center stage.
More information about th
e dissertation.
DESCRIPTION: Baptising the English: Navigating Liturgical and Ecclesia
l Tensions in Belonging to an Established Church in a Post-Christian
Culture Baptism Practices in the Church of England Are Un
der Pressure
The number of families having their childre
n baptized in the Church of England is declining sharply. Theologian
Matthew Swires-Hennessy’s study on the meaning of baptism and churc
h membership suggests that the number of infant baptisms could drop t
o zero as early as 2038 if current trends continue.Swires-Hennessy ex
amined how the Church of England is addressing the changing relations
hip between the church and society. In doing so, he studied, among ot
her things, liturgical texts, statistics, guidelines for clergy, and
theological publications.According to the study, tension arises becau
se, on the one hand, the church wants to fulfill a broad social role,
while on the other hand, it must provide clarity about what baptism
means. Communication and new projects sometimes make the meaning and
expectations surrounding the liturgy less clear.Swires-Hennessy there
fore advocates for a fundamental reorientation of the church: less em
phasis on national or institutional status and more attention to fait
h communities, faith, and discipleship. In this context, baptism shou
ld be presented more clearly as a meaningful and radical step within
the Christian faith, combined with a strong emphasis on hospitality a
nd community building.The social significance extends beyond the prac
tice of baptism itself. The decline in the number of baptism requests
demonstrates how significantly the position of Christianity in every
day life in England is changing. The Church of England is thus faced
with the question of how it can shape its public role and identity in
a society where Christian engagement is no longer a given.Swires-Hen
nessy explicitly argues against linking England’s national identity
too closely to Christian baptism. Instead, she proposes a vision of
the church in which faith communities and their shared Christian prac
tice take center stage.More information about the dissertatio
n.
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