Baptism or Blackmail?

Dennis Filler, a London shipping clerk, went round to see the parson of St. Peter's. The Rev. John Perry, he thought, would be delighted to baptize his two-month-old daughter, Christine Margaret; the vicar had married the Fillers years before, and Dennis had been a lifelong member of St. Peter's in the East End district of Hackney. But at the church, Dennis Filler was told flatly that, considering his spotty record of churchgoing, he would have to take religious instruction before his child could be baptized.

After three weeks of instruction, Filler thought he had enough. But Parson Perry was adamant, and Parent Filler made arrangements to have Christine baptized in the neighboring parish of St. John's. "I think the Church of England must be in a very bad way to revert to forced religion," he said. "It's blackmail."

Since Vicar Perry came to his Hackney parish four years ago, his policy of no baptism without regular church attendance has boosted the average number of Sunday communicants. Backed up by his bishop, Perry said last week: "To a lot of people, who have not been inside of a church since they were married, baptism is a good excuse for a party. But they have to realize that this is one of the church's great sacraments . . . If a man is to become a bus driver, then he has instruction. A Christian should have the same. In a pagan world a man cannot use the church when he wants to without acknowledging his beliefs."

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