It’s not very often that baptisms get into the tabloid press, though bishops quite often do – frequently for the wrong reasons. But this story surely highlights both a growing trend for the baptism of adult converts, and also shows that a bit of spectacle can be a good thing in terms of getting into the news. Maybe if more of church happened outside the four walls of church buildings, there would be more interest by the general public. There’s something safe about being able to stand on a river bank to be part of worship, as compared with being trapped in pews or behind closed doors. But then, John the Baptist knew all about that a long time ago.
