Conservatives have lambasted the Church of England's offer of a two-for-one service for engaged couples – marriage for them and baptisms for their children born outside marriage – saying it "confuses Church’s message".
The Church of England issued new church guidelines last week which allow couples to baptise their children after the wedding ceremony. Parents can even get baptised themselves.
The church said it recognised the changing reality of British families after research commissioned by the church revealed that 44 per cent of children in Britain are born to unmarried women and that one in five couples seeking a church wedding already have children either together or from a previous relationship.
The Rev Tim Sledge, vicar of Romsey in the Diocese of Winchester, said he had been asked to "merge" wedding and baptism services several times.
"It has been lovely to give couples this flexibility to enjoy an extra special celebration for the whole family," he commented. "Now the guidelines are available online, the church can 'say yes' and offer an even warmer wedding welcome to couples with children."
Stephen Parkinson, of the Anglo-Catholic group Forward in Faith told The Times, however, that the proper place for a baptism is not during a wedding but during the Sunday morning act of worship when the congregation can welcome a new Christian.
"It is a shame that what should be a bride’s day now stands to be hijacked by screaming kids," Parkinson said.
Defending the dual service, the Rt Rev Stephen Platten, Bishop of Wakefield and chairman of the liturgical commission that drew up the service, said: “This does not mean the Church is changing its teaching.
"This is a way for the Church to reinforce its commitment to marriage. The Church has always attempted to meet people where they are.
"But it has also tried to teach something of what it believes the Christian faith to be.”
Critics say the new guideline confuses the Church’s message and appears to sanction having children out of wedlock.
“It is a pity they have not put in a funeral for grandma as well,” quipped the Bishop of Fulham, the Rt Rev John Broadhurst.
“It seems trendy, and it reveals a complete lack of awareness of the reality of what goes on in parishes,” he told The Times.
David Phillips, general secretary of the Church Society, stressed, "The proper place for sex is within marriage."
