Last night a few of us trotted off to the local C of S church where one of our minister friends was being 'introduced to the RAF' as a chaplain.  We had guessed it would entail a fair degree of formality and other stuff that Baptists don't do but I for one had not anticipated quite so much nationalistic stuff... it would be interesting to talk to a Baptist military chaplain and see if they had as much of this in their services.

The C of S may not be 'established' in the same way as the C of E but the feel was pretty similar.

Before the service began a statement was read out a bit like 'bans' syaing that if anyone knew any just cause or impediment to this person's appointment they must let the Presbytery know at a given address - the deadline was ten minutes before the announcement was made and all the officials were at the church not the given address. Hmmm.

It's always a funny one for Baptists when a service inclcudes a creedal declaration, last night the Apostles creed.  Part of Baptist heritage is that we 'don't do creeds' not because we don't have orthodox beliefs (the BUS website clearly affirms "Baptists believe in the truths expressed in the historic creeds of the Church") but because our forebears saw how doctrinal statements divided, excluded and schismed the church (even if, of course, they were a schism in their own right).  I know some Baptist churches do use the historic creeds in worship, but most don't.  What holds us together in our weird and wonderful diversity is the Declaration of Principle e.g. here

Separation of church and state has always been a big thing for Baptists so it was kind of odd being in a service that included 'I vow to Thee my Country' and 'God save the Queen.'  Evidently it did not go unnoticed that the Baptist contingent didn't sing the latter (and most of us mumbled the former; one (not me) had the courage to abstain).  It would be fair to say that we don't have identical views of royalty but we do share a Baptist view that our allegiance is not to the Crown nor to Scotland nor to Great Britain but to Christ.

It was really good to see our friend move on to his new calling, and I'm sure he'll be a great chaplain to those he serves.  I'm just reminded why I am a Baptist.