It has been a little quiet lately so I am going to pose a question here
in relation to the above.

In my country after the second world war it became the practice in
Baptist Churches to dedicate infants. As I recall it, it was initially
low-key. Baptisms were similarly always low-key.

However it seems to be that lately such events are becoming occasions
for family celebrations and are even appearing as performance.

Presentations of infants are now really not much more than christenings
without water. My own sister and brother-in-law refused to have their
children presented in church because my brother-in-law believed that his
non-Christian family would just see it as a christening.

And yesterday at our church there was such an event with family,
non-Christian and Christian, gathered specially for that event. I have
even heard that there are private dedications, which to me is the
antithesis of what a presentation should be because surely it is meant
to me something of a covenant between the church congregation and the
parents.

As for baptisms it seems that for them too the family has all to
congregate in the church and it seems that we have to applaud the
spectacle after the event. At my last church there was once even a
celebratory baptismal cake!

Any thoughts on this will be gratefully received.

God bless,
Jeff