OK I will bite,
 
You said speaking of baby dedications: "surely it is meant to me something of a covenant between the church congregation and the parents."
 
Where do we find this meaning?  In Scripture?  I can't find it.  In tradition?  Maybe
 
Here, for our viewing,  is how one church does it:
 

"Why Children Should Be Dedicated
 In view of this responsibility, baby dedications are actually family dedications.  The entire family needs to be lifted up in prayer so that family members will be empowered to keep their responsibilities.

The Bible gives us an example of dedicating a child to the Lord through the account of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:11, 26–28.  Unable to have children, Hannah wept before the Lord because of her condition.  As she was weeping, she made a vow to God and said, "O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a man child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life . . . " (1 Samuel 1:11).

God honored Hannah's request and gave her a son, Samuel.  Hannah kept her vow and dedicated (which means "to set apart") Samuel to the Lord. 

Requirements for Dedication
To dedicate a child to the Lord is to make a vow to completely submit your child to the will of God and raise that child in the ways of the Lord. 

Parents who have not placed their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will be unable to submit their children to God's will and His ways, because they themselves do not know the ways of the Lord.  As a result, we must decline any requests to involve an unbelieving parent in the dedication of a child.  We view this as an act of protection rather than rejection, as we cannot encourage someone to make a vow to God that we know he or she cannot keep. 

The Bible says, "It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vow" (Proverbs 20:25 NIV).  The Bible records instances where God dealt severely with those who broke their vows to Him (for example, read Acts 5:1–11).

A believing parent may dedicate a child independently of an unbelieving spouse.  Single parents who dedicate their children may not have boyfriends or girlfriends present with them on the platform."

I guess the end says you can not make a commitment before you have made the other commitment but it does make you question how this single parent may have come about to have been with child!  (Has there been disipline?)

You may dedicate a building or another possession but to dedicate an individual who has a will that is uncontrollable seems like wishful thinking.

To me baby dedications are a gimmick to invite outside family members into the church and/or an experience that makes a lot of people feel good and maybe helps the new parents introduce their child to their church family.  I have never had a baby dedication for any of my children and do not practice them.  Still, on the birthing table I have asked for wisdom, strength, and understanding to raise the child as God would have me to and to be an example of a believe for the child as God would give me strength!

Harry



Jeff Scanlan <jscanlan@...> wrote:
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

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