Nursery of the Church

Abstract

"Baptists, of all people, need to have a special theology of childhood. For us that means a 'pre-baptismal childhood, whereas for the rest of Christendom baptism is the starting point for all thought about the nurture of . But practice is developing all the time, sometimes ahead of theology. Rarely today are dedication services conducted as a private ceremony outside public worship, though the dedication service after morning worship was still common in the post-war years. The dedication service has come to be acknowledged as a proper part of the liturgy of the whole church assembled together, thus fortifying our responsibility for the children of the church."