Maybe I should have been a little clearer. While the Baptist do dedicate their children to the Lord based on that passage, actually Hannah had promised the Lord if He gave her a child she would dedicate him to the service of God. I don't think that passage is interpreting covenant theology, do you?

I must also be confused about your question as to the New Testament following the same pattern for Baptist?

And how do we differ on salvation? Are you saying that you believe that your children were saved because of baptism?

And your last question....Were in the NT do we find dedications over baptism? I am not sure I remember where I said that is the case. I said I did that as a reformed Baptist, and now I hold to covenant theology. I was also just answering a question as to where child dedications came from, not defending the validity of it.

There is now no great joy to my heart to see a covenant child baptized, but I still feel very strongly that baptism in any way guarentees the salvation of an infant any more than it does a 50 year old. Does that make sense. I feel as though you were wanting me to defend a position I held to in the past, which, my friend, doesn't make any sense, since the words, IN THE PAST should explain themselves.

Liinda