Editing Infant baptism (section)

=== Protestant ===

==== Lutheran Churches ====
[[File:Lutheran_baptism.jpg|left|thumb|Baptism of a child in Finland by a Lutheran pastor (2015)]]
[[Lutheranism|Lutherans]] uphold infant baptism by pointing to scriptural references where entire households were baptized (e.g., [[Acts 16]]:15). They argue that households in biblical times included children. According to [[Martin Luther]], baptism is not founded on personal faith, as one can never be certain of faith. Instead, it is based on God's word and commandment. The faith involved is that of those who bring the child to baptism (fides aliena), such as parents, godparents, and the church congregation.<ref name=":8">(Heller, 2023, pp. 10-15)</ref>

Lutherans believe that through baptism, the child receives infused faith, mediated by the prayers of the church, parents, and godparents. Baptism purifies and renews the child. Personal faith is not a prerequisite for baptism but is nourished by it, as the individual continually adheres to God's grace and renounces sin throughout life. [[Augsburg Confession|The Augsburg Confession (II)]] states that baptism is necessary for salvation. It is an assignment to Christ, a surrender into Jesus’ death and resurrection, and a gift of new life that calls the baptized to walk in faith.<ref name=":8" />

While baptism marks initiation into the church and incorporation into the people of God, it is viewed as the beginning of a lifelong journey. If not taken in faith, baptism remains incomplete. In the post-Reformation era, [[Lutheran orthodoxy]] reaffirmed the necessity of infant baptism. However, later movements such as [[Pietism]] and [[Rationalism]] emphasized inner experience over the sacrament, leading figures like [[John Wesley]] to argue that true rebirth occurs through personal transformation, not the outward ritual.<ref name=":8" />

==== Methodist ====
[[File:First_century_of_national_existence;_the_United_States_as_they_were_and_are.._(1873)_(14764282955).jpg|thumb|Presbyterian-Congregational Alliance (1770–1852)]]
According to Campbell (1999), [[Methodism|Methodist churches]] affirm infant baptism, rooted in the [[Twenty-five Articles|seventeenth Article of Religion]]’s instruction to retain “the baptism of young children” (p. 107). Methodists have historically defended this practice against critics of infant baptism, grounding it in New Testament accounts of household baptisms ([[Acts 16]]:15, 33), Jesus’ embrace of children (e.g., [[Matthew 19]]:13–15), and the belief that all, including infants, require inclusion in the church’s covenantal fellowship.<ref>Campbell, T. A. (1999). ''Methodist doctrine: The essentials''. Abingdon Press. (pp. 73-133)</ref> For Methodists, infant baptism signifies “an acceptance of the prevenient grace of God and as a confession on the part of the church of its responsibility for children in general and for every child in particular.”<ref>{{cite book |title=Methodist Review, Volume 101 |date=1918 |publisher=G. Lane & P. B. Sandford |page=464 |language=English}}</ref><ref name="MannsMeyer19842">{{cite book |last1=Manns |first1=Peter |title=Luther's Ecumenical Significance: An Interconfessional Consultation |last2=Meyer |first2=Harding |date=1984 |publisher=Fortress Press |isbn=978-0-8006-1747-9 |page=141 |language=English |quote=When modern Methodists expound infant baptism, they think first of " prevenient grace", for which infant baptism is said to be an effective, or at least a useful, sign.}}</ref> Methodist doctrine further emphasizes that justifying grace, essential for salvation, is received after repentance and a personal commitment to Christ as Savior.<ref name="UMC GBGM-Grace2">{{cite web |title=God's Preparing, Accepting, and Sustaining Grace |url=http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/wesley/walk.stm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080109013416/http://gbgm-umc.org/UMW/Wesley/walk.stm |archive-date=9 January 2008 |access-date=2 August 2007 |publisher=The United Methodist Church GBGM}}</ref><ref name="FMC20082">{{cite web |date=3 December 2008 |title=Baptism and Dedication |url=https://www.fmcic.ca/baptism-and-dedication/ |publisher=[[Free Methodist Church]] |quote=When they baptize babies, pastors should make sure that their prayers include clear requests that God will bring the children to a personal faith that "owns" what the parents are promising at a time when the children (who "belong" from day one) cannot act for themselves. And when they dedicate children, pastors should make sure that their prayers include clear gratitude to God for the fact that he is already at work in the life of that child, who already "belongs" in the Christian community.  Here’s what must be stressed: whether at the time of baptism (in the adult baptism tradition) or at the time of confirmation when the vows made earlier by the parents are personally "owned" (in the infant baptism tradition), it is faith in Jesus (dependent trust, not mere cognitive affirmation) that is crucial. Paul goes so far as to say that without faith and obedience, the old rite of circumcision has no value (Romans 2:25). The same is true of baptism. With either rite, clear evangelistic follow-through is crucial.}}</ref> While many Methodist denominations, such as the [[Free Methodist Church]] and [[Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection]], practice infant baptism for families who request it, they also offer a rite of child dedication for those who prefer to delay baptism until their child can consciously profess faith.<ref name="FMC20082" /><ref name="AWMC20142">{{cite book |title=The Discipline of the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection (Original Allegheny Conference) |publisher=[[Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection]] |year=2014 |location=[[Salem, Ohio|Salem]] |pages=140–146 |language=en}}</ref>

==== Presbyterian, Congregational and Reformed Churches ====
[[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]], [[Congregationalism|Congregational]], and [[Reformed Christianity|Reformed churches]] administer infant baptism based on [[covenant theology]], viewing baptism as "a sign and seal of the covenant of grace" and the "visible Word of God" (Fesko 2010, p. 4). They argue that baptism replaces circumcision as the covenant sign and that just as infants were circumcised under the old covenant, so now infants should be baptized under the new covenant (p. 8). Baptism is not merely a human act of profession but is "God’s visible covenant promise when accompanied by the Word" and serves as a "[[Means of grace#Reformed theology|means of grace]]" (p. 6). This perspective stresses that baptism is grounded in "God’s covenant dealings with His people," not in an individual’s decision or [[Sola fide|personal faith alone]] (p. 3).<ref>Fesko, J. V. (2010). ''Word, water, and Spirit: A Reformed perspective on baptism''. Reformation Heritage Books.</ref><ref>Westminster Confession, Chapter 28, Section 1 and especially section 3. Baptized people are considered part of the covenant of grace by faith unless they prove otherwise by committing apostasy.</ref>