There are two major controversies about baptism: (1) Is one saved by baptism, so that the sacrament is absolutely essential to the salvation of one’s soul? and (2) Is it appropriate to baptize infants? The two questions are related, since if the answer to the first is “yes,” then so must the answer to the second, since it is unthinkable to postpone baptism and thereby jeopardize the child’s chances of eternal happiness with God in Heaven.
Fortunately, the answer to the first question is “No.” Even Roman Catholic theologians say that an unbaptized child can go to heaven. Professor Richard P. McBrien of Notre Dame, for example, says that we do not “need” Baptism. “Every human person, by reason of birth and of God’s universal offer of grace, is already called to be a child of God and an heir of heaven. Catholics are not required to believe that unbaptized infants go to limbo.”
Then is the answer to the second question also “No”? Is infant baptism inappropriate? Not necessarily. McBrien warns us to avoid two extremes about baptism. One is a mechanistic “washing away of original sin” (which would make infant baptism of the highest priority). The other is that baptism without faith is meaningless (and therefore baptism of infants is useless, because they can have no faith). One extreme treats sacraments like magic. The other treats them as mere symbols of something which has to already exist. Neither extreme is correct. The conferring of grace through a sacrament is a free act of God. A child is born into a human family with no capacity for giving love — but that does not stop it from receiving love. Similarly, through Baptism an infant is brought into the family of the church and made a child of God. With no capacity for loving God, the child nonetheless receives God’s love through the church and through whatever channels of grace God chooses. So the answer to the second question is, “As you prefer.” Infant baptism is neither crucial nor meaningless. Like so many other things, it belongs in the “nonessentials” category — something which should never be a cause for disunity among the churches.
Originally, Confirmation was that part of the Baptism rite performed by the bishop. Its development as a separate sacrament, one which can be administered years later, provides a way to satisfy both sides. Baptism can be done in infancy, and Confirmation postponed until adulthood (perhaps the age of 18 or 21). In this way, the young person can be a lifelong Christian and, after suitable preparation, make their own faith commitment to a life of service in the church. However and whenever Baptism is performed, it should be as a symbol of unity. As St. Paul says in Ephesians 4:5, “(I) urge you to live ... bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, ... one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all.”
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