Concerning Cases of Conscience Regarding the Use of the Sacraments and, in Specific, Baptism

Abstract

This article concerning casuistry and baptism was originally written in Latin by Friedrich Balduin. Pages 390-408, Chapter XI Translated by Wade R. Johnston for Senior Dogmatics, 2003.

This essay presents Friedrich Balduin’s casuistry on baptism, exploring its necessity, efficacy, and implications for infants and adults. Balduin affirms baptism as the ordinary means of regeneration and entrance into the Church, rejecting Calvinist and Anabaptist views that minimize its salvific role. He defends infant baptism, asserting that faith is conferred through the sacrament, and warns against delaying baptism without cause. Balduin also addresses cases of infants dying before baptism, offering pastoral consolation grounded in God’s mercy, extraordinary means of grace, and scriptural examples. He distinguishes between the substance of baptism—water and the Trinitarian formula—and ceremonial rites, arguing that baptisms performed within the papacy remain valid despite superstitious additions. The essay reflects Lutheran orthodoxy’s emphasis on baptism as a means of grace, while offering nuanced pastoral care for troubled consciences and grieving parents. — Abstract generated by Microsoft Copilot (GPT-4)