Salvation of the Incapable

Paper Summary:

This paper examines ?the doctrine of justification by faith alone? by one of the greatest minds of the past, Samuel Johnson, an influential Anglican, who argues against salvation for the infant and the mentally handicapped because of their impossibility of faith. The author points out that the Heidelberg Catechism stated an idea that begins to be more positive towards the salvation of infants and the mentally handicapped. The paper relates that some of the most modern concepts of the Protestant movement stress, without doubt, that their salvation is allowed.

From the Paper:

"Here, there is a hint that there might be circumstances under which Johnson "and by extrapolation, other thinkers of his day and certainly those to whom he preached" would accept the possibility of salvation for infants and the mentally handicapped. Or not. To Johnson, trust implied a kind of resignation to the honesty or abilities of the other. On that basis, however, Johnson opens himself up to other substantial criticisms. One of the most paramount is this: if trust is, as he believes resignation to the honesty or abilities of others, and the other in this instance is God, then is God not necessarily deserving of complete trust?"

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