William Lane Craig Shocks Theologians by Rejecting Original Sin in Infants and Special Needs Children
Christian apologist William Lane Craig recently shared that infants and special needs children do not need forgiveness because they are not “born sinful.”
“If you believe with Roman Catholics and Reformed and Lutheran theologians that Adam’s sin and guilt is imputed to every individual human being descended from Adam, then infants and the mentally disabled are going to also need salvation to be applied to them in some way because they carry the guilt of Adam’s sin,” said Craig in a short video posted to his ministry’s account on X.
“On the other hand, if, like me, you’re not persuaded that this doctrine is biblical, then infants and the mentally retarded are not born sinful and therefore have no sin that needs to be pardoned or forgiven,” he added.
He elaborated on his post in light of how Jesus Himself viewed children.
“And I think this is in accord with Jesus’ attitude toward children. When you look at how Jesus regarded children, he said, “Unless you become like a little child, you will not see the kingdom of God. But these children who have faith in me, such is the kingdom of God,” Craig explained.
“So he, I think, clearly believed that these little children were saved, were the recipients of God’s salvation,” he continued. “And that would make much better sense than, I think, saying that they were all born vile and corrupted sinners.
As reported by Protestia, Craig’s comments were seen as a denial of the doctrine of original sin, which states that all were born unto sin due to Adam’s sin.
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people because all sinned.” the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 5:12
Another clear-cut example of original sin can be shown with the psalmist David, who said, “In sin, did my mother conceive me” when he wrote in his confession to God after he committed adultery with Bathsheba.
Are Infants & the Mentally Disabled Guilty of Sin? #Theology pic.twitter.com/HI9fC4UpVA
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Originally published May 02, 2025.
