Baptists call the ruling a shocking overreach, while proponents say the Court has finally recognized that the covenant does not wait for a first coherent sentence. WASHINGTON — In a decision that immediately set off alarms in Baptist churches across the country, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that any baby born in a Baptist church is automatically considered a member of the covenant, whether or not the parents planned for it, explained it, or survive the nursery class. The ruling was hailed by advocates of covenant theology as a long-overdue acknowledgment that God’s promises do not depend on a toddler’s ability to recite a testimony or sit still through an entire sermon. “This is about the objective reality of the covenant,” said one theologian. “Apparently the Court now understands that babies do not become less included just because the adults are nervous about it.” Baptists reacted with predictable disbelief, arguing that covenant membership requires a personal profession of faith,...