An altar call is a tradition in some Christian churches in which those who wish to make a new spiritual commitment to

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

are invited to come forward publicly. It is so named because the supplicants gather at the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

located at the front of the church building. Most altar calls occur at the end of an evangelical address.

Background

Altar calls are a recent historic phenomenon beginning in the 1830s in America. During these, people approached the chancel rails, anxious seat, or mourner's bench to pray. One of the most famous 19th century revivalists,

Charles Grandison Finney Charles Grandison Finney (August 29, 1792 – August 16, 1875) was an American Presbyterian minister and leader in the Second Great Awakening in the United States. He has been called the "Father of Old Revivalism." Finney rejected much of trad ...

, "popularized the idea of the 'altar call' in order to sign up his converts for the abolition movement." In many Churches of the

Wesleyan-Arminian Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles W ...

theology, the altar call, in addition to being an invitation for people to experience the New Birth, is also often used to implore believers to experience the

second work of grace According to some Christian traditions, a second work of grace (also second blessing) is a transforming interaction with God which may occur in the life of an individual Christian. The defining characteristics of the second work of grace are ...

, known as entire sanctification. Notable examples in history of using altar calls include

Billy Sunday William Ashley "Billy" Sunday (November 19, 1862 – November 6, 1935) was an American outfielder in baseball's National League and widely considered the most influential American evangelist during the first two decades of the 20th century. Bo ...

and D. L. Moody. The

Reformed Churches Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Calv ...

object to the use of the altar call for a variety of reasons. They argue that the Bible does not refer to any similar practice. Others believe it is intimidating and therefore creates an unnecessary and artificial barrier to those who would become Christians but are then unwilling to make an immediate public profession under the gaze of an assembly. Others object in that they may mislead people into confusing outward conduct with spiritual change. In doing so, they argue, altar calls may actually give people false assurance about their salvation. In addition, Carey Hardy argues that they change "the essence of the gospel", create believers with false professions of faith, and do not "follow the biblical method for public identification".

References

{{Reflist

External links

Altar Call Evangelism
by Paul Alexander

by Fred G. Zaspel

by G. I. Williamson
How to Botch an Altar Call
- adapted from ''Becoming an Emissary for God'' by Allen Atzbi
The new altar call.(HEATS & MINDS) (Poverty): An article from: Sojourners Magazine
Evangelical ecclesiology Conversion to Christianity Christian terminology

Background

See also

References

External links