Altar Calls?

[Tom Butler]

We can discuss whether certain methodologies and terminologies are sound ways to exhort men and women to repentance and faith. We will be on solid ground if we look to the scriptures for guidance.

The exhortations were brief and to the point.

John the Baptist: Repent
Jesus: Repent
Peter (at Pentecost): Repent
Paul (on Mars Hill)God commands you to repent.
The response to Paul's exhortation: Some believed
Paul (to the Philippian jailer): Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philip (to the eunuch) If you believe with all your heart..

To be sure, each laid some groundwork, but in the final analysis, there was nothing poetic, nothing symbolic, just straightforward language. No raising of the hand, no walking the aisle, no inviting Jesus into their hearts, no praying to receive Jesus. Just repent/believe.

 

[asterisktom]

1. When did the practice of having altar calls first start?

2. Are altar calls biblical, non-biblical, extra biblical, none of the above?

I assume that somewhere in these 19 pages of replies someone mentioned the one who invented the altar call - Charles Finney. The method is not biblical and, as a study of even Finney's ministry shows, largely counterproductive.

I am so glad I am in a Baptist church that does not bother with it, but trust, rather, the Holy Spirit to draw and convict - the very thing He was doing before Finney came up with his innovation.

 

[John of Japan]

I assume that somewhere in these 19 pages of replies someone mentioned the one who invented the altar call - Charles Finney. The method is not biblical and, as a study of even Finney's ministry shows, largely counterproductive.

I am so glad I am in a Baptist church that does not bother with it, but trust, rather, the Holy Spirit to draw and convict - the very thing He was doing before Finney came up with his innovation.

I see that you are new here. Welcome to the BB. I hope you enjoy your experience here. :wavey:

One item of internet forum courtesy is to read a thread before commenting. That way you don't assume anything. If you will go back and read the thread, you will find where I quote a Baptist historian who proved that Finney did not invent the altar call, but Separatist Baptists did. Furthermore, some form or another of the public invitation (raising of hands, etc.) goes way, way back in church history.

 

[John of Japan]

We can discuss whether certain methodologies and terminologies are sound ways to exhort men and women to repentance and faith. We will be on solid ground if we look to the scriptures for guidance.

The exhortations were brief and to the point.

John the Baptist: Repent
Jesus: Repent
Peter (at Pentecost): Repent
Paul (on Mars Hill)God commands you to repent.
The response to Paul's exhortation: Some believed
Paul (to the Philippian jailer): Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philip (to the eunuch) If you believe with all your heart..

To be sure, each laid some groundwork, but in the final analysis, there was nothing poetic, nothing symbolic, just straightforward language. No raising of the hand, no walking the aisle, no inviting Jesus into their hearts, no praying to receive Jesus. Just repent/believe.

But saying "Come" is also valid, and I don't mean just physically come. (And I am not saying that repentance is unnessary.)

Mt 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Joh 5:40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

Joh 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

Re 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Etc., etc.

 

[asterisktom]

I see that you are new here. Welcome to the BB. I hope you enjoy your experience here. :wavey:

One item of internet forum courtesy is to read a thread before commenting. That way you don't assume anything. If you will go back and read the thread, you will find where I quote a Baptist historian who proved that Finney did not invent the altar call, but Separatist Baptists did. Furthermore, some form or another of the public invitation (raising of hands, etc.) goes way, way back in church history.

Thank you for the welcome. have already enjoyed a number of discussions here.

At the risk of seeming discourtesy I am not going to wade through all 19 pages in order to participate in this thread. I just don't have that much time. I did read a few of yours, where you confound biblical invitation with unbiblical altar call - and even that term is loaded with bad theology - and decided to bow out on this one. But for those who are interested, I would recommend the historical research of BB Warfield and John Foote.

I stand by what I wrote. There has been a general tendency in the history of the church to convolute what God has left simple.

Take care.

 

[Revmitchell]

I assume that somewhere in these 19 pages of replies someone mentioned the one who invented the altar call - Charles Finney. The method is not biblical and, as a study of even Finney's ministry shows, largely counterproductive.

I am so glad I am in a Baptist church that does not bother with it, but trust, rather, the Holy Spirit to draw and convict - the very thing He was doing before Finney came up with his innovation.

apparently in your ignorance you do not know what an alter call is or does.

 

[asterisktom]

apparently in your ignorance you do not know what an alter call is or does.

There is an irony in your response to me, Reverend.

And, yes, I do know what an altar call is. I have spent years in the baptist church, gone to a school that was mostly Baptist.

Take care. Don't expect any more responses from me until you learn the requisite manners to match your handle.

 

[Revmitchell]

There is an irony in your response to me, Reverend.

And, yes, I do know what an altar call is. I have spent years in the baptist church, gone to a school that was mostly Baptist.

Take care. Don't expect any more responses from me until you learn the requisite manners to match your handle.

oh I won't to be sure. One of the first things that gets attacked is the calling. A good sign that there is no substance behind your original inflammatory comments. I do not expect anything more from you.

 

[John of Japan]

Thank you for the welcome. have already enjoyed a number of discussions here.

At the risk of seeming discourtesy I am not going to wade through all 19 pages in order to participate in this thread. I just don't have that much time. I did read a few of yours, where you confound biblical invitation with unbiblical altar call - and even that term is loaded with bad theology - and decided to bow out on this one. But for those who are interested, I would recommend the historical research of BB Warfield and John Foote.

I stand by what I wrote. There has been a general tendency in the history of the church to convolute what God has left simple.

Take care.

Actually, for your future information it would be quite easy you to track down my post about the history. You could (1) click on my name and look at my recent posts on this thread, or (2) do a search of the thread for the name "Finney" or something similar (there is a link on the BB page for this).

I'll make it easy for you. Here is what I wrote about the history issue on p. 10 of the thread:

Forgive me for jumping in this late in the thread, but I notice no one really answered this question, so I thought I'd try. It is often blamed on Finney, but he was not the culprit.

Some say that Eleazer Wheelock invented the “mourner’s seat,” but I haven’t found that documented yet. He was a Calvinist (Memoirs of the Rev. Eleazer Wheelock, by David McClure, p. 116). Chapter X is about his ministry, but doesn’t mention the mourner’s seat.

The invitation was actually invented by the Separate Baptists (Calvinists, folks!). H. Leon McBeth writes, "The Separates apparently helped popularize what is now known as the 'evangelistic invitation.'" He then quotes Robert I. Devin (A History of Grassy Creek Baptist Church, p. 69): "At the close of the sermon, the minister would come down from the pulpit and while singing a suitable hymn would go around among the brethren shaking hands. The hymn being sung, he would then extend an invitation to such persons as felt themselves poor guilty sinners, and were anxiously inquiring the way of salvation, to come forward and kneel near the stand." McBeth then writes, "The separates thus devised a method of encouraging on-the-spot religious decisions, to the singing of a hymn, well before the revivals of Charles G. Finney, who is often credited with inventing the invitation" (The Baptist Heritage, p. 231).

Also, check out The Effective Invitation by R. Alan Streett (Revell, 1984). Streett gives clear historical evidence that the invitation goes back much further than Finney, the usual suspect. For example, he talks about the preaching of John Chrysostom (347-407), Patrick of Ireland (390-461), etc. He documents the fact that in the 12th century Bernard of Clairvaux would ask for a show of hands after his messages.

I trust that you will no longer float the urban legend that Finney invented the altar call, but will from now on attribute it to its true inventers, the Separate Baptist Calvinists! (I'm not defending Finney--I've read his systematic theology and know his theology has serious problems.)

 

[asterisktom]

Actually, for your future information it would be quite easy you to track down my post about the history. You could (1) click on my name and look at my recent posts on this thread, or (2) do a search of the thread for the name "Finney" or something similar (there is a link on the BB page for this).

I'll make it easy for you. Here is what I wrote about the history issue on p. 10 of the thread:


I trust that you will no longer float the urban legend that Finney invented the altar call, but will from now on attribute it to its true inventers, the Separate Baptist Calvinists! (I'm not defending Finney--I've read his systematic theology and know his theology has serious problems.)

OK. Thank you for the information, both on Finney and on the forum. I will read it more carefully when I have time. I don't want to give the impression that I am 100% right on everything.

Take care.

 

[asterisktom]

Just a short comment before work: I am not at all convinced about invitations to come forward to be part of Chrysostom's ministry. I have read from several of his works and some historical biographies as well and just don't see that. I am still pretty convinced that the practice is a fairly new one.

 

[John of Japan]

Just a short comment before work: I am not at all convinced about invitations to come forward to be part of Chrysostom's ministry. I have read from several of his works and some historical biographies as well and just don't see that. I am still pretty convinced that the practice is a fairly new one.

I can't find where I got the Chrysostom information. But if you'll look back at my post again I did not say he gave a "come forward" invitation. The "altar call" is only one of many ways of giving an invitation after a sermon.

Concerning Bernard of Clairvaux (1093-1153) Lloyd Perry wrote, "The basic appeal of Bernard of Clairvaux was for people to repent of their sins. Often he would call for a show of hands from those who wished to be restored to fellowship with God or the church" (Evangelistic Preaching, Perry with J. R. Strubhar, p. 44, quoted in The Effective Invitation by R. Alan Streett, p. 84).

Jonathan Edward would urge people to meet with him privately after the message (Streett, p. 89)--Spurgeon's method. George Whitfield did the same (ibid, 90). When I was in a certain Muslim country in Asia in October, the same method was being used with great results. Yes, the Holy Spirit must be at work. And yes, people must be invited individually to trust Christ.