Featured Would You Give An Altar Call At A Funeral?

I believe that this particular man-made practice, this 19th-century innovation, has produced more bad than good for Christian churches in the West. The altar call relies on the powers of emotion, rhetorical persuasion, and social pressure to induce people to make a hasty and premature decision. And producing professions is not the same thing as making disciples.

 

Do you deny that alter calls are man made?

I take solis in the writings of David Martyn Lloyd-Jones. You can find his full commentary in Banner if Truth.

When asked if Scripture justifies the use of public invitations (altar calls) or not, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones responded quite directly.

“The invitation should be in the message.We believe the Spirit applies the message, so we trust in the power of the Spirit….

…I feel that this pressure which is put upon people to come forward in decision ultimately is due to a lack of faith in the work and operation of the Holy Spirit. We are to preach the Word, and if we do it properly, there will be a call to a decision that comes in the message, and then we leave it to the Spirit to act upon people. And of course He does. Some may come immediately at the close of the service to see the minister. I think there should always be an indication that the minister will be glad to see anybody who wants to put questions to him or wants further help. But that is a very different thing from putting pressure upon people to come forward. I feel it is wrong to put pressure directly on the will. The order in Scripture seems to be this – the truth is presented to the mind, which moves the heart, and that in turn moves the will.”

 

I think funerals evoke emotional responses that would not happen otherwise. And most of those "decisions for Christ" seem to have washed out over the years. Some quite abruptly. I remember one such funeral where they made an emotional plea for money and actually passed the hat.

 

Now there is a church ya.... ah, never mind.

 

I would hesitate at commenting on whether or not someone is actually saved. Judging what you cannot see may just come back on you. We cannot see the heart only Christ can.
MB

 

If you are preaching a funeral and do not give an open call to the Gospel you are doing it wrong.

 

I'm only speaking of past experiences where emotional conversions were not lasting.

 

Then it wasn't a true conversion.

 

What in scripture even suggests am altar call is wrong?

 

What suggests it’s right?

 

It definitely falls under the general call of evangelism and preaching the gospel. Unless you can show in scripture how a particular evangelism style is wrong, then it is acceptable.

I am guessing you think Billy Graham did it all wrong and no one was ever saved in his crusades.

 

Most of what we hear today is similar to "baptismal regeneration" only called "decisional regeneration". Salvation takes place as we hear the gospel being born again by the word 1 Peter 1:23. And everything else is a reaction to this.

 

Ok. What does that have to do with an altar call?

 

Isn't it a form of decisional regeneration?

 

In fact I threw out all his books.

 

How would you know?

 

Albert Mohler on Billy Graham

Mohler leads local organizers of Billy Graham Crusade in Louisville

The Billy Graham School of Evangelism at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary:

 

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

If we get rid of every type of evangelism that has ever produced a false convert, we won't have any left.

It reminds of the critiques on here about tracts and open air preaching. While no method is above criticism, I'm not so sure that I shoud be in favor of removing them wholesale.

 

I am. Usually I just talk to people to determine their posture. They will vocalize their stance if asked, then you probe further. I’ve pulled people outa bars, AA people, coworkers, people going through divorce etc. I don’t press them, I don’t use technique, just plain talk.