I read an article recently by an evangelical author who argued that we should not give an altar call or “invitation” for people to respond by coming forward publicly to accept Christ in our church services. In fact, he wrote an article entitled, “10 Reasons Not to Give an Altar Call.” I do not agree with his thesis. Let me explain.
I have no problem with those preachers today who have substituted alternate means to invite people to Christ — rather than the public altar call. I have always felt that it is a major challenge to ask people to step out publicly in front of several hundred strangers and walk to the front of the church to take the hand of another stranger. I am surprised the altar call has been as successful as it has been. I am not opposed to alternate means. Some strong evangelicals claim that the number of conversions in their ministries have increased since they replaced the altar call with alternate means.
But my objection is to the claim that the altar call is not biblical and not rooted in the New Testament. Much of what we do — as Bible believing evangelicals — is not clearly spelled out in the New Testament. The preachers in the book of Acts did not even have altars — there were no church buildings for a couple of centuries. The oldest known church building was found at Dura Europas on the Euphrates River in the Syrian desert. It dates back to the 3rd century.
The principle of an “altar call” is completely consistent with: a) Moses in Deuteronomy calling upon people to decide this day whom they will serve; b) Elijah on Mount Carmel calling upon people to take a stand for or against God; and, c) Peter in Acts 2 calling people to decide publicly for Christ. How could they take a stand for God without doing it publicly? Thousands were added to the New Testament church in one day. How could this be done without being public?
Yes, the altar call was popularized by 19th century Evangelist Charles Finney and has been widely used only in recent centuries. But Finney was trained as a lawyer. He understood the logic of bringing people to a point of decision, and giving them an opportunity to respond — as did Moses, Elijah, and Peter.
I am in favor of doing whatever is consistent with Scripture and is effective. I have no problem with alternatives to the traditional altar call, if they are helpful. But the altar call is certainly consistent with Scripture and it can still be very useful.
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