The "altar call" has definitely been something of a test of orthodoxy in American evangelicalism for a while now. I'd imagine that its boom in popularity had a lot to do with pastors in the 50s and 60s wanting to be a local church version of Billy Graham, calling congregants to "come forward" for repentance in much the same way Graham did in large arenas (
Just As I Am, and all). I'm certainly of the same mind as most of you on this — that it's largely become a cultural phenomenon in churches that's largely meaningless and even can even be harmful in that it toys with the assurance of true believers.
Still, I have a small quibble with this...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amazing Grace  What I find odd about the practice is when it is done week after week wit basically the same people coming. Worship is predominately for believers, therefore to continuously 'invite' them to make another decision is nowhere found in the writ. |
There are certainly problems with inviting those who are already true believers to "ask Jesus into [their hearts]" week after week after week. Jesus doesn't pack up and leave after he's already taken residence in our lives, and any mechanism that suggests so obviously comes from a faulty soteriology.
At the same time, though, believers
are to be called
continually to repent and believe the Gospel, through the ministry of the Word and the Sacraments (or "Ordinances", if that makes you more comfortable).
Tripp, how often do you and your congregation take part in the Lord's Supper? If you're not already, have you ever considered doing it weekly? Perhaps a gradual phasing out of the weekly altar call after your sermon in favor of the weekly observance of the Lord's Supper would be a good thing to do. After all, the scriptural warnings and promises that go along with the Supper serve as a brief call to faith and repentance, just like the words that generally go before the altar call.