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Sponsor |  usmjam | Jul 12, 2007 1:39pm | Most of the non-mainline churches employ this as part of their worship services. If you do then please share:
why are 'altars' still set up in church houses? (again, this is regarding non-mainline churches) why is it deemed necessary or even preferable to approach these 'altars'? regardless of any reasons given to use them, are altars actually biblically correct at this stage of history? perhaps in order to consider the altar in today's church age we should first ask, what was the purpose for the altars prior to the cross and Resurrection? |
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|  |  2648306 | Jul 23, 2007 12:49pm | | I don't think they call them Altar calls because one is going to an altar. They could call them "Prayer calls" or something like that. The purpose that I see in calling people to come to the front for prayer is it is often a step of faith for people. It also takes humility to admit you need help with something. It also creates a situation where people on the body can pray for each other - and that is biblical. So when non-denominational churches have an altar call - its just what its been called for a long time. No one believes that the altar of God is at the front of the church. If it is confusing for any - it just needs to be renamed. |
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Sponsor | | usmjam | Jul 25, 2007 2:23pm | Great views on this matter, especially in the purpose for the calls. I wholeheartedly agree with "The purpose that I see in calling people to come to the front for prayer is it is often a step of faith for people. It also takes humility to admit you need help with something. It also creates a situation where people on the body can pray for each other - and that is biblical."
I attend a Baptist church that has a table-like altar area. Since our Lord is our one final and comlete sacrifice, the Old Testament need for altars has been done away with along with the sacrificial ordinances. It just seems that keeping the relic of an quasi-altar is unnecessary at best. At worst, I see it becoming a ritual where people come up to please their "man of God". Our pastor has stated how it gladdens him to see the altar full. People bring along their little kids and grandkids and have them kneel and pray. May sound good, but thats where empty rituals and man-pleasing can start.
I also wonder why churches such as mine ask people to in effect come forward to have their sins forgiven. It is more of an implied message, usually worded as "come and get right with God". I feel like asking why we can't get right with God without coming forward? Again, if done for right reasons its a good public acknowledgement of our dependency on God for all things. But I've heard some people compare it as a good thing "much like the confessional booth". In that case, noooo thanks! People do talk about laying sins, burdens and prayer requests "at the altar".
I feel at the least it should indeed be renamed and that the altar areas be done away with in favor of a prayer area or somthing like that. But as far as sacrifices and altars, our sins are fully forgiven, the sacrifice of thanksgiving is our body & life we live as a living sacrifice, with no altars needed |
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|  njmarks2002 | Aug 1, 2007 10:20am | | The only problem with the altar calls is we don't see them in use in the New Testament (Not even in the Old as they are used today). I use to go to a church wehre altar calls were used every other week and the same people would continually go down front. nothing in their life ever changed they continued to live in sine. While they have their positves i see more negatives. |
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| | | 2648306 | Aug 1, 2007 12:53pm | There are alot of "artificial" environments that are created but what happens in them is Biblical. The Bible does not mention singing in the begining of every service and call it worship. Worship comes in many forms. Prayer is worship, obedience is worship, living your life unto God is worship. God's church on earth is not perfect because men are not perfect, but God chooses to work on Earth through man. Try not to get too focused on what you see as negative or you may become jaded.
People may not be changing because they are standing in the way of that change. Some people take years to walk out of something. You do not know what is going on in that person's heart, only God knows. When one prays for someone, God does not hold the person responsible for the outcome of that prayer, and the prayer for believers is biblical. While altar call in not mentioned in scripture at some point someone recognized it as an orderly way for prayer for one another to be accomplished.
I ask you this, how often do you see people praying for each other in service? Before service? After service? I barely see it and my church is a pretty committed group of people. But when the altar call is made it opens the door for those who would not get prayer to do so.
I don't think it should be thrown out - I think prayer should be emphasized so more of it happens outside of the altar call and, atlest the church I am in, is actively doing that. The focus is rightly on prayer (which is good) not on what environement or set up where it happens (which doesn't really matter in the grand scheme.) Do you think God is bothered by "altar calls"? |
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| | njmarks2002 | Aug 1, 2007 1:25pm | As i'm thinking this topic over I think we need to make a distinction between altar calls (for salvation) and come to the altar to lay burdens down. I believe it is much better to challnege and confess before one another in a discipleship process than before an altar. We are called to get involved in peoples lives. If there is an altar where I can "leave my baggage" this is to easy. There isn't any exhotation from fellow believers. And while there isn't any specific passages that say to do songs first in a service there is a passage that shows what is done in a service. 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Col 3:16 This passage shows that our interaction with one another (Sunday Service) should include most if not all of those. Paul didn't mention an altar call. Often what happens when people are called to the altar is they are manipulated emotionally by the message into feeling guilty and bad about themself. It is useually short lived though hence my earlier example that they come back week after week. If someone would have jumped into their life and been the "altar" for them to lay issues on and bounce ideas off of and just develop a relationship with I beleive it could have made a bigger impact.
As to your final question is God bothered by altar calls? I don't think He is bothered by them anymore than whether we open our close our eyes when we pray. I don't believe it to be the best but we must remember that God is concerned with the heart and only He can judge it.
biblebb.com/files/MAC/ALTAR.HTM [biblebb.com/files/MAC/ALTAR.HTM] |
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|  3DJelly | Aug 2, 2007 11:00am | I always thought these calls are such spur-of-the-moment deals. It seems to me a better idea just to ask who is interested in knowing more.
Njmarks' comment on whether God gets bothered by these sounds pretty good. If there's one thing I've learned so far, is not to underestimate God's flexibility. |
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Apologetics → Discussion