That Good Old Altar Call

As I would sit through many a church service, in many different denominations, it would always intrigue me as to the methods that were used to draw people to the Altar for the 'Altar Call.' The pastor, preacher, teacher or who ever was delivering the service would finish their sermon and then they would do something that kind of surprised me, they begged. They begged for people to come and make a confession towards Christ, to repent and be saved! Now while what they were begging for seemed noble and right it always made me wonder if they just were not being manipulative, either without thinking about it, or with full knowledge.
A good example of someone who used such methods was the one individual that the origination of the Altar call is attributed, Charles G. Finney. Finney employed what ever method necessary to manipulate the will of the individual in order to get them to come forward and make the confession of faith. He had the nervous seat, sinners chair, or what ever you would want to call it, but the point is that he felt that it was necessary to employee manipulation in order to get the job done.

Finney on the Anxious Seat;

“The church has always felt it
necessary to have something of this
kind to answer this very purpose.
In the days of the apostles,
baptism answered this purpose. The
gospel was preached to the people, and
then all those who were willing to be on
the side of Christ, were called out to be
baptized.
It held the place that the anxious
seat does now as a public manifestation
of their determination to be Christians.”
Charles Grandison Finney (1792-1875)

The question is, is this right? Should we manipulate the will of a individual in order to gain a apparent commitment to Christ or should we rely on God who is the one that brings the increase? It seems that Baptism is the place where, those that have come to know Christ, should go in order to make their public profession of faith. There seems to be a given order in the word of God;

Acts 2:38

38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Ac 2:38). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (1 Co 3:6-7). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

So, this is the pattern that God has prescribed, the order that He would have things done. It appears throughout the Bible that there is no place where manipulative tactics are employed. The Gospel is simply presented and then God does the rest from their. I have known people that have been saved in a number of settings, however it seems that the majority were simply called by God in his timing and not at a emotional event or altar call. Don't get me wrong, this does not mean that the point of conversion could not have been emotional, that emotion somehow makes ones conversion less sincere and genuine. All that I am saying is that the altar call or any other marketing tool or method has very little to do with the actual conversion. It was God moving on the heart in his time. God will and does use the altar call, but is there a better way, a more biblical way?

I found this article on Banner of Truth by Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones and I think He gives a excellent synopsis with regards to this issue. Read on and let me know what you think.

Martyn Lloyd Jones - On the Altar Call


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
Early in the 1970s Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones was the speaker at a ministers' conference in the USA and at a question session was asked the following question:
Q During recent years, especially in England, among evangelicals of the Reformed faith, there has been a rising criticism of the invitation system as used by Billy Graham and others. Does Scripture justify the use of such public invitations or not?
A. Well, it is difficult to answer this in a brief compass without being misunderstood. Let me answer it like this: The history of this invitation system is one with which you people ought to be more familiar than anyone else, because it began in America. It began in the 1820s; the real originator of it was Charles G. Finney. It led to a great controversy. Asahel Nettleton, a great Calvinist and successful evangelist, never issued an "altar call" nor asked people to come to the "anxious seat." These new methods in the 182Os and were condemned for many reasons by all who took the Reformed position.
One reason is that there is no evidence that this was done in New Testament times, because then they trusted to the power of the Spirit. Peter preaching on the Day of Pentecost under the power of the Spirit, for instance, had no need to call people forward in decision because, as you remember, the people were so moved and affected by the power of the Word and Spirit that they actually interrupted the preacher, crying out, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" That has been the traditional Reformed attitude towards this particular matter. The moment you begin to introduce this other element, you are bringing a psychological element. The invitation should be in the message. We believe the Spirit applies the message, so we trust in the power of the Spirit. I personally agree with what has been said in the question. I have never called people forward at the end for this reason; there is a grave danger of people coming forward before they are ready to come forward. We do believe in the work of the Spirit, that He convicts and converts, and He will do His work. There is a danger in bringing people to a "birth," as it were, before they are ready for it.
The Puritans in particular were afraid of what they would call "a temporary faith" or "a false profession." There was a great Puritan, Thomas Shepard, who published a famous series of sermons on The Ten Virgins. The great point of that book was to deal with this problem of a false profession. The foolish virgins thought they were all right. This is a very great danger.
I can sum it up by putting it like this: 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.

By D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones