Friday, July 8, 2011

Dangerous Practices


Below is an excerpt from a larger blog post by Jim Eliff. This is just too good not to share. I will link the original post  "Southern Baptist an Unregenerate Denomination" at the bottom if you are interested in reading the whole thing.  


Though sacrosanct to Baptists, careful study should be done related to the historical use of the invitation system evangelistically. For eighteen hundred years the church did not use such a method. It was not until its principle originator, Charles Finney, a true pelagian in his theology, promoted his "new measures." Earlier preachers were content to let true conviction play a greater part in conversion. They needed no props for the gospel—no persuasive techniques to prompt people to make a "decision." Instead of relying on a method, their confidence was in the preached Word and the Holy Spirit. Baptist giant, C. H. Spurgeon, for instance, saw thousands converted without the use of an "altar call." His message was his invitation. We should always offer a verbal invitation in our gospel preaching, meaning we must invite people to repent and believe. But there is no real benefit, while there is much potential harm, in our inviting them to the front of the church and then assuring them that their short walk or tearful response proves their conversion.
We don't need better methods to get people down to the front. What we need is more biblical content and more unction in our preaching. You cannot beat sinners away from Christ when God is bringing them in (see Jn. 6:37, 44-45). When as many as 70-90% of "converts" are giving little, if any, evidence of being saved after their first weeks or months of emotional excitement, questions should be asked, both about our understanding of the gospel and about our methods. Forget the fact, if you must, that there is no clear biblical precedent for the altar call. Even considering the matter pragmatically ought to make us quit. Though prevalent in our churches for decades, it has not helped us. (See "Closing with Christ" at www.CCWtoday.org.)
The dangerous practice of receiving new members immediately after they walk the aisle must finally be abandoned. Also, more careful counsel should be taken with those entering in as members from other churches. And add to this a need for much deeper thinking concerning childhood conversion. An alarming percentage of childhood professions wash out later in the teen and college years. For unconverted yet baptized church kids, the more independence they are granted, the more they live out their true nature. (See "Childhood Conversion" atwww.CCWtoday.org.)


1 comment:

larry meeks said...

Good food for thought. Thank you. My thoughts have taken me along some of the same lines. With a pentecostal background I saw the same minority following Christ after time (weeks, sometimes days)after answering a public call. We saw the same at a baptist church for years before Grace Tab and now see about the same.I do believe there is a place for this call to commitment. In Mark 8:34 and Luke 9:23 groups are called by Christ to take up their cross and follow Him. In each of the synoptic Gospels the same call is given twice. It doesn't appear in John (perhaps written to followers) However even hearing a call from Jesus didn't seem to affect the percentages that much. John 6:66 remarks that after a "hard saying" of Jesus many quit following Him. The over 500 that saw Him after the Resurrection shrank down to 120 in the upper room following instructions. The parable of the seed sower indicates that not all who respond to the Gospel follow through with a life following Jesus. Our hero Billy Graham acknowledges the percentages of faithful followers is small after a crusade. I think part of the answer lies in two areas. The commission to make disciples is different than making converts. there has to be loving nurturing of the babies. Also there has to be clear teaching of the power of the Spirit to ward off the thief who steals and destroys new converts. Blessings.

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