June 27, 2022
It’s no secret that the Church causes a lot of harm. From the way it handles child sexual abuse, to the ways it gaslights and shames survivors of domestic violence, to its homophobia and transphobia, there are few areas in which the church doesn’t do damage. But one of the ways the Church does harm that isn’t talked about too often is the manipulation of people through altar calls.
What Is An Altar Call?
An altar call is a practice that is commonly used in modern-day Evangelicalism. Essentially, it’s a beckoning for people to come forward and make a “decision” for faith. This practice is manipulative at its core, as it plays on people’s desires for emotional connection and spiritual validation. It uses fear tactics, shame, and guilt to convince people that they need to make a decision for faith in that moment, or else they’ll miss out.
What’s more, altar calls often prey on people who are vulnerable and looking for answers. They offer a false sense of hope and community while simultaneously making people feel like they are not good enough unless they make a “decision” for faith.
My Experience With Altar Calls
I went to a private, Christian high school. Like most private Christian high schools, they held chapel every Wednesday. The whole school would gather in the sanctuary to be preached to by a faculty member, a pastor from a different church in town, or even sometimes a very “souled out” senior.
One Wednesday, a youth pastor from the local megachurch came to preach. As you can imagine, he was everything you would want in someone who was going to preach to high school students—energetic, charismatic, and trendy.
I don’t remember what he said, but he sure gave a rousing sermon. At the end he did an altar call. I’d never responded to an altar call before, but for some reason, that time it felt right. I went up.
Although… even at the time I wasn’t sure why I went up. I’d already been saved many years before. Did I feel like I needed a re-up? Did I feel like I needed to “renew my vows” to God, so to speak? To this day, I still don’t know, but I did go up that day.
That altar call (and that particular chapel) was such a success that it left the staff and leadership of my high school buzzing. I can only imagine what happened next, but I’m pretty sure I’m right: all the staff got together and brainstormed how they could “help the Spirit of God” move like that in future chapels, and one old man said to the others in a tone that suggested he was quite proud of himself for coming up with the idea: “more altar calls.”
For the rest of the school year every single chapel ended with an altar call, no matter who was preaching.
It was at this point I started to wonder about the technicalities of the altar call. How many times did I have to go up for it to “count”? Surely just once is enough, right? What if I felt pulled by a certain sermon to go to the front, but didn’t? Was that wrong? Was that disappointing to God?
Altar Calls Give a False Sense of Hope
Altar calls are harmful because they give people a false sense of hope. They convince people that if they come forward and make a “decision” for faith, their lives will be changed for the better. Because instead of just sitting in their chairs, they are actually physically standing up and going to the front of the room in view of everyone. This action makes their choice seem more “real” or “validated.”
Altar Calls Shame the People Who Don’t Respond
Of course, not everyone responds to an altar call.
Those who don’t may be left feeling guilty or like they’re doing something wrong. They may also feel like they’re being judged by their peers, especially the ones who do respond to an altar call.
Altar Calls Put On Needless Pressure
The sermon has to end at some point, right? The preacher can’t stand at the front screaming, “Now is the time to show your dedication to the Lord!” forever. For this reason, there’s always an implicit “ticking clock” when it comes to altar calls, and everyone can feel it.
- “If you’ve been feeling even a little curious about what God is all about, now is the time to come forward!”
- “If you’ve been thinking about faith, but haven’t made a decision yet, now is the time to come forward!”
- “If you think God is calling you, and specifically you in this moment, now is the time to come forward!”
This pressure can be very harmful, especially for people who have questions or struggling with doubts. It can make them feel ashamed or unsupported if they’re not ready to respond to the altar call. It can also put undue stress on them, making them feel like they’re not good enough or worthy of faith until they make a “decision” at the front of the room in a very public manner.
Altar Calls Stroke the Pastor’s Ego
No matter how many times a church claims that “it isn’t about the numbers” that is literally not true. Since the church is a business, numbers are very important to the church. The more people coming through the doors, the more tithing members there are.
Altar calls are an easy metric for pastors to gauge how well they’re preaching. The more people who respond, he reasons, the more powerfully the Lord is “speaking through him.” Thus, every altar call is a little subtle competition, even if it’s with a particular pastor’s own self. Perhaps he’s even set for himself a goal to outdo his previous altar calls.
I definitely got this impression when my high school started having altar calls at the end of every chapel. It seemed it was a competition and each subsequent person who came to give a message was attempting to beat the person who had preached the week before.
Conclusion
Although altar calls are a common practice in modern day Evangelicalism, they are actually quite manipulative and harmful. They give people a false sense of hope, make those who don’t respond feel guilty and ashamed, put undue pressure on people, stroke the pastor’s ego, and are ultimately about numbers (tithing members).
Despite all this, I don’t see them going away anytime soon. Altar calls inject a dramatic flair into the ending of a sermon, one that many pastors are unable to resist.