Alter Calls and the Sinner's Prayer
Alter Calls are examples of free will preachers seeking decisions for Christ by getting people to move to the front near the podium. They were often times accompanied by a canned sinner's prayer which was thought to instill faith in Jesus Christ. The definition of decision is a conclusion reached after consideration. But a person is saved when not looking for salvation, and the heart is cut and the person calls upon the Lord. This does not happen after deliberation and consideration. It happens as soon as the heart is cut by the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Of course, the Apostle Peter never used alter calls or the sinner's prayer in Acts Chapter Two. He knew the gospel that he preached, not free will decisions, was the power of God. Alter calls and sinners prayer are not found in scripture. The many popular preachers who used either one or both of the two methods included Billy Graham, Billy Sunday, Benny Hinn, David Wilkerson and DL Moody. They preache