A man’s willingness (or unwillingness) to come to the front of a church building says nothing about his willingness to come to Christ. Walking in front of a crowd has nothing at all to do with the conversion process, and we have no right to create such a false category of “public declaration of faith” and thus pronounce the Biblical requirement fulfilled. We have every right indeed, we have divine right to require baptism as this outward and public profession of faith. And we have every right to expect that faith to continue to be evident in life. But the altar call is another matter entirely. It is an artificial, man-made requirement which, by virtue of its human origin, is a matter of no consequence whatever.

Fred Zaspel, Pastor, Theologe und Autor

Topics: Church & Congregation

Fred Zaspel

Fred Zaspel ist ein US-amerikanischer Theologe und reformiert-baptistischer Pastor in Pennsylvania, der zudem Systematische Theologie am Southern Baptist Theological Seminary lehrt. Bekannt ist er vor allem als Experte für das Werk von B. B. Warfield sowie als Mitgestalter der sogenannten New Covenant Theology. Bibellesern vermittelt er eine christozentrische Schriftauslegung, insbesondere der Psalmen, sowie Zugänge zur reformiert-evangelikalen Dogmatik.

All quotes by Fred Zaspel (18)

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