altar call
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English[edit]
Noun[edit]
altar call (plural altar calls)
- (Christianity) A tradition, typically held at the end of an evangelical address, in which those who wish to make a new spiritual commitment to Jesus Christ are invited to come forward publicly. The supplicants gather at the altar located at the front of the church building.
- 2024 April 8, “The Rapid Secularization of America”, in Fareed Zakaria GPS[1], spoken by Fareed Zakaria:
- The New York Times notes that, where his rallies were once "improvised and volatile," their finales now feel more planned, solemn, and infused with religion. The closing fifteen minutes "evokes an evangelical altar call" filled with references to God.
Further reading[edit]
- “altar call”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- “altar call”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- “altar call”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- “altar call”, in Collins English Dictionary.