Propovednik

I'm sure Potiphar's wife was considered credible too, but look how that turned out. 
I'm sure your family is safer in an Independent Baptist Church than just about anywhere else. We promote teaching young ladies modesty, so they are less likely to be the target of perverts. We teach that men shouldn't be alone with girls and women, to protect both sexes. You show me another institution that does more to protect potential sexual abuse victims than Independent Baptists, and I'll eat my hat!

My thoughts are that if these allegations are true it goes to show people are still sinners and need God's grace. Do you want strangers talking about your sins online? What if the allegations are not true? How can you be sure they are true? Why should I take the word of the supposed victims over the word of the supposed perpetraitors? 

I was saved at the tender age of 6 in a Southern Baptist church ministry in Hawaii (dad was a military man). At the time my parents weren't really church going people, and during the summer the church had a program where neighbor kids would meet at different members' homes for Bible studies and games. One of the weeks a missionary (I can't remember where he served) spoke at the Bible study. At the end he asked if anyone wanted to accept Christ's offer of salvation, and I did! After that I started going to church with the neighbor, and when I'd get home I would ask my mom questions about the Bible that she couldn't answer. This went on for a few months until she finally decided to come to church to see what they were teaching. At that service she rededicated her life to the Lord (she had been saved as a teenager) and she ensured that my sisters and I always went to church from then on. About 4 years later my father had a close brush with death, and he rededicated his life to the Lord and took up the mantle of spiritual head of our little family. It wasn't too long (maybe a few months) before he began researching which churches are the closest to what is seen in the Bible and he discovered Independent Baptists. He had grown up Free Will Baptist, so besides the belief that one can lose their salvation, there wasn't too much of a difference. From that point on we have been Independent Baptists.
I recently relocated to Pennsylvania and am visiting churches in my new area. There are 4 Independent Baptist churches within 30 minutes of my home. Years ago I was an active member of the online forum Historic Baptist Symposium, and I used the same handle - Propovednik. If there are any other HBS members here, you will likely remember me. I haven't been fellowshiping online much for the past 4 or 5 years because life has just been too busy with wife, kids, church, work, and planning a big move. Hopefully we will have a lot of fruitful discussions together!

Hi Thief on the Cross.
I will give you my view on it; others' views may differ.
 
 
First, I'm not sure how the area (that you're referring to) became known as "the altar". At one time, it was called things like "the mourner's bench". Charles Finney called it "the anxious bench".
Those latter two names will give you the significance of it. Basically, the idea and purpose for it is that it gives a person (who may be under conviction) the opportunity to respond to that conviction at the earliest possible moment after hearing the word of God preached. The idea being, that if a person possibly waits, they may (or may not) make a decision in response to God's word.
 
 
That's a good question. I personally believe that to call that area "the altar" isn't really in keeping with the biblical use of the term. The altar was the place (in the Old Testament) where animals were sacrificed and slain. There was also the altar of incense.
Various people also built altars in the Old Testament prior to the institution of the law. I don't recall if any of those altars were used for anything other than sacrificing animals. They may have been; I just don't recall right now.
In the New Testament (aside from the four gospels), the only altars that are mentioned which aren't for Israel's sacrificing of animals are...
1. An altar to false gods in Acts 17.
2. An altar mentioned in Hebrews 13 that belongs to "us". I think most people would say that this altar is the cross of Christ since that is where he was slain.
3. The altar of God in heaven in Revelation.
Now aside from that, is there a biblical reason for doing this? I would say that's up to the individual church...
My reasons in favor of it:
1. When the people heard the word of the Lord read in Nehemiah 8, they immediately acted upon it.
2. When the keeper of the prison asked Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved, he was told and immediately acted upon it.
Now, it must be understood that in those two examples, there wasn't "an altar" (as we're referring to). They heard the word of God and immediately acted on it. So, people can still act on what they've heard from God's word without an "altar". My main reason for using those examples is that it (the altar call) gives people the opportunity to act immediately after hearing the word of God. However, the actual "acting on God's word" takes place in our daily lives.
My reasons against it...
There is nothing in the bible (that I know of) to describe what we know as today's altar call.
At the same time, there is nothing in God's word describing a Sunday School, Church Choirs, Assistant Pastors, etc. There are many things done today that fall under what I would call "Christian Liberty". There may not be anything expressly supporting them in scripture; however, there isn't anything expressly forbidding them either. So churches are at liberty to use them.
My concern (apart from the name itself) is that "the altar call" has become more than it was intended to be. Some use that time to pressure people. Some use it as a way of measuring a successful sermon. Some use it as a way to compare themselves with other churches. I want to stress "some"...not all!
Now keep in mind, these are my thoughts on it. Others may disagree. In fact, if anyone knows that I'm mistaken in any part of this, I would hope they would point that out to me so that I can make it right.

I was saved at the tender age of 6 in a Southern Baptist church ministry in Hawaii (dad was a military man). At the time my parents weren't really church going people, and during the summer the church had a program where neighbor kids would meet at different members' homes for Bible studies and games. One of the weeks a missionary (I can't remember where he served) spoke at the Bible study. At the end he asked if anyone wanted to accept Christ's offer of salvation, and I did! After that I started going to church with the neighbor, and when I'd get home I would ask my mom questions about the Bible that she couldn't answer. This went on for a few months until she finally decided to come to church to see what they were teaching. At that service she rededicated her life to the Lord (she had been saved as a teenager) and she ensured that my sisters and I always went to church from then on. About 4 years later my father had a close brush with death, and he rededicated his life to the Lord and took up the mantle of spiritual head of our little family. It wasn't too long (maybe a few months) before he began researching which churches are the closest to what is seen in the Bible and he discovered Independent Baptists. He had grown up Free Will Baptist, so besides the belief that one can lose their salvation, there wasn't too much of a difference. From that point on we have been Independent Baptists.
I recently relocated to Pennsylvania and am visiting churches in my new area. There are 4 Independent Baptist churches within 30 minutes of my home. Years ago I was an active member of the online forum Historic Baptist Symposium, and I used the same handle - Propovednik. If there are any other HBS members here, you will likely remember me. I haven't been fellowshiping online much for the past 4 or 5 years because life has just been too busy with wife, kids, church, work, and planning a big move. Hopefully we will have a lot of fruitful discussions together!

Nice testimony. Thank God for the Neighborhood Bible Clubs for kids. Statistics are high for young people getting saved, but when you get up in the middle years it becomes exceedingly difficult. Your story is also sad in a way. Your parents rededicated their lives to the Lord, which is great and quite a wonderful thing. But because they had drifted away from the Lord, you might not have been saved -- even though the knowledge of the Cross was right there within arm's length. I wish that discouraged people would only realize that if there was one good reason not to drift away from the Lord, it is their children.

I went to Laz-Y-Boy and bought a neat custom made recliner just for this website. It has a vibrating seat, a heat source, a built-in refrigerator (where I can keep my cold soft drinks, pretzels, and candy apples), and an attached keyboard. I am ready to rumble! er, ramble . . . 

I was saved at the tender age of 6 in a Southern Baptist church ministry in Hawaii (dad was a military man). At the time my parents weren't really church going people, and during the summer the church had a program where neighbor kids would meet at different members' homes for Bible studies and games. One of the weeks a missionary (I can't remember where he served) spoke at the Bible study. At the end he asked if anyone wanted to accept Christ's offer of salvation, and I did! After that I started going to church with the neighbor, and when I'd get home I would ask my mom questions about the Bible that she couldn't answer. This went on for a few months until she finally decided to come to church to see what they were teaching. At that service she rededicated her life to the Lord (she had been saved as a teenager) and she ensured that my sisters and I always went to church from then on. About 4 years later my father had a close brush with death, and he rededicated his life to the Lord and took up the mantle of spiritual head of our little family. It wasn't too long (maybe a few months) before he began researching which churches are the closest to what is seen in the Bible and he discovered Independent Baptists. He had grown up Free Will Baptist, so besides the belief that one can lose their salvation, there wasn't too much of a difference. From that point on we have been Independent Baptists.
I recently relocated to Pennsylvania and am visiting churches in my new area. There are 4 Independent Baptist churches within 30 minutes of my home. Years ago I was an active member of the online forum Historic Baptist Symposium, and I used the same handle - Propovednik. If there are any other HBS members here, you will likely remember me. I haven't been fellowshiping online much for the past 4 or 5 years because life has just been too busy with wife, kids, church, work, and planning a big move. Hopefully we will have a lot of fruitful discussions together!

I'm sure Potiphar's wife was considered credible too, but look how that turned out. 
I'm sure your family is safer in an Independent Baptist Church than just about anywhere else. We promote teaching young ladies modesty, so they are less likely to be the target of perverts. We teach that men shouldn't be alone with girls and women, to protect both sexes. You show me another institution that does more to protect potential sexual abuse victims than Independent Baptists, and I'll eat my hat!

My thoughts are that if these allegations are true it goes to show people are still sinners and need God's grace. Do you want strangers talking about your sins online? What if the allegations are not true? How can you be sure they are true? Why should I take the word of the supposed victims over the word of the supposed perpetraitors? 

You all do know we should not have anything to do with sin.
 
Walmart sells liquor. We shop there. Our states uphold 'gay rights'. We live there. Our taxes go for killing the unborn. We pay them.
So what? We as adults tell our children not to believe lies, yet Santa brings them gifts? 
 
We are most miserable at being godly, yet we 'judge' a corporation for being that which we have created.
 
Move on with life guys, we are only here for a short time, let us use it well and not waste time on 'internet gossip' about an organization that just does not know God.
 
Lets move on to what matters, knowing God and his word enough to bring joy to the world by preaching and teaching stuff about Him to them. Lets quit talking about Molech, and talk about the true God and what he has in store for us in eternity.
 
We need encouragement, not depression.

My thoughts are that if these allegations are true it goes to show people are still sinners and need God's grace. Do you want strangers talking about your sins online? What if the allegations are not true? How can you be sure they are true? Why should I take the word of the supposed victims over the word of the supposed perpetraitors?