altar call

noun

: an appeal by an evangelist to worshippers to come forward to signify their decision to commit their lives to Christ

Examples of altar call in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Despite her belief in the future, Elliott came of age with anxiety, at a time when altar calls seemed like the only acceptable form of therapy for Black folks. Brooklyn White, Essence, 20 June 2023 No projector screens or high-tech integrations, just wooden sanctuary chairs filled with people, and an open altar call with an invitation to prayer that still hasn’t ended. Jake Traylor, NBC News, 15 Feb. 2023 Thousands came to see him, and many streamed forward to commit their lives to Christ when Graham gave his famous altar call. Daniel Silliman, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2018 His 20-minute sermon would be followed by his familiar altar call, an invitation for those in the audience to come forward to accept Christ. Kevin McGill, The Seattle Times, 25 Feb. 2018 He and the other reporters took to betting on the altar calls. Will Higgins, Indianapolis Star, 22 Feb. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'altar call.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of altar call was in 1896

Dictionary Entries Near altar call

Cite this Entry

“Altar call.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/altar%20call. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

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