Did you all know that Evangelical Christianity, with its doctrine of the sinner's prayer guaranteeing you a ticket to heaven, and the doctrine of Biblical infallibility, are mostly AMERICAN inventions, and NOT part of traditional and historical Christianity? Not even the early Protestant leaders and founders advocated those doctrines. These ideas began slowly in revivalist movements in the 1700's but didn't become mainstream in America until the late 1800's and early 1900's. In a sense, they are modern American inventions. Not part of traditional Christianity. Not part of the Christianity of Jesus' original followers, nor of the Protestant Reformation, nor of the Church of England either or European churches either. They were not part of the Christianity that Queen Elizabeth I, William Shakespeare, Francis Bacon, King James (the one who authorized the King James Bible), etc believed in. No way man. They are modern American inventions.
All this is contrary to what Christian Americans like @Adama and @MrMan assume. When I was a Christian, I also assumed that modern Evangelical Christianity, the kind popularized by Billy Graham and American churches, was what the original followers of Jesus believed too.
Anyway, I Googled the origin of Evangelical Christianity, the Sinner's Prayer and the Doctrine of Biblical Inerrancy. All the links suggest that they are modern American inventions and American versions of Christianity, not historical or traditional at all.
See here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelicalism
Where did the SInner's Prayer originate? Can you really get a guaranteed ticket to heaven by spending 5 minutes praying the sinner's prayer, as Evangelicals claim? Is a ticket to heaven and eternal life, really that cheap, like American fast food? Even if you become a total monster afterward?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinner%27s_prayer
Great quote:
"Anyone can, and most Americans do, "believe" in Jesus rather than some alternative savior. Anyone can, and many Americans sometimes do, say a prayer asking Jesus to save them. But not many embark on a life fully devoted to the love of God, the love of neighbor, the moral practice of God's will, and radical, costly discipleship.
— David P. Gushee[24]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinner%27 ... ristianity
Apparently, Billy Graham brought the sinner's prayer into the mainstream.Absence of the Sinner's Prayer in historic Christianity
Other opponents of the Sinner's Prayer point out that no classic Christian confession of faith from any evangelical denomination in Christendom affirms that one must say the Sinner's Prayer to be saved; on the contrary, Baptist, Presbyterian and other Reformed, and other evangelical groups unanimously teach justification by faith alone. They argue that the Sinner's Prayer is a modern deviation from orthodox evangelicalism [27] and a deviation from classic evangelical methods of evangelism.[15] The Sinner's Prayer was not practiced before the 1700s.[citation needed] Therefore, to say that it is the way to be saved is to say that prior to the 1700s no one was saved.[citation needed]
https://www.disciplestoday.org/bible-st ... l-practice
Wow look. I was right. See below. The sinner's prayer thing was an American invention in the 20th century, or at least didn't become common until then. It was never a part of traditional Christianity, which taught that water baptism was required for salvation.Billy Graham, Bill Bright
Billy Graham and his crusades were the next step in the evolution of things. Billy Graham was converted in 1936 at a Sunday-styled crusade. By the late 1940s it was evident to many that Graham would be the champion of evangelicalism. His crusades summed up everything that had been done from the times of Charles Finney through Billy Sunday except that he added respectability that some of the others lacked. In the 1950s Graham’s crusade counselors were using a prayer that had been sporadically used for some time. It began with a prayer from his Four Steps to Peace with God. The original four-step formula came during Billy Sunday’s era in a tract called Four Things God Wants you to Know. The altar call system of Graham had been refined by a precise protocol of music, trained counselors and a speaking technique all geared to help people ‘accept Christ as Savior.’
In the late 1950s Bill Bright came up with the exact form of the currently popular Four Spiritual Laws so that the average believer could take the crusade experience into the living room of their neighbor. Of course, this method ended with the Sinner's Prayer. Those who responded to crusades and sermons could have the crusade experience at home when they prayed,
"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."
Later, in 1977 Billy Graham published a now famous work entitled, How to Be Born Again. For all the Scripture he used, he never once uses the hallmark rebirth event in the second chapter of the book of Acts. The cataract (blind spot) kept him away from the most powerful conversion event in all Scripture. It is my guess that it’s emphasis on baptism and repentance for the forgiveness of sins was incompatible with his approach.
http://m.biblestudyguide.org/articles/p ... prayer.htm
More links and info:The sinner's prayer, as we know it today, was invented by twentieth century preachers as a quick and easy way to save people. Unfortunately, it is a false doctrine.
https://www.christiancourier.com/articl ... blical-the
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blog ... rs-prayer/
http://www.bible.ca/g-sinners-prayer.htm
https://therealgospelofchrist.com/the-s ... is-a-joke/
https://carm.org/sinners-prayer
https://carm.org/what-is-sinners-prayer
https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/20 ... rayer.html