A Come to Jesus Moment: Is the phrase harmless or blasphemous?

A Come to Jesus Moment: The origin

A Come to Jesus Moment has become a popular secular phrase that originated in Christianity. In many churches, the African Methodist Hymn, Come to Jesus is sung during the invitation. One stanza is:

"Come t0 Jesus, come to Jesus, come to Jesus just now."

The invitation the part of the service following the sermon, where the pastor asks if anyone wants to give their life to Christ. Those who do, walk to the front and stand in front of the altar.

There are quite a few songs with this name. A line from another song is:

"Come, come to Jesus, while you have time." Come, come to Jesus, make up your mind."

The importance of the altar call

The altar call in the Christian tradition is a solemn moment where men, women, and children walk down the aisle to the altar and confess they believe Jesus died for their sins.

Family and friends may hug the individual, and tears may be shed. The Sunday after my five cousins and I were baptized, in 1966, we stood at the church altar, and everyone in the building shook our hands and hugged and kissed us.

Many in the congregation were crying because we had given our lives to the Lord, AKA we had our come to Jesus moment and were going to heaven instead of hell.

How did a Christian term end up in the secular world?

I have read Faceposts where someone is disgruntled at a family member, a politician, or addressing an alleged criminal and says, "They need to come to Jesus".

It's not always clear whether the person is serious or joking, but when these words are spoken in film and on television by someone who is not a believer in Christ, the intent can come across as mocking the Lord.

On Tuesday, November 18, an episode of the ABC daytime drama General Hospital, Ric Lancing (Rick Hearst) said that he had a "Come to Jesus moment". This secular idiom is used when an individual has seen the light, come to their senses, or had an epiphany in a situation.

I spoke to two preachers about the phrase after watching General Hospital. One said that when he taught in public schools, these words were used regarding unruly students who needed to get their lives together. The other preacher said he was glad Jesus was mentioned on a soap opera. Is, however, every mention a good thing?

In my upbringing, I was taught that the Name of the Lord is sacred and should not be mocked. Basically, if you were not praising Him, thanking him, or telling someone about His goodness, any other use is blasphemous.

What constitutes blasphemy?

Many of us have been taught that to shout Jesus Christ as a curse word or to put God's name in front of damn is taking His Name in vain. Both are done all the time in Hollywood films. One dictionary definition of vain is something empty and without purpose.

The church altar call, or a believer in Christ inviting others to come to Jesus, is done with purpose. When someone says an individual needs or has had a "Come to Jesus Moment," but they are joking and being sarcastic, this may be interpreted by those who take the words literally as irreverent, blasphemous, vain, and purposeless.

Still, a former minister who now practices Judaism once told me that the Hebrew names for God and Jesus are Yahweh and Yeshua; Thus, saying OMG (Oh my God) and GD( God plus damn) or screaming Jesus Christ as a swear word is not taking their Names in vain. How do you use Come to Jesus?Is it with respect or as an empty phrase?