Holiness movement

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The Holiness movement is a Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism,[1][2] and to a lesser extent influenced other traditions such as Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism.[3][4] Churches aligned with the holiness movement teach that the life of a born again Christian should be free of sin.[5][6] The movement is historically distinguished by its emphasis on the doctrine of a second work of grace,[7][8] which is called entire sanctification or Christian perfection.[9][10] The word Holiness refers specifically to this belief in entire sanctification as an instantaneous, definite second work of grace, in which original sin is cleansed, the heart is made perfect in love, and the believer is empowered to serve God.[11] For the Holiness movement, "the term 'perfection' signifies completeness of Christian character; its freedom from all sin, and possession of all the graces of the Spirit, complete in kind."[12] A number of Christian denominations, parachurch organizations, and movements emphasize those Holiness beliefs as central doctrine.[13][14]

In addition to the regular holding of church services in the morning and evening of the Lord's Day, and usually having a midweek Wednesday church service,[15] within parts of denominations or entire denominations aligned with the holiness movement, camp meetings and tent revivals are organized throughout the year—especially in the summertime. These are aimed at preaching the New Birth (first work of grace) and entire sanctification (second work of grace), along with calling backsliders to repentance.[16] Churches in the holiness tradition emphasize a sober lifestyle, especially with regard to clean speech, modesty, and teetotalism.[15]

  1. ^ Starr, Chloë (31 October 2023). Modern Chinese Theologies: Volume 2: Independent and Indigenous. Fortress Press. ISBN 978-1-5064-8799-1. In the second half of the nineteenth century, the Holiness Movement developed rapidly within Methodist churches in America. The Holiness Movement upheld the doctrine of entire sanctification, which emphasized the instantaneous character of this second blessing as a "second definite work of grace."
  2. ^ Kevin W. Mannoia, “Holiness Movement,” ed. Glen G. Scorgie, Dictionary of Christian Spirituality (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 505.
  3. ^ Winn 2007, p. 114.
  4. ^ North, James B. (27 February 2019). Union in Truth: An Interpretive History of the Restoration Movement. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 351. ISBN 978-1-5326-7918-6.
  5. ^ Daniel S. Warner, Bible Proofs of the Second Work of Grace (James L. Fleming, 2005), 27.
  6. ^ Kostelevy, William (2010). The A to Z of the Holiness Movement. Scarecrow Press.
  7. ^ Rennie, Warburton (1969). "Holiness religion: an anomaly of sectarian typologies". Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 8 (1): 130–139. doi:10.1111/(ISSN)1468-5906.
  8. ^ Kostlevy, William (2009). Historical dictionary of the Holiness movement (2nd ed.). Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. pp. 27, 102. ISBN 978-0-8108-6318-7. OCLC 665817617.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference CYMF2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Guidelines: The UMC and the Charismatic Movement". The United Methodist Church. 2012. Archived from the original on 31 July 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019. The Methodists were also first to coin the phrase baptism of the Holy Spirit as applied to a second and sanctifying grace (experience) of God. (Cf. John Fletcher of Madeley, Methodism's earliest formal theologian.) The Methodists meant by their "baptism" something different from the Pentecostals, but the view that this is an experience of grace separate from and after salvation was the same.
  11. ^ Demarest, Bruce (1 August 2006). The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation. Crossway. p. 393. ISBN 978-1-4335-1957-4.
  12. ^ Wood, John A. (10 December 2019). Perfect Love. ISBN 978-3-337-87694-4. OCLC 1138046897.
  13. ^ "Holiness Movement – A Site Dedicated to the Conservative Holiness Movement". Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  14. ^ "Home". Holiness Church Directory. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  15. ^ a b Burnette, Mike; Driver, John (30 March 2021). Parable Church: How the Teachings of Jesus Shape the Culture of Our Faith. Zondervan. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-310-11302-7.
  16. ^ Kostlevy, William (3 August 2009). Historical Dictionary of the Holiness Movement. Scarecrow Press. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-8108-6318-7.