Identity 'Crisis'
The Church of the Nazarene is in a "theological crisis," general superintendent Jerry Porter announced five years ago at a global theology conference in Guatemala City. As the 1.5-million member denomination approaches its 100th anniversary next year, leaders are rethinking their central holiness doctrine of entire sanctification.
Some Nazarene theologians dispute Porter's interpretation and say the denomination is rearticulating, not reforming, its beliefs. But other scholars insisted to ct that the crisis persists.
"A lot of the folks who have been around the church awhile thought of themselves as being characterized by things they don't do: You don't smoke, you don't drink, you don't go to dances, and in some parts of the denomination, you don't wear makeup or go to clubs or some parts of society," said Thomas Jay Oord, professor of theology and philosophy at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho, and co-author of Relational Holiness. "That kind of Christianity loses steam really quickly. It's not something you can give your whole life to."
Nazarenes belong to an evangelical church that formed in 1908 when various groups in the holiness movement came together under the leadership of Phineas Bresee, a former Methodist minister. This new denomination, which stemmed largely from Methodism, emphasized entire sanctification as an "act of God, subsequent to regeneration, by which believers are made free from original sin, or depravity, and brought into a state of entire devotement to God, and the holy obedience of love made perfect." But it hasn't always, if ever, been clear what such a sanctified life should look like.
"[T]he question in the last decades of the 20th century was whether or not the Church of the Nazarene ...
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Phineas Bresee
Yipee!
Eric
After struggling deeply over the practical fulfillment of sanctification for many years, I've had to re-think the whole issue. Let's face it, sanctification as preached, does not work. The saved Christian simply does not get changed instantaneously from above. Perhaps there is a crisis decision where he vows to devote his life to God, and that decision is a real surrender, but next comes the hard part. It is very difficult in our materialistic, me centered society, to genuinely 'set ourselves apart' for God. And the difficulty is not on God's part but due to a serious lack of living examples who model the holy life. Let's not throw out Wesley's sanctification completely but recognize instead the depth of commitment that he called his people to.
Andrew Tucker
A lot of us live for Great Jesus because of understanding him. There is a reason for not drinking or dancing to certain ideas. A lot of ministers are scared they are going to offend persons by talking in detail. So a low amount of education or ideas is produced. You do not alter sanctification or leave it out because of only a few followers. It took me over two years to understand God. Now I am one of the best prophets in the wolrd. Thank you for your time! From a Point township church of the nazarene attendee. Gal 3:2! Psalms 99:9! Hill pray!