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Christianity Today, July, 2007 |

Identity 'Crisis'

Nazarenes rethink entire sanctification.

Brad A. Greenberg | posted 6/22/2007 08:49AM

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 ...

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Phineas Bresee

Posted: June 30, 2007 1:09 PM


Yipee!

Eric	Posted: June 28, 2007 11:41 PM

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

Posted: June 28, 2007 10:19 AM

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!

Dennis Regling, saved

Posted: June 27, 2007 12:18 PM

Thomas Jay Oord, professor of theology said "That kind of Christianity loses steam really quickly. It's not something you can give your whole life to." I am saved, and as a Christian, that is the life I want. One of discernment and separation from worldy values. In the world but not of the world. The more I live for Christ, the sweeter he becomes. I am sick of worldy Christians trying to straddle the fence. If you are saved, live like it or he has promised to spew you out of his mouth.

Louis L. Wright

Posted: June 26, 2007 11:13 AM

I can only guess at what Bud Robinson , A.M. Hills , Wm.Greathouse would Say ! NO WAY ! I have been a member of the Church of The Nazarene many years . Was brought up in a Naz. home . My dad Leonard L. Wright Started and Built the Naz. Church in Frostburg ,Md. in the 1930"s . My life was like a Yo Yo for many years.I was religious but not relational (John14:15). Oh yes I said I loved the Lord Jesus ,but had trouble keeping His Commandments . After totally backsliding :going in deep sin ,thru the PRAYERS of my faithful wife and the saints ,I fell under much conviction . While a semi truck driver ,taking my 8 hour break at Toledo ,O . In aggressive praying; dying out to self,God gloriously ENTIRELY SANCTIFIED me that was 10:30am ,Aug.4, 1983 and have lived in VICTORY ever since no more battles with 1John 2:15-18 ,well glory to the Holy Lamb of God . The new mission statement " to make Christlike disciples in the nations" Question ,was Jesus Christ ENTIRELY SANCTIFIED ?

Mike	Posted: June 25, 2007 7:25 PM


If they do not know what a sanctified life looks like, it is only reasonable to ask athe question, are they sanctified?

Daryl L. Brown

Posted: June 25, 2007 10:44 AM

Perhaps Nazarene theologians are struggling with the doctrine of sanctification more than those of us who preach and work in the churches. I don’t believe the primary issue is rejecting being filled with the Spirit or “a state of entire devotement to God” or even “holy obedience to love made perfect.” The “crisis” is about what actually happens in the believer’s life and the two equally wrong tendencies: legalism or triumphalism; the first creating artificial lists of do’s and don’t’s and the second acting as if sin were no longer a problem. I don’t think the movement “got it wrong,” at least not the basic statement of God’s work of grace. What is wrong is wanting to oversimplify the results. The Christian life is still hard work, even when filled with the Spirit. Humility, Christlikeness, obedience, and turning away from sin should be the desire of any believer. It’s not the doctrine that needs redefined, but our unscriptural and unrealistic expectations of it.

Tomas

Posted: June 24, 2007 7:50 PM

I get to "rate" and then comment? WOW! My own experience in Quito Ecuador was that after the HCJB missionaries cast 5 demons out of me I was an instant celebrity. Many hippies who had gone to South America to get lost were getting saved. So some pentecostal missionaries prayed for me and I received the "baptism," and it seemed to work. My prayers seemed more effective and I could sense more of the power of the Holy Spirit. But when I told the students at Alliance Academy about my experience the teacher then warned me about "tongues." "It's controversial," he said. Over the next 35 years I have had occasion to discuss sanctification with professional Wesleyens. Not one of them believes in total perfection. And I wanted to believe; I hate that nasty sin nature part of me.

Bruce Mathwig

Posted: June 24, 2007 6:17 PM

I am an outsider to the Nazarene denomination although I worked along side many of you when I worked for Focus On The Family. I must say after reading some of these post that it seems a false dicotomy is set up between upholding the pursuit of holiness and keeping the doctrine of entire sactification. You seem to think that should this doctrine be set aside that would be equal to letting the biblical idea of holiness go altogether. I believe the bible teaches holiness is a life long journey to be passionately pursued, that it may indeed be punctuated by crisis moments that draws us into deeper relationship with our savior, but that never the less we shall not see perfection until Christ returns, we see him face to face and we receive are glorified bodies. The danger in my mind of a doctrine of entire sanctification is that it can lead one to believe they have arrived thus becoming blind to the sin that still remains and so easily entangles us and succumbing to spiritual pride.

William M. Greathouse

Posted: June 23, 2007 1:37 PM

tRecognizing the necessity of rewriing college and seminary textbooks, in view of our Centenary, the Board of General Superintendents has ordered a "textbook initiative" which includes theology, Bible, and philosophy texts representing the best scholarly thought of informed Nazarene scholars. Additionally, a new multi-volume Bible commentary is under way, the first of which is a two-volume set on Romans to appear this fall. Written from an acknowledged Wesleyan perspective, the set will be ecumenical in spirit and critical in nature. Furthermore, Nazarene Wesley scholars are endeavoring to recover two neglected items of importance to the English reformer: (1) the latter's doctrine of "repentqnce of believers" and (2) a faithful practice of the sacraments. It is hoped that a fresh emphasis on these two should help restore a proper understanding of Wesley's doctrine of entire sanctification as "salvation from sin" - not "sinless perfection" (which he abhorred [Rom. 3:23])

Daryll Stanton

Posted: June 23, 2007 2:14 AM

As a missionary and educator in the Church of the Nazarene, I read this article with interest. Unfortunately, it is a biased look at the interpretation of holiness in the Church of the Nazarene. It is true that different regions of the world have retained varying levels of our historical interpretation of the biblical admonition to be entirely sanctified that we may be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. However one interpretes it, as you have noted in the new Church of the Nazarene mission statement, it must include Christlikeness: allowing God to transform us and then modeling our life after our Savior. We continue to widely preach and teach this with growing success in Africa.

Brian Blankenship

Posted: June 22, 2007 9:37 PM

It seems to me that Wesley didn't just come up with the idea of being sanctified wholy just out of the blue. He did have his heart strangely warmed, at Aldersgate and it transformed his life. Until then, he lived a defeated life. Then, as he studied the doctrine over the 1740's and 50's, he came upon many of the people that had the experience. It was through these studies that his understanding of holiness deepened. He saw that it was possible by the experience of those he talked to. It would be a shame for us as Wesleyans to change what Wesley intended. Also, the Church of the Nazarene was formed by the coming together of holiness groups all across the country. I wonder what all these groups would say to this discussion about a change in our doctrine. In the end, the real question is, is I Thessalonians 5:23-24 true, or not? If we are really having trouble living up to this, should we be asking, when our lives don't measure up, why not?

Jerry Rodgers

Posted: June 22, 2007 8:12 PM

My Dad was a Methodist preacher, but it was in the First Church of the Nazarene in Danville, IL that I first heard the doctrine of sanctification preached. I was 30 years old at the time and had spent ten years as a professed agnostic after leaving home and the Methodist Church. Now the Nazarenes are following the Methodists down the primrose path to perdition. It was the Methodist circuit-riders traveling the frontier, preaching the Wesleyan doctrine of entire sanctification that gave this nation the power to conquer a continent. It is sad to see us resign that power to the blandishments of a sickly liberalism that renounces the power of the Holy Spirit to "sanctify you wholly" (1 Thes. 5:23). Not only have we lost the power to conquer a continent, we are losing the power--and even the will--to resist the demonic Muslim jihadists that have attacked the center of our commercial and military strength. We are the spittin' image of the Laodicean church the Lord rebuked in Rev. 3:14-19.

Fred Wenger

Posted: June 22, 2007 4:55 PM

When I was first saved my Pastor encouraged me to go on to "Sanctification". As a 17 year old and new to the church, I had no idea of what that word meant. One thing he said that did make sense was, "Fred, if you press forward in total consecration to receive the blessing of sanctifiction you won't be as prone to backsliding. It will give you a great forward thrust." I followed my pastor's advice and began my own search for sanctification. Several years later, I settled it with God and received w the sanctifying grace of God. I see where this led me forward even as my wise pastor encouraged. Across the years I learned to associate sanctification with what happened to the disciples on the day of Pentecost. I learned to see the work of the Holy Spirit in sanctification.

Bill Fredline

Posted: June 22, 2007 4:49 PM

Let’s be honest. Our forefathers got the doctrine wrong. Ideally, the doctrine leads to a sincere & dedicated life to God. I am sure that was what they intended. But, in actual practice, its different. We become masters at covering up what is really happening inside of us in order to maintain the holiness façade. It’s time we came clean. It is time we were honest with God & each other. The doctrine needs major revision.

Chuck Milhuff

Posted: June 22, 2007 3:56 PM

The article lacks the pain of an insider and would of course. As the Revivalism Coordinator for The Church of the Nazarene and a life time Evangelist having had all my graduate schooling, BD., D.Min., with them these are very painful days. To have preached one thing and now to learn from the academy that what I learned and have seen work is error is tough. I can ponder the idea of Methodist scholars having these same discussion 100 years ago and more. That's why so many of our leaders left them and came to us or the groups that joined us. The leader of the band had the most to say 9n the article. There were others to be fair to the writer. I can give you the other side of all of this that is draining us of our very reason for existence.

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