Conservative Holiness Movement

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The Conservative Holiness Movement is a term that loosely defines a group of conservative Christian denominations that withdrew from the mainstream holiness movement and trace their origin back to Methodist roots and the teachings of John Wesley.

Contents

[edit] Active Denominations & Organizations

[edit] Doctrine

The doctrine of the Conservative Holiness Movement varies slightly from group to group; however, the common thread between them is the belief that the carnal nature (or sin nature, depravity) can be cleansed (eradicated) through faith by the power of the Holy Spirit by one who has received salvation from God through the confession of sin, repentance and faith (See also holiness movement). This belief is also called, "entire sanctification" or a "second work of grace" that enables one to live a life set apart from the world. For additional information, see a Doctrinal Statement on Entire Sanctification.

There is little or no difference in doctrine between Conservative Holiness Churches and their Holiness counterparts. Differences are limited mainly to external appearances.

[edit] History

The Conservative Holiness Movement is a relatively new phenomenon with an outgrowth out of the original holiness movement within parent Methodist denominations. Some scholars of the Conservative Holiness Movement traces its beginnings to the establishment of the Inter-church Holiness Convention (IHC) in 1952. The convention was established as a means of uniting the conservative bodies of the holiness movement for edification and support.

During the early 1950s, there were significant societal changes taking place in America. The Post-World War II era brought many changes to the culture within the United States and as a result, the conservative element of the holiness movement sought to separate its people from the trend of "worldliness" that was becoming more prevalent in American society. Following what they understood to be Bible teachings, standards of dress were encouraged to enable its people to refrain from wearing clothing and following other pursuits that would identify itself with sinful tendencies within society. The 1950s also brought with it increased popularity in television which became a major issue to the Conservative Holiness Movement who saw it and other forms of entertainment as one of the reasons for the moral decline in America.

Between the 1950s and 1960s, a number of events took place that formulated the Conservative Holiness Movement into what it is today. Because of societal changes, many denominations took the initiative to adopt resolutions laying down conservatively interpreted Bible Principles within church government to specifically list items of prohibition within their discipline. The list of prohibitions included the wearing of gold (which included a wedding ring), specific prohibitions against owning a television set, and various dress or fashion restrictions.

In 1966, the Wesleyan Methodist Church (a former denomination in the holiness movement) and the Pilgrim Holiness Church proposed a merger (that was finalized in 1968) to form the Wesleyan Church. As a result, this merger had high historical significance within the Conservative Holiness Movement and its denominations that organized during that time. After the proposal of the merger, a group of conservative holiness people known as the "come outers" formed and separated over issues of church polity, government, and of growing concern over "worldliness". It was during that period of time that the Bible Methodist Connection of Churches, the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection of Churches, the Bible Methodist Connection of Tennessee (Tennessee Bible Methodists) and the Bible Methodist Connection of Alabama (Alabama Bible Methodists) were organized. Other denominations, such as the Pilgrim Holiness Church of New York seceded from the Pilgrim Holiness Church in 1963 to become an independent organization leading up to the merger and The Pilgrim Holiness Church (Midwest Conference) organized in 1967 just prior to the merger as well. Sadly, many of the church pullouts were accompanied by a lack of Christlike compassion on both sides.

The 1968 merger generated several splinter denominations. Most were the "come outers" as previously mentioned as spin offs of the new, larger Wesleyan Church. The Wesleyan Church aligns itself today with the mainstream holiness movement and would be practically equal in church doctrine and polity to the Church of the Nazarene.

There are several other Conservative Holiness denominations such as the International Conservative Holiness Association, Pilgrim Nazarene, Emmanuel Missionary Church, Bible Missionary Church, Bible Holiness Church, Wesleyan Holiness Association, God's Missionary Church, as well as other independent churches. Generally, most of these denominations align themselves with the "come out" movement and would have roots somewhere from the time the Inter-church Holiness Convention originated to the merger in 1968 or from other more recent secessions from various holiness denominations.

[edit] Distinctives

Some parts of the movement itself are isolated from more mainstream Wesleyan-Arminian groups due to its stance on standards (dress, fashion, and entertainment). In other areas, however, there is a healthy dialog between the 'mainline' denominations and their conservative holiness counterparts due to their identical doctrinal viewpoints.

Over the years with society changing so rapidly in America, the Conservative Holiness Movement has largely been successful at remaining unchanged in a changing world regarding outward appearances. Emphasis on outward appearance with perceived neglect of inward holiness has led to a low retention rate among children raised within some conservative holiness groups. Disagreements on various external standards within some circles has led to several splits with accompanying loss of personnel within several denominations. However, in recent years, a renewed emphasis on evangelism and a more detailed teaching of their interpretation of Biblical principles about external standards has led to greater retention rates and growth among many churches.

Overall, the Conservative Holiness Movement holds to the distinctive of a 'separated lifestyle'. Even as morality in society continues to decline, Conservative Holiness churches believe that the experience of entire sanctification, or a full surrender and consecration to God aid the Christian in living a victorious life over intentional or willful sin. They follow the Methodist teaching, that through faith, Christians are able to receive 'entire sanctification' bringing what John Wesley terms as 'Perfect Love', enabling a Christian to fulfill what Jesus termed the first and second greatest commandment: to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and your neighbor as yourself.

Although some people in the mainline holiness movement still agree that to live a holy life one must be "separate" from the world, many are pursuing more modern forms of evangelism, including television broadcasts, contemporary Christian music, all of which are unacceptable to some within the conservative holiness movement. Although efforts to bridge the gap continue between the opposing views, the liberal holiness movement would see the conservative holiness lifestyle as unnecessary in itself because these restrictions can be merely observed with or without a change in the heart. Many within the liberal holiness movement justify a departure from these standards and say that they are merely misinterpretations of scripture and more of a reaction to societal change that have taken place over the years.

Worship styles vary slightly within the U.S. and worldwide. Churches tend to follow traditional hymns and choruses in their worship music. The style of the service is similar to other 'fundamentalist' churches.

[edit] Educational institutions

The Conservative Holiness Movement has several Bible Colleges dedicated to the training and teaching of young men and women for Christian service. Listed below are colleges affiliated with the Conservative Holiness Movement .

There are also other schools that train for ministry. They are listed below.

[edit] World Mission Endeavors

A number of mission endeavors exist within the Conservative Holiness Movement with active mission fields in the Philippines, South Africa, Ukraine, Haiti, Peru, Mexico, Asia, Eastern Europe, South Korea, as well as other additional locations. Listed below are mission organizations affiliated with the Conservative Holiness Movement. Most all of the denominations / associations / connections listed above also maintain their own Missions boards and departments for both Home and Foreign Missions.

  • [Bible Methodist Missions]http://www.bmmissions.org/
  • Evangelical Bible Mission
  • Evangelistic Faith Missions
  • Hope International Missions

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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