Holiness Movement

• Formation: 1830s

The Holiness movement is a religious movement that emerged in the 1830s in the United States and Canada. Its prime characteristic is that of a belief in sanctification and perfection. This means that believers can live a perfect life without sin, or a holy life, after a religious experience often known as the second blessing. The opponents of the Holiness movement state that original sin exists in everyone. The Holiness movement emerged within Methodist and other Protestant churches and is based on the principles of John Wesley (1703–1791), who founded Methodism.

Many Holiness groups arose in the United States, including the Church of God in Anderson, Indiana, the Church of the Nazarene, and the Salvation Army. The Church of the Nazarene has a membership that makes up almost one-third of the Holiness movement members. Pentecostalism also arose from the Holiness movement, although many Holiness churches separated themselves from it.

History

Although the Methodist founder John Wesley taught sanctification and perfection, the religion’s churches in colonial America focused more on other areas. This trend continued until the 1830s, when interest in perfection and holiness was revived. Phoebe Worrall Palmer (1807–1874) was a key contributor to the spread of the movement by promoting interest through her book The Way of Holiness and through her talks in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. She also held Tuesday meetings for the Promotion of Holiness at her home in New York City. She influenced thousands of people to seek holiness. Also influential in the movement were Asa Mahan (1799–1889), Charles G. Finney (1792–1875), and John Humphrey Noyes (1811–1886).

After the Civil War, the supporters of the Holiness movement came to believe that their established churches were not trying to distance themselves from an emphasis on wealth, social prestige, and other worldly concerns, so the members of the Holiness movement withdrew and formed new groups. The movement became more unified when the first Holiness camp meeting occurred in 1867, a meeting that led to the formation of the National Camp Meeting Association for the Promotion of Holiness. The first African American Holiness denomination was the Reformed Zion Union Apostolic Church, which was formed in 1869.

In 1895, two Holiness groups merged to form a new group called the Church of the Nazarene, with the mission of helping the poor people in the cities. The Church of the Nazarene later became one of the largest in the Holiness movement, making up more than a third of the membership.

The Holiness movement had spread throughout the United States by the end of the nineteenth century. Adherents of the movement did not always find support within their Methodist churches, and so they broke away to form their own churches. In the early 1900s, Pentecostalism arose from the Holiness movement and eventually started its own movement.

The Holiness movement spread through missionary work to other countries, including areas of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Switzerland gave birth to its own Holiness group in the 1830s. Eventually, the movement became a worldwide presence.

Holiness churches in the early twenty-first century included the Church of the Nazarene, the Salvation Army, the Wesleyan Church, the Church of God (in Anderson, Indiana), and the Free Methodist Church. One of the largest Holiness churches at this time was the Korea Evangelical Holiness Church.

Beliefs & Practices

The Holiness movement focuses on the concepts of sanctification, or holiness, and perfection. These concepts are based on the teachings of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, who believed that all Christians should try to live a perfect, sin-free life. Believers in the Holiness movement state that those who have been converted may then have a postconversion religious experience called a second blessing or sanctification. The Holy Spirit then makes it possible for these converts to lead a perfect, holy Christian life.

The Holiness movement is focused on lifestyle and sanctification. Holiness churches emphasize discipline and are generally opposed to worldly entertainments and materialistic lifestyles. Prohibited items and practices include dancing, movies, music, makeup, expensive jewelry or clothing, smoking, drinking, and gambling.

Women have long been ministers within Holiness denominations and have been allowed to hold leadership positions. The Wesleyan/Holiness Clergy International continues to support the growth and training of women students and clergy.

All churches within the Holiness movement share the principles of sanctification and perfection, but they may also have other doctrines that differ among the groups. The Wesleyan Methodist Church was founded by Orange Scott (1800–1847) as a protest against enslavement in 1843. Called the Wesleyan Methodist Connection, it was the first Holiness denomination formed to support abolition, and it was born after Methodist bishops prohibited church members from speaking out against enslavement. Many Wesleyan Methodists became active in the Underground Railroad. The group’s name was changed to the Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1947, and in 1966 it merged with the Pilgrim Holiness Church.

The Church of the Nazarene, one of the largest Holiness churches, was founded in 1908 and requires its clergy to openly declare the experience of sanctification. Other doctrines include, among others, a belief in the plenary inspiration of the Scriptures, Christ’s atonement for the human race, and the Second Coming of Christ.

The Salvation Army, another organization based on the principles of the Holiness movement, was first established in England in 1880. It focused on bringing the Gospel to the poor of the cities and soon spread to many parts of the world, including the United States. The Salvation Army is organized along military lines, with a general at the head. Members consider themselves an army of crusaders in the war to save souls, and they serve in hospitals, schools, and evangelical centers. They also have camps, boys and girls clubs, hotels, daycare centers, as well as providing many other services.

Members of Pentecostalism, which also arose from the Holiness movement, accept speaking in tongues and physical healing as evidence of the second blessing and the working of the Holy Spirit. Many other Holiness churches do not agree that these signs are evidence of sanctification.

Bibliography

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“Holiness Churches.” World Council of Churches, www.oikoumene.org/en/church-families/holiness-churches. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.

Hotle, Dr. Marlin. "The Early Holiness Movement." Wesleyan Holiness Women Center, 20 Apr. 2022, www.whwomenclergy.org/the-early-holiness-movement-redefining-the-role-of-women-in-ministry. Accessed 29 Oct. 2024.

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