What Does it mean to be Conservative Holiness

2 Thessalonians 2:15 (KJV)

15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

Sometimes our church name or persuasion is a bit misleading not because I don't know what it means but because of the connotation it has in the world around us. What does the word Holiness mean to you? When I say that we would align ourselves with most of the Conservative Holiness Movement what does that conjure up in your mind?

IHC? Adherents of Entire Sanctification? Holy People? …. Imagine if you have never heard of us and you asked what church do I go to and I say "The Holiness Church" what does that bring up in your mind?

I believe in the core values of the Conservative Holiness People. I am a Holiness Preacher, I believe in entire sanctification, I know what I mean when I say I pastor the Holiness church but does my hearer understand that. I think the Conservative Holiness People could use some improvement in getting out who we are.

Usually I am thought of as judgmental, holier than thou, or a jerking, foaming at the mouth, holy rolling, Pentecostal. I used to wonder what makes us so different? I have been asked that, "What makes your church different than the church down the road? "

It's more than our dress, it's more than our doctrine, it's more than our details. This is one of those identifying questions I had as a young Christian, what does it mean to be Conservative Holiness?

Historical Background - the history is long and colorful so this is just going to skim over some of the highlights. Dr. William Snider - Chad Snider's father our pastor at Altamont has an interesting sermon series on this you can find online, Dr. Black from Pen View Bible College has written an extensive look at several of the Conservative Holiness Church's histories in a book called, "Heritage of Holiness" and then Wallace Thornton Jr's book, "Radical Righteousness." I have gleaned some from them and other various sources. Simply put after the reformation of Luther, the revivals of Wesley, the Revolutionary War of the USA (which Wesley was against,) American Methodism was under the auspices of a tremendous leader and preacher Francis Asbury. Now there is a lot I am skipping over but this is the basics. I am excitedly awaiting hearing word of one of my professors, Dr. Matt Friedman a Nazarene pastor and native of KS, book on Francis Asbury. I found several years ago the original printing of volumes 1 & 2 of Asbury's journals. One of the prized possessions of my library. Basically if it wasn't for Asbury there not only would not be Methodist churches in America there might not be churches period. He would travel hours and hours on his horse sharing the gospel, preaching, and teaching. The Methodist church thrived under his leadership and ministry.

Then came a time when the emphasis of holiness apparently diminished or at least that is what we find in the writings of Beverly Carradine and others of his time frame and those who felt they could no longer stay with a clear conscience began the stream of come-outism framing holiness bands across the country later starting the "Free Methodist Church," "The Church of the Nazarene." and other forms of "Wesleyan Churches." It was around this time that the Bible Holiness church and the Church of God Holiness were started. This went on well for several years but sometime after WWII there seemed to be a let up in dress standards, entertainment, and other issues that cropped up at this time and again a come outism began where people who felt and believed that the standards of holiness were slipping began to get together and form new churches. It was during this time that churches like,

Bible Missionary - Got their start soon after The Wesleyan Church (Bro. Griffiths) The Bible Methodist Connection Church of the Bible Covenant now known as ICHA Allegheny Wesleyan And others

Since then there have been splinters and splits and rifts and revisions but the small nuclei of people called the Conservative Holiness People have tried to stick somewhat together thanks to the IHC and other efforts.

Core Values - What makes Conservative Holiness People different from other Holiness people? Feel free to disagree with some of my conclusions here but this is what I think and feel makes us who we are.

The emphasis on Personal, Doctrinal, Holiness (Entire Sanctification) A Similar dress standard

Some of the early issues were

TV Jewelry (Including wedding rings) Modesty Marriage There is even a split in the CHM about Salvation and I may preach on that some day, I remember a dear lady who had ties to the Old Nazarene church in Missouri who came to one of our camp meetings and she said, I heard about you guys that you still believed in praying through. I would say while different organizations have a different meaning for that term we would probably all ascribe to it as a core value we believe in people praying through.

Theological / Doctrinal Emphasis

Different organizations teach different aspects of holiness but the emphasis of the Conservative Holiness movement was to move away from the letting down in standards and go back to the basics and teach the doctrine of Holiness as believed by John Wesley and to hold fast to the "Old Fashioned" standards of the Holiness Movement.

So what does it mean to be conservative holiness? I think these two things 1. An adherent to Entire Sanctification 2. Holding to the core values of Holiness, Modesty and true salvation

I haven't been opening these up for questions or discussion but I will do that tonight.