I know, I know... I'm slow on the draw with this one. I'm nearly two years behind on this point and will probably fail to offer up a fresh opinion, but I must charge in.
You can read the Holiness Manifesto on the Christianity Today website. It just seems really pointless to me. (Not to mention the fact that it took them THREE YEARS to come up with all this.) I mean there is nothing distinctly "holiness" about it. Any reasonable Christian would heartily agree with any of the statements in it whether from the holiness tradition or not. (Maybe that's the point: It's more a call to the lowest common denominator.)
And why do we always have to bash those who have gone before us? I don't think they failed in ministry so much as equipping their children with an appreciation for who they are as part of the holiness movement. I think maybe it's easier to sit around and critique and complain about our forefathers than it would be to get out and do something constructive for the Kingdom of God!
In short, I believe the holiness movement has become another part of the very generic category of 'evangelicals.' Don't get me wrong I agree with the 'biblical vision of Christian mission,' but any church would probably tell you they do these things. We have made a move toward the generic as is often the case with virtually any denomination. But why can we not celebrate our differences from evangelicals at large?
Certainly I am not suggesting that we de-Christianize the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, etc., but I do think we should return to our message of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with new zeal!
Holiness Manifesto's 'biblical vision of Christian mission':
1. Preach the transforming message of holiness;
2. Teach the principles of Christ-like love and forgiveness;
3. Embody lives that reflect Jesus Christ;
4. Lead in engaging with the cultures of the world; and
5. Partner with others to multiply its effect for the reconciliation of all things.
Sounds generic to me!
What would be helpful would be addressing what kind of transforming holiness we are to preach! How/when does it occur? What does a holiness life look like? What are the fruits of this kind of life? Is it instantaneous or progressive? ...etc...
What are the principles of Christ-like love and forgiveness? Social justice? Personal piety? Repentance? Truth?
What kind of life reflects Jesus? ...Mega churches? Sleeping outdoors? BMW's? Ties or collars?
I guess I'm running in circles because the reality is that those working on the Holiness Manifesto probably wanted to leave it wide open for folks. And that would be a lowering of the bar. Problem is majority does not always accompany truth. The more the merrier some "holiness leaders" would say.
But what if we stopped doing the most popular thing and just became old-fashioned, legalistic, anti-tobacco, anti-Roman Catholic (they pray to and worship/venerate humans), anti-alcohol, anti-movies, anti-dancing holiness people that didn't really care what the Baptists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Methodists thought about us. We just cared about lost people being born-again and seeking the Baptism of the Holy Spirit so that they might live a holy life that didn't flirt with the "gray" area!
I think holiness has a bright future especially as it acts rather than reacts to church culture fads!
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6 comments:
I am curious to your thoughts on these "gray" areas.
Okay - I am going to through out an example - If Jesus drank wine for example (he did) - what does that mean to defining Holiness? If we define Holiness as not-drinking alcohol - then we have missed the point, made ourselves appear very hypocritical, and created a new law in order to follow. Jesus came and fulfilled the old law and the new ones that we make.
I would suggest that we should define Holiness not by our new laws, but by our growth in Jesus' Spirit and character (Gal. 5:22)
My job isn't to raise or lower the bar of Holiness - my job is to preach, teach, and live Jesus. Jesus is Holiness.
Let me say that again, Jesus is Holiness. We need to live as he lived. That would be a holy life.
I think the last two paragraphs made my head explode.
Not in a bad way, really... still.
*Boom!*
Brett:
I'll admit that I'm exaggerating to make a point!
Read my post titled: "I'm for it!"
Paul:
"gray" areas = alcohol for example
In 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 (really the whole chapter) Paul deals with another "gray" area: food sacrificed to idols. I think alcohol should be dealt with in the same way.
I don't define holiness by "not drinking." I just think the only response we can have to alcohol is total abstinance! It's just reasonable, it's what we have always said in our tradition, from my experience as a pastor it is true, and scripture just doesn't have much good to say about being filled with wine (it actually proposes an alternative). How's that for Wesleyan Quadrilateral?
You would probably define holiness as "loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, & strength and loving your neighbor as yourself." You would be right!
But my question, since post-modernity wants to muddy the water of definitions, is this: what does it really mean to love God?
Here's my proposed answer (well my adopted answer): 1 John 5:3
Here's my other question: What does it mean to live like Jesus did? (...by loving God? see question above.)
Here is my proposed answer: Galatians 5:16-25 (Paul defines it negatively [works of the flesh] and positively [fruit of the spirit]).
There's not only a discription of the fruit of the Spirit (which goes through v. 23) but also a discription of the "works of the flesh" (vv. 19-21). To leave one of those out is to do an injustice to a serious disciple of Christ!
I agree that our job is not to raise or lower the bar of holiness... the standard has already been set.
All I am saying is that we give people a specific and full picture of what it means to be in a covenant relationship with God!
Some in the church, maybe including me, have managed to talk a lot without saying anything. That's what I am convinced the Holiness Manifesto is.
Although, the longer my post becomes the more I'm convinced that I'm in the same boat.
Jared,
I agree with you.
Jesus spoke of boundaries in many cases, and the Gospel is truly about living an upside down life (compared to the kingdom of this world).
I keep praying that my focus is teaching how to love God, by reflecting on the person of Jesus and how he loved His Father.
In my days I have come face to face with many legalists - many of which couldn't tell you very much about the life of Christ.
And since Holiness as we define it these days in Nazarene circles, is Christliness - there is something to Christ's life on earth that defines being "Holy".
Blessings to you my friend!
Paul:
I think we're on the same page for the most part. I appreciate your comments.
I believe the difference lies in the fact that I think we need to be specific about what a life that 'loves God with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength and loves their neighbor as their self' looks like.
Jesus was very specific... see Matthew 5-7 (the sermon on the mount). He didn't shy away from dealing with specifics.
Paul was very specific... see Galatians 5:16-25 (note that he spent more time talking about what the Spirit does _not_ produce).
John, the revelator, was specific... see Revelation 21:8
And so on and so on...
My point is that we _must_ tell people everything that God says.
The positive & the negative (although, in reality it is all positive)!
The full Gospel is nothing to be afraid of, but salvation without repentance & atonement is because it is simply a lie.
Thanks for your comments & questions. I need to clarify myself sometimes as I am prone to making "extreme" statements for literary effect.
Jared
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