Tag: holiness

Has Amazon and Christian Music Industry Robbed the Church of the Nazarene of Her Distinctive Doctrine?

On By Rob Prince1 Comment

Amazon arrived. Reading habits shifted. Publishing economics changed. Borders, Waldenbooks, Zondervan, and B. Dalton are gone. Honestly, given the publishing industry, it’s a miracle that there is still a publishing entity in the Church of the Nazarene. Nazarene Publishing House morphed into the Foundry.

With our changed world, the Foundry was forced to no longer send people like George Rice, Tom Roat, Matt Zimmer or another sales representative to district assemblies and camp meetings with their familiar routine. The bookseller would hold up that year’s featured holiness book—often written by a general superintendent, seminary professor, or influential pastor—and declare, “This year’s holiness book is the best I’ve ever read.” (They said the same thing the year before.)

Then came the sales pitch.

“Pastors, you need this book. Your church needs to hear this book preached. Raise your hand if you want a copy.” Hands went up quickly. The representative would continue, “Laypeople, if your pastor’s hand is not raised, buy the book for him/her. Your church needs the holiness message contained in this book.” More hands would go up across the sanctuary. Volunteers moved through the aisles distributing books by writers such as W. T. Purkiser, Al Truesdale, John Allen Knight, and others.

Something more important than selling books happened because of the NPH sales pitch. Pastors bought, read and built sermon series based on them. As a result, local churches received a regular, denominationally grounded dose of Wesleyan holiness teaching. Today, no longer resourced with a steady stream of holiness literature, Nazarene pastors stopped preaching an annual sermon series built around those holiness books. Instead, they regurgitate sermons from Craig Groeschel, Andy Stanley, John MacArthur, and a host of other evangelical voices. Those pastors may be gifted communicators, but they are not Wesleyan holiness preachers. 

Without up-to-date holiness books, it’s no wonder fewer sermons are being preached on historical Nazarene positions regarding sanctification, the Holy Spirit, and what it means to be a Nazarene. Over time, many Nazarene churches have sounded less Nazarene and more like the generic evangelical church down the street.

Moreover, Nazarenes singing has also changed. Forget Haldor Lilleneas. Now Hillsong, Maverick City and Elevation songs are sung every Sunday in many Nazarene churches. Those groups are writing good songs, but they aren’t holiness songs. Nazarenes no longer sing a steady stream of holiness songs. Holiness Unto the Lord is sung once a year—at the district’s ordination service. That’s it. The Haldor Lillenas’ hymn, Holiness Forevermore is not sung, not known and very possibly not a reality in many Nazarene churches. (Please note: This is not renewing the worship wars. I’m not calling for hymns over choruses. I’m begging for new holiness choruses that can be sung in Nazarene churches).

Like the book tables, the sales reps, and holiness hymns, one wonders if the sanctifying message of the Church of the Nazarene is being pushed out by our reading and singing habits? Has Amazon and the Christian music industry robbed the Church of the Nazarene of her distinctive doctrine?

P.F. Bresee’s dream that the Church of the Nazarene might “Christianize Christianity” is not possible with bland evangelical pulpits and popular choruses. To modify Bresee vision to our current reality, maybe it’s time to “Nazarene-ize Nazarenes.” It’s returning to our roots (that’s not a call for book tables and hymnbooks). But a deep desire to disseminate preach-able holiness materials that pastors can then use and beg songwriters to compose modern singable holiness songs. Nazarenes need to hear sermons preached and songs sung of heart cleansing once more. Holiness forevermore can’t simply be a song in a dusty hymnbook, but a reality that is lived out in Nazarene churches everywhere. Let’s Christianize Christianity. Dream of a better day.  

A Barf-o-Rama on the Drift from Holiness

On By Rob Prince2 Comments

If holiness preachers have no relevant and current holiness materials from which to preach and if the word “sanctification” is rarely uttered from our pulpits (read: we hear more sermons based on popular non-Wesleyan, megachurch pastors than from William Greathouse or Mildred Wynkoop) and if we never dedicate time for spiritual growth (read: no revival services) and if we don’t ever get away purely for the sake of growing our relationship with Jesus (read: no camp meetings and pastor and/or lay retreats) and if we rarely have extended times of prayer with other believers (read: no prayer meetings) and if young people don’t hear how the spirit is moving in individual lives (read: no testimony services) and if we don’t unplug ourselves from the corrupt world (read: No personal devotions) and if spend more time scrolling news feeds than reading our Bibles (read: minimal time in God’s Word) and if our holiness is not played out in the real world as we care for the sick, needy and the “least of these” (read: no compassionate, social  holiness displayed) and if we don’t talk to our neighbors about Jesus (read: evangelism seems offensive to many) and if we’d rather argue about immigration than love our neighbor (read: the fruit of the spirit is not evident in our lives) and if our political loyalties stir more passion than the Gospel of Jesus Christ (read: Jesus is not Lord) and if our kids’ sports schedules have priority over their spiritual development (read again: Jesus is not Lord) and if our in-person church attendance is spotty at best (read: seriously, Jesus is NOT Lord), then why are we surprised that…

  • hearts are no longer being strangely warmed (sorry John Wesley) and 
  • the Pentecostal fires are no longer burning (sorry Phoebe Palmer) and 
  • our utmost is not for Highest (sorry Oswald Chambers) and 
  • we are no longer called unto holiness (sorry Phineas F Bresee) and 
  • we are not all out for souls (sorry J.B. Chapman) and 
  • we aren’t mentoring anybody and no one is mentoring us (sorry Jerry Porter) and 
  • our churches are too often dead, dead, dead they just haven’t had a funeral (sorry Jim Deihl) and
  • the slow drift from holiness has become our reality.

The previous paragraph was one long sentence—372 words, to be exact. My English teachers are undoubtedly shaking their heads.

It was intentionally exhausting because, frankly, that’s how the state of holiness sometimes feels. It is one overwhelming pile of symptoms—a barf-o-rama of spiritual drift. None of these things alone explains where we are but taken together, they paint a sobering picture of hearts that have gradually settled for less than God’s best.

I don’t blame social media.
I don’t blame cable news. 
I don’t blame sports.
I don’t blame politicians, publishers, pastors, or church leaders.

This is our world. It’s our reality.

The culture has changed, and the church must continue finding fresh ways to communicate the timeless gospel. I’m not arguing for a return to the “good old days.” Some methods belong in the past. But the message never does.

Holiness never goes out of style.
Prayer never becomes obsolete.
Revival is not for history books.
We don’t need nostalgia.
We need is divine intervention.
We need Pentecostal Power.

We need the Holy Spirit to awaken sleepy hearts, convict complacent souls, condemn misplaced loyalties, rekindle holy love, and once again make us a people who look like Jesus. The call remains exactly what it has always been:

“Be holy, because I am holy.”

God still demands and still provides a way for people to be holy. 

We just aren’t there.
Revive us again, O Lord.
And if revival is going to begin anywhere, let it begin with me.

I am a Nazarene

On By Rob Prince1 Comment

Not all Christians agree with everything that the Church of the Nazarene believes. For crying out loud, not all Nazarenes agree with everything in the Manual. If we did the Manual would never change, but it does change every four years. As such, through it all, we strive to have unity in the essentials; liberty in the non-essentials and charity in all things. (Key word: “Strive” we aren’t always united and/or charitable, but we sure should “strive” to be.). 

There are some things that the Church of the Nazarene is pretty rock solid on even as others disagree. For example, we Nazarenes have always practiced both baby dedication and infant baptism. Not everybody does. Karla and I baptized Alex and dedicated Ben (I don’t know why). I tell folks the jury is still out on which one is better. Infant baptism has been around since the earliest Christians. The anabaptists stopped practicing infant baptism a few hundred years ago, and offered baby dedications instead. So we do both. We Nazarenes have such a strong view of the prevenient grace of God, and it is wonderfully demonstrated in infant baptism. God loves that baby, while it’s still being formed and His love never stops. In baby dedication, the emphasis is on the parents commitment to raise the child in the a Christian home. Speaking of baptism, in believer baptism, we will drip, douse or dunk. It’s not the amount of H2O applied that matters, baptism proclaims the amount of grace applied in the individual’s life. 

We have always ordained women. In fact, percentage wise, we had more female pastors in our early years than we do today. People who don’t agree site Paul’s words to Timothy about women being silent in church (ignoring the context of the trouble making women in the local church at Ephesus at the time). They forget about Peter quoting Joel saying, women will be prophesying in the end times. They also look over the obvious citation of Priscilla and Aquilla leading a church in Romans 16. Or Lydia being a church leader in Philippi. Or the resurrected Jesus, giving Mary Magdalene the first glimpse of His glory, and commissioning her to tell the others about it. If women are good enough proclaimers for the resurrected Jesus, they are good enough for us!

We have always believed that God can make people holy today. We are a holiness people. Always have been. In both Old and New Testaments God says, “Be Holy.” Would God Almighty really tell us to do something that is impossible to do—or something that only a few select people could be?  I don’t think so. Holy living is possible and encouraged for every faithful follower of Jesus. The evidence of such holy living is the fruit of the Spirit demonstrated in the believer’s life.

We have always upheld a traditional view of marriage between a man and a woman. Many congregations are debating the biblical record these days. A few years back, when the question of human sexuality arose in the General Assembly, 97% of the delegates voted to uphold the traditional standard that we have always affirmed. That doesn’t mean we exclude people or are unwelcoming. We encourage all. Welcome all. Love all. Show grace and mercy to all.

Some things change. When I was a kid, Nazarene’s didn’t go to movies. We didn’t dance either. I got out of 5th grade square dancing because my mom sent a note saying “dancing was against our religion.” If I held a membership class that day, every boy in the fifth grade at Marquette Elementary School would have signed up to be a Nazarene. We’ve changed non-essential elements of life as culture has changed. We aren’t Amish after all.

Some things are still up for interpretation and we don’t fight about it— if folks choose to land some other place than where other members have landed– It’s OK. As such, Nazarenes don’t have a preferred Bible translation (although the Foundry uses the New International Version in its Sunday School materials). We don’t have a set view on Christ’s return (other than Jesus is coming again). We don’t have a set view on creation (other than God did it). We don’t tell people who to vote for in elections. Not sure Jesus would be an elephant or a donkey. We tell folks to read their Bible; pray about it; and decide. We leave room for folks who disagree or doubt or are seeking. 

Some things change. Some things don’t. Some things we leave up to the individual to figure out. That’s Nazarene-dom in a nut shell—and I’m glad to be a part of it.

Making Holiness Great Again

On By Rob Prince1 Comment

Making holiness great again is a worthy effort. What godly person doesn’t want holiness to be great?  The pharisees in the first century attempted to “make holiness great again.” Sadly, their version of “holiness”* was a strict adherence to the law, especially the sabbath laws. This approach weaponized holiness and put them in conflict with Jesus on multiple occasions. Theirs was a haughty brand of “holiness” that in the end looked nothing like the humble holiness that Jesus exuded. When holiness disintegrates into a prideful, battle weapon it is no longer holiness. It’s a self-congratulatory enterprise that looks more like the smirking pharisees on Good Friday, than the forgiving, dying Savior on the cross. It’s no longer great.

Religious bullying in the name of God Almighty is what Jesus abhorred. Could it be that Jesus is still disgusted by anyone touting a far less than great brand of holiness. A “holiness” more intent on keeping rules and keeping out rule breakers, than it is on a welcoming, Philippians 2:5-11, selfless-love brand of holiness?

Holiness is great when smugness is swapped with the unpretentious fruit of the Spirit.
Holiness is great when pride is replaced with humility. 
Holiness is great when it’s characterized by true righteousness not self-righteousness.
Holiness is great when perfect love chases out all fear.
Holiness is great when it looks like the open-armed father and not the angry, rule keeping older brother when his prodigal sibling returned.
Holiness is great when there are less pitch forks and torches and more flames of the Spirit. 
Holiness is great when the miniscule search for specks in the eyes of offenders gives way to 
lumberjack-ian task of log removeable from one’s own optic nerves. 
Holiness is great when it looks like Jesus.

One of the core values of the Church of the Nazarene is “holiness.” It would have been one of the pharisees’ core values too. Do we look more like the pharisees or Jesus? The pharisaical brand of “holiness” is one where there are multiple boxes which need to be checked. Accordingly, if not all of the boxes are checked, then it’s not “holiness.” The Jesus brand of holiness has only one box: holy forgiving selfless love.** If it’s checked, it’s holiness. Let’s strive to check that box. Let’s make that brand of holiness great again.

*The pharisees’ “holiness” is in quotation marks, because it’s something, but whatever it is– it’s not holiness. 

**Please Note: Jesus made demands on his followers (most notably “pick up your cross and follow me”). But those demands flow from a heart of love, not out a code of ethical boundaries. Those demands reflect–  Holy. Forgiving. Selfless. Love. 

That ain’t holiness

On By Rob Prince1 Comment

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” -Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride.

The theological circles I run in are known for their adherence to holiness. We take serious God’s call to “Be holy as I am holy” (Leviticus 19:2 and 1 Peter 1:16). Sadly, it seems some in my tribe are confused as to what “holiness” entails. 

Allow me to offer a few tips (just “a few,” my list is not exhaustive) on holiness. Hopefully this clears up some of the muddle…

If your version of holiness is….

  • more about you than Jesus, that ain’t holiness.
  • unkind, unforgiving, unjoyful, unhumble that ain’t holiness.
  • unloving toward neighbors and enemies that ain’t holiness.
  • uncaring toward the poor and needy, that ain’t holiness.
  • focused on outward persona rather than inward purity, that ain’t holiness.
  • childish not child-like, that ain’t holiness.
  • bullying others on-line or in person, that ain’t holiness.
  • comparable to the Pharisees, that ain’t holiness.
  • hypocritical or hyper-critical, that ain’t holiness.
  • cliquish more than a welcoming, that ain’t holiness.
  • snooty and gossipy, that ain’t holiness.
  • attention seeking more than Jesus seeking, that ain’t holiness.
  • envious, greedy, lustful or prideful, that ain’t holiness.
  • rude, harsh and self-seeking, that ain’t holiness.
  • bombastic and belligerent, that ain’t holiness.
  • record keeping of wrongs, that ain’t holiness.
  • condemning the sin in others while covering up one’s sinful habits, that ain’t holiness.
  • pushing people out of the kingdom rather than inviting folks in, that ain’t holiness.
  • lacking in generosity, that ain’t holiness.
  • critical of social media mudslinging, then promptly slinging mud on social media, that ain’t holiness.
  • full of “gotcha questions” meant to trap and belittle, that ain’t holiness.
  • championing “truth” while telling half-truths and outright lies, that ain’t holiness. 
  • depicted by who you hate rather than who you love, that ain’t holiness.
  • fueling heated arguments rather than godly conversations, that ain’t holiness.
  • blind to the giant log in one’s own eye, yet judging the speck in someone else’s eye, that ain’t holiness.
  • more about legalism than charity, liberty and grace, that ain’t holiness.
  • dismissing the above list and getting defensive about the areas that reflect your own poor attitudes and behaviors, that ain’t holiness either.
  • Anything other than being like Jesus, quite simply…  it ain’t holiness. Period. 

Dear English majors, I know, “ain’t” isn’t a word. I also know the “holiness” that some folks proport to be “protecting” or “promoting” isn’t holiness. 

It’s something, but it’s not holiness.