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TOWARDS A COMMUNICATION STRATEGY FOR KEEPING THE MESSAGE OF BIBLICAL HOLINESS IN THE NORTH CAROLINA CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE RELEVANT IN THE 21ST CENTURY by MARK E. MEDLEY A THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF THEOLOGY in PRACTICAL THEOLOGY at the SOUTH AFRICAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY in November 2015 SUPERVISOR: Dr Michael Higgs DECLARATION I hereby acknowledge that the work contained in this thesis is my own original work and has not previously in its entirety or in part been submitted to any academic institution for degree purposes. Mark Edward Medley November 2015 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I hereby gratefully acknowledge the blessings of the Lord upon my life and ministry including my family, my local church, my denomination and my mentors. I am most grateful for the calling that the Lord Jesus Christ has placed upon my life and his faithfulness to guide me all of my days. I am especially grateful to my wife Angie who with love and patience has been by my side throughout this project and many years of ministry. I give thanks for the various friends who encouraged me to further my education and use the blessings of the Lord in this area to further the work of His Kingdom. To the Lockard’s, the Scherer’s, the Jacklet’s and the congregational leaders at Fayetteville Church of the Nazarene I say thanks. Without the encouragement and support to go to Africa in 2007 I may have never begun this journey. With a grateful heart, Rev. Mark E. Medley ii ABSTRACT This research thesis is focused on communicating the doctrine of holiness to persons in the twenty-first century, specifically those who are active participants in the Church of the Nazarene in the district of North Carolina. The motivating factor behind this work is a desire for the church to be able to effectively communicate one of its central doctrines to succeeding generations. Of primary concern in this work is a process of ongoing education for pastors and teachers in the North Carolina Church of the Nazarene in order to facilitate the work they are involved in. As such a secondary emphasis on how language and understanding of terminology related to the issue of holiness has changed through time will be evident. This research traces the holiness movement from its origins through to the present giving attention to particular holiness movement leaders, the technology that has influenced communication, the effect of denominational influences and the changes that have occurred within the generations affecting the message of the church. The resulting product of the research is a ministry model for the Church of the Nazarene in North Carolina whereby the language of the church is reviewed on a continual basis and the doctrine of holiness is emphasized as a central tenet of the faith. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .........................................................................................I ABSTRACT ...........................................................................................................II TABLE OF CONTENTS ..........................................................................................III CHAPTER ONE ......................................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale ............................................................................................... 1 1.2 Research Design .................................................................................. 5 1.2.1 The Descriptive-Empirical Task .......................................................... 5 1.2.2 The Interpretive Task .......................................................................... 5 1.2.3 The Normative Task ........................................................................... 6 1.2.4 The Pragmatic Task ............................................................................ 6 1.3 Research Methodology .......................................................................... 7 1.3.1 Chapter Two ....................................................................................... 8 1.3.2 Chapter Three .................................................................................... 8 1.3.3 Chapter Four ...................................................................................... 8 1.3.4 Chapter Five ....................................................................................... 9 1.3.5 Chapter Six ......................................................................................... 9 1.4 Terms ..................................................................................................... 10 1.5 Hypothesis .............................................................................................. 12 1.6 Objectives ............................................................................................... 12 1.7 Scriptures ............................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER TWO .......................................................................................... 14 COMMUNICATION IN THE HOLINESS MOVEMENT FROM ITS ORIGIN TO THE PRESENT: A BASIC STANDARD FOR AN ASSESSMENT. 2.1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 14 2.2 Foundation One: Recognized Leaders ................................................. 14 2.2.1 John Wesley ...................................................................................... 15 2.2.2 Charles Wesley ................................................................................. 18 2.2.3 Other Early Holiness Movement Leaders ........................................... 20 2.2.4 Twentieth Century Holiness Leaders .................................................. 23 2.2.5 Twenty-First Century Leaders ............................................................ 24 2.3 Foundation Two: Denominations ........................................................... 25 iv 2.3.1 Early Methodism ................................................................................. 26 2.3.2 American Methodism .......................................................................... 29 2.4 Denominational Distinctives ................................................................... 30 2.4.1 Salvation Army ................................................................................... 30 2.4.2 Pentecostal Holiness .......................................................................... 31 2.4.3 Church of God (Anderson) .................................................................. 32 2.4.4 The Wesleyan Church ........................................................................ 32 2.4.5 The Church of the Nazarene .............................................................. 33 2.5 Foundation Three: Current Communication Issues ............................... 34 2.5.1 Mitigating Factors ............................................................................... 34 2.5.2 Language and Communication within the Church of the Nazarene .... 35 2.5.3 Bible Versions ..................................................................................... 36 2.5.4 Language Used in Denominational Publications ................................ 37 2.5.5 Nazarene Teaching Material ............................................................... 37 2.5.6 Hymnals and Other Musical Resources .............................................. 38 2.5.7 Electronic Communication Resources ................................................ 39 2.6 Chapter Summary ................................................................................. 39 CHAPTER THREE ...................................................................................... 41 HOLINESS THROUGH THE LENS OF DENOMINATIONALISM: CONTRIBUTING FACTORS 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 41 3.2 Denominationalism and the Definition of Holiness ................................. 45 3.3 Denominational Focus ........................................................................... 47 3.3.1 The Church of the Nazarene .............................................................. 47 3.3.2 The Wesleyan Church ........................................................................ 48 3.3.3 Salvation Army ................................................................................... 49 3.3.4 Church of God (Anderson) .................................................................. 49 3.3.5 Pentecostal Holiness .......................................................................... 49 3.4 Denominational Definitions: Salvation and Sanctification ...................... 50 3.4.1 Church of the Nazarene ...................................................................... 51 3.4.2 The Wesleyan Church ........................................................................ 51 3.4.3 Salvation Army ................................................................................... 51 3.4.4 Church of God (Anderson) .................................................................. 51 3.4.5 Pentecostal Holiness .......................................................................... 52 v 3.5 Denominational Knowledge ................................................................... 52 3.6 Denominational Loyalty ......................................................................... 52 3.7 Chapter Summary ................................................................................