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Explaining the Emergence of the Nineteenth-Century Holiness Movement and Early Church of the Nazarene

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Explaining the Emergence of the Nineteenth-Century Holiness Movement and Early Church of the Nazarene Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Dissertations Graduate College 12-2004 Selfhood and the Search for an Identity: Explaining the Emergence of the Nineteenth-Century Holiness Movement and Early Church of the Nazarene Paul R. George Jr. Western Michigan University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations Part of the History of Christianity Commons, History of Religion Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation George, Paul R. Jr., "Selfhood and the Search for an Identity: Explaining the Emergence of the Nineteenth- Century Holiness Movement and Early Church of the Nazarene" (2004). Dissertations. 1102. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/1102 This Dissertation-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SELFHOOD AND THE SEARCH FOR AN IDENTITY: EXPLAINING THE EMERGENCE OF THE NINETEENTH-CENTURY HOLINESS MOVEMENT AND EARLY CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE by Paul R. George Jr. A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Comparative Religion Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan December 2004 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3154496 Copyright 2004 by George, Paul R., Jr. All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3154496 Copyright 2005 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Copyright by Paul R. George Jr. 2004 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to begin by acknowledging the tremendous support and assistance that I have received from Dr. Brian Wilson, Chair of the Department of Comparative Religion of Western Michigan University, and Dr. Henry Spaulding of Trevecca Nazarene University. Their suggestions and guidance have been invaluable in the completion of this project. Dr. Spaulding inspired my academic pursuit some years ago at Eastern Nazarene College and his willingness to serve on my dissertation committee is greatly appreciated. I would also like to thank Dr. Julia Robinson of Western Michigan University for her willingness to serve with Dr. Wilson and Dr. Spaulding on my dissertation committee. A special thank you goes to Dr. R. Stanley Ingersol and his assistants at the Church of the Nazarene Archives, Kansas City, Missouri. Every one of my visits to the Archives was extremely productive due to the gracious assistance of the staff and Dr. rngersol’s willingness to share his time and knowledge of the history of the Holiness Movement and Church of the Nazarene. I would like to thank my parents, Paul and Joanne George, for their encouragement and their trips to camp grounds in the Pittsburgh area in search of information for this project. Finally, my heartfelt gratitude is extended to my wife, Clarie, for her patience and loving support. She has endured many long, lonely days as her husband has pursued his dream. Paul R. George Jr. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......................................................................................... ii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................... 1 Previous Explanations of the Holiness Movement ................................. 5 Selfhood and Authority ........................................................................... 8 John Wesley’s Reconstruction of the Anglican Cultural-Linguistic System..................................................................................................... 13 From Methodism to Holiness .................................................................. 18 The Continued Cycle of Reconstruction and Institutionalization 20 Summary.................................................................................................... 23 II. HOLINESS THEOLOGY, PRACTICE, AND SELFHOOD IN ANTEBELLUM AMERICA ........................................................................... 25 Religion in America Prior to the Arrival of Methodism ........................ 26 The Arrival and Impact of Methodism .................................................. 29 The Impact of Camp Meetings on Methodism (1790-1830) ................ 36 The Rise of a Special Promotion of Holiness (1830 - 1860) ................ 40 The Perception of a Decline in Emphasis on Christian Perfection .................................................................. 41 Institutionalization and Sectarianism of the M EC ................. 45 The Terminology of the Special Promotion of Holiness 47 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table of Contents—Continued CHAPTER The Three Stream of the Holiness Movement ....................................... 51 The Oberlin Stream.................................................................. 51 The Wesleyan Stream.............................................................. 54 The Antebellum Ritualization of Entire Sanctification ........................ 65 Conclusion ................................................................................................ 67 HI. THE NATIONAL HOLINESS ASSOCIATION: POSTBELLUM DEVELOPMENTS.............................................................. 69 The Postbellum Holiness Revival - 1867 to 1877 ................................. 73 The Impact of Weekly Holiness Meetings ............................. 81 The Influence of Holiness Periodicals .................................. 84 Growing Opposition to the Special Promotion of Holiness ................ 91 Conflicting Concepts of Self................................................................. 94 IV. THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE.......................... 98 Tensions within the National Holiness Association and Continued Opposition ........................................................................... 99 The Rise of Local Independent Holiness Churches ............................. 107 The California Church of the Nazarene ............................. 113 Eastern Developments .......................................................... 114 Southern Developments ...................................................... 116 Other Developments .......................................................... 120 The Emergence of Pentecostalism ...................................................... 122 The National Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene ............................. 124 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table of Contents—Continued CHAPTER Conclusion ........................................................................................... 137 V. THE PROCESS OF THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF HOLINESS IN THE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE................................................. 139 Creation of a Representative Polity ...................................................... 140 Clarifying the Pentecostal Nature of Entire Sanctification ................ 144 Institutional Promotion of a Balanced Religiosity ............................ 149 Conclusion ............................................................................................ 161 VI. CONSEQUENCES FOR THE CONTEMPORARY CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE....................................................................................... 165 BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................................................................ 173 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The Church of the Nazarene, which today is an international holiness denomination with almost 1.4 million members in over 12,600 congregations,1 had its origin in the Wesleyan stream of the nineteenth-century Holiness movement. Nazarenes trace their roots back to apostolic Christianity through the American Holiness movement, the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC), and the Wesleyan revival of the eighteenth century, which was a part of the larger Evangelical Revival in Britain. Although officially organized as the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene through the merging of independent Holiness groups in 1907 and 1908, its earliest congregations were established in the last
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