Anabaptism and Other Denominations
On this 500th anniversary of the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement, Rosedale Bible College’s Beacon articles will look at a wide variety of denominations within the household of faith, highlighting a different denomination each month. We hope to foster a humble, rooted appreciation for how the gospel has come to us and to consider how Jesus might be calling us forward.
The Church of the Nazarene is the largest Holiness denomination in the world, with almost three million global members. They were created by a series of mergers and affiliations of various Holiness groups in the early 1900s, unified specifically around a common belief in Christian perfection.
The Wesleyan-Holiness Movement reaches back to the influence of John Wesley in the mid-1700s. Wesley himself was influenced by German Pietists and the Moravians at Herrnhut, who believed that the Christian life is one that should be evidenced by personal piety and victory over sin. Christian perfection is possible; otherwise, Christ would not have said, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48 ESV).
Wesley taught that while a Christian experienced justifying grace in conversion (being made right with God), a second work of grace was needed to entirely eradicate original sin and perfect a Christian in love. He carefully articulated that this second work of grace did not mean an entire absence of sin or mistakes, but should be thought of as perfect love for God and others and an absence of intentional sin. Wesley’s influence led to transformed lives, considerable reform within the church, and an entire system of methods to aid Christians in living those holy lives. His followers became known as Methodists.
By the early 1800s, many Methodists in the United States became concerned that they had lost their focus on being entirely perfected in Christ. And so, a movement was born with a fervent insistence on the necessity of a second work of grace in every Christian’s life to free it from sinful depravity and lead to holy living. Initially, this revival borrowed mostly from Wesley’s Christ-centered views of Christian perfection, but eventually the language became Holy Spirit-centered, with certain leaders intertwining Christian perfection and the baptism of the Holy Spirit as the same singular event. The language and thought of Christian perfection have evolved over time, but terms such as entire sanctification, baptism of the Holy Spirit, the second work of grace, holiness, perfect love, etc., are all connected to this second work of grace.
Victorious Christian living comes out of a life that is completely submitted to Christ and filled with His Spirit.
These teachings gained a considerable following in the United States and around the world. They are seen especially in the revivals and camp meetings of the 19th and 20th centuries. From out of that basic impetus to focus on Christian perfection has arisen a litany of churches and denominations, including the Church of the Nazarene.
As Anabaptists, we are also committed to the idea that we can live holy lives, victorious over sin, and empowered by the Holy Spirit for good works. This view of the holy life is very similar to the Christian perfection promoted by Wesley, albeit without the need of a distinct, second, subjective experience.
Dr. Myron Augsburger, a Mennonite educator and leader, sums it up this way: “For the Anabaptists, the Christian life meant discipleship in the freedom of Christ, an identification of the total life with Jesus Christ, and a commitment to walk in the Spirit. Holiness is not seen to inhere in the object itself but in its relation to God. And so, for them, holiness of life meant discipleship, an obedience to Christ, a separation of the life of the believer from the world in an active pursuit of the priorities of the Kingdom of Christ.” Victorious Christian living comes out of a life that is completely submitted to Christ and filled with His Spirit.
With such a huge emphasis on holiness (and other similarities such as a rejection of determinism), Anabaptists and those in the Methodist-Holiness tradition were naturally going to find each other. Some present-day denominations, such as the Missionary Church and the Brethren in Christ, are a result of Mennonites internalizing the holiness ideal of a second work of grace that leads to Christian perfection.
Today, many Anabaptists believe that a second work of grace is needed in a believer’s life. I first heard of this concept at 21 years old when a Mennonite pastor insisted on its necessity and called it the “baptism of the Spirit.” While this belief does not preclude one from being Anabaptist (as holding to a Nazarene view on violence and engaging in warfare might), it is also not an idea that has ever achieved large-scale acceptance among Anabaptists.
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Photo credit: Pexels: Kristin Mücke
5 Responses
Jay – I agree with Matt that you have provided a thoughtful overview of the Nazarenes. On one particular point, however, I think a bit of clarification is needed. When you say that belief in the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a second work of grace “is also not an idea that has ever achieved large-scale acceptance among Anabaptists” — I think it might be more accurate to say that it has never achieved large scale acceptance among Anabaptists in the United States and Western Europe. In other parts of the world such as Ethiopia and Indonesia, belief in the baptism of the Holy Spirit as being an experience that is usually subsequent to initial salvation is widely believed among Anabaptists.
Thanks for that clarification Jerry. Yes, I was too narrowly focused on the Western Church when considering the connection to Anabaptists. I appreciate you pointing that out.
Thanks for your good, thoughtful overview of the Nazarenes. Your Augsburger quote gives some helpful nuance that differentiates between the ways that Anabaptists and Wesleyans tend to talk about holiness. Thanks Jay!
Thanks Jay for this article. I read it with interest. As always, your thoughts are thorough and your communication excellent.
I was particularly interested in how the two groups found each other (and I agree it seemed they were meant to do so!). One mark of a good article is if it prompts me to read further. Your line about a Nazarene view of violence and warfare made me interested in learning the particulars of church life towards those who may share the conscientious objector conviction and desire to be part of their church. Here is what I found.
https://centeronconscience.org/church-of-the-nazarene/
I also found the Wesleyan church with a similar position. From the Wesleyan Book of Discipline:
“3) Military Service. The Wesleyan Church teaches respect for properly constituted civil authority and the proper loyalty to one’s country. It recognizes the responsibility of the individual to answer the call of government and to enter into military service. However, there are those within the fellowship of The Wesleyan Church who believe that military service is contrary to the teaching of the New Testament and that their consciences are violated by being compelled to take part in such. The Wesleyan Church will therefore lend moral support to any member who asks and claims exemption by legal processes from military service as a sincere conscientious objector and who asks to serve one’s country as a noncombatant.”
I am glad our brothers and sisters in this movement recognize the teaching of Christ’s peace as incompatible with war for the conscience of their members, and support their decision to abstain from violence.
Thanks again for your thought provoking, reading-inducing, and as always genuine article. It was a blessing. I hope to read more.
Preston, I am so happy that line stood out to you and that you did further research. I almost didn’t include it because the word limit on the article precluded my ability to provide further context. While many within the Nazarene Church are conscientious objectors, their openness to those who are militaristic is what I thought would not jibe with the Anabaptist position on peace. John Wesley spoke emphatically against war (although he was not entirely nonresistant in all regards). Since then, those in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition have continually wrestled with the war question, and as you pointed out, various branches of the tradition often affirm both the position of the soldier and the conscientious objector. In my anecdotal observations, it seems that more of the pastors and seminary profs tend to take a position of nonresistance while the laity is more supportive of a “Just War.” Either way, I’m with you in being “glad our brothers and sisters in this movement recognize the teaching of Christ’s peace as incompatible with war for the conscience of their members, and support their decision to abstain from violence.”