Sanctification Reconsidered (?)

Seems as if the time is ripe for a new post on this, the Nazarene Roundtable, and what better place to go than straight to the heart of Nazarenedom: Sanctification.

I have metioned before some experiences I have had in the past year at my home church in rural East Tennessee. Most of these allusions have been about the youth group, but some were about the Church as a whole. This occasion, will be the latter.

As mentioned before, I taught a four-night series of lessons on the Church of the Nazarene Articles of Faith to this wonderful group of people, of the average age - 65. The most loving set of people I have ever been involved with, this group has been encouraging and caring for our family since the move to Tennessee in 1994. Being a small congregation, averaging less than 100 each week, the people all know each other well and still love each other. If one is new to the congregation, that one is by no means new at the end of the day. I say these things in an attempt to contexualize a situation that may not be familiar to all. Basically, it is a church of mostly old people, who love life, love each other, and have been set in their ways for years and years, and they like it that way, but in addition to this, they are particularly receptive of new situations and unpredicted, or unplanned, situations.

The first couple of nights go well, the congregation is receptive and asks good questions and I am pleased with the response. We then come to the last night. This night includes the Article on Sanctification, well, Entire Sanctification. I do my best to explain this concept and the Nazarene historical understanding of this concept. With some help from the pastor, and with, I pray, guidance of the Holy Spirit, we continue through to the end of the Articles and the service is over.

Upon finishing the lesson, I am standing in the front of the Church, gathering up my materials when a man comes up to me and proceeds to tell me something that I will never forget. This man's name is Bill, he has been a part of the Church of the Nazarene virtually his whole life. He is in his 70's, in age, and he loves God and loves people. This night, he made a profound statement that I want to share. He says,

"I have been a part of the Church of the Nazarene for many years. I have heard about Sanctification and Entire Sanctification in preaching, teaching, and conversation. I have sat in services where the preacher preached on Entire Sanctification and many people went to the altar and received the Holy Spirit as I had understood the process to be taught and experienced. But I have never heard Sanctification taught like I heard it tonight. Tonight, I truly believe that the Lord sanctifies. I was never one to go to the altar and pray. I didn't want to go and pray for Entire Sanctification in front of everyone. So I prayed in the pew and at home. I have prayed for years, but tonight I believe my prayers were heard. Until now, I was not sure if the Lord could sanctify a person unless the preacher preached, the person went down to the altar, and came up shouting. Tonight I believe in the power of the Holy Spirit to sanctifiy." (paraphrased by me, this occurred a couple of months ago)

Here we go. A man, over 70 years of age and part of the Church of the Nazarene for about as long, was not sure if the Lord could sanctify him because he did not have a "crisis" experience at a mourner's bench. (I use this term purposefully. This is the historical term for what we now call "the altar" in the COTN. Historically in Christendom, the altar is what the COTN calls the Table.)

So, how do we preach/teach the Doctrine of Entire Sanctification in the Church of the Nazarene today?

(Yes, I have read Quanstrom's book, Brannon :-)

Peace to All,
Joseph

Do you have to go to church to be Christian?

This Sunday towards the end of my Sunday School lesson, my brilliant 10th graders were faced with the question, "Do you have to go to church to be a Christian?" After some debate I decided that we didn't have enough time to adequately address this issue and that I would re-visit this topic the following Sunday. I tried several tactics in order to bring them to a certain conclusion, all of which came short. I immediately thought of you all when I returned home, and thought I'd give you all a shot at it.
There are various elements that are at play. Firstly, how do you phrase this question. Is it, "Do you have to go to church if you are a Christian?" or "Do you have to go to church to be a Christian?" Secondly, what makes someone Christian? Scripture states that you simply have to believe Christ died for your sins and that He lives today in order to be saved. Is being saved, being Christian? Thirdly, how would you teach this to 15/16 year old Christians?
I will give my response and their reactions to this debate after my October 22nd lesson. I know that there will be those who support both sides, so I thought this would be an invigorating topic for those who participate in this Roundtable.

MA Dissertation Proposal

Hey Ladies and Gentlemen:
I just wanted to let you all know what I am working on in school. The following is my MA Dissertation proposal for the University of Manchester via Nazarene Theological College. Please let me in on your thoughts, concerns, suggestions, book titles, etc. Any help is greatly appreciated. Cheers.

Proposed Title of Dissertation: On the Sacramental Theology of John Wesley


Outline of Subject Matter of Dissertation:

The purpose of this dissertation is to discover the sacramental theology of John Wesley, his understanding and practice of the sacraments within the church. What did John Wesley believe about the Christian Sacraments, and how are the Sacraments effective in the Christian life? According to Wesley, is Sacramental theology effective for missions?


Outline of Research Method:

This will require a theology of the Sacraments according to John Wesley, which will include an understanding of the sacramental theology of the Church of England. Did John Wesley face controversy over his sacramental theology? Was he criticized for his theology of the sacraments being the “means of grace”? From whom did John Wesley receive his understanding of the Sacraments? How did Wesley pronounce his belief in the Sacraments in practice and in speech?

In thanks,
Joseph