'An Independent Baptist Church'

                         Pilgrim Holiness Church

The Pilgrim Holiness Church came into existence in 1897 from out of the Methodist-Episcopal Church as a part of the Holiness Movement.  You recall that the 'HOLINESS MOVEMENT' arose in the mid 1800's from out of the Methodist-Episcopal Church because many felt the Methodist Church had strayed from the teachings of its founder, John Wesley, namely over the doctrine of HOLINESS, or as they called it, "Sinless Perfection", otherwise known as 'Entire Sanctification'.  Recall that the Methodist-Episcopal Church had formed in 1785 from out of the Episcopal/Anglican Church, otherwise known as the Church of England.  The Church of England had formed out of the Roman Catholic Church in 1534.  As we approach the mid 1800's, many were dissatisfied with the liberal drift of the Methodist Church and specifically that it is was not stressing the HOLINESS and ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION the way they thought their founder John Wesley had done.  Mead's Handbook of Denominations states (10th Ed. p303) that in June 1968 the Pilgrim Holiness Church merged with the Wesleyan Methodist Church to become the Wesleyan Church.  Since the two were close in doctrine in polity, there was no change in doctrinal emphasis when the two merged.  Some Pilgrim Holiness retained their name 'Pilgrim Holiness' after the merger, and below are some of their characteristic doctrinal beliefs. 

WHAT THE WESLEYAN (Pilgrim Holiness) CHURCH BELIEVES

(The official Website is www.wesleyan.org)

*NOTE-We will use the name 'Wesleyan Church' from this point on because this is the official name of the church now and any 'independent' Pilgrim Holiness Churches that remain have these same beliefs.

The Wesleyan Church and Sinless Perfection & Holiness

*The Wesleyan Church believes and teaches the doctrine of ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION, or SINLESS PERFECTION.  The Wesleyan Church believes that a person who has been saved and born-again can achieve SINLESS PERFECTION in this lifetime.  In an act subsequent to trusting Christ for salvation, which some call the Baptism of the Holy Spirit or SECOND BLESSING, one is said to be cleansed at that moment from ALL inward sin...and it is 'eradicated' when one is baptised with the Holy Spirit.  We quote from Articles of Faith Constitution of the Wesleyan Church from their official website on article XIV:

"This prepares for the crisis of entire sanctification which is wrought INSTANTANEOUSLY when believers present themselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God....being effected by the BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO CLEANSES THE HEART FROM ALL INBRED SIN."

 This is why many of these folks will ask, "Have you had the 'second blessing'?  In the early days of the Holiness Movement, this 'second blessing' and 'SINLESS PERFECTION' was stressed so much that  Holiness groups were called "HOLY ROLLERS" and they were rejected by their former Methodist-Episcopal Church for their fanaticism.  They were called 'HOLY ROLLERS' because it was common in their meetings  for participants who were seeking this 'second blessing' or 'baptism of the Holy Spirit' to work themselves up into ecstatic and emotional frenzies as they sought and 'tarried' and 'prayed through' begging God for this 'Second Blessing'.  One historian, Weisberger, describes a typical Holiness camp meeting in Alabama that described the 'Holiness' type of preaching common in early days:

"Then he tried to argy wi' me...but bless the Lord!...he couldn't do that nother!  Ha! Lord! I tuk him fust in the Old Testament...bless the Lord!...and I argyed him all thro' Kings,Ha!...then I throwed him into Proverbs...and from that, here we had it up and down, Kleer down to the New Testament,Ha!, and then I begun to see it work him! Ha!  Then we got into Matthy, and from Matthy right straight along to Acts; and that I throwed him!  Yes L-O-R-D! and h-e-r-e he is!"

Holiness Preaching still plays a prominent role in the Wesleyan Church today.  Remember, their Statement of Faith on 'Entire Sanctification' stresses in this Baptism of the Holy Spirit or 'Second Blessing' that happens sometime after one is born-again, that believer is 'cleansed from that moment from ALL INWARD SIN'.  This "PERFECTION' or 'ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION' is a classic tenet of Holiness and Wesleyan Churches. All ministers and local church officials must profess this experience of the 'Second Blessing' or 'Entire Sanctification'. It could be noted here that Pentecostal/Charismatic churches differ here on this point in that they believe this Baptism of the Holy Spirit is evidenced by the person 'speaking in tongues'.  Wesleyan and other Holiness Churches as a whole do not believe the tongues is the evidence of this SECOND BLESSING.  However, let it be said that the 'Tongues Movement' is making inroads into many denominations across America at this very moment.  H.A. Ironside, former Pastor of the famous Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, came out of the Holiness Movement after nearly suffering a mental breakdown in his effort to achieve 'SINLESS PERFECTION'.  He spent several months in a Mental Hospital before recovering, and went on the write the classic book 'HOLINESS-THE FALSE AND THE TRUE' (Loizeaux Brothers)which is still a bestseller today,  and he warns of the increased prevalence of sexual sin during such emotional and psychological stress of trying to achieve this 'perfection' and 'holiness' through this seeking of a  Holy Spirit baptism.  He writes and warns, "And as to the downright wickedness and uncleanness, I regret to have to record that sins of a positively immoral character are, I fear, far more frequently met within holiness churches and missions than the outsider would think possible.  I know whereof I speak; and only a desire to save others from the bitter disappointments I had to meet leads me to write as I do." (p36)   Let every 'Holiness' believer take this warning seriously from H.A. Ironside, at one time a strong advocate of perfectionism and its emotionalism. 

The Wesleyan Church and Security of Salvation

* Wesleyan Churches believe that once a person has become a born-again Christian that he can  'Sin willfully and SEVER his relationship with Christ'.  Thus, the Wesleyan Church and other Holiness Churches believe that Salvation can be LOST after one has been truly saved, and that person can end up in hell after all.  Wesleyans reject the doctrine of Once Saved, Always Saved, otherwise known as 'Eternal Security'.  All other Holiness Churches, as well as the Wesleyan Church itself, believe Salvation can be LOST and reject the Baptist doctrine of ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED teaching of Eternal Security.  This is known as 'Arminian theology' and is a tenet of Holiness Churches. 

"We believe that all persons, though in the possession of the experience of regeneration and entire sanctification, may fall from grace and apostatize and, unless they repent of their sins, be hopelessly and eternally lost."

The Wesleyan Church and Assurance of Salvation

* Wesleyan Churches therefore reject the doctrine of ASSURANCE OF SALVATION as most Baptists teach and believe.  The Wesleyan church believes it is possible for any Christian to 'backslide' and 'sin willfully' and 'sever' his or her relationship with Christ, it would be impossible for any Wesleyan to tell you that he KNOWS for sure he is going to heaven as many Baptists believe, because he doesn't know if he will sin willfully at any time during the rest of his lifetime and sever his relationship with Christ and end up in HELL!    Since they believe remaining 'saved' depends upon us, no Wesleyan Church member can read the future and know for sure he'll make it to heaven until he is there!  Wesleyan and other Holiness Church groups believe getting to heaven depends upon the Christian staying faithful to the Lord and continuing to live a 'Holy' Life until death.  If sin is committed, it must be repented of before death, or that person is lost.

The Wesleyan Church and Baptism

Article XVII states: "We believe that water baptism is a sacrament of the church...and administered to believers...as a symbol of the new covenant of grace and signifies  acceptance of the benefits of the atonement of Jesus Christ."

The Wesleyan Church and Activity on Sunday

*The Wesleyan Church believes and teaches that it is wrong and sinful to do any 'unnecessary' commerce, labors, travel, or pleasures on Sunday.    Point 7 of Summary of Articles of Religion states, "The Wesleyan Church opposes the legalization of merchandising on the Lord's Day."

The Wesleyan Church and Women Preachers

*The Wesleyan Church does allow and ordain WOMEN PREACHERS.  In fact, the first women preachers in America began in the Holiness Movement of the later 1800's. 

The Wesleyan Church and Bible Versions

*The Wesleyan Church promotes the use of newer Bible versions and rejects the KJV only philosophy.  The website and other official works quote from many newer versions, such as the NIV and others, and they believe the newer versions are actually more accurate than the 'out-dated' KJV.

The Wesleyan Church and Ecumenism

*The Nazarene Church is very ecumenical and promotes such ventures as Promise Keepers, and are usually very involved in local Ministerial Associations.  It does not bother Wesleyan folk at all to yoke up with other churches in such ecumenical ventures even if the other churches teach different plans of salvation, such as baptismal regeneration or sacramental salvation.  However, as of this writing, The Wesleyan Churches are not, however, at this writing, a part of the National Council of Churches or World Council of Churches.

The Wesleyan Church and Guidelines for dress & attire & outward Holiness.

*Down through the years most Wesleyan Churches, like other Holiness Churches, have had rather strict guidelines on dress, forbidding jewelry, women's hair not to be cut, but rolled up neatly on head, no cosmetics or make-up for women, men not to wear short sleeves or tie clasps or wrist watches, women wearing dresses only and no shorts or slacks, but most Wesleyan Churches, and other Holiness Churches SEEM to be easing away from some of these strict dress code rules and regulations in recent years.  Mead's notes "Candidates for Church membership are required to disavow the use, sale, or manufacture of tobacco and alcoholic beverages and to refrain from membership from 'secret societes' (lodges which requires members to take oaths)"

The Wesleyan Church and Dancing, Movies, & addictive games

 Point 12 "Use of Leisure time" in Summary of Articles of Religion states "..it will involve...the refusal to participate in social dancing, the refusal to patronize the motion picture theater (cinema),...and refusal to engage in playing games which tend to be addictive or conducive to gambling."

The Wesleyan Church and Tongues

The Wesleyan Church states in their Covenant Membership commitments (Article III) point 9 "The Wesleyan Church believes that the use of an ecstatic prayer language has no clear Scriptural sanction, or any pattern of established historical usage in the church; therefore, the use of such a prayer language shall not be promoted among us."

The Wesleyan Church and Military service

The Wesleyan Church believes it is okay for a person to refuse to go into the military service and fight by means of war to defend our country when faced with war and they will even lend 'moral support' to this 'conscientious objector' I quote from pt 3 on Summary of Articles of Religion from their website:

"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."

The Wesleyan Church and Abortion and Homosexuality

The Wesleyan Church holds to conservative views on such moral issues and believes that homosexuality and abortion are sinful and wrong.  (Points 5 and 11 of Summary of Articles of Religion)