Moving from Sect to Church: Variations in Views regarding Sanctification among Wesleyan/Holiness Clergy

This paper examines the extent to which clergy within three Wesleyan/Holiness denominations (The Church of God [Anderson, Indiana], The Church of the Nazarene, and The Evangelical Church of North America) adhere to traditional beliefs regarding sanctification. Results indicate that while there is si...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Authors: Stockard, Jean (Author) ; Stanley, Susie C. (Author) ; Johnson, Benton (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Springer 2001
In: Review of religious research
Year: 2001, Volume: 43, Issue: 1, Pages: 70-92
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:This paper examines the extent to which clergy within three Wesleyan/Holiness denominations (The Church of God [Anderson, Indiana], The Church of the Nazarene, and The Evangelical Church of North America) adhere to traditional beliefs regarding sanctification. Results indicate that while there is significant support for traditional holiness views, a substantial number of clergy indicate doubts on some elements of the doctrine. Almost half of the variation in these views can be accounted for by the independent influence of denominational affiliation, church size, age, being a later generation pastor, and other theological beliefs. In addition, independent of denominational affiliation, age, education, and general political outlook, clergy with less traditional views regarding sanctification are significantly less likely to support cooperation with the Christian Holiness Partnership and less likely to express views that could be considered socially conservative. At the same time, denominational affiliation exerts a strong influence on the extent to which clergy adhere to the doctrines of sanctification and on views regarding ecumenism and moral, political, and social issues. We suggest that these results can help scholars understand the ways in which variations in individual attitudes contribute to the movement from sect to church and point to the importance of denominational culture and heritage in understanding variations in religious and political/social attitudes.
ISSN:2211-4866
Contains:Enthalten in: Review of religious research
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.2307/3512244