A Future For Holiness

Early Pentecostalism emerged from the nineteenth-century holiness movement, and holiness (both in theology and practice) has been a significant, if at times contentious, feature of the Pentecostal movement throughout its brief history. This book is an attempt to stimulate conversation regarding fresh Pentecostal approaches to the theology of holiness. Twenty Pentecostal scholars identify both opportunities and challenges for the future of holiness in Pentecostalism from the perspectives of the various academic disciplines. The Contents are as follows: Introduction-Lee Roy Martin; 1. Wilderness: Holy Yahweh's Innate Habitat?-Narelle Melton; 2. The Acknowledgement of Holy Ground as Prerequisite to Israel's Advancement Under the Leadership of Joshua (Joshua 5.13-15)-Robert C. Crosby; 3. Beauty and Holiness in the Calling of Isaiah-Jacqueline Grey; 4. Holiness and the Path of Suffering: Lessons for Pentecostals from the Book of Hebrews-Faith McGhee; 5. Let the Holy Yet Be Holy: Holiness in the Apocalypse-Dan Morrison; 6. Have We Been Sanctified?: Renewing the Role of Experience in Interpreting the Biblical Text-Scott A. Ellington; 7. 'Not I, but Christ': Holiness, Conscience, & the (Im)Possibility of Community-Chris E.W. Green; 8. The Pentecostal Triple Way: An Ecumenical Model of the Pentecostal Via Salutis and Soteriological Experience-Monte Lee Rice; 9. Holiness and Economics: Towards Recovery of Eucharistic Being in a Market-shaped World-Daniela C. Augustine; 10. Liberating Holiness for the Oppressed and the Oppressors-Patrick Oden; 11. A Future for Holiness in Pentecostal Theology-Daniel Castelo; 12. Twenty-First Century Holiness: Living at the Intersection of Wesleyan Theology & Contemporary Pentecostal Values-Johnathan E. Alvarado; 13. Holiness, the Church, and Party Politics: Toward a Contemporary Practical Theology of Holiness-Antipas L. Harris; 14. Holiness and Undocumented Immigration: A Dramatic Challenge to my Church-Wilfredo Estrada Adorno; 15. The Practice of Holiness: Implications for a Pentecostal Moral Theology-Terry Johns; 16. Holiness as Play: A Developmental Perspective on Christian Formation-Stephen Parker; 17. From Fear-Based to Holiness-Based: Thoughts About the Work of the Holy Spirit in Youth Ministry-Joshua Ziefle; 18. A Future for Holiness in Pentecostal Practice-Marcia Clarke; A Concluding Parable: The Fire and the Fence-Rickie D. Moore.

In a world marked by relativism, individualism, pluralism, and the transition from a modern to a postmodern worldview, evangelical Christians must find ways to re-present the historic faith. In his provocative new work, Ancient-Future Faith, Robert E. Webber contends that present-day evangelicalism is a product of modernity. Allegiance to modernity, he argues, must be relinquished to free evangelicals to become more consistently historic. Empowerment to function in our changing culture will be found by adapting the classical tradition to our postmodern time. Webber demonstrates the implications in the key areas of church, worship, spirituality, evangelism, nurture, and mission. Webber writes, The fundamental concern of Ancient-Future Faith is to find points of contact between classical Christianity and postmodern thought. Classical Christianity was shaped in a pagan and relativistic society much like our own. Classical Christianity was not an accommodation to paganism but an alternative practice of life. Christians in a postmodern world will succeed, not by watering down the faith, but by being a counter cultural community that invites people to be shaped by the story of Israel and Jesus. A substantial appendix explores the development of authority in the early church, an important issue for evangelicals in a society that shares many features with the Roman world of early Christians. Students, professors, pastors, and laypeople concerned with the churchs effective response to a postmodern world will benefit from this paradigmatic volume. Informative tables and extensive bibliographies enhance the books educational value. - Amazon.

What a relief it would be to be set free from all that plagues us -- the inner struggle with anger, or contempt, the habitual sins. Is such an experience possible? John Eldredge believes it is, and in THE UTTER RELIEF OF HOLINESS, he shows readers how they can be that free, through the healing work of Christ in their lives. It begins when we discover what the salvation of Jesus Christ means for our own restoration and find that holiness is an expression of the healing of our humanity. Here is a book that explores the beauty of the genuine goodness available to us in Jesus Christ, and guides the reader through the process whereby God makes us whole and holy by his love. Readers will be relieved. Utterly.

Holiness is experiencing a renaissance both within and beyond the church today. Based on years of conversations with students, this approachable theological introduction to the Christian doctrine of holiness challenges the commonly held idea that holiness is primarily a moral category. The author explains that holiness is grounded not in ethics but in the basic nature of God; it is essentially and exclusively a divine property. The book highlights the Bible's necessary and corrective role in defining holiness and shows how individual holiness is grounded in the community that is the church catholic.

Does the concept of holiness hold any relevance for Christians in the twenty-first century? Or is it rather a relic of the past, with little to offer in today's postmodern world? The contributors to this book firmly insist that holiness is indeed relevant, no matter the age in which we live. Moreover, it is essential to following Christ in the twenty-first century. The essayists are all members of the Wesleyan Holiness Study Project, a gathering of scholars and leaders who have met since 2004 to explore the mission of the churches of the Holiness movement. The book begins with two compelling ecumenical statements articulating the holiness message for today's church: "The Holiness Manifesto" and "Fresh Eyes on Holiness." These are followed by a dozen penetrating essays grouped in three parts: (1) the understanding of holiness in Scripture, (2) holiness in historical and theological perspective, and (3) holiness in relation to various practical aspects of ministry. The book concludes with appendixes offering five considered descriptions of holiness. The fastest-growing segments of the church worldwide have their roots in the Wesleyan Holiness tradition. Catholic, Orthodox, and other Protestant denominations are discovering its relevance to their own traditions and practices. The Holiness Manifesto offers an ideal overview to those wishing to understand more about this extremely influential movement. Contributors: Jim Adams Barry Callen Lisa L. Dorsey Roger Green Jon Huntzinger Cheryl Bridges John Craig Keen David W. Kendall William Kostlevy Diane Leclerc Kevin W. Mannoia James Earl Massey George McKinney Thomas A. Noble Jonathan S. Raymond C. Stevens Schell Howard A. Snyder Don Thorsen Lynn Thrush Kenneth L. Waters Sr.

Theology needs to engage what recent developments in the study of evolution mean for how we understand moral behavior. How does the theological concept of holiness connect to contemporary understandings of evolution? In this groundbreaking work, Matthew Hill uses the lens of Wesleyan ethics to offer a fresh assessment of the intersection of evolution and theology

Adolf Koberle's 'The Quest for Holiness' is a significant contribution to world religious literature and a work of abiding value. As such it well deserves translation into the English language and widespread distribution among English language readers. Although written by a profound scholar, this book is not merely for theologians but for all who desire a sound, scriptural setting forth of the truths and the implications for each individual embodied in the steps of justification and sanctification. For simplicity, clarity, and completeness on this subject, this book is unsurpassed. It is written not merely with ink but with the lifeblood of the true believer striving daily for greater holiness and God-pleasing perfection.

NEW 2010 B&W Edition Archbishop Desmond Tutu of Cape Town once said with regard to South Africa's Apartheid policy, "One of the ways of helping to destroy a people is to tell them that they don't have a history, that they have no roots." He recently described homophobic discrimination "as totally unacceptable and unjust as Apartheid ever was." Unfortunately, it has been particularly difficult for some gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Christians to remain connected with and identified with their own faith traditions because some of these traditions not only treat them as people of secondary status but teach Christian history as though no people of same-gender attraction or opposite-gender identity had any noteworthy place in it and had made no significant contributions at all to Christian tradition.Passionate Holiness tries to remedy this situation by explaining why acquaintance with the stories of Sts. Polyeuct and Nearchus, Sts. Sergius and Bacchus, Christ/Holy Wisdom, Sts. Matrona, Perpetua and Felicity, Brigid and Darlughdach, and many others with whom gender minorities can identify can help them to connect with their own history and spiritual legacy and empower them to face a brighter future with a sense of optimism and inclusion. The story of the removal of the feast of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus from the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church in 1969 - ironically, the very year New York's Stonewall Riots launched the gay liberation movement - is a particularly revealing example of how far some religious authorities will go to keep gender minorities distanced from their own history. This is all explored in Passionate Holiness. "It's a marvelous, beautiful book." Ursula Vaughan Williams poet, novelist, and widow of composer Ralph Vaughan Williams "It was a fascinating study. Congratulations on a job well done." Andrew M. Greeley priest, sociologist, novelist "Many thanks for sending me your book Passionate Holiness, which I enjoyed very much. It is a fascinating account of the cult of Holy Wisdom, mixed with stories of various 'distinctive people' and the roles they have played in the history of the Church. It is full of saints, sinners, heretics, martyrs, and those who persecuted them. Some of these people, and the ideas they believed in, have featured in my novels, though there was much that I was not aware of. The material in the Russian and Irish chapters were new to me. You say at the beginning of Chapter VII that the reader may cry out "Too much information". Not me! Passionate Holiness is a work of remarkable scholarship, and I wish it had been published before I wrote my Byzantine novels, rather than afterwards. If I ever return to Byzantium as a subject, I am sure I will find your book invaluable. The icons that illustrate the book are beautiful. You are lucky to have access to works by such gifted artists. If only my publisher had commissioned something similar for the cover of Theodore. Maybe next time!" Christopher Harris English novelist, author of "Theodore," "Memoirs of a Byzantine Eunuch," and "False Ambassador" "Here's something the antigay modern Roman Catholic Church would like to forget: In the early years of Christianity, homosexual saints were worshipped too, as Dennis O'Neill reminds us. O'Neill is a Chicago-based Catholic pastor who 11 years ago founded The Living Circle, a spirituality center devoted to GLBT people and their friends. In 1995 the Circle hosted an art exhibit entitled "Passionate Holiness" that displayed such holy icons as Saint Boris and George the Hungarian and Saints Brigid and Darlughdach of Kildare. O'Neill's retelling of such stories, plus striking color illustrations, will surprise and inspire any reader, gay or not." Anne Stockwell Review from "The Advocate", May 24, 2005 issue, p. 82. "Passionate Holiness is indeed a remarkable book, unlike any other that I know of. Its scope

In this in-depth exploration of holiness in the context of rabbinic Judaism, Hannah K. Harrington places the rabbinic concept of holiness alongside other notions of the sacred in the Graeco-Roman world. Holistic and yet detailed, this volume provides a much-needed comparative view of this subject during a key period in the development of the Jewish religion.