Resources

For Cross-Examining The Conservative Holiness Movement

Are you from the Conservative Holiness Movement? Welcome! We’re glad you’re here. If you’re studying deeper into what you were taught, you likley have more questions than we can answer with our content alone. As such, we’ve compiled the following directory of resources tailored to addressing your specific background and FAQs.

Please note, we are not in complete agreement with all the content, authors, and organizations we recommend. However, if a resource made our list, then we believe it contains valuable information that is worth taking into consideration. We pray that iron will sharpen iron as you examine various interpretations in your search for Scriptural truth

If you’re still in the process of hammering out what you believe, working through these resources may become overwhelming. We hope you won’t feel pressured to find all the answers in a day. God sees where you are, He is pleased that you are seeking His truth, and He cares about you. If it would help to share your story with someone, feel free to reach out! We’re here and happy to listen, as well as connect you with likeminded believers (when opportunities arise).

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Content

    Directory

    Conservative Holiness Movement (non-Pentecostal)

    Cross-Examining The Conservative Holiness Movement

    Sanctification as a Second Definite Work

    Cross-Examining the CHM definition

    Defining Biblical sanctification

    “Confusion is rampant amongst the people of the CHM. Many people are struggling with Holiness.
    I’ve watched good people go to the altar over and over trying to get ‘clear.’ Some say they haven’t
    died out, gotten sanctified, or just don’t have the faith – I’m not convinced. Where was this
    confusion in the early church? If this is just part of the program and something we must deal with,
    then why didn’t the apostles deal with it?”

    – David Graf, Paper on Holiness

    Responding to the CHM

    Biblical Holiness

    Holiness Standards

    Electronics

    Sabbath Observance

     Purity Culture

    Personal Stories

     

    SA Resources

    History

    Former members of the Conservative Holiness Movement have told us that, although they were taught that the movement followed after John Wesley, they later discovered that they actually followed after Phoebe Palmer’s revival of his ideas. Wesley believed in sinless perfectionism, and although his original language can be confusing to understand, his belief differed from sinless perfectionism as it is understood today. He did, however, differentiate between voluntary sin and involuntary sin, which can be argued as rewriting the definition of sin. Phoebe Palmer was influenced by the teachings of Wesley and went on to revive and spread them. However, she changed them in the process.

    As was unfortunately common in the nineteenth century, Phoebe Palmer and her husband lost several children in infancy. This impacted her understanding of and relationship to God; as she concluded that the deaths of her children were a sign that she had idolized her family, and that she had not been devoted enough to God. This faulty belief that their deaths were a punishment or judgment from God was crucial in the development of her theology. 

    This is what she wrote after the death of her second son:

    “God takes our treasure to heaven, that our hearts may be there also. The Lord had declared himself a jealous God; He will have no other Gods before Him. After my loved ones were snatched away, I saw that I had concentrated my time and attentions far too exclusively, to the neglect of the religious activities demanded. Though painfully learned, yet I trust the lesson has been fully apprehended. From henceforth, Jesus must and shall have the uppermost seat in my heart.” 

    –Wheatley, Rev. Richard, The Life and Letters of Mrs. Phoebe Palmer (New York: Palmer & Hughes, 1876), p. 26

    One of her children had died in a crib fire, from the fault of a careless nanny. Instead of Phoebe criminalizing the helper, or vowing to never let someone else watch her children, she used this tragedy to propel her forward in seeking a transformative spiritual experience and later birthing a whole movement. 

    You can read more about this, as well as read her and Wesley’s own written works, at the links below. It is important to look into this history, to understand how Phoebe Palmer went a different direction with John Wesley’s teachings than he originally intended. 

    Historical Overview

     

    Important Figures

    palmer3
    John Wesley1

    Impact of the Conservative Holiness Movement

    “When I believed that entire sanctification was possible, I would either be one extreme or the other: I would either be lying to myself… or I would feel despair.”

    “Entire sanctification meant to me that I had to be perfect (aka sinless, only making ‘mistakes’). That was the goal of the Christian life. However, I don’t believe the Bible teaches this. 1 John teaches that if anyone says he doesn’t sin, he is a liar.

    Honestly, if we take sin seriously, there are a lot of little things that are sinful (it’s not just a mistake, it’s a sin). Any sin (any bad thought, etc.) deserves the everlasting wrath of God as a punishment.

    So when I believed that entire sanctification was possible I would either be one extreme or the other: I would either be lying to myself ‘oh, that wasn’t a sin,’ or I would feel despair ‘I’ll never get there, look at me.’

    But when I truly understood that the Bible doesn’t teach sinless perfection in this life, it was a huge freedom for me. This understanding doesn’t mean that I can sin more; no! It shows me just how much God loves me.”

    – Beth

    “It took me a while and many tears to realize that God wasn’t waiting on me to mess up…”

    “Salvation was preached through repentance mostly. Faith was something to be careful with because faith alone wouldn’t save you. Then it was vital that you be ‘sanctified.’ Not speaking in tongues, but a second work of grace. Most importantly was attending the denomination we belonged to and following all their rules. Anyone who left was a backslider and on their way to hell. And those who never found our church were second class Christians and didn’t have the true light, or at least not all of it.

    I remember wondering how people would make it to Heaven if they never found our church. We were a small denomination. I believed people could be saved outside of the denomination, but perhaps they weren’t ‘as’ saved. Messed up, I know.

    It took me a while and many tears to realize that God wasn’t waiting on me to mess up or get one little rule wrong just so He could smack me out of salvation. When I finally realized my salvation comes from Christ alone, and yes, my obedience is important, but it’s obedience to Him, not church; then a beautiful new world opened up to me! I’ve never been able to get away from the wonderful idea of Christ being my salvation. The ‘narrow way’ is Jesus, not their rules.”

    – Rebecca

    “It felt like I had to do everything to measure up under my own strength.”

    “The gospel, particularly the idea of entire sanctification, was distorted into works based (even though the preachers said it wasn’t) and left little room for God’s grace or the work of the Holy Spirit. It felt like I had to do everything to measure up under my own strength. There also seemed a lack of trust that the Holy Spirit would work in one’s life. Instead, we had to have ‘standards’ to ensure we measured up.”

    – Anonymous

    “I found myself hyper focused on my performance and that of those around me.”

    “In my church background, the adamant, though rarely explicitly stated, message was salvation is a gift but is maintained by works via ‘entire sanctification.’ This overemphasis on externals and performance leads to pride, perfectionism, and anxiety. I found myself hyper focused on my performance and that of those around me. I struggled with the fear of man, seeking the approval of others, rather than the fear of the Lord. The day I realized I was more afraid of what people thought of me than what GOD thought was the day I knew something had to change. I also struggled comprehending and trusting the love and goodness of God. Maintaining your own salvation and proving your spiritual maturity and loyalty to the movement put the onus on YOU in your own strength and performance, leading to fear and insecurity. No wonder the goodness of God and finding rest in Him felt like a mirage.”

    – Janelle

    “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.“

    — Ephesians 2: 8-9 —

    Rebuilding Foundations

    Understanding…

    The Gospel

    Salvation

     

    Faith And Works

    • Is Salvation By Faith alone, Or By Faith Plus Works? by Got Questions
      • “This question is a key difference between biblical Christianity and most of the cults. Is salvation through faith alone or through faith plus human works? Stated another way, am I saved by trusting in Jesus, or do I have to believe in Jesus and, in addition, do certain things?”
    • What’s the Deal with Faith and Works in James? by The Gospel Coalition
    • Regarding James 2: 24,“—Observe that St. James says a man is not justified “by faith only,” putting the adverb in the last and most emphatic position. He never denies Justification by Faith; but that fancied one of idle, speculative, theoretic faith, with no corresponding acts of love.” —Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

    • What is Antinomianism?
      • “Jesus Christ freed us from the burdensome commands of the Old Testament Law, but that is not a license to sin. […] We are to strive to overcome sin and cultivate righteousness, depending on the Holy Spirit to help us.”

    “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’“

     

    — Romans 10:9-13 —