Holding Onto Spiritual Legacies Without Burning Bridges

Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or by our epistle (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he shall not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6)

It has been a while since I have given a good teaching, and today as I thought a lot about what to say, the Lord gave me the above verses based on something I have been wanting to address for some time, and I wanted today to finally tackle this issue. 

I was reading an article yesterday that my spiritual mentor, Fr. Eusebius Stephanou, wrote entitled "The Dead End of Convert Infatuation" (http://www.stsymeon.org/archive/thedeadendofconvertinfatuation.htm) in which he addresses the surge in converts to the Orthodox Church from many Evangelical and Protestant traditions.   He says, basically, that many converts are so enamoured with their new "discovery" (quotations mine) that they burn religious bridges behind them, and like Fr. Eusebius, I feel this is unfortunate.   Of course, this is nothing new, as in the past many converts to Evangelical, Fundamentalist, or Pentecostal denominations from Catholic backgrounds did the same thing - everything "Catholic" all of a sudden became something evil and nasty, and as a result a religious experience which was supposed to give them much joy instead fostered bitterness and a nasty spirit of unforgiveness.  I remember in particular a professor I once had in college by the name of Dr. Andreas Carrodeguas.   Dr. Carrodeguas was a former Benedictine priest who at some point became born again, and when he did he basically became so vitriolic towards the Catholic Church that his own bias colored his classroom manner, and although I liked the guy and respected his great mind (he was a brilliant scholar) I was personally offended by his attitude.   I don't know what it is about American Christians and their converts on the mission field, but it just seems like for some bizarre reason they want to eschew their past when they leave one church and join another.   I myself have had that temptation too, but overcame it.  Perhaps some of these people had bad experiences, which I can understand, but for the most part it seems as if the person who is responsible for converting them is more than often the blame - I have seen evangelists, lay discipleship workers, and others spew some rather venomous (and blatantly wrong!) junk from Sunday School classrooms and pulpits, and what they are saying has little to do with the Gospel and its message.   And, as you will see momentarily, this is not a problem that is exclusive to Pentecostals and Evangelicals - liturgical traditions have their fair share of this too.

I have invested a lot of time combatting many things over the years of writing these articles, and as of late I have taken great lengths to expose the errors of modern fads such as the "Purpose-Driven" movement and the exploits of many popular TV preachers.   However, today I want to take a little break from doing that and address my own people, as there are some housecleaning issues we need to take care of in our churches too, and one of the worst is this whole thing of "Convert Infatuation," to use Fr. Eusebius' term for it.   The two verses you seen me quote earlier have a lot to do with correcting this problem, and hopefully some who are guilty of it will take what I say to heart.

Beginning in the 1970's, there was a great move among Evangelicals and Pentecostals to rediscover the "ancient Church."   As a result, literally thousands of them have found their way into Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican, and independent liturgical Church traditions, and I am part of that.   I feel that this is a move of God too, because God is calling His Remnant Church together and in order to go forward in this case we need to rediscover a heritage so many of us have rejected.   Converts come into liturgical/sacramental Churches in many ways.  The most recent of course has been the Convergence Movement, but long before that sincere Christians have been led, through the readings of the Church Fathers and other venues, into the sacramental/liturgical tradition.   This is actually a good thing, for in doing so many of these people - I myself am among that number - have enriched their own Christian walk.   But, just like in the past when Evangelical soul-winners aimed to convert Catholics, some things have happened that created  problems.  For one, when some are "converted" to Orthodoxy or the Catholic Church, they are told that previously they were not really Christians and therefore to hold onto any former convictions (no matter how Scriptural) would be considered a heresy, and therefore they were discouraged from preserving a spiritual legacy they already had.  This is particularly true among converts to Orthodoxy, who like Fr. Eusebius correctly points out often "burned bridges" when it came to their past.   Unfortunately, as Fr. Eusebius also notes, it created problems on both sides - the converts almost always became so enamoured with externals that they grew legalistic and even antagonistic towards other Christian denominations, and their attitudes re-enforced some already bad attitudes on the part of Orthodoxy that should have been dealt with and eliminated generations ago.   As a result, some converts lose something that is precious.   Bishop Malcolm Smith, himself a convert from the nondenominational Charismatic movement to the Anglican tradition, once said that there are two issues that plague Christians when they encounter other Christians of different traditions - one is Romophobia, in which some former Catholics as well as some misinformed cradle Evangelicals literally bristle when words such as "sacrament," "Eucharist," or "Liturgy" are mentioned.  The other, however, is what he called Charisophobia, meaning some former Evangelicals getting equally chagrined when something smacks of too much "emotion" for them, or God forbid, anyone talks in any way that is too "Protestant" in an Orthodox parish!  There is obviously a breakdown in communication somewhere and someone was taught wrong when stuff like this happens, and what happens is the introduction of something that Charismatic Episcopal Church bishop and veteran missionary Fr. Philip Weeks calls "The Three Young Ladies" - mis-understanding, mis-communication, and mis-trust (Philip Weeks and Hugh W. Kaiser, Non Nobis Domine! The Convergence Movement and the Charismatic Episcopal Church {Maitland, FL:  Barnabas Ministries, 1996} p. 62).   These things go against what we are admonished in the Collect for Peace in the Morning Prayer service of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer (p. 17) when it invokes "O God, who art the author of peace and lover of concord."

Concord is a Latin term which means "same heart."   We as Christians are one in Christ - one Body, one Church, and one Holy People (Romans 12:4-5, and Ephesians 4:11).  Therefore, we need to start acting accordingly.   Despite what some legalists in the Orthodox Church in particular may say (not just picking on them, as Catholics, Anglicans, and Protestants all have their fair share of them too!) they are not the perfect Church.  Yes, they may have the fulness of the Sacraments, and yes, they may have ancient roots going back to the Apostles - I fully affirm and believe both are true.   But, over the years, Orthodoxy and the Catholic Church have both been infected with a similar legalism that Jesus found 2000 years ago among the Jews, and it is just as ugly to look at in both cases.   Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for these attitudes, and the Gospels are filled with accounts of Him doing so - would He not similarly hold us accountable for the same sin, being His nature is immutable (Hebrews 13:8)?   This problem, I feel, is a root sin in the Church today, although it has been taken different directions - the "Emerging Church" movement, for instance, seeks to divorce itself of all its heritage, and thus is barely recognizeable as Christians.  Converts to other churches oftentimes fall into the same trap on a lesser scale - in their zeal and sometimes bitterness, they eschew any trappings of their former affiliations, even condemning them as something evil or heretical, and do so often at their own loss.   A godly heritage is precious, and as we grow, we need to appreciate where we came from as well as where we have arrived.  

That being said, I have a word for the converts today.   Especially in America, it seems like in recent years the church has installed revolving doors, and a great migration has happened between churches - Evangelicals are becoming Catholics and Orthodox, and Catholics and Orthodox are becoming Evangelicals.   Let me say that all three traditions have validity as genuine expressions of the Christian faith, and none are perfect and therefore have something to offer each other.    I myself am a convert to the Catholic tradition from the Pentecostal movement - I was raised in a Holiness/Pentecostal environment, got my degree at an Assemblies of God College, and have walked with the Lord as a Christian for 26 years, of which 17 I have been a Catholic Christian.   I am about as fully Catholic as anyone - I believe in the Mysteries (Sacraments) of the Church, I love the beauty and reverence of her liturgy and worship, and I have even come to have a strong Marian leaning, as the Holy Theotokos has impacted my life personally in a great way.  But, there are many wonderful things I would not trade for the world when it comes to my spiritual roots - I still know and believe in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, and not only teach about the gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit but fully practice them.   I love good old-fashioned Southern Gospel music, as well as a good tent meeting, and if the preaching is inspirational I value and appreciate it.   And, I also feel all of this can be integrated into my own spiritual walk, because it is all a part of my testimony.   Like many, I have had bad experiences in my former church tradition too - especially coming out of the Pentecostal tradition, you experience a diversity of things; the good, the bad, and the ugly!  I have seen it all, and some of the worst of it repulses me to this day, but I also know it is not representitive of all Pentecostals either.   And, as I grow in understanding, I fully believe and have come to the conclusion that the sacramental and the Pentecostal are not only compatible, but they actually need each other!  And, for some of the legalists on both sides of the issue, I appeal to history - the first and oldest Pentecostal movement happened in a sacramental/liturgical context in the 1830's with the Catholic Apostolic movement.   Also, it must be mentioned that one of the earliest Pentecostal pioneers in the UK, Rev. Alexander Boddy, was an Anglican clergyman with distant ties to John Wesley (more on that momentarily!) who visited the Solovetsk Monastery in Russia.   While there, he looked at the icon written into the dome of the cathedral, and it depicted a scene from the day of Pentecost with the descent of the Holy Spirit.   He later saw this as a reference to Acts 2, and that the Holy Spirit and its empowerment was not just for the Apostles or priests, but was for all believers - he later became one of the founders of the Elim Church in England, one of the oldest Pentecostal groups there.  The impact Orthodoxy had on his life - he wore an Orthodox cross he received in Russia, and was even proported to venerate icons he brought back with him from there even after becoming part of the Pentecostal movement (see Bishop Kalistos Ware's well-documented paper on this entitled "Personal Experience of The Holy Spirit According To The Greek Fathers," which can be found at http://silouanthompson.net/2008/08/personal-experience/).   It is time we brought this all back together as Boddy and others saw it. 

And, speaking of John Wesley, let's talk about who he was for a moment, shall we?   John Wesley is often touted as the founder of the Methodist Church, and a significant segment of the Evangelical tradition - Pentecostals and the Wesleyan/Holiness movement - view him as a spiritual father of their movements.  Yet, would he be an Assemblies of God, United Methodist, or Nazarene minister if he were alive today?  What I am about to say will shock many on both sides of this issue, because John Wesley in reality not the person many Evangelicals who claim his legacy say he was!  For one thing, Wesley never founded the Methodist Church, and for all his life he and his brother Charles were both Anglican clergymen.  But, not just any Anglican - they were high-church Anglo-Catholics who would have actually resembled more of the priests in my own Anglican Catholic Church I am part of than they would have the typical Methodist or Nazarene congregation.   For one, Wesley prayed the Rosary, which also indicated he had a high regard for the Theotokos, whom he also believed was ever-Virgin (as did many of the Protestant Reformers, I might add).   Also, he was an avid reader of the Church Fathers, in particular the Macarian Homilies and the writings of St. Ephrem.   Regarding the latter, he wrote in his 1756 "Address To The Clergy" about St. Ephrem that he was "the man of a broken heart,"  meaning that St. Ephrem had a humility and total devotion to God that often he was broken before God (see Gordon Wakefield's article, "John Wesley and Ephrem Syrus," which can be accessed at www.bethmardutho.org,  where it was originally published in 1998 in Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies.   I had referenced this before in a scholarly paper I wrote years ago about the doctrine of initial evidence and the Syriac Christian tradition).  I would go also as far as to say that the inspiration for the Wesleyan doctrine of second-blessing sanctification, or "Bible Holiness," had its roots in the Eastern Christian idea of theosis - if you will read Wesley's classic work, On Christian Perfection, and compare it to, say, St. John Climacus' work The Ladder of Divine Ascent, you may see some parallels that surprise you!  As we really delve into the practices of the ancient Church, one finds that in a lot of ways it had much in common with both Catholics and Orthodox as well as Pentecostals, but it also was vastly different from them in that it didn't carry all the baggage and legalism - not that the early Church was perfect, but its leaders seemed to be more spiritually discerning than many today are, which should be an alert to us that maybe it is we who are wrong and not them.   More things could be cited here - for instance, several Anabaptist monastics including the Ephrata Cloister in Pennsylvania and the Eckerlin Brothers in my native West Virginia - that show some seemingly incompatible traditions may have more in common than they thought!  Too bad so many on both sides fail to recognize it, and instead you have Orthodox listening to the likes of people like the late Fr. Seraphim Rose (an unrepentant homosexual convert to Orthodoxy from mainline Protestantism) while Evangelicals listen to years of bad rehashed garbage that has its roots in the writings of Alexander Hislop and Lorraine Boetner.   The Seraphim Roses and Alex Hislops have produced disciples like Frank Schaeffer and Jack Chick, among others, who thrive on crazy speculations and skewed history in order to justify their own biases, and these people do no one any service in doing so.  That being said, I have some concluding remarks.

I have come to believe that true Christians will bear witness of one another via the Holy Spirit that indwells them (or is supposed to).   And, true Christians are found in all Christian churches - I value my Evangelical and Pentecostal brethren that I know personally who are great prayer warriors and live lives that reflect the presence of Christ.   Likewise, I know many wonderful Catholic and Orthodox Christians - I was personally mentored by Fr. Eusebius Stephanou, and also count among my spiritual influences the late St. Padre Pio, both of whom were two of the greatest spiritual giants of our time - and they bless me as well.  God's Remnant is found where he chooses to call them, and no amount of legalism and triumphalist bias will change that fact - some of these legalists in the churches are going to be in for a rude surprise one day when they finally realize who God really called to be His disciples!  And, in these times when people of faith have a lot more opposition and challenges - we get attacked for our position by the poisonous environments of Corporate America, where many of us have to work to pay our bills, as well as on social media such as Facebook, where speaking your convictions on your own personalized page will often get you thrown to the hyenas who will call you names, slander you, etc. for your point of view - we need to know who our brethren are, and oftentimes the old-time Holiness/Pentecostal may have more in common with the Roman Catholic traditionalist who adheres to the old Latin Tridentine Mass than they will with the typical mainstream Assembly of God church.   The whole point of my writing this is to issue a rallying-call - we need to set aside our legalisms and learn to discern, simple as that.  Until we do so, the Body of Christ will remain fractured and He will be grieved over our pettiness.  However, as we do so, we also need to do so without sacrificing our convictions and our own roots.   God bless each and every one of you until next time.

 

My Take On Discernment Ministries

I remember back in 1993 when Hank Hanegraaff's book, Christianity In Crisis, was released.  At the time I was a sophomore in college, and I was also pretty involved with the charismatic renewal movement.  So, being at that time I liked a lot of those TV preachers, I took great offense with Hanegraaff's assertions that some of them were "cultic."   However, in time, I would come to realize that his concerns were legitimate and when I made the step to become a Catholic Christian, I left most of that behind.   Today, I still have very little to do with much of what is on "religious TV," as I find a lot of it to be just plain ridiculous.  Sadly, there was a time when there were actually good television ministries, but in the past 20 years or so they have gotten worse.   There are still some good ones out there, obviously, but they are few.   I do appreciate the work Hanegraaff has done as far as rooting out error and exposing some notoriously off-base ministries, but Hanegraaff also is a source of concern for me personally as I grow more in my faith, and today it is people like him I wish to talk about a little.

Hanegraaff of course took over where the late Dr. Walter Martin, a stellar apologist whose book, Kingdom of the Cults, is still a classic textbook for studying apologetics.  The organization Martin founded, the Christian Research Institute, has done some amazing work over the years, and after Hanegraaff took over upon Martin's passing, it still has been a valuable resource and has aided many in the pursuit of defending the truth.   However, Hanegraaff has at times gotten a little too pharisaical, and he has fallen into the same trap as other well-meaning organizations - the Southern Poverty Law Center being a radical example - in that he lumps a lot of good ministries and dedicated people of God together with the sham artists; for one, he has practically lumped all Pentecostals and Charismatics in with the likes of Kenneth Copeland and Joel Osteen without any regard for the diversity of thought among these churches and ministries.   His recent target has been actor Kirk Cameron, a born-again Christian who I have a great deal of respect for because he stands for the truth of the Cross and is also a strong voice for traditional family values.  In Hanegraaff's view, Cameron is supposedly promoting "reconstructionism" or something because he simply believes we need to, as a nation, get back to Judeo-Christian values.   And, Cameron is right - we do!  So, what is Hanegraaff's issue?   Ahhh...where do we begin; let's just start at the source.

Hank Hanegraaff unfortunately has turned himself into a modern-day Pharisee, and has obsessed himself with constant witch-hunts against practically everything because simply put he sees himself as somehow a "lone crusader for truth" (to interpret that, it means Hanegraaff thinks he is right and everyone else is wrong).   Also, despite being part of a large Pentecostal/Charismatic church himself (Hanegraaff is a member of Calvary Chapel, Chuck Smith's group that evolved out of the Jesus People in the 1970's and over the years has had a good track record of balance in doctrine, although unfortunately it also has proven to be an inspiration for Rick Warren and the "Seeker-friendly" movement), it seems like our "Bible Answer Man" is one of the most anti-Pentecostal personalities within American Evangelicalism (more so, I might add, than even some of the Sword of the Lord people in Murfreesboro, TN, who are strict independent Baptists!) - or at least that is how he comes across in his writings and broadcasts.   Also, despite his constant dogging of many TV ministries - rightfully so, I may add here - concerning questionable financial practices, in 2003 an issue arose between Hanegraaff and the late Dr. Martin's family over his reported abuses of CRI non-profit status, and Martin's widow even called for his removal in 2000 over issues like this.  ("Casting Stones: Questions About Radio's 'Bible Answer Man' Are Coming From Within," Los Angeles Times, April 15, 2000 and Letter to Editor by Darlene Nesland Martin, "Hanegraaff Wasn't Handpicked," Los Angeles Times, {Orange County Edition}, April 30, 2000.).   Another issue is Hanegraaff's Calvinistic tendencies, which of course have a lot of bearing on his anti-Pentecostal rantings - by what I have read of his stuff, Hanegraaff comes across as a cessationist (meaning that the gifts of the Holy Spirit don't go beyond the book of Acts) and also as a fatalist (he has almost, in his reaction against the excesses of the Word/Faith movement, gone to the opposite extreme by more or less saying that God allows trials, doesn't intervene in them for us, and more or less doesn't answer any prayers).  It is this Calvinistic cessationist/fatalist mentality I feel has colored his judgment, and it comes out quite fully in his writings and on his radio program.  Of course, in that regard he is like a lot of other like-minded mainstream Evangelicals such as Mary Hunt (author of Seven Money Rules For Life who, on a broadcast of "In the Market With Janet Parshall" dated February 8, 2012, told a vulnerable young lady that she and her husband should give up their plans, move in with her parents, and live life flipping burgers at McDonald's - it was the stupidest thing I had ever heard - and she considered this "encouragement!") who have adopted this unbiblical view that we should stoically accept our fate in life, despite how unhappy we may be, and rejoice because "Jesus saved us" and we are going to heaven one day.  Yes, Jesus does save, and yes, we need to be thankful if we are born again at the promise of eternal life, but for heaven's sake - we have things in this life too that need to be taken care of as well, and God hasn't lost that on us.   Phillipians 4:19, for instance, promises that God shall supply ALL of our needs according to his riches in glory (remember, God created the universe, so as the Scripture in Psalm 24:1, the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof!).  Also, people like these "gloomy Gus" Evangelicals fail to recall the Scripture in Matthew 10, which talks about the birds and flowers being taken care of by God, so how much more we are as well.   And, for Mary Hunt and these people who discourage people from pursuing their dreams, I remind them of II Timothy 2:15 - study to show yourselves approved!  That does not mean just efficiency at knowing the Bible, but in our daily lives as well.   God's blessings can be slow, and I myself have been frustrated with the wait out of desperation on occasion I admit, but he still does what he does because of Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus IS the same yesterday, today, and forever!!  Note something here on this though - it talks about supplying needs, not greeds - God is not going to give someone a million bucks, a Rolls Royce, and a palatial Roman villa just because he does have the control over those things.  However, I have seen God do financial miracles in my own life, and I have seen Him work in the lives of others, and Hank Hanegraaff doesn't have the final word on what God can do, and praise be to God for that!!  And, thanks be to God for giving us minds and the opportunities of education, NO ONE has to settle for flipping burgers at McDonald's when God has so much more in store - Mary Hunt, your garbage may sell books, but it is a lie!  God is ultimately in control of everything, and because one of his attributes is immutability (meaning he doesn't change) then his promises - ALL of them! - are still valid for today too, and that includes miracles, gifts of the Spirit, and other things the Bible talks about too.   That being said, let us now tie it all together.

As I have said, I am as much against the excesses and abuses of the Word/Faith teachers and TV preachers as Hanegraaff is - they do deceive people, and they often result to false teachings to do it.  If Joel Osteen and Paula White are so sure of themselves, for instance, then why aren't all their church members driving Rolls Royces and Beamers??  Last time I went by Without Walls' parking lot in Tampa, I didn't see Rolls or Beamers sitting out there - what I saw, for the most part, were used economy cars!  However, I do believe God heals, I do believe in God's provision for needs, and I believe in miracles and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and we can't throw that out because a few huckster TV preachers twist them around for personal gain.  And, not all Pentecostals and Charismatics are like those TV preachers - many of them are simple folk in small churches that see God at work in their lives, and their testimonies speak that.   So, Hanegraaff needs to look at these issues through untainted lenses instead of the rose-colored lens of Calvinistic cessationist/fatalist cynicism, and he needs to research himself better  - he calls himself the "Bible Answer Man," but in many cases he is giving his opinions and not the Bible's answers.   And, it isn't just Pentecostals he's attacking - he has went after people like Jack Chick (I don't agree with Chick on a lot of things, but at least he has a basic, simple Gospel message for the most part in his literature) and Kirk Cameron (another bold witness of the simple Gospel - Kirk was discipled by Ray Comfort, whose approach to sin and the Cross challenge people to self-examination, which is what the Gospel is about in the first place), as well as other sincere ministers of the Gospel.   Hanegraaff has almost become cultic himself, as he pretty much labels as "heretics" people who disagree with him on even the most minor of doctrinal issues.  What I find ironic though is that Hanegraaff has for the most part remained fairly silent regarding real apostates such as the Emerging Church movement and Rick Warren - the latter promotes Chrislam, which is a heresy - and even has endorsed Rick Warren's literature on his program while condemning those who are opposed to it.  Also, I fail to see Hanegraaff addressing other issues - he has been silent on the pro-life front, and seems to be promoting the Communist Chinese government (this he has in common with his most common target, Paul Crouch) and Contemporary Christian Music industry personalities.   While I applaud his standing against things like excesses in the Word/Faith movement, and I support his strong creationist stand as well, Hanegraaff overall comes up short when it comes to being truly spiritually discerning because his observations are often tainted with his own prejudices.  Therefore, I would strongly caution anyone supporting him to be careful, as in many aspects he is no better than those he himself criticizes (fundraising tactics, etc.). 

This was a rather short perspective on something I have been pondering for a while, but I hope it aids you in searching for suitable ministries to support.  That being said, we need to avoid modern-day Pharisees (Hanegraaff), Saduccees (Warren, Osteen, and the "Emerging Church" crowd), as well as the fruitloops and con-artists (most religious television).  Look for sound ministries to invest in if the Lord is laying it upon you to help out someone with financial support, and don't give your money to just anyone - we have to exercise wise stewardship over our giving too, remember!  Any rate, God bless you until next time.

Highways and Hedges Project - Part I: The Holiness Baptist Family.

I have mentioned earlier about the Highways and Hedges project, and as part of it I want to share the history of some oft-overlooked smaller denominations and fellowships with you.  The information I am presenting here is not meant to be comprehensive, but merely a glimpse of the material I will be doing for the bigger project and it also serves to show where my research is coming to this point.  Also, new material comes my way all the time, and as it does updated information is a necessity as well.  That being said, I want to begin this series - which will not be consecutive - with a good synopsis of one group of these churches I have been researching to this point.  

Yesterday in the mail, I got a long-awaited and much-welcomed package from Rev. Robert "Cricket" Watson, who pastors the Antioch Holiness Revival Center in Perry, FL, and is also the moderator of a small fellowship I have had interest in called the Holiness Revival Center Association.  This particular group (hereafter for space sake referred to by initials HRCA) is part of a family of churches that is itself unique and has been of interest to me for many years, and these all have roots in a group called the Holiness Baptists.   Today, I want to share a little bit of the family legacy of this group of fellowships, as it adds a bit of color to the oft-stereotyped field of Pentecostal/Charismatic studies, which although needed, oftentimes focuses more on the histories of large groups like the Assemblies of God rather than these little "highway and hedge" fellowships.   So, it is time to share their story with you here today.

The story here starts with a group called the Holiness Baptist Association, an old body that originated in 1893 in Wilcox County, GA, when a group of Southern Baptists began to teach a more Wesleyan-flavored doctrine of "sinless perfection" which got them duly disfellowshipped from the Little River Baptist Association, which itself dates back to 1880 according to its website (www.littleriverassociation.com).  The Holiness Baptists organized into an association the following year, 1894, and a Dr. S.R. Mitchell served as its first Moderator.   Unfortunately, there are no pictures available of these two pioneering churches to show you here, but for the most part, all of the early churches of this Association were in southern Georgia and northern Florida, where most continue today.   As of 1989, the Holiness Baptist Association reported in their Minutes that they had 29 churches and around 1000 members.  Of the 29, all but one were in Georgia.  

The Pineview Holiness Baptist Church, Tifton, GA - one of the 29 congregations of the Holiness Baptist Association.



Wray Holiness Baptist Church, Wray, GA

Holiness Baptist Church, Waycross, GA

In my research, I discovered that the Holiness Baptist Church in Georgia also has a "correspondent" (this is a uniquely Baptist term meaning that churches can share pulpits, etc.) relationship with two similar Holiness Baptist associations in North and South Carolina.  The North Carolina Holiness Baptist Association is still very much active, and is centered around Hendersonville, NC - Lexis.com research listed two incorporated churches, Union Hill and Clear Creek, both in Hendersonville, that are in this fellowship.   The South Carolina Holiness Baptist Association is centered around Greenville, SC, although headquartered in Columbia, and has three churches in the Greenville area and one in Columbia.   I am in the process of trying to obtain more information on these two associations, as this was recent knowledge, but they are definitely of the same background as the Georgia churches.

Union Hill Holiness Baptist Church and cemetery, Hendersonville, NC

It is also worth mentioning that in Arkansas at the turn of the century, another group calling themselves the "Holiness Baptist Association" existed, but in 1914 they were assimilated into the Assemblies of God, and its founder, W. Jethro Walthall, later served as District Superintendent for the Arkansas District Council of the A/G (Charles Edwin Jones, A Guide To The Study of The Pentecostal Movement, Volume One. {Metuchen, NJ:  The Scarecrow Press, 1983} pp. 267).  This group, however, was unrelated to the existing Georgia group, as it had different origins.  However, it is worth mentioning as a historical note. 

Like many church bodies, the Holiness Baptists were not immune from schisms and disagreements, and two of those occurred in the course of its history.  The most recent of those happened in 1977, which resulted in the formation of the Calvary Holiness Association.   This small fellowship of 14 congregations, centered around Broxton, GA, and similar in many ways doctrinally to its parent body, was formed in 1977 by disaffected members of the Holiness Baptists due to some confidence issues in the trustee committee of the parent body.  Its first moderator was a minister from one of the dissenting churches, Rev. James A. Harrell, and they based their campmeeting tabernacle in Broxton where they have a yearly meeting during the third week in July annually.   Although I have been unsuccessful in getting any print material on this body, they have recently gotten a fairly informative website online that has most of the information on their group available - it is at http://www.calvaryholiness-broxton.org/Home.  They have approximately 1000 members as well, and they are fairly active in fellowshipping with other conservative Holiness/Pentecostal groups, and have a considerable involvement in publications such as The Holiness Messenger, a widely-distributed periodical based out of Oklahoma that has a wide base of readership among many independent conservative Holiness/Pentecostal groups and fellowships (The Holiness Baptists, in particular the Wray, GA, congregation, also participate in this).

The Calvary Holiness Association campground tabernacle near Broxton, GA.

The second schism occurred in 1934, when Rev. Luther Turner(8 August 1888-7 September 1979), a Holiness Baptist evangelist based in Salem, FL, founded the Baptist Purity Association which is still based in Salem to this day.   Luther Turner, born near Abbeville, GA, was actually a colorful person and a dynamic preacher who had convictions over the Holiness Baptists using wine or grape juice in Communion - Turner had the conviction that only cold water should be used to represent the Blood of Christ, and he actually became pretty dogmatic on the issue, which became a defining principle of the Baptist Purity Association and its churches later.  Turner's daughter by his first marriage, Ida Gutierrez, self-published an excellent and heart-felt biography of  her father and his ministry entitled Sawdust Trail several years back that is well worth the read - it is a hard book to find, and I was thankful that her brother-in-law and current moderator of the Baptist Purity Association, Rev. Bobby Joe Hires, provided me a copy of it as well as with some other valuable materials for this research. 

The Baptist Purity Church in Salem, FL - headquarters church for the Association.

Dorms at the Baptist Purity Campground outside Salem.





Sermon booklet by Rev. Luther Turner

Rev. Luther Turner(1888-1979), founder of the Baptist Purity Association

The teachings that Luther Turner communicated through his abundant sermon material (Rev. Hires provided me with 2 books of his sermons for this research) can be summarized as follows:

1.  Water in communion instead of wine or juice.

2.  Eschewing consumption of alcohol, tobacco, soft drinks, tea, coffee, chocolate, and chewing gum.

3.  No movies or sports.

4.  Given the Missionary/Southern Baptist roots of both the Baptist Purity Association and its parent body, the Holiness Baptists, Turner also taught the eternal security of the believer in Christ.

5.  Divine healing was highly emphasized, and the use of doctors and conventional medicine was not forbidden but was strongly discouraged.

6.  A Holiness emphasis on sinless perfection, similar to that of other old-time Holiness/Pentecostal groups.

7.  Conservative dress - also along lines of similar Pentecostal/Holiness groups.

8.  Tongues taught as initial evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as alluded in Acts 2- same as other classical Pentecostals. 

The Baptist Purity Church is mildly Calvinistic, strictly Holiness, fully Pentecostal, and also premillenialist in eschatology, although premillenial in this case definitely is not synonymous with dispensationalist (many similarly-minded old-time Pentecostals were actually post-tribulational, and this seems to be what I understand as well the position of the Baptist Purity teachings on this).  That being said, the Baptist Purity Association, like the Holiness Baptists, is definitely both clearly Baptist and clearly Pentecostal.  And, that was one of the reasons I chose it as part of my project. 

The Baptist Purity Association is still very active today, although it is small in number.  It is primarily centered in north-central Florida, although there are two congregations in Georgia as well.   The stats I have from their 2007 Annual Report have them at 8 churches - 6 in Florida and two in Georgia - but no membership statistics as none are reported in their minutes, although I would estimate that they possibly have an estimated 2000 members total in all their congregations.   They are headquartered still in Salem, FL, where they have an annual campmeeting and quarterly association meetings.  They do even have a church fairly close to us, in Plant City, FL (Sharon Baptist Purity Church) which is pastored by their Association secretary, Rev. Richard Joyner.   Overall, they are actually a pretty fascinating group, and are definitely worth more consideration and study.



In 1966, a schism occurred in the Baptist Purity Association when two of its ministers, Rev. Charles Stephens (1933-2009) and Rev. Riley Pridgeon (1918-2007) chartered the Macclenny Holiness Revival Center Association (later shortened to Holiness Revival Center Association, or HRCA) just outside Jacksonville, FL.  According to a taped interview transcript of Rev. Pridgeon's testimony taken in 2001, the separation from the Baptist Purity Association was a cordial one, and for the most part, most of the doctrine and convictions of the HRCA are pretty much the same as the Baptist Purity Association.   Rev. Pridgeon and his late wife Josephine had a long and fruitful ministry that began in the 1940's, when both of them sang and preached throughout north Florida, and their efforts resulted in the planting of many congregations.   Often subsiding on fish and cabbage and living in tents (at one point, the Pridgeons had only milk and crackers to feed their baby), their road to ministry was a tough one, but it was rewarding for them (Luther Turner, founder of the Baptist Purity Association, also had a lot of early trials, as money was often scarce and they had to rely a lot of God's provision - I have heard this testimony many times from a number of great old-time ministers, and it is an inspiration to me personally).   Their testimony is actually a record of God's provision for them as they did what they believe God called them to do, and it is quite humbling to read things like this in lieu of the "superstar" status many seek today in ministry.   Rev. Stephens testimony is less documented at this point, but he also ministered for many years with his wife, Corliss, and at present she serves as a secretary for the HRCA.  Stephens' daughter, Michelle, is also the wife of the current HRCA moderator, Rev. Robert "Cricket" Watson, who also pastors the main church, Antioch Holiness Revival Center in Perry, FL, which Pridgeon was a founder.  In 1973, according to a letter I received from Rev. Watson giving me some background on the HRCA, the original charter was dissolved although a current charter was filed in 2009 with the State of Florida.  

The Holiness Revival Center Association today currently consists of three congregations - in Perry, FL; Steinhatchee, FL; and Macclenny, FL.   In the past there seems to have been more documented, including one that closed recently in Fitzgerald, GA, but despite the lack of numbers they persist as a fellowship still.   They hold an annual campmeeting in June at the Perry church, and each one of the congregations has its own homecoming service as well.   As of their 2010 Annual Reports, the HRCA lists a total Sunday School attendance at all three of its congregations at about 2,513 people, which for three churches is impressive.   Community outreach seems to be a major factor in these churches' ministries too, especially in Perry, FL, where their activities are very well-documented in the local papers there.   There is also some "correspondent" fellowship carried on with both the Baptist Purity Association as well as an independent fellowship, Full Gospel Assembly in Panacea, FL, pastored by Rev. B.B. Barwick.  It is not known whether there have been any schisms or daughter fellowships formed out of the HRCA, but this is a subject that definitely will be researched in the future. 

Antioch Holiness Revival Center in Perry, FL - headquarters church of the HRCA

Rev. Riley Pridgeon (1918-2007), one of the founders of the Holiness Revival Center Association

Rev. Robert "Cricket" Watson, current moderator of the Holiness Revival Center Association.

This pretty much gives the story thus far on these unique fellowships that form the legacy of the Holiness Baptists that started in south Georgia and north Florida in the late 1800's, and it is quite a legacy as will be that of many groups I will be documenting in the future.   The purpose of these articles and the project as a whole is to tell the story of these groups as a witness to their own interesting and unique heritages, and it is also meant to be more than a scholarly discourse (although it is hoped that scholars will take this material seriously).  I have come to know a number of these people personally, and they are decent, sincere people that really believe they are called to serve God in their respective ministries.  I am not going to say I see eye-to-eye doctrinally with everything these groups teach, and indeed that is not what this project is about, but they are definitely my brethren in Christ and I respect them as such.  As we continue this project, I will be sharing more with you later on other groups and fellowships that are equally unique and interesting, and you too will be enriched with the knowledge of those little "highways and hedges" churches and fellowships no one seems to have taken time to get acquainted with.  Some of you may live in areas where these churches are, and some of you may have even drove past one of their congregations.  Some may even have looked at the church sign and said "Hmmm...that looks interesting!  Baptist Purity; what is that?"  I have taken that basic curiosity, which I too have had, to a new dimension by getting to know the people that are part of that roadside church with the interesting name.   And, hopefully, this will encourage you to do the same, as it is a rewarding experience.  God bless until next time.

___________________________________________________________________________________

I want to take this time to acknowledge the people who have provided much of this information, as without them a project like this is not possible.  First, my thanks to Elder Philip Popwell, of the Antioch Holiness Baptist Church in Brunswick, GA, who provided me with copies of his Association's minutes many years ago.  Also, my appreciation to Rev. Bobby Hires of Salem, FL, for giving me an abundant wealth of printed material on the Baptist Purity Association and its founder, his father-in-law Rev. Luther Turner.  Finally, I acknowledge Rev. Robert "Cricket" Watson and his wife Michelle, who pastor the Antioch Holiness Revival Center in Perry, FL, and also have provided a wealth of information on the HRCA and on the ministry of Rev. Riley Pridgeon, one of its founders.   God bless and be with each of these individuals for their time and generosity.



Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen - Some Thoughts.

Yesterday was the fourth Sunday of Lent, and the Epistle reading for the day in Mass (at least in the old Anglo-Catholic lectionary we use at our parish) was in Galatians 4:22-31.   Our priest gave a good homily on this passage, and it got me thinking about some things that I wanted to share here with you today. 

The passage in Galatians is a teaching the Apostle St. Paul gave to his readers about being "called" as opposed to being "chosen," and it centers around the story in Genesis dealing with the births of Isaac and Ishmael.   Ishmael, as the Apostle notes, was born of the flesh to a bondwoman, and thus was in bondage; Isaac though was born of the freewoman and a promise, and thus was the heir of freedom and life.   Reading this passage over the years, there are actually two dimensions to it, one being literal and tangible and the other conveying a spiritual truth through and allegorical interpretation of the verse, and both are correct.  The Bible, you must remember, is not a one-dimensional book, but is rather the written Word (LOGOS) of God Himself, and therefore it doesn't read like any other book.   It is multi-dimensional, for one thing, and one passage can rightly convey two different truths - no human author can do that.   And, this is one of those passages.  

The literal reading of this text is historical fact - there is an enmity between the two physical sons of Abraham and their descendants, the modern Arabs and Hebrews.  It is prophetic in that it aptly describes much of what we see in the Middle East today, and it establishes the divine right of the Hebrew nation to the geographical land of Israel.   The Arabs, the "sons of the bondwoman," are today under a greater bondage, that of the religion Islam.  And, this passage in Galatians says that he who is born of the flesh (Ishmael and the Arab nation) persecutes those born after the Spirit (Isaac and the nation of Israel), and even the text says that this persecution continues even now - have you read the newspaper lately?   To understand that further, we look at a passage in Genesis 16:12, which says that Ishmael shall be like a "wild ass," and that his hand will be against every man and every man's hand against him, as well as the fact that he shall dwell in the presence of his brethren (Israel).  God also says in the next chapter that the sons of Ishmael will have some blessings as well (oil maybe?).   in other words, Abraham and Sarah disobeyed God big-time when Sarah (the free woman) encouraged Abraham to "knock up" Hagar, the "bondwoman," and there has been strife since.   However, throughout most of history, until the seventh century AD, you never heard much about this until a demon-driven camel merchant in Arabia named Mohammed came into the picture, and then a religion called Islam was born that has driven the sons of Ishmael to behave like "wild men" and also has caused their hand to be against every man and every man's hand against them.  More could be said about that, but that is a whole other topic altogether for later.  The GOOD NEWS though is that Jesus Christ came, and through Him - a physical descendant of Isaac through his mother - many of us have become children of the Covenant, including a number of Ishmael's physical descendants - Arabs have been part of the Church since its earliest times, and through the Blood of Christ many of them have been incorporated into the Body of Christ, and thus made heirs to the promise.   Jesus breaks every curse and judgment for those who submit to Him and accept His gift of salvation, and that includes Arabs as well.   And, that leads us to the other truth in this passage.

There is a spiritual as well as a literal dimension to this passage as well, and it has to do with differentiating between two words, called and chosen.   The companion verse that backs this up is found in Matthew 22:14 - "many are called but few are chosen."  Over the years, this has been one of those verses that has created a lot of debate and issue due to misunderstanding of what it meant, and in order to understand it you have to have the passage in Galatians 4 mentioned above.   Our Calvinist friends have used this for centuries to support their doctrine of "limited atonement," or absolute predestinarianism, but this is not what the verse means at all.   If that were the case, there would be no need for the Great Commission in Matthew 28, because evangelism and missions would be futile - we are called to "make disciples of all nations," and also Jesus died as the Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God, for the sins of the whole world, and not just for a select few.   Therefore, it must be understood what this means, and to do that we go to the parable of the feast in Matthew 22:1-14, in other words, the story preceding the passage.  You all remember it well I would imagine - a rich man throws a party and invites all his friends, who beg off for various reasons.  So, although ticked off, he can't waste a good meal, so he has all these people brought in off the street to participate, but one is found without a garment and is thrown out.  The bad dresser aside (a whole other subject for another teaching), the point is that many are indeed invited to come to the table of the Lord, but few actually do.  And, now this is where it gets a little more involved.

When this concept of "chosen" is used, it is more or less in a covenant sense - the choosing goes both ways.  The Lord "calls" all of us, and He "chooses" those who "choose" to accept the call.   In other words, the "Chosen" are those who also make the choice to be chosen.   That, of course, is also a Biblical concept, as it has evolved between to Old Testament and the New - Abraham, for instance, was "chosen" because he chose to follow God, and thus, his bloodline became the conduit through which the Savior, Jesus Christ, brought salvation to everyone else in the world later.  Israel had no choice - because Abraham chose, the whole nation of his descendants, via his grandson Jacob, became a Chosen People (and still are, I might add).  When Jesus came along a few centuries later, something new happened - God had provided a way, through the Chosen, to call us (through Christ) to be chosen as well.   Does that nullify the Jews and their covenant?  Not at all - as a matter of fact, God hasn't forgotten natural Israel, as one day it will be grafted back into the Covenant by the same Jesus who grafted us in; in other words, they will be born again into the Kingdom just as we are, but it will happen in a more dramatic way according to the teachings of Scripture and the Church.  That is why that old worship chorus from years ago, "I Have Decided To Follow Jesus," is appropriate when it comes to this message - we choose to be Chosen!  We in essence also become "blood descendants" as well, because we are made chosen by Jesus' Blood.  Therefore, am I as a Christian a blood descendant of Abraham?  Absolutely - Jesus shed His blood for me on the cross!  I personally consider myself doubly-blessed though, as I am also a physical descendant of Abraham as a descendant of Anusim myself.  One day indeed, the whole thing is going to come together in such a way that ultimately all of us will be blood-bought who choose to accept the call of Christ.   This is a message you don't hear much in today's "Purpose-Driven" nonsense, and apostates like Joel Osteen are also ashamed of the message of the Blood of Jesus because it is "offensive" to them.  But, it is the Blood that makes us the Chosen of God, and only through the Blood is salvation possible.  Anyone ashamed of the Blood or the Cross is ashamed of their faith, and will not inherit salvation in Christ, because He plainly said that those who deny Him will be denied by Him - so, you "Purpose-Driven" people who think the Blood is too offensive to get you the big numbers to make you look good, take notice!  We who are of a sacramental/liturgical mindset are reminded of the Blood every Sunday - we partake of the Body and Blood of Jesus every time we receive the Eucharist, and His Real Presence is in those elements.   I have come to cherish the Cross and the importance of the Blood more so as a Catholic Christian in recent years than I have done throughout most of my Christian pilgrimage, and it has made my faith more alive and I understand better what that is about now.   And, I know now that I was chosen from the moment I said "yes" to Jesus when He called me to salvation 26 years ago in that little Baptist church in Rowlesburg, WV, when I was born again through the Blood of Jesus shed for me and by His Holy Spirit.  Thanks be to God for that too.

So much more could be said about this today, and indeed, the called/chosen subject is something that we as Christians need to understand in order to fully grasp what Jesus did for us all those years ago.  But, hopefully this will be something that will enlighten and encourage all who read this, and may you understand the Blood and its importance in the way Jesus chose you.   And, if you don't know this yet, Jesus has called you to be part of His Chosen - He has died for the sins of the world, and it is a gift that He, as the Agnus Dei, offers to us all.  However, the significance of a gift is not so much in its giving but in its acceptance by the recipient.  And, this is a gift you do not want to pass on, trust me - the alternative is not pretty, as you will die in your sins and spend eternity in eternal hell and separation from a God who loved you so much to even die for your sins.   You are called, but it is up to you to decide to be chosen - make sure today you make the right choice, because it is eternal.  God bless you until next time.

Highways and Hedges - The New Project!

And the lord said unto the servant. "Go out into the highways and hedges..."

Luke 14:23

It has been a while since I have been around to write, as I have been waiting on a printer before I write too much as I do copy these articles and save them in a large book I have in my office.  But, after the first of the year and with a new job and all, I have been catching up on some reading.   Anyone who has followed these posts enough knows I am a person of varied interests (perhaps too many!).   However, one of those interests has been ongoing for many years and I wanted to finally move it forward to the next level.   Today, that is what I want to talk about.

I of course became a fully sacramental Catholic just over 16 years ago, and I would not trade that for anything, as the sacramental aspect of my faith has enriched me so much.  But, I also have another side - it has roots in the Appalachian Holiness tradition I grew up in, and although I am not formally part of it anymore, it is still an integral part of my history, and a lot of it is good.   Many of the Holiness churches I grew up around were independent fellowships, many of which had no denominational structure whatsoever - churches like Rev. Jeff Carbaugh's little Pentecostal church my step-grandmother attended in Falling Waters, WV, as well as the Sycamore Grove Church just outside of Parsons, WV (where I was born) and Calvary Temple in Mount Storm, which was for years pastored by a very dedicated minister named Pastor Wesley Georg who used to broadcast on local radio.  The unfortunate thing about so many of those tiny congregations was that they never properly recorded their history, and what a loss that was - they, more so than big Pentecostal groups like the Assemblies of God, represent the essence of what Pentecostals started out as.  Therefore, I have had this interest over the years in finding out about some of these little groups and churches, and in doing so I have uncovered a rich legacy of faith that oftentimes the history books neglect.   Some of these are independent congregations that are basically self-contained autonomous units, while others are small fellowships of congregations over a given area, but they all have pretty much the same traits - they are generally small in number (megachurches are unknown among them, as a congregation of 50 is oftentimes considered large by their standards), are generally pretty conservative doctrinally, and they are largely rural or small-town congregations (although a few are in the cities too).  As I learned more about many of these groups, a number of them have caught my attention in particular, and they are the ones I have spent a lot of time tracking down and getting to know.  In the days that come, I hope to get together some material to begin focusing on some of these groups as a bit of a project, and being I am starting back to graduate school early next year, they will also be the core of my thesis.  And, now the project has a name - Highways and Hedges!

I chose this name because in reality a lot of times you have to go into the proverbial "highways and hedges" to find these churches and fellowships, and sometimes the hedge can be thick to penetrate too!  Some of these groups I am still coming up empty on - I know they are out there, and that they exist, but it takes some work making the initial contact and getting material from them.   But, it makes the project more fun.  And, for pretty much all of the contacts I have made, I have met and befriended many wonderful people in these groups that I still keep in touch with.   Obviously, they are not perfect - they are small churches and have their problems and issues just like anyone else, and they themselves are very honest about that fact - but their sincerity is inspiring and they have been a witness to me of their own faith.   Therefore, that is why I want to tell their story.  In the months and years to come, it will also mean a lot of interviews, visiting a lot of revivals and campmeetings, and of course lots of photos for the project, which of course will require funding.  I am in the process now of making some applications for grants and endowments to take this project to the next level, but this too will take time as well.  And, it of course will take a lot of prayers, which is what I ask of you now who read this.   And, unlike many projects and books where the initiating scholars are often detached from their projects and research, this will not be the case - the campmeetings for instance, are something that will be spiritually beneficial to us, and I am going to be treating these people as my fellow Christians and not merely as some lab rats to be observed through a fishbowl.  And, it means being honest with them - I won't agree with them on everything to be sure, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate and respect them either.  Too many people think that all these churches are exactly alike - they are Pentecostals or Holiness, so there is supposed to be some uniform stereotype according to such people.  Nothing could be further from the truth - many of these groups I will be focusing on are groups that have their own histories, many of them are regional fellowships that are part of the identity of where they are located, and some of them have colorful stories behind their origins and growth.   And, they are not like your typical First Assembly of God or charismatic megachurch either - a lot of times these little groups view the bigger ones as worldly and apostate, and they lament the fact (as do I) that some of these larger Pentecostal denominations have lost their way.   Many of them were at one time part of a bigger group like the Assemblies or the Church of God, but as modernization crept into these bigger bodies, many of these people felt displaced and felt that the only way to preserve who they truly are was to pull out of the bigger denomination.   There are many small, strong Assemblies and Church of God congregations in the same area too, many of whom are indistinguishable from the independent fellowships in practice, but they manage to hang on as part of the larger group.  It is one thing that makes American Pentecostalism as colorful and interesting as it is, but unfortunately it is a source of shame and contention to the bigger denominations who seek to find "respectability" and often do not like to be reminded of what they came from, and these small churches remind them loudly!  I think it is a good thing though - many "mainline" denominations have lost something as they seek to follow the fads and fashions, essentially focusing on the quantity of the church rolls that make them look good in front of the denominational brass, rather than focusing on quality discipleship to make solid church people.  It is a scandal in American Christianity, and I believe one of the reasons why our nation is experiencing so many problems today - we have strayed from and fotgotten our roots.  However, these little rural independent fellowships represent a remnant, a ray of hope, in the midst of the spiritual desert much of American Christianity has gotten itself lost in, and perhaps by sharing the testimony of the "little people" of the Church to the wider Body, it can be a witness and a challenge to the rest of us.   So, this project has a spiritual as well as an academic purpose. 

So, in coming months, I will be sharing some of project in this blog too, as I introduce many of you to groups like the Holiness Baptists, the Wesleyan Pentecostals, the Baptist Purity Association, the Living Word of Faith Fellowship, and the Free Will Baptist Holiness Church, among others.   I also want to include some independent Catholic groups as well that are part of this, as it isn't limited to just Pentecostal groups - jurisdictions such as the Orthodox Church of the East, headquartered in Vashon Island, WA, and an unusual but interesting group called the Pentecostal Orthodox Church, come to mind automatically.  And, there are a few non-Pentecostal traditions - I have come across groups like Primitive Free Will Baptists, independent Churches of the Nazarene in Indiana, and the Christian Baptist Church of God in Ohio.  All-in-all, I would say that this project over the years has entailed some 40 or more groups.   And, more could be discovered as time goes on and I find out more.  Just that random sampling gives you an idea of how diverse this really is, and if you think that is interesting, wait until you hear their stories individually!  But, I warn you - if you think Church History is a boring subject, or if you are one of those people who laments about "all these denominations,' then you may not appreciate this as much.   "That we all may be one" is unfortunately something that will not happen in this life, as our limited human nature is ever-present, and the reality of denominational divisions is an evidence of that fact.  Therefore, instead of worrying about "so many denominations," why don't YOU take the first step and do something like this and get to know who the people in those other denominations are??  You might surprise yourself if you are open to it.

And, then there are the scoffers and skeptics who like to belittle and explain the way the existence of such small groups as "ignorant holy-roller hillbilly churches" or something to that effect.   People like that I have little respect for, because they are the ones who are ignorant and stupid - I am sorry to be so blunt, but fact is fact.   It amazes me that those who claim to be so "enlightened" are often the worst as far as being bigoted, prejudiced, and small-minded - they may have college degrees, and think they are something, but the Bible has something to say about those people  - Romans 1:22 says that these people, professing to be wise in their own eyes, have become fools, and by fools, truly stupid.  Many of these same people also claim to be atheist or agnostic, and on that the Bible really says something - the fool saith in his heart that there is no God (Psalm 14:1).  It is unfortunately not the first time these types have belittled the little churches, particularly those in the Appalachians, as it started with one thing - greed!  David Kinbrough, in his excellent book on the serpent-handling churches entitled Taking Up Serpents (Macon, GA:  Mercer University Press, 2002), discusses this at length starting on page 82, when he says that these greedy super-capitalists (the "Robber Barons" of the late 1800's and early 1900's) had a willing ally in some supposedly enlightened (in their own eyes anyway) "Missionaries" of the mainline churches, who viewed the Appalachian people as barbarians and savages in need of "civilizing."  So, with the "missionary" wolves in sheep's clothing slowly trickling their sweet-tasting poison, the industrialists cheated many of these mountain families out of their land to exploit and pollute it, and many people ended up in poverty, and it is something our people in the Appalachians still haven't recovered from even today.   Dr. Loyal Jones, one of my mentors and a real scholar who is himself a son of the Appalachians, calls these people in his book Faith and Meaning In The Southern Uplands (Urbana, IL:  University of Chicago Press, 1999) "agents of uplift," because all they wanted to do was make mountain people conform to their image and they were anything but true missionaries (if anything, they should have been evangelized themselves by those unlettered but godly mountain preachers!).  However, later it was to get worse when an evil woman by the name of Margaret Sanger birthed a monster called Planned Parenthood, which had a single goal of ridding society of "human weeds" (Blacks, Catholic immigrants, Appalachian mountain people, and anyone else that Sanger viewed as "inferior"), and once again, mainstream "missionaries" spread this perverted "gospel of destruction" with the full bankrolls of the Rockefellers, the Fords, and others backing up their work.  I remember stories when my mother worked in Hopemont State Hospital in Terra Alta, WV, when I was in high school of patients (or "residents") being forcibly sterilized because they were mentally retarded or physically handicapped because in  Sanger's eyes such people shouldn't be allowed to breed in order to create a "master race" of "thoroughbreds" out of ideal human specimens without the "pollution" of the genepool by these "inferiors" - that is what is called eugenics, by the way, and it is the biggest waste of scientific research ever!  Yet, a lot of times, it didn't stop perverted "aides" from abusing and raping these poor people (which resulted in more murdered babies by abortions incidentally, as one of Sanger's minions - usually a quack doctor that flunked out of med school and did abortions to fatten his own bank account - was readily available to "take care of the problem.").  Pardon me for going off on the rabbit trail with this, but it proves my point - good people get a lot of persecution from those who are pseudo-intellectual (my interpretation - they are dumb enough to believe a fable that a gorilla was their grandpaw!) because it isn't "sophisticated" enough for their understanding.  Well, again, God addresses that subject too - His Word says in 1Corinthians 1:27 that oftentimes God will use things that are considered "foolish" to confound the "wise."  Simply put, it needs to be looked at through different lenses - who truly is the fool??  That, again, is another reason for the Highways and Hedges Project - it is time some of these "foolish things" (at least to some) get their due respect.   In that vein, I want to now say that in relation to this project I have come across two remarkable individuals who demonstrate to me true scholarship, but they are not lettered in any way.   One of those is Reverend Richard Crayne, who pastors a tiny Free Holiness Church in Morristown, TN.   Pastor Crayne has never been to college, and he pastors a church of fewer than 100, but when it comes to independent Holiness/Pentecostal groups, he is the man with the material.  He published a small book 30 or so years ago called The Pentecostal Handbook that tells the stories of the independent Holiness/Pentecostal movement in such intricate detail that even known scholars in the field of Pentecostal studies, such as Dr. Cecil Robeck, have taken notice.   Another man that is even more humble in appearance nonetheless possesses a wealth of knowledge on his tradition, and he too has written a book, although the man never finished high school!  The man I speak of is Pastor Jimmy Morrow, and he pastors the Edwina Church of God in Jesus' Name in Tennessee - I might add also that he believes very much in taking up deadly serpents as part of his faith.  Yet, with the assistance of Dr. Ralph Hood of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, he wrote one of the best histories of the serpent-handling movement that contains information you won't find in many of the books out there, but he knows what he speaks.  I have had the privelege of getting to know and befriend both Pastors Crayne and Morrow, and their books actually have been valuable resources in my own research.  As a matter of fact, I plan on expanding on some of Pastor Crayne's information on a couple of the groups I am focusing on in my project, and intend to give him full credit for laying the groundwork - he deserves it because he did a tremendous job.  That all being said, I have now given you an introduction to Highways and Hedges.

A lot of work lies ahead for me in the coming days, as it's a lot of ground I must cover, but I look forward to it because it will be a fun project as well as both intellectually valuable and spiritually edifying.  Keep in touch, and you will see some of that fruit coming to harvest here as well.   Any rate, I have rambled for enough today, so I will go for now until  our next visit.  Just remember though that when the main road gets too boring and you start groaning "Ugh!' at what you see, look to those hedges and get off the beaten path - you might be surprised at how much more exciting the trip will get!  God bless until next time.



New Year and New Business

As we have entered a new year, many new opportunities have come our way and I want to detour from our usual teaching and theology material today to just "talk shop" regarding my vision for the coming year for this page.   Sacramental Present Truths has been in circulation now about 2 years, and I have covered a number of controversial topics as well as presenting some teachings on various aspects of my personal faith, in concordance with the Holy Tradition of the Church and the Bible of course.   I will continue doing that for as long as God allows me to do so, and you will be seeing some things I have in the works here in the near future that should be fascinating.   I want to spend some time talking about that, as well as a specific vision I feel I have for this year too.

I have devoted a considerable amount of time in the past to covering prophetic issues, polemics and apologetics, and will certainly continue to address issues that pertain to those as they arise.  However, you are going to notice a difference in my teaching this year as I begin to present more material on doctrinal issues, going back to basics.  I have felt the need for some time, as a matter of fact, to publish a series of lessons on the spiritual gifts, and also want to give some attention to teachings the Church holds concerning Mary the Mother of Jesus.    Therefore, in coming months we will be writing on those subjects.  Also, I have had some requests from some friends and others to repost a research thesis I wrote in college some years back on the gift of tears in lieu of Syriac Patristic writings, and with more comprehensive reference material I plan on presenting a revision of that here too.   Another thing I want to begin featuring is some church history material, as I feel like a lot can be learned from certain aspects of Church history in regard to some things - two in particular I want to address are spiritual renewal movements in the history of the Church and I also want to do something on the yurodivi, or "fools for Christ," in the Eastern Christian tradition.   Over the course of 2012, you will be seeing a lot of this material, and I hope it will be interesting reading and that it will enlighten you to some things that maybe you haven't heard before from a fresh perspective.  Fresh perspective is something I try to maintain in these articles, because in my collective experience and study I have gained some insights into things that many writers have missed, and I feel that they will enhance our understanding of the way we study Scripture and also our spiritual lives as we individually live them.   We must, as II Timothy 2:15 says, "study to show ourselves approved," and often with that study comes some challenges that can rock our world and make us totally rethink some long-held beliefs on things.  That, folks, is however what is called spiritual growth, and it is lifelong.   I still discover things at times, and sometimes I find I was wrong in some previously-held position I may have had and it can be difficult to accept at first - I have struggled with that many times, but God is merciful and gives me the wisdom.   No doubt, many of you have been there too, and although it can be painful it is also nothing to be ashamed of.   Keep that in mind as you read anything - my posts or other material - because I grow too, being a fallible human with the typical limitations we all have.

That being said, I want to share something now with you all that is a little on the personal side.  Over the past several years, I have been on a spiritual journey of my own, and originally thought that I was supposed to be part of an independent Catholic group I have been corresponding with for several years called the Synod of Saint Timothy.   The many friends I have made among the Synod are wonderful people, and they are some of the best examples of Christian spirituality I can document at this point.  However, in the past year or two, I have been doing some soul-searching, and it seems as if God has been directing us to an Anglican Catholic Church parish for a reason, and recently being licensed as a Lay Reader by the ACC has confirmed something I have long thought about but was apprehensive to act on.   That being said, as of this year I am going to be formally affilliating with the Anglican Catholic Church and will make that my official church home for good.  I still will remain in good fellowship with the Synod of Saint Timothy, and as Christians they are still some of the best people I have had the privelege of knowing, but a formal identification with them is not practical as they do not have a parish church close by nor do they have the resources at this time to do a lot of church planting.   Therefore, I begin the year as formally an Anglican Catholic, but be assured my beliefs and convictions are still the same.  I am also coveting your prayers about possibly pursuing the permanent diaconate in the ACC, as opportunities are starting to present themselves and some friends of ours have sort of sparked that thought with me.  That being said, I have a spiritual vision I want to share with you all now too.

For anyone who has been following my blog articles for any length of time, you know that there is a crisis in the American Evangelical denominations as some bizarre things are taking root in them that are sending alarms in the church world.   A couple of weeks back, I reviewed and wrote something here regarding an article that the Metropolitan of the Anglican Catholic Church, Archbishop Mark Haverland, authored entitled "Our Baptist Friends and Their Difficulties" in the September-October 2011 issue of The Trinitarian, the Anglican Catholic Church newspaper.   I noted that the Archbishop observed that due to a growing secularization in American Evangelical groups (he focuses on the Southern Baptists, but it could equally apply to the Assemblies of God, Nazarenes, and other denominations as well) could mean a potential audience for the message of the ACC and other traditionalist Catholics and Anglicans - in other words, the Archbishop says there is a mission field ripe for our harvest!  That being said, recently my good friend and fellow Falangist comrade Christopher Rose brought to my attention another article that pretty much anchors this - it was an article authored by Adelle M. Banks a couple of days ago entitled "Churchgoing Has No Effect On 50% of Americans, According to Survey."   In her article, Banks notes that 46% of people attending churches in the US, according to a Barna survey, don't feel like they have been impacted by what they hear on Sundays.   The people she is referencing are not Unitarians or Episcopalians either, but supposedly "born-again" Evangelicals!  This actually comes as no surprise to me, as you will see by my past articles, because many churches in the US are so watered-down and "seeker-sensitive" that they have no real substance and people are starving - doesn't the Bible say something about that in Hosea 4:6 - God spoke through the prophet to backslidden Israel and proclaimed "My people perish for lack of knowledge."   The "knowledge" it talks about is not just any random recitation of facts, but rather the knowledge of the deeper things of God, which many churches neglect these days - most offer a junk-food diet of fluff and entertainment rather than discipling their people, and as a result people are dying spiritually.   To tie all this together, what the Archbishop said about a potential audience among these disaffected Evangelicals along with the fact most churches are neglecting to solidly disciple these people means a potential and radically different new mission field, and THAT is where I am going now, because it is something I feel the Lord is stirring within me personally.

For years, many of the bigger Evangelical and Pentecostal groups in this country have pushed missions - I was a Missions major in college, and I remember hearing a lot of terminology about the "10/40 Window," "Fields Ripe Unto the Harvest," etc.   I have seen the mission teams going to Africa and Asia, and also inner-city ministry, etc.   However, something tragic has happened - many of these same denominations today are placing a lot of emphasis on that - and in the wrong spirit I might add - while so many people in the pews are spiritually starving.  There needs to be a re-evangelization of American Evangelicals, as many of them are apostasizing fast as they give into entertainment-led church and statistics rather than proclaiming the Gospel.   That of course has created a couple of different types of Evangelicals.  The first type is the poorly-discipled - they identify as Southern Baptist, Assemblies of God, etc., but they lack a fundamental understanding of what being a Christian is all about and may even question cardinal doctrines such as the reality of hell or even the Lordship of Christ.   The second type is the disaffected churchgoer - these people are sincere believers, some being pillars of the church, who feel out-of-touch with many things going on in most of the larger Evangelical denominations today.  They feel in their spirit that many things going on are not of God, and many of them have tremendous testimonies of where God has brought them.   However, the "New Church Order" has no place for them - they are often called "obstacles," are accused of having "religious spirits," and some have even found themselves thrown out of churches they helped to establish all because they felt a check in their spirit about some of the innovations being brought in.   It is the ostracism of this second group, as a matter of fact, that has led to the rise of the first.   Thing is, this presents a challenge to the rest of us - we have the same Great Commission and the same Scriptures that contain it as Christians, and these people need to be reached.  And, it is time that we independent Catholics and Anglicans seize that opportunity and start aggressively evangelizing these people.  I was one of the disaffected myself at one time - I felt like a square peg in a round hole in many Evangelical churches in recent years due to the fact the "worship" and other stuff seems foreign to me and the spirit of such things is just, well, wrong...God is not in much of what is going on.   Becoming an independent Catholic has given me the underpinning I need spiritually to grow and maintain the spirituality and faith I have, and thanks be to God for good people in the independent Catholic movement who reached out to me.   Now, I am feeling it is my turn to do likewise, and my vision is to view American Evangelicalism as a mission field to reach out to.  This year, my biggest challenge will be to present this vision to the Archbishop and get his input on it, as this is something that is uncharted territory.   In doing so, of course, some attitudes and ways of doing things need to change in the ACC and other independent Catholic and Anglican churches, and I want to address some of that now too.

Many independent Catholics and traditional Anglicans come from Roman Catholic and Episcopalian backgrounds, and unfortunately many of them are very unfamiliar with American Evangelical Christians - their judgements are often tainted by such things as huckster TV preachers, stereotypes of the "fundamentalist Holy-rollers," (a term I heard one of our older church members use derisively yesterday, which I didn't really appreciate too well), and the "Religious Right" and its political emphasis.   However, I was raised Pentecostal, and prior to becoming Catholic myself I served as a minister in a major Pentecostal denomination for many years and also graduated from an Assemblies of God college here in Florida, so I have been around it all my life.  I have seen the good, the bad, AND the ugly;  as I have said many times in the past, the stories I could tell!  That being said, I can say that American Evangelicals are actually a lot more diverse than they are given credit for, and have always been - Southern Baptists, Assemblies of God, Nazarenes, and others may look alike on the surface, but there are some theological differences.   Also, the emphasis on an outreach to these people should by no means be treated in the same way as going to some remote tribe in the Amazon - these are Christians, some nominal and some committed, and there are different ministry needs for these people.  Some, for instance, just need a more solid church home - they have been dispossessed by their own churches and want a solid Christian community to be part of.  Others have not had a proper Christian discipleship, and need to be taught.  Still others are only "culturally Christian" - they may have been in church most of their lives, may even know the Bible and went up on a few altar calls at revivals, but they have no real relationship with Jesus Christ.  All different needs, but all need to be reached, and we as the ACC have the capabilities of doing just that.   However, it will require some adjustments on our part - for one thing, one Sunday morning Mass isn't going to cut it for some of these people, especially the stronger Christians who are looking for a stable church environment.  Although not so much today, in the past Evangelicals used to have no less than three church services as week - Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and midweek.   Then, they had interspersed through the year prayer meetings, Bible study groups, revivals, Sunday schools, etc.   Traditional Protestant Evangelical Christianity calls for a high level of commitment to fellowship and spiritual growth, and that is not a liability but an asset - they take seriously Hebrews 10:25:  "Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together..."  Most Anglicans and Catholics consider it sufficient to just partake of the Eucharist once a week and maybe a coffee hour afterwards, along with holy days and such, and that is as far as it goes - this works if you are a cradle Catholic or Episcopalian, because you understand it that way.   However, if we are to effectively reach the disaffected and nominal Evangelicals, we need to do better than that - bringing back the parish mission (the Catholic equivalent of the revival meeting) would be a good start, as well as weekly informal Bible studies for parishioners as well, maybe focusing on some Anglican and Catholic distinctives as they are based in Scripture and Tradition.   Also - and this is for our ACC flock as well - there needs to be a little more education and understanding in regard to Pentecostals and charismatics.   Yes, some "claiming" to be Pentecostal/Charismatic have been guilty of some ridiculous excesses, and TBN and other religious TV venues have reinforced a lot of negative stereotypes, so I can understand the chagrin some traditional Anglicans and Catholic have in regard to that.  However, let me also say that although no longer part of a Pentecostal denomination myself, I still believe fully in the spiritual gifts, I do speak in tongues, believe in healing, and I do practice what I believe - there is evidence, both in Scripture and in the history of our own Church traditions, that these things are valid and legitimate expressions of Christian spirituality.   Therefore, to my readers who are clergy or lay leaders in ACC or other parishes, let me challenge you not to discourage people who may be charismatics from being who they are in your parish communities - give them the guidance they need to avoid the excesses, but also see them as a valuable asset to the spiritual life of your parish family, and they will be a blessing to you.  Also, be informed as to what Pentecostals and charismatics are - they are one of the fastest-growing segments of global Christianity, and they transcend denominations and are thus diverse; there is no stereotypical "typical Pentecostal," I would argue.   The ACC needs to have the spiritual vitality strong parishioners with Pentecostal convictions can bring to the table, and they will enrich us as a church too.  These are just some things to keep in mind as we see the rich harvest of people the ACC has and can reap. 

I want to eventually codify all of this information into a formal letter to Archbishop Haverland sometime this year, and it is my hope to even have a personal audience with him to present this whole thing in person.  I have had the privelege of getting to meet and know the Archbishop personally, and he is a man of vision, so this is something I feel will be of interest to him.  I just ask for your prayers as we begin to embark upon these tasks, as our work is cut out for us.  In the meantime, please keep up with my posts, as I will be presenting some good information in coming weeks as we go into a "back to the basics" emphasis that focuses on certain doctrinal truths and distinctives.   I also hope to use this page as my own evangelistic tool to educate and disciple disaffected Evangelicals who are searching God for a church home, and to those of you out there who fit that description, feel free to check out the ACC - we welcome you in our parishes, and hope we can be what God desires for you, because he is listening to your concerns and wants you to be all he has called you to be.   God bless you all, and will be seeing you soon.


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I wanted to do a little bit of promoting a friend and his products and encourage you to check this out.  We have the privelege of getting to see a lot of good concerts here at a local church, Lake Gibson Church of the Nazarene, in Lakeland, and they have one of the best music programs I have heard in years.  Their pianist, a fellow named Marlin Nichols, is one of the best Southern Gospel pianists I have had the privelege of hearing, and he has two CD's available of his work. 

If you are interested in getting one of these excellent CD's (he has two albums out now, but haven't gotten a chance to get a picture of the second one),  you may contact Marlin directly at the following address:

Marlin G. Nichols
2210 Mission Hills Drive
Lakeland, FL   33810
(863) 853-3241
Email:  marlin100@verizon.net

I promise you it is excellent, old-fashioned music that will provide both blessing and enjoyment.