Is there a transformative power in Christianity?
I have been reflecting for some time on the idea of “separateness” that is so often espoused by Wesleyan theology. John Wesley built an entire tradition of Christianity on the notion of holiness. As a Christian, I believed Wesleyan theology to be superior to Calvinism and other options because Wesleyanism seemed to take the idea of holiness seriously. In a very poetic sense, Wesleyan theology is desirable because it purports a fallen creation that can be redeemed in this life.
Considering that I attend a Wesleyan-holiness Christian college, it is a safe assumption that the faculty and students of this institution should be an adequate case study in what it means to be “set apart.”
First, let’s establish the foundation of what Wesleyan theology claims of holiness. It references such passages as Hebrews 6:1, Philippians 3:15 and 1 Corinthians 2:6 which all call Christians to be “perfect.” There is a particular fondness for 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless.” Now, I have to give Wesleyan theologians credit where it is due. I am glad that they at least take their own Scriptures seriously. Instead of rationalizing “be holy as I am holy,” they embrace the notion…
Continue Reading 10 comments January 10, 2008
Perhaps the greatest appeal of the Christian faith, at least in our time, is the notion of unfettered love. The idea of a God who loves unconditionally, and seeks to empower mankind to do the same is desirable in a seemingly disinterested world. I will admit that still yet I find the idea of an omni-benevolent God to be psychologically alluring. But I am not certain that the Biblical God fits that criteria.
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