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What's New
New Publishing Venture | (12.4.06) |
The first publication was released in March: 'Called to be Saints: A Centenary History of the Church of the Nazarene in the British Isles 1906-2006' by T A Noble, with contributions by Hugh Rae. Dr Noble, Professor of Theology at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, is formerly lecturer and Dean at NTC. Dr Rae is emeritus principal of NTC.
At 352 pages, there are more than 75 photos, dozens of character sketches, and a select bibliography of works published by and about the Church of the Nazarene in Britain, this is a valuable resource for those wishing to understand the Holiness Movement as it entered the 20th Century. An epilogue raises questions for the church to ponder at is enters its second century.
The book is available from the NTC Bookshop for the introductory price of £10 + p&p (after August 31 the price rises to £15).
Parts 50 and 51 | (1.2.06) |
Part 50 Now Available | (12.12.05) |
Holiness is a word that conjures up unpleasant associations for many. These range from ascetism (the emaciated hermit in his hairshirt) to perfectionism (the pompous and self-deluded hypocrite who claims to have attained sinlessness and who never says sorry because he is always in the right) to legalism (the church with the interminable list of enjoyable things that one is forbidden to eat, drink, watch or wear).
God’s view of holiness is nothing like so tainted. In the Old Testament he commanded Moses to tell all the Israelites, "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy" (Leviticus 19:2). In the New Testament the apostle Peter then applied the same commandment to Christians (1 Peter 1:14-15).
It is our conviction at Nazarene Theological College, Manchester that the much-maligned, much-misunderstood doctrine of Christian holiness is long overdue for fresh consideration. For us as Christians, that has prompted theological and historical enquiry as to how holiness coheres with the major Christian doctrines and how other Christian traditions have sought to practise holy living. For us as evangelicals, that has entailed going back to the Bible to examine the relevant passages in the light of the best contemporary biblical scholarship. For us as Wesleyans, that has induced a re-examination of our own tradition as spiritual descendants of 18th century Wesleyan Methodism and the 19th century Holiness Movement.
This re-examination of holiness was given impetus in 1991 by the launch of a unique postgraduate degree, an MA in Aspects of Christian Holiness, which looked at the subject in a multi-disciplinary way from first principles. MPhil and PhD research has followed, and the object of the whole exercise has been to find a new understanding of holiness which will generate new expressions of it in word and deed in varied cultural settings. Our aim, in short, has been a re-minting of the message of Christian holiness for this generation.
" ... what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God ...?" (2 Peter 3:11-12)