Moving from sect to church: Variations in views regarding sanctification among Wesleyan/Holiness clergy

This paper examines the extent to which clergy within three Wesleyan/Holine ss denominations (The Church of God [Anderson, Indiana], The Church of the Nazarene, and The Evangelical Church of North America) adhere to traditiona l beliefs regarding sanctification. Results indicate that while there is si gnificant support for traditional holiness views, a substantial number of c lergy indicate doubts on some elements of the doctrine. Almost half of the variation in these views can be accounted for by the independent influence of denominational affiliation, church size, age, being a later generation p astor. and other theological beliefs. In addition, independent of denominat ional affiliation, age, education, and general political outlook, clergy wi th less traditional views regarding sanctification are significantly less l ikely to support cooperation with the Christian Holiness Partnership and le ss likely to express views that could be considered socially conservative. At the same time, denominational affiliation exerts a strong influence on t he extent to which clergy adhere to the doctrines of sanctification and on views regarding ecumenism and moral. political, and social issues. We sugge st that these results can help scholars understand the ways in which variat ions in individual attitudes contribute to the movement from sect to church and point to the importance of denominational culture and heritage in unde rstanding variations in religious and political/social attitudes.