“In things essential, unity; in things non-essential, liberty; but in all things, love.”
– Rupertus Meldenius (1626); quoted by Dr. Phineas F. Bresee, General Superintendent, Church of the Nazarene (1907-1915)
As a seminarian, I was comforted by this dictum, which was framed and hung on the hallway wall at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City. First on Dr. Bresee’s “essential” list was agreement upon preaching entire sanctification as the ongoing work of God’s grace in the heart and life of the believer, a grace experienced as both instantaneous and gradual. Preach that, Bresee believed, and you’re preaching what is essential. Other secondary concerns – such as divine healing – were relegated in the 1908 Manual to a section called “special advices.” With this understanding of “keeping the main thing the main thing,” union was reached. Delegates from three diverse groupings of holiness churches in the U.S. marched a victory lap around the tent in Pilot Point, Texas. The Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene was born. In 1919, we reverted to the shorter “Church of the Nazarene”, the original name for the West Coast grouping of churches.
Since 1908, we’ve always managed to find a way forward when it comes to issues secondary to our primary mission. Peruse the Manuals published roughly every 4 years since Pilot Point, and you’ll see that -as society changes- the issues we wrestled with also changed. We’re no longer concerned about whether Nazarenes should go to the circus, or participate in so-called “mixed bathing.” Attendance at the cinema was forbidden, but now we’re to honor God in all our media choices, the music we sing, and the kinds of dances we dance. Even divorce and remarriage, a very contentious issue with seemingly very clear biblical directives from Jesus himself (Mark 10:11, Matthew 19:3-12), we tackled because it touches many of our Nazarene families, people we dearly love. Our leaders tasked our best Bible scholars to research and publish their findings, then calmly help us work through the matter. Now, divorce alone is no longer a disqualifier for church membership or ordination. Yes, it took time to get there in unity, but get there we did. Retrospect has confirmed the wisdom of that process and subsequent course correction. The church is stronger for conserving laity and clergy who made it through the pain of divorce and still minister faithfully and effectively among us. Some of our local churches even host divorce care support groups. Surely God is pleased!
The discussions at General Assembly in June 2023 uncovered several social and theological issues that threaten our unity. These are difficult subjects that – like Nazarenes across the years- we long to sit down and discuss openly, without fear of being shushed or suffering professional consequences. With an open Bible and the love of Christ in our hearts, can we do what Dr. Bresee taught Nazarenes to do? Can we create designated spaces to listen to brothers and sisters from a wide variety of viewpoints? Can we once again task qualified individuals to present relevant research and help us reflect? Having prayed and done the hard work together, can we then move forward together in unity, our primary mission intact, to “make Christlike disciples in the nations”?
In Acts 15, after prayer and deliberation, the elders in Jerusalem decided to allow Gentiles to stay Gentiles and be folded into the church as they were. In verse 28, they wrote: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…” The issues we face today are different, but the methodology is the same. Are we ready for a new season of study, reflection, and prayer? May God calm our fears and anxiety long enough so that we can hear God’s gentle voice and arrive at the place of unity Dr. Bresee desired for “the people called Nazarene.”
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Rev. Dr. Gregory Crofford is a third generation Nazarene. He holds a B.A. in Religion (Eastern Nazarene College, 1985), an M.Div in Missiology (Nazarene Theological Seminary, 1989) and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Theology (Nazarene Theological College/University of Manchester, 2005, 2008). He was ordained a Nazarene elder in August, 1991 by Dr. John Allen Knight. Dr. Crofford has served as a music minister, pastor, and educational missionary. Currently, his ministry is hospice chaplaincy.
Gregory Crofford 
Greg,
Very interesting post, and as always, well-written.
Let me say that in many respects, I agree with your take on the history of our denomination in the sense of how we’ve handled issues that do not strike at the core of who we are as Nazarenes, e.g. our Articles of Faith. While the cinema, mixed bathing, et al seem minor in today’s church culture, they were at the center of many a discussion in many a Nazarene home.
However, what you are seemingly alluding to in reading between the lines of your post goes much deeper than the aforementioned issues. The battle over where we stand as far as biblical sexuality is one that the Church is engaged with across denominational lines, with us Nazarenes as no exception. The importance of where we end up with this goes beyond whether a given movie is appropriate viewing, but rather cuts to the essentials of our views on sin, the body, creation–things that define the very essence of our humanity.
All of these critical understandings weren’t just discovered at our most recent General Assembly. Instead, they’ve been studied, debated, and even incorporated into our Manual. As a denomination, we’ve already made some decisions in these areas that are not up for debate. It’s where we’ve decided to land. Certainly, there may be room for some of our understandings to be tweaked. But our positions have been determined. And while the wider culture may not be happy with some of our conclusions, they’re ours to make.
This may sound narrow, but it truly isn’t. Further, it’s more than a bit disingenuous for some of our number who may have serious disagreements to perpetually fan the flame of disunity and contention over issues that are pretty much settled. A recent Facebook post from a Nazarene ministry colleague stimulated my thinking. To paraphrase him, “There are plenty of other churches out there who land in a different place on these questions. Integrity demands that if you feel so strongly about something, you ally yourself with those who think more like you, as opposed to tearing the fabric of unity from those who do not.” This is true in so many areas. We love our Calvinist brothers and sisters, but we’re not Calvinists. We share so much with Southern Baptists, but we do not share their view on women in ministry, nor should we. In matters of the whole LGBTQ+ question, including the phenomenon of transgenderism, we part company with the loud cultural and ecclesiastical voices who see it different than we do. To echo Martin Luther, “Here I [we] stand. [We] can do no other.”
Thank you, Dr. Crofford, for this excellent response.