Scripture: James 1:19–27
When Hollywood wants you to think of the Holiness Movement, they want you to think about folks like these.
Anyone recognize this preacher? His name in the movie is Shaw Moore, but most of you probably know him only as “the preacher in the Footloose movie” that told Kevin Bacon that he couldn’t dance. He is a super obvious cliché of a holiness preacher, condemning kids for wanting to hold a school dance. Thankfully, Kevin Bacon knows his Bible, too.
How about this one? This is Silas, from the DaVinci Code. He believed that most of his behaviors were sinful, and he needed to atone for them. So he engaged in self-flagellation and violent self-harm because he believed that was the only way that God would forgive him.
OK, so this one isn’t a preacher, or technically a religious person, but Delores Umbridge from the Harry Potter stories is an interesting stand-in for a super-strict, overly-rigid, mercilessly-punishing overlord. She is out to get anyone who steps their toe over the line, and seems to have this sense of glee when someone does, because she revels in the punishment.
All three—and many others—are examples of how Hollywood portrays those who call us to a holy way of living. Holiness equals judgment equals punishment equals perverse pleasure in telling someone else that they are wrong!
Richard Foster doesn’t want us to think about the Holiness movement through these characters. He would rather you think about folks like this:
This is Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a writer, theologian, and activist before and during World War II. He wrote a book titled The Cost of Discipleship, in which he encouraged followers of Jesus to live out the grace shown to them. He talks about “cheap grace,” where we live however we want and just ask God for forgiveness afterwards. And he compares it to “costly grace,” which involves confession, and repentance, and discipline, and a new way of living. Forgiveness leads to transformation, not simply excusing of behaviors. He called to account Christians and the German Church to stop being complicit to the Nazi movement…a grace that excuses violence and murder and genocide is not really grace. It is not what Jesus calls us to. In short, the way that we live matters.
Foster also wants us to think about this man: John Wesley. He and his fellow Christians in England in the 1700’s. We know him generally as the father of the Methodist Church, but it started with a movement toward holy living. He prescribed a “method” of living, by which we could see God’s grace acted out in real and practical ways in our behavior. He believed that we could organize people into small groups, where they could then learn practices that re-oriented them toward the ways of Jesus. These methods would bring about individual growth, as well as social change. The movement of the Wesley family began as a way to change toward holy living. Again, Wesley believed that the way that we live matters.
How about this person? Teresa of Avila was born and lived in the 1500’s. You’ll find that most of these folks fit into more than one of the streams, and Teresa could just as easily be called a mystic from the contemplative tradition. She wrote often about her mystical prayer experiences, but she also took seriously the attempt to live a life of holiness. Her book The Way of Perfection is considered a holiness classic. She felt as though her monastic life left something to be desired, and so she began developing a practice of holy living, and along the way reformed her monastic tradition. For Teresa, “perfection” was not flawless, unerring behavior—like some of the Hollywood holiness advocates would demand. But instead it was a way of living that intertwined prayer with compassion and humility. She founded a new branch of her Carmelite order referred to as “Discalced,” or “barefoot.” The humility to which she called the order extended even down to what they put on their feet. She became a religious leader not only of women, but also of men, and one of her first converts was St. John of the Cross, who is best known for his writings on the Dark Night of the Soul. From the beginning, she believed that the way that we live matters.
One more historic figure. This one goes way back. This is what one artist thought that the author of the book of James looked like. Now, this was not the disciple of Jesus, brother of John, Son of Thunder. But tradition suggests that he was actually the half brother of Jesus, son of Mary. He is mentioned at various times in Scripture, at first skeptical of Jesus and his movement, but eventually becoming one of his primary supporters and a leader in the Early Church. James is often associated with the Biblical tradition of wisdom literature. The aphorisms of Proverbs. The hard realism of Ecclesiastes. Matthew’s lifting up of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount as a way to describe holy living. James fits into this tradition with his language of action and daily behavior. See if you can hear why Foster includes him in the list of the Holiness Movement…
James 1.19–27
19 You must understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger, 20 for human anger does not produce God’s righteousness. 21 Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23 For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24 for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25 But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
26 If any think they are religious and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
- Do you hear it? The way that we live matters! “Be doers of the word, and not only hearers.” Later he writes “faith without works is dead.” Our actions matter.
- And do you hear this language of the “perfect law?” The “royal law?” The “law of liberty.” There is a way to live, says James, that brings us fulfillment and freedom. Not freedom that is beholden to our every whim, but daily living that creates in our lives a freedom from such whims. Day by day becoming who we were created to be. But for James, this is a constant and intentional choice.
- Take, for example, his language about anger. Anger can be a good thing, inspiring action. But it can also lead to violence. Be intentional and thoughtful about it.
- Or, for example, our speech. Again, it can be beautiful and life-giving. But the tongue can also be destructive and death-dealing. We are called to responsible and intentional living, taking seriously our bodies, our emotional lives, and our behavior. That is what the Holiness tradition is all about!
I hope you are starting to see that the historical stream of the Holiness movement is not just about dancing, or playing cards, or trying to keep people from having fun or interesting lives. From Bonhoeffer to Wesley to Teresa to James, these folks believed in helping people live their best lives. It is really more about fulfillment, and well-being, and healthy living, and vocation. It is about living with intentionality in ways that lead to a more fulfilled life, and to a better world!
In these last few minutes, I want to put up a couple of lists, more or less based on Foster’s description of the Holiness Tradition, or what he calls “the virtuous life.” On the left side, you’ll see what the Holiness Tradition is not…think Hollywood’s excesses and stereotypes. And on the right side, you’ll see the strengths of what the tradition has been historically, and can be today.
The Holiness Tradition:
…is not:
- Legalism: Rules and regulations
- Body-denying asceticism
- Self-comfort
- Pelagianism: earning God’s love
- Perfectionism
…is:
- Focused on the core of the personality
- Healthy body spirituality
- Self-care
- Character transformation: practicing God’s love
- Progress in holy habits
- It is easy to turn the holiness tradition into a legalism that says “you should behave this way…and this way…and this way.” But it is not as much about empty or rote actions, but about behaving in ways that bring us closer to who we were created to be.
- The stereotype of the tradition is that it is based on a belief that our bodies are evil and anything that brings them pleasure or joy is wrong. But that is not a Biblical view! Our bodies are created by God for joy! The subtlety of the movement is that it recognizes the need to say “no” to some ways of living; there is inherent an element of sacrifice or discipline, intentionally choosing to say “no” to some momentary whims or self-serving behavior. But the point is that when we say “no” to that which is eventually self-destructive, we can say “yes” to that which is life-giving.
- This one isn’t Foster, but author Sarah Bessey. She suggests that we go overboard sometimes in the pursuit of “self-care.” Anything I do that makes me feel good in the moment is self-care! But she would suggest that that is actually what she would call “self-comfort.” Feeling good for the moment is not necessarily caring for yourself. It can be, but it can also be actually pretty self-destructive. It takes some intentionality to ask whether we are living healthy and holy habits, or just engaging in self-soothing and self-comforting because we don’t want to do the hard work that we actually need. True self-care for our bodies, our minds, and our souls, is done in thoughtful, prayerful, intentional action. What is that which is ultimately a better way of living? How can we care for ourselves in the long run, not just in the moment? These are questions that the Holiness Stream concerns itself with.
- In the Fourth Century a monk named Pelagius suggested that our actions earn our salvation, or God’s grace. If you have seen the TV show The Good Place, it is roughly based on this idea…we add up the good things we have done and if they outnumber the bad things we have done, we get to go to the good place. It is a game of points. Of course, this was rejected by the church, because it presumes that our actions, not God’s, determine our value. But again, this is not what Scripture teaches. Instead, God’s grace is prevenient…not based on our actions. But what we can do is participate in the work of God’s transformation of our character. We can choose to act and practice in the way of God’s love. We don’t earn God’s grace, but we respond to it, walk and move and act in it.
- Some of us here today have chosen to walk away from some version of this Stream, because of its excesses. Especially those of us who have a tendency to perfectionism have chosen that it is healthier to live outside of a tradition that exacerbates our need to be perfect. But what a lot of us reject is not the true Stream taught by Bonhoeffer, Wesley, Teresa, James, or Jesus! There is a way of living intentionally with holy habits, but not falling prey to the need to be perfect. No one can be perfect. But we can all live in response to the perfect love of God.
One more story from church history. In the Fifth Century, a man from Italy named Benedict began a religious order meant to practice holy living. He invited Christians into this way, described in his Rule of life. Shared worship together. Humble working in the fields. Practice of holy reading known as lectio divina. Consistent living through the practice of stabilitas, living with stability instead of looking for the next distraction or acquisition. He invited folks to live this life together, but it was never with the rigidity of perfectionism. In fact, one of my favorite phrases from Benedict’s Rule is “always we begin again.” We will stumble and fall, in this work toward holy living. We will fail to be perfect, because none of us are.
But there is always grace. There is always a chance to start over the next day. Always, we begin again.
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