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The Higher Life movement, also known as deeper Christian life, the Keswick movement or Keswickianism ( ), is a Protestant theological tradition within
evangelical Christianity Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
that espoused a distinct teaching on the doctrine of
entire sanctification Within many Christian denomination, denominations of Christianity, Christian perfection is the theological concept of the process or the event of achieving spiritual maturity or perfection. The ultimate goal of this process is Divinization (Chris ...
. Its name comes from the ''Higher Christian Life'', a book by William Boardman published in 1858, as well as from the town in which the movement was first promoted—
Keswick Convention The Keswick Convention is an annual gathering of Conservative evangelicalism in the United Kingdom, conservative evangelical Christians in Keswick, Cumbria, Keswick, in the English county of Cumbria. The Christian theological tradition of High ...
s in Keswick, England, the first of which was a tent revival in 1875 and continues to this day. The main idea in the ''Keswickian theology'' of the Higher Life movement (also known as ''deeper Christian life'') is that the
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
should move on from his initial conversion experience to also experience a second work of God in his life. This work of God is called "
entire sanctification Within many Christian denomination, denominations of Christianity, Christian perfection is the theological concept of the process or the event of achieving spiritual maturity or perfection. The ultimate goal of this process is Divinization (Chris ...
," "the
second blessing According to certain Christian traditions, a second work of grace (also second blessing) is a transforming interaction with God that may occur in the life of an individual Christian. The defining characteristics of the second work of grace are th ...
,” “the second touch," "being filled with the Holy Spirit," and various other terms. Believers are encouraged to "let go and let God" in order to receive this. Higher Life teachers promote the idea that Christians who receive this blessing from God can live a more holy—that is, a less sinful, or even a sinless—life. The Keswick approach seeks to provide a mediating and biblically balanced solution to the problem of subnormal Christian experience. The “official” teaching has been that every believer in this life is left with the natural proclivity to sin and will do so without the countervailing influence of the
Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...
. With the rise of the Higher Life movement,
Christian denominations A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...
largely accepting a form of Keswickian theology with unique distinctives, such as the
Christian and Missionary Alliance The Alliance World Fellowship (or The Alliance, also C&MA and CMA) is an evangelicalism, evangelical Christian denomination It includes 6.2 million members throughout 88 countries within 22,000 churches. History The Alliance has its origins in ...
, were founded. The Keswickian view of sanctification became normative in "American Evangelicalism of a more Calvinistic bent ... except confessional Reformed and Lutheran".


History

The Higher Life movement was precipitated by the related but separate
Wesleyan-Holiness movement The Holiness movement is a Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent influenced other traditions such as Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. Churches aligned with the holiness movement ...
, which had been gradually springing up, but made a definite appearance in the mid-1830s. It was at this time that Methodists in the northeastern United States began to preach Wesleyan doctrine of Christian perfection or entire sanctification and non-Methodists at
Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...
in
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began to accept and promote their own version of sanctification, with
Charles Finney Charles Grandison Finney (August 29, 1792 – August 16, 1875) was a controversial American Presbyterian minister and leader in the Second Great Awakening in the United States. He has been called the "Father of Old Revivalism". Finney reject ...
of Oberlin teaching that his doctrine was distinctly different from the Wesleyan one to which
Asa Mahan Asa Mahan (; November 9, 1799April 4, 1889) was an American Congregational minister and educator and the first president of both the Oberlin Collegiate Institute (later Oberlin College) and Adrian College. He described himself as "a religious te ...
was more attracted. The American holiness movement began to spread to England in the 1840s and 1850s. Methodist evangelist
James Caughey James Caughey (9 April 1810 – 30 January 1891) was a Methodist minister and evangelist who was active in the United States, England and Canada. An imposing and effective preacher, he conducted highly emotional revival meetings at which many of h ...
, as well as
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
Asa Mahan Asa Mahan (; November 9, 1799April 4, 1889) was an American Congregational minister and educator and the first president of both the Oberlin Collegiate Institute (later Oberlin College) and Adrian College. He described himself as "a religious te ...
and Presbyterian-turned- Congregationalist
Charles Finney Charles Grandison Finney (August 29, 1792 – August 16, 1875) was a controversial American Presbyterian minister and leader in the Second Great Awakening in the United States. He has been called the "Father of Old Revivalism". Finney reject ...
began to teach the concept to churches in England and then in
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
and
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. Soon after these initial infusions of holiness ideas, Walter Palmer and his wife Phoebe Palmer of
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
went to England in the 1850s and 1860s to promote them. They were banned from ministering in Wesleyan churches, even though they were promoting Wesleyan doctrines and were themselves Methodist. During their time in England, many people experienced initial conversion, and many more who were already converted believed that they had received entire sanctification. Robert and Hannah Smith were among those who took the holiness message to England, and their ministries helped lay the foundation for the now-famous
Keswick Convention The Keswick Convention is an annual gathering of Conservative evangelicalism in the United Kingdom, conservative evangelical Christians in Keswick, Cumbria, Keswick, in the English county of Cumbria. The Christian theological tradition of High ...
, which differs from traditional Wesleyan-Holiness theology. In the 1870s, William Boardman, author of ''The Higher Christian Life,'' began his own evangelistic campaign in England, bringing with him Robert Pearsall Smith and his wife, Hannah Whitall Smith, to help spread the holiness message.Chapter, "Hannah Whitall Smith,"
i
The Doctrine of Sanctification: An Exegetical Examination, with Application, in Biblical, Historic Baptist Perspective, Thomas Ross, Ph. D. diss., Great Plains Baptist Divinity School, 2016
/ref> On May 1, 1873, William Haslam introduced Robert Pearsall Smith to a small meeting of
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
clergymen held at Curzon Chapel, Mayfair, London. The first large-scale Higher Life meetings took place from July 17–23, 1874, at the Broadlands estate of
Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...
and Lady Mount Temple, where the Higher Life was expounded in connection with spiritualism and
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...
teachings. The meetings were held primarily for Christian students at Cambridge University. At the end of these meetings, Arthur Blackwood, president of the Church Missionary Society, suggested that another series of meetings for the promotion of holiness be conducted at
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
later that summer. A convention for the promotion of holiness was held at
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
from May 29-June 7, 1875. The American evangelist
Dwight L. Moody Dwight Lyman Moody (February 5, 1837 – December 22, 1899), also known as D. L. Moody, was an American evangelist and publisher connected with Keswickianism, who founded the Moody Church, Northfield School and Mount Hermon School in Mas ...
told his London audiences that the Brighton meeting was to be a very important one. About eight thousand people attended it. T. D. Harford-Battersby attended this convention and made arrangements to have one in his parish in Keswick. He was the recognized leader of this annual convention for several years until his death. Robert Pearsall Smith was going to be the main speaker, but the public disclosure of his teaching a woman in a hotel bedroom that Spirit baptism was allegedly accompanied with sexual thrills led him to be disinvited from the meeting. Smith never recovered and having "lost his faith, withdrew from public gaze and spent most of the rest of his life as an invalid". A gradual distinction developed between traditional Methodists and the newer Keswick speakers. Keswick took on a more Calvinistic tone, as Keswick preachers took pains to distance themselves from the Wesleyan doctrine of eradication (the doctrine that original sin could be completely extinguished from the Christian soul prior to death). Keswick speakers began using the term "counteraction" to describe the Holy Spirit's effect on original sin, often comparing it to how air pressure counteracts gravity in lifting an airplane. Modern Wesleyan-Arminian theologians regard the Keswick theology as different from their own dogma of entire sanctification. Keswickians and Methodists differ on their view of sin, with Methodists viewing "sin as a voluntary transgression of the known law of God" and Kewsickians viewing "sin as any attitidue or action that falls short of the perfection of God." Keswickians and Methodists differ in that Keswickians do "not believe that the sin nature can be eradicated, but can only be suppressed" while Methodists affirm "the removal of the sin nature" in entire sanctification. Harford-Battersby organized and led the first
Keswick Convention The Keswick Convention is an annual gathering of Conservative evangelicalism in the United Kingdom, conservative evangelical Christians in Keswick, Cumbria, Keswick, in the English county of Cumbria. The Christian theological tradition of High ...
in 1875 at Saint John's Church in Keswick, which gave the name to the Keswickian theological tradition. Over four hundred people met under the banner of “All One in Christ Jesus.” British speakers included
Anglicans Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
, such as the J. W. Webb-Peploe, Evan H. Hopkins, and Handley Moule, as well as Frederick Brotherton Meyer, a
Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
, and Robert Wilson, a
Friend Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. Although there are many forms of f ...
. An annual convention has met in Keswick ever since and has had worldwide influence on Christianity. Columbia Bible College and Seminary (now
Columbia International University Columbia International University (CIU) is a private Christian university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. It was founded in 1923. Academics CIU has six colleges: College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, Cook School of Bus ...
) was founded by one of the early leaders of the American Keswick movement, Robert C. McQuilkin. His son, Robertson McQuilkin, contributed the Keswick chapter to the book "Five Views of Sanctification." Albert Benjamin Simpson, largely accepting a form Keswickian theology with his own distinctives, founded the
Christian and Missionary Alliance The Alliance World Fellowship (or The Alliance, also C&MA and CMA) is an evangelicalism, evangelical Christian denomination It includes 6.2 million members throughout 88 countries within 22,000 churches. History The Alliance has its origins in ...
denomination in 1897. Albert Benjamin Simpson departed from traditional Keswickian beliefs, however, in his view of progressive
sanctification Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...
and rejection of suppressionism. It emphasizes the role of
Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
as Saviour, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King. In the 19th and 20th centuries,
D. L. Moody Dwight Lyman Moody (February 5, 1837 – December 22, 1899), also known as D. L. Moody, was an American evangelism, evangelist and publisher connected with Keswickianism, who founded the Moody Church, Northfield School and Mount Hermon Sc ...
, Hannah Whitall Smith, and R. A. Torrey preached Keswickian theology. It was a strong influence on E. J. H. Nash, who founded the influential
Iwerne camps The Iwerne camps ( ) were British Evangelicalism, evangelical Christian Summer camp, holiday camps aimed at children from UK Public school (United Kingdom), public schools. They were officially the Varsity and Public Schools (VPS) holidays and la ...
in the UK and cited Torrey as his theological mentor.


Critiques

Denominations aligned with the Keswickian higher life movement, such as the
Christian and Missionary Alliance The Alliance World Fellowship (or The Alliance, also C&MA and CMA) is an evangelicalism, evangelical Christian denomination It includes 6.2 million members throughout 88 countries within 22,000 churches. History The Alliance has its origins in ...
, differ from the
Wesleyan-Holiness movement The Holiness movement is a Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent influenced other traditions such as Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. Churches aligned with the holiness movement ...
in that the Keswickian higher life movement does not see
entire sanctification Within many Christian denomination, denominations of Christianity, Christian perfection is the theological concept of the process or the event of achieving spiritual maturity or perfection. The ultimate goal of this process is Divinization (Chris ...
as cleansing one from
original sin Original sin () in Christian theology refers to the condition of sinfulness that all humans share, which is inherited from Adam and Eve due to the Fall of man, Fall, involving the loss of original righteousness and the distortion of the Image ...
, whereas adherents in churches espousing Wesleyan-Arminian theology affirm this teaching of
John Wesley John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...
. While Wesleyan-Holiness theology is taught in the Methodist tradition that is inherently Arminian, Keswickian theology flourishes among evangelicals of a Calvinist bent. However, Keswick doctrine has been sharply criticized as a disguised form of
entire sanctification Within many Christian denomination, denominations of Christianity, Christian perfection is the theological concept of the process or the event of achieving spiritual maturity or perfection. The ultimate goal of this process is Divinization (Chris ...
(or "perfectionism") by other Christian traditions, particularly historical
Calvinism Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...
and Presbyterianism. Princeton theologian B.B. Warfield wrote a trenchant attack on the Keswick and Higher Life movement in his two-volume wor
''Studies in Perfectionism''
specifically in his article
"The Higher Life Movement"
an
"The Victorious Life."
W. H. Griffith Thomas responded to Warfield and defended the Higher Life movement in two articles in the journal ''Bibliotheca Sacra.'' Another early opponent of Keswick was J. C. Ryle, who set forth the classic Protestant doctrine of sanctification in his book ''Holiness'' as an alternative to Keswick. More modern defenders of Keswick theology include J. Robertson McQuilkin in the book ''Five Views of Sanctification'', as well as John R. VanGelderen. Modern Reformed criticism of Keswick has come from J. I. Packer, as well as from Andrew Naselli, who critiqued Keswick in his doctoral dissertation on the subject. Charismatic and Pentecostal authors may critique the Higher Life movement also as not going far enough, but Pentecostal scholars recognize and appreciate the groundwork laid by Higher Life advocacy of the continuation of the gifts of healing and miracle-working for the rise of the Pentecostal movement.Chapter, "Keswick Theology and Continuationism or Anti-Cessationism: Vignettes of Certain Important Advocates of Keswick or Higher Life Theology and their Beliefs Concerning Spiritual Gifts and Other Matters: William Boardman, Andrew Murray, Frederick B. Meyer, Evan Roberts and Jessie Penn-Lewis, A. B. Simpson, John A. MacMillan, and Watchman Nee,"
i
The Doctrine of Sanctification: An Exegetical Examination, with Application, in Biblical, Historic Baptist Perspective, Thomas Ross, Ph. D. diss., Great Plains Baptist Divinity School, 2016
/ref>


See also

* Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union which can (in part) trace its beginnings to the meetings at Broadlands in 1874. * Quietism which through T. C. Upham's biography (1854) of
Madame Guyon Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de La Motte Guyon (commonly known as Madame Guyon, ; 13 April 1648 – 9 June 1717) was a French Christian accused of advocating Quietism, which was considered heretical by the Roman Catholic Church. Madame Guyon was impris ...
was a significant influence on holiness-oriented circles in the second half of the nineteenth century. * Richmond J M, (2015). ''Nine Letters from an Artist The Families of William Gillard'', Porphyrogenitus.


References


Sources


Althouse, Peter, “Wesleyan and Reformed Impulses in the Keswick and Pentecostal Movements." Pneuma Foundation.Bundy, David D., Keswick: a Bibliographic Introduction to the Higher Life Movements (Wilmore, KY: First Fruits Press, 2012)
/nowiki>"] *[http://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/40/40-2/40-2-pp241-258_JETS.pdf Gleason, Randall, B. B. Warfield and Lewis S. Chafer on Sanctification. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 40/2 (June 1997) 241–258] *Harford, C. F., ed. ''The Keswick Convention; its Message, its Method and its Men'', London, 1907. *Harford-Battersby, T. D. ''Memoirs of the Keswick Convention'', 1890. *Hopkins, E. H., ''The Story of Keswick'', London, 1892. *Naselli, Andrew, "Let Go and Let God? A Survey and Analysis of Keswick Theology." (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013) *Packer, J. I., ''Keep In Step With The Spirit'', 1984, . — See chapter 4. *Pierson, A. T., ''The Keswick Movement'', New York. *Pollock, J. C., ''A Cambridge Movement'', London, John Murray, 1953. *Pyne, Robert A., and Matt Blackmon, "A Critique of the Exchanged Life", 2006 ''
Bibliotheca Sacra ''Bibliotheca Sacra'' (colloquially referred to as "BibSac") is a theological journal published by Dallas Theological Seminary, first published in 1844 and the oldest theological journal in the United States. It was founded at Union Theological ...
'' 163, April–June *Robertson McQuilkin, ''The Keswick View: Five Views of Sanctification'', Zondervan Pub.
*Ross, Thomas, ''The Doctrine of Sanctification: An Exegetical Examination, with Application, in Biblical, Historic Baptist Perspective''. Ph. D. diss., Great Plains Baptist Divinity School, 2016Sawyer, James M,, "Wesleyan and Keswick Models of Sanctification."Warfield, Benjamin B., ''Studies in Perfectionism''
vol. 1 & 2 in vol. 7-8 of Works of Warfield, Philadelphia, 1958, .


External links


Keswick MinistriesAudio-visual material on Keswick theology
b
Andrew David Naselli
whose Ph.D. dissertation is titled “Keswick Theology: A Historical and Theological Survey and Analysis of the Doctrine of Sanctification in the Early Keswick Movement, 1875–1920"
*Ross, Thomas, ''The Doctrine of Sanctification: An Exegetical Examination, with Application, in Biblical, Historic Baptist Perspective''. Ph. D. diss., Great Plains Baptist Divinity School, 2016
*https://web.archive.org/web/20070807072638/http://www.frontlinemin.org/higherlife.asp
A Critique of the Keswick Movement
taken (by the author's permission) from ''Keep in Step with the Spirit'' by J. I. Packer.

Is it possible to consistently enjoy an abundant, victorious Christian life? {{DEFAULTSORT:Higher Life Movement History of Christianity in the United Kingdom Protestantism in the United Kingdom Christian revivals 19th-century Protestantism Christian and Missionary Alliance