The Holiness-pentecostal Movement

The origins of the Holiness-Pentecostal movement are found in the work and teaching of John Wesley. Worship within the movement varies widely, but it seems to thrive in contexts that encourage spontaneity and freedom. Traditional Pentecostal worship is currently undergoing significant change because of the growing popularity of contemporary worship choruses. Throughout their history the Holiness and Pentecostal movements have been characterized by an extemporaneous vernacular style that assigns a large role to music in the expression of corporate and individual worship. The American holiness movement traces its origins to John Wesley and his associate, John Fletcher, whose persuasion that a conversion experience should always be followed by a dynamic encounter with sanctifying grace stands at its core. In the course of the nineteenth century, some American Methodists derived from that premise the teaching that an instantaneous second definite work of grace should be part of every C…