For the Members and Regular Attenders of the Church of the Nazarene as we approach the United States 2016 Election, we need to remember the history of the Church of the Nazarene's Manual's provision that was placed in Manual in the 1920's. According to Dr. W.E. Purkiser in the Book Called Unto Holiness, Part 2: The Second 25 Years of the Church of the Nazarene when there was a rise in the hate groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan, in the 1920s, these provisions were placed in the Manual even though usually people address the Mason's mostly. The provisions are found in 29.3 and 339.4 as:
1. 29.3. Membership in oath-bound secret orders or societies
including but not limited to those such as Freemasonry.
The quasi-religious nature of such organizations dilutes
the Christian’s commitment, and their secrecy contravenes the
Christian’s open witness. This issue will be considered in conjunction
with paragraph 112.1 regarding church membership.
(1 Corinthians 1:26-31; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; Ephesians 5:11-16; James
4:4; 1 John 2:15-17)
2. 339.4. Alert people regarding the Lord’s Day observance,
oath-bound secret orders, entertainments that are subversive
of the Christian ethic, and other types of worldliness. (29.1)
Historically, since the 1920s, the Church of the Nazarene has taken a stand against supporting Hate groups, their organizations that support them, and people who adhere to hate speech. Let us pray and put are voices and votes where we need to. AMEN?
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