Fire-Baptized Holiness Church

449:(1. New Birth, 2. Entire Sanctification, 3. Baptism of the Holy Ghost evidenced by speaking in tongues). There are churches in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. The Pentecostal Fire-Baptized Holiness Church operates with a General Conference comprising five State Conferences (Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia). There is a General Moderator who serves two-year terms, while a State Moderator serves one-year terms, with both having term limits. There also are Assistants at both the General and State Conference Levels. 1477: 31: 310:

The Southeastern Kansas Fire Baptized Holiness Association dissolved its relationship with the rest of the denomination in 1898 after Irwin began to preach the necessity of maintaining Jewish dietary laws; the Southeastern Kansas Fire Baptized Holiness Association renamed itself as the Fire Baptized

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We do not believe that the baptism with fire is an experience independent of, or disassociated from, the Holy Ghost, but we do believe that the divine baptism of Jesus is two-fold. Christ's baptism is with the Holy Ghost and with fire. We believe that it is He, the divine Paraclete, abiding in the

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Irwin became convinced that there was an experience beyond sanctification called the "baptism of fire", or in short, "the fire". After receiving this experience in October 1895, he began to preach this "third blessing" among holiness adherents in the Midwest, particularly among Wesleyan Methodists

252:, from July 28 to August 28, 1898. The constitution of the Iowa Fire Baptized Holiness Association was accepted by the Neosha Valley Holiness Association in 1897. It became the Southeastern Kansas Fire-Baptized Holiness Association. William E. Fuller, an African-American minister who had left the 260:

laws. According to Synan, "All [(Pentecostal) statements for or against racial integration failed to obscure one important fact——the practical integration of poor whites and blacks in backwoods Pentecostal revival services" and this was "a type of race-mixing that has occurred in the South since

233:, and holy dancing and laughing. Thousands attended his meetings, and his teaching was circulated widely within the holiness movement, with its greatest strength in the Midwest and South. His message was largely rejected, however, and was denounced as a "third blessing heresy". 85:

The Fire-Baptized Holiness Church was founded in 1896, mainly from a Methodist background, with Benjamin Wesley Young and Benjamin Hardin Irwin serving as leaders, though some of the denomination's members had a Quaker or River Brethren background as well. Irwin, a

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7. We believe also that the baptism of fire is a definite, scriptural experience, obtainable by faith on the part of the Spirit-filled believer (Matt. 3:11, Luke 3:16, Rev. 15:2, Psa. 104:4, Acts 2:1-4, Heb. 12:29, Ezek. 1:4-14, 10:2-7, Isa. 33:14,

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heart of the purified believer, who creates an intense longing for the experience of the baptism with fire, and, as the Executive of the Godhead, baptizes those in whom He dwells with the baptism with fire, and that none can receive the

442:, the church was organized with authority centralized in the General Overseer who held office for life. The General Overseer appointed Ruling Elders to oversee the churches in each state, and he could also make pastoral appointments. 398:

Other doctrines held by Irwin were also rejected after his departure. He, like other holiness Christians, opposed women wearing "needless ornamentation". However, he also applied this prohibition to men, claiming that the wearing of

174:. Before the merger, the Fire-Baptized Holiness Church was an interracial body. The Pentecostal Fire-Baptized Holiness Church emerged from this body in order to continue uphold the holiness standards of the original denomination. 130:

occurred in the Fire Baptized Holiness Church (Wesleyan), resulting in the formation of the Wesleyan Holiness Alliance. Both the Bible Holiness Church and the Wesleyan Holiness Alliance are considered to be a part of the

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Holiness Association of Southeastern Kansas in 1904 and then the Fire Baptized Holiness Church in 1945 and then the present-day name of Bible Holiness Church in 1995. The Bible Holiness Church dropped its belief in a

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Holiness Association of Southeastern Kansas in 1904 and then the Fire Baptized Holiness Church (Wesleyan) in 1945 and then the present-day name of Bible Holiness Church in 1995. This group dropped its belief in a

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1. We believe that Jesus Christ shed his blood for the remission of sins that are past (Rom. 3:25), and for the regeneration of penitent sinners and for salvation from sin and from sinning (I. John 3:5-10, Eph.

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had been the "baptism of fire" the church had been seeking. After 1908, the denomination split on racial lines when Fuller left, with the blessing of the white leadership, and started what would become the

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Whatever its corrolaries, "fire baptism" seems to be the only belief that survived in the Southeast Kansas Association. In 1945 the group changed its name to the Fire Baptized Holiness Church (Wesleyan).

1509: 256:, was elected to the church's general board and became the overseer of the black churches. The church was fully integrated with Southern whites and blacks openly worshiping together despite stringent 240:. As he traveled nationwide, Irwin established associations to promote his message. By the time these associations were organized into one denomination in 1898, there were churches in eight American 279:

6. We believe also that the baptism of the Holy Ghost is obtainable by a definite act of appropriating faith on the part of the fully cleansed believer (Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, 38, Luke 11:13; Acts 19:6).

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was rejected in 1948 by the faction of the Fire Baptized Holiness Church that now calls itself the Bible Holiness Church. The Bible Holiness Church is non-sacramental (reflective of its partial

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In 1900, Irwin confessed to "open and gross sin", which brought "great reproach" to the church. He resigned as general overseer and was replaced by Joseph H. King, a 31-year-old former

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3. We believe also that Jesus Christ shed His blood for the complete cleansing of the justified believer from all indwelling sin, and from its pollution subsequent to regeneration.

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evidenced by speaking in tongues. Most of the original Fire-Baptized Holiness Church merged with the Pentecostal Holiness Church in 1911, forming a new denomination known as the

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occurred in the faction of the Fire Baptized Holiness Church that now calls itself the Bible Holiness Church, resulting in the formation of the Wesleyan Holiness Alliance.

339:. In 1911, the church merged with the Pentecostal Holiness Church and took the latter organization's name even though the Fire-Baptized church was larger; it is called the 460:. The Bible Holiness Church runs Independence Bible School and Troy Holiness School, established in 1948 and 1973, respectively. The Bible Holiness Church has missions in 271:

2. We believe, teach, and firmly maintain the scriptural doctrine of justification by faith alone, as taught by John Wesley and the early fathers of Methodism (Rom. 5:1).

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5. We believe that entire sanctification is an instantaneous, definite, second work of grace obtainable by faith on the part of the fully consecrated believer.

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4. We believe also that entire sanctification destroys and eradicates inbred sin (Rom. 6:6, Heb. 13:12, I. John 1:7-9, I. Thes. 5:23, John 17:17, Acts 26:18).

98:(known in short as "the fire"). The Constitution and General Rules of the Fire Baptized Holiness Association taught three definite works of grace: (1) the 1305: 1218: 1023: 426:

include the prohibition of "alcohol, tobacco, drugs, secret societies, television, immodest clothing, and jewelry." The Bible Holiness Church teaches

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For several decades, there has continued to be a Pentecostal Fire Baptized Holiness Church, which teaches the three works of grace of

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The bulk of the original Fire-Baptized Holiness Church went on to embrace Holiness Pentecostal doctrine. In 1908, most of the

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church. After contacting members of the Iowa Holiness Association, Irwin accepted holiness beliefs and claimed to experience

132: 1395: 359:; however, there were distinct doctrinal positions that made it unique. Irwin taught of a third blessing that came after 1051: 371:

was not unheard of among the Fire-Baptized Holiness, it was not understood as the initial evidence of Spirit baptism as

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The faction of the Fire Baptized Holiness Church that now calls itself the Bible Holiness Church is headquartered in

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from Georgia. The revelation of Irwin's failure greatly affected the church; several state associations collapsed.

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The Constitution and General Rules of the Fire Baptized Holiness Association taught three definite works of grace:

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Because of opposition, Irwin formed an organization in 1895 called the Iowa Fire-Baptized Holiness Association at

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for its members. Men belonging to the Bible Holiness Church, both preachers and laity, traditionally do not wear

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By 1906, King led the majority of the original Fire Baptized Holiness Church into third-blessing Pentecostalism (

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fell under the category of adornment and was sinful. He also said it was a sin to eat anything forbidden by the

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spread after 1906. By 1900, Irwin also taught there were additional "baptisms of fire" he called baptisms of "

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denomination. His services were highly emotional, with participants often getting the "jerks", shouting,

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before the Civil War." By 1900, Fuller had organized 50 black Fire-Baptized churches and a convention.

1261: 1250: 1072: 1065: 453: 395:". This "chemical jargon" never took root within the church and was abandoned by Irwin's successors. 380: 372: 163: 155: 140: 123: 103: 62:, though with a different doctrinal formulation; it continues today in the following denominations: 1114: 1058: 415: 368: 331: 312: 230: 115: 91: 36: 237: 1481: 222: 1004: 930: 704: 633: 585: 535: 503: 352: 245: 187: 48: 392: 465: 423: 316: 147: 127: 287: 107: 95: 1093: 1079: 376: 226: 1498: 408: 299:

of the baptism with fire except those in whom the personal Holy Ghost already abides.

55: 17: 922: 703:, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997), page 51, 615:

Constitution and General Rules of the Fire-Baptized Holiness Association of America

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The Holiness–Pentecostal Tradition: Charismatic Movements in the Twentieth Century

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Perfectionist Persuasion: The Holiness Movement and American Methodism, 1867-1936

656: 206: 461: 241: 159: 136: 99: 58:. It was unique in that it taught three works of grace prior to the advent of 26: 958: 1016: 360: 356: 304: 126:, which has been the location of it since 1933. In 1979, a schism regarding 30: 384: 191: 886: 469: 404: 400: 388: 198: 419: 379:

and only began to influence the Fire-Baptized Church as news of the

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Fire Baptized: The Many Lives and Works of Benjamin Hardin Irwin

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Kurian, George Thomas; Lamport, Mark A. (November 19, 2016).

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National Association of Congregational Christian Churches

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Protestant denominations established in the 19th century

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Lumber River Conference of the Holiness Methodist Church

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as the denomination has viewed them as being adornment (

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Holiness organizations established in the 19th century

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The church's beliefs were largely consistent with the

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