Holiness movement

Holiness movement, Christian religious movement that arose in the 19th century among Protestant churches in the United States, characterized by a doctrine of sanctification centring on a post-conversion experience. The numerous Holiness churches that arose during this period vary from quasi-Methodist sects to groups that are similar to Pentecostal churches. In a sense the movement traces back to John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, who issued a call to Christian “perfection.” Perfection was to be...