The Editor Went Down to
I just got back from this year’s summer vacation—no, you won’t get slides and a travelogue. I had a restful and restorative time with old friends and got acquainted with some new ones.
The centerpiece of my trip—Indian Springs Camp Meeting—is a hallowed place for generations of Methodists and others in the Wesleyan holiness tradition. The sign above the pulpit (or PULL-pit, as they say in the South) reads: HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD.
What distinguishes it from other (not all) camp meetings still sprinkled around the country is the insistence that evangelists and teachers believe in and preach what John Wesley called “the second work of grace,” or entire sanctification.
Descriptions of the term vary, but I would define it as a decision the Christian makes to commit himself/herself entirely to the will of God. In my old Campus Crusade for Christ days, we were taught to ask ourselves, “Who is in control of my life.” Were we submitting our wills to the Holy Spirit, or were we hanging on to self-will?
Things have changed at Indian Springs since the camp meeting was organized in 1890. Permanent structures replaced tents. Cabin owners installed electricity, indoor plumbing and even air conditioners. Guest preachers still wear coats and ties, but have used a public address system for many years. In 2002 the massive wooden tabernacle opened the season with air conditioning. To anyone who has tried to stay awake at (let alone attend to) afternoon sessions in 90-degree heat with the smothering humidity of Middle Georgia, it is a true blessing!
The camp meeting site boasts modern conveniences, but the message of holy living has not changed. I find that very refreshing in a culture obsessed with relevance and relativity.