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The Bible Methodist Connection of Tennessee is a Christian denomination associated with the Holiness Movement as originally a part of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Wesleyan Methodist Church was formed in 1843 as a voice of opposition to slavery views held by the Methodist Episcopal Church. However, over time, the Wesleyan Methodist Church also began to make changes that prompted a further separation by those who chose to call themselves the Bible Methodist Connection of Tennessee. The Bible Methodist Connection of Tennessee today aligns itself in many ways with the Conservative Holiness Movement. ==History 1968-1987== Formation of the Connection The Bible Methodist Connection of Tennessee was formed over what many believed was a liberalization of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. "Holiness as a doctrine still adorned the pages of its Book of Discipline, but holiness in practice and true holiness standards became a very rare thing."1 Also there was disagreement concerning the organization of the denomination. Those who sided with the Wesleyan Methodist Church wished to have a strong, centralized government while those who eventually broke away and formed the Tennessee connection favored a loose "connection" of like minded churches. D.P. Denton and his conservative sympathizers met in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1966 to discuss the formation of a new connection with more individual church autonomy. "The new group would continue the use of Wesleyan Methodist Discipline...with the exception that each church would be completely autonomous." 2 "When the General Leaders of the Wesleyan Methodist Church entered into a number of lawsuits against Conferences and Local Churches of their own denomination, the Tennessee Conference (chartered by the State of Tennessee) had no choice but to withdraw its fellowship from the denomination."3 Following a series of Conference Meetings, the reorganization became final on May 4, 1968. The officers of the reorganized Connection were: D.P. Denton, President W.G. Harwell, Vice President Mary Jane Biddle, Secretary Carl Johnson, Treasurer "The Board of Managers was so composed that each section of the Connection had representation and no one group could become dominant." 1987- In March 1987, after 35 years as President, D.P. Denton resigned to form a small group called the Bible Methodist Fellowship. and Earl Newton became president. When Earl Newton resigned, the Presidency has been held for shorter time periods by Gerald Wright, Leroy Archibald4 and Richard Midkiff. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bible Methodist Connection of Tennessee」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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