32
are inherently individualistic. Wesleyans understand the work of entire sanctification, graciously
accomplished by the Holy Spirit, to be a work he accomplishes in individuals. And while others
may pray for this, the preparation for this experience through "moment-by-moment obedience to
the will of God"
59
and the ultimate experience of it is necessarily individual. Equally so, the
Keswick understanding of the crisis of surrender that is central to a believers return to a
victorious Christian life is necessarily individual and personal. And even though the Keswick
approach to sanctification was promoted through large annual Keswick conventions in England
and the U.S.,
60
the goal of these conventions was to facilitate the making of large numbers of
such individual, personal decisions at the same time.
While all of these models of sanctification do well to highlight the crucial reality
of the individual and the personal in the process of sanctification, the danger of over-emphasis is
clearly great. And Demarests rediscovery of the crucial role of the Christian community and the
body of Christ in Christian spirituality during his sabbatical retreat at Pecos and his emphasis on
the varied and multi-faceted ministries of soul care, especially that of spiritual direction, provides
a helpful counterbalance. Willards insistence that spiritual transformation must necessarily
impact the social dimension of our lives can minimize an over-emphsis on an individualistic
approach to the process of growth. And his insistence that "the exclusive primary goal" of the
local bodies of believers is to be the spiritual formation in Christlikeness of its members [DW,
235] can help churches as Christian communities commit to work together toward this goal for
59
Dieter, ,,The Wesleyan Perspective," in Five Views on Sanctification, 19.
60
McQuilkin, "The Keswick Perspective," in Five Views on Sanctification, 152-156.