CHURCH OF CHRIST. — Under this name are comprised two Protestant sects, namely: 1) Church of Christ, Scientist, Christian Science (v.); 2) Church of Christ, Holiness. The latter was founded by Dr. C. P. Jones, a Baptist pastor in the state of Alabama (United States), who, dissatisfied with his own sect, sought a new faith that would make him “one of the true sons of Wisdom” and, like Abraham, “a friend of God.” After fasting and praying, he went to Jackson in the state of Mississippi, where he convened a meeting on “Holiness.” Initially it had an interdenominational tendency, but it soon developed into a new sect through the union with other similar groups from Virginia and North Carolina. It called itself the “National Convention of the Church of Christ, Holiness,” and more briefly, “Church of Christ, Holiness.”
This sect, like others that have added the name “Holiness,” emphasizes justification and holiness; it believes in original sin; in the gifts of the Holy Spirit; it admits only baptism by immersion and practices foot washing. The supreme authority resides in the general council, presided over by five bishops or superintendents, the eldest of whom is the president. It numbers about 5,000 adherents.