Jeanne and I have recently moved into a beautiful little community called Keswick.  We live in an area called Park West which is comprised of twenty-four individual communities, many of them with English names (Arlington, Churchill, Tennyson, Wellesley, etc.) as well as containing the ubiquitous roundabouts.  Keswick (the “w” is silent) is a picturesque little town in the lake district of Cumbria, England.  Among evangelical Christians the name Keswick is synonymous with the victorious Christian life movement.

The Keswick Convention began in 1875 in Keswick, England with the motto, “All One in Christ Jesus” which remains a key emphasis to this day.  Annual conventions have been conducted with the purpose of “the promotion of practical holiness”.  Robertson McQuilkin writes, “Keswick is not a doctrinal system, much less an organization or denomination . . .”  It is Bible-centered movement revealing how people may experience the abundant life that Jesus promised in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

The distinctives of the Keswick approach may be summarized as follows:

• The seriousness of sin in our lives
• God’s provision for sin through Jesus Christ
• Consecration through a crisis and a process
• The necessity of the Spirit-filled life
• Christian service through an emphasis on discipleship and world-wide evangelization

The picture to the left is Keswick, England.  The word Keswick is now associated with a world-wide movement promoting how one may experience a victorious Christian life. If you would like to read more on the Keswick movement you may want to investigate the following resources:

Five Views on Sanctification by Melvin Dieter.  This book is a compilation of five major evangelical views on sanctification.  The chapter on Keswick by Robertson McQuilkin is an excellent summary of Keswick theology.  A great strength of this book are the responses by the other authors.

Free and Fulfilled: Victorious Christians Living in the Twentyfirst Century by Robertson McQuilkin.  McQuilkin has compiled a festschrift of essays on victorious Christian living.  Stephen Olford, one of the leading Keswick spokesmen of the 20th century, has written an cogent summary of the Keswick approach in one of the essays.  Stephen Olford introduced Billy Graham to the Keswick message at a Keswick Convention in 1946 and this teaching gave Billy Graham the assurance of God’s power in his life.

So Great Salvation: The History and Message of the Keswick Convention by Steven Barabas.  The definitive work on the Keswick movement revealing the history and many edifying insights from the messages.

Andrew Murray was a frequent Keswick speaker and many of his books reflect the Keswick message.

I was reflecting on the providence of God – He has provided a home for Jeanne and myself in a community with a name that has shaped my theology the past thirty years.  As I think of my neighborhood, it’s a fresh reminder each day of the rich spiritual heritage that has preceded me.  What are some spiritual markers in your life?

Rick Higgins

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University