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David Shelby Corlett
David Shelby Corlett (November 17, 1890 – January 12, 1969) was an American preacher, educator, and author whose ministry profoundly shaped the Church of the Nazarene through his leadership and writings on holiness theology. Born in Chetopa, Kansas, to Henry W. Corlett and Mary Shelby, he graduated from Peniel College in 1916 with a B.A., earned an M.A. from Pasadena College in 1922, and completed a B.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1928, later receiving honorary D.D. degrees from Bethany-Peniel College (1930) and Northwest Nazarene College (1945). Converted in his youth, he was ordained in the Church of the Nazarene in 1915 and began preaching in Texas churches. Corlett’s preaching career included pastoring in Texas and serving as a revivalist before transitioning into education and leadership roles. He was president of Peniel College (1920–1927), dean at Arkansas Holiness College (1927–1928), president of Bethany-Peniel College (1930–1935), and dean at Nazarene Theological Seminary (1945–1952), where he also taught theology. From 1940 to 1965, he edited the Herald of Holiness, the denomination’s flagship publication, amplifying his influence. Author of books like The Baptism with the Holy Ghost (1945) and Forward with Christ (1935), he emphasized sanctification and practical Christian living. Married to Lillie Morgan in 1915, with whom he had two children, he died at age 78 in Kansas City, Missouri, leaving a legacy of holiness preaching and Nazarene scholarship.
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David Shelby Corlett preaches about the sanctified child of God, equipped to live a life of holiness in a wicked world through the experience of entire sanctification provided by God's grace. The secret to living a holy life lies in complete dependence on the Holy Spirit for purity and maintaining a close relationship with Christ. Discipline, obedience, fellowship, and reliance on the Holy Spirit are essential for continued purity and success in Christian life and service.
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Holy Living
1. Is the sanctified child of God equipped to live a life of holiness in this wicked world? The experience of entire sanctification is God's provision by which His children may through His grace "live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world" (Titus 2:12). 2. What is the secret of living such a life of holiness? The secret of the life of holiness is that the sanctified child of God fully depends upon the Holy Spirit and His fullness within his heart to keep him pure and clean in this sinful world. He realizes that all purity or holiness he possesses is because he has through consecration and faith brought himself into such a relationship with Christ where He entirely sanctifies him and it is only as this relationship is maintained that he as God's child can live a life of holiness. 3. Should the sanctified child of God be concerned mainly with his own endeavors to keep himself pure? No. He should be very careful to walk in the light of obedience to the Holy Spirit, as a result of thus walking in the light he will have fellowship with God, and through having fellowship with God the blood of Jesus Christ keeps him clean (John 1:7). Obedience and fellowship are the necessary elements of continued purity. 4. What attitude should the sanctified individual have toward the Holy Spirit? He must realize that the Holy Spirit is his very life and strength. The Spirit is his guide and comforter, his assistant in Christian living and service, his power for active Christian work. Hence he must consciously recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit, fully obey His guidance and leadership, and utterly depend upon Him for success in Christian life and service. 5. Are there measures of discipline to be observed in this life of holiness? There are. In the sanctified life the spiritual nature has the dominion over the mental and physical natures, to fail to keep this relationship through careful discipline will be fatal to the spiritual life of the individual, hence he must follow Paul's example and keep the body under, bringing it into subjection (I Cor. 9:27); he must use discipline to abstain from all appearance of evil" (I Thess. 5:22) and to keep himself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27). 6. Will the sanctified child of God experience times of heaviness of spirit and pass through periods of chastening? He will. For the strengthening of his faith he will have sore trials which may bring heaviness (I Peter 1:6, 7). Also for the refining of his nature there may be periods of suffering (I Peter 4:12, 13; 5:10). For his profit he may pass under the chastening rod (Heb. 12:5-11). In all these experiences the sanctified child will not faint, nor charge God foolishly, and through it all he may be victorious. 7. What means should the sanctified child of God employ for the nurturing of his spiritual life? He will read and study the Bible, the Word of God, as the food for his soul; prayer will be his vital spiritual breath, and his continuous desire will be the cultivation of fellowship with God and His people. He will delight to attend services of worship and other means of grace. He will engage in active Christian service, will witness for Christ and seek to bring the lost to Him. 8. What will be the relationship of the sanctified child of God to other members of the body of Christ, or his fellow Christians? He will endeavor to keep "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3). He will lend himself to the "fellowship of the Spirit" (Phil. 2:1) as his continual privilege as a member of "the body of Christ." He will as much as lieth in him live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:18). He will have brotherly concern and vital interest in those who are weak (Gal. 6:1, 2). He will conduct his life so as to give no occasion for stumbling (I John 2:10). 9. What should be his attitude concerning his influence upon others? He should be "an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (I Timothy 4:12). Also he should be concerned with living in such a vital relationship to the Holy Spirit that the "fruit of the Spirit" (Gal. 5:22, 23) may be manifested in abundance.
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David Shelby Corlett (November 17, 1890 – January 12, 1969) was an American preacher, educator, and author whose ministry profoundly shaped the Church of the Nazarene through his leadership and writings on holiness theology. Born in Chetopa, Kansas, to Henry W. Corlett and Mary Shelby, he graduated from Peniel College in 1916 with a B.A., earned an M.A. from Pasadena College in 1922, and completed a B.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1928, later receiving honorary D.D. degrees from Bethany-Peniel College (1930) and Northwest Nazarene College (1945). Converted in his youth, he was ordained in the Church of the Nazarene in 1915 and began preaching in Texas churches. Corlett’s preaching career included pastoring in Texas and serving as a revivalist before transitioning into education and leadership roles. He was president of Peniel College (1920–1927), dean at Arkansas Holiness College (1927–1928), president of Bethany-Peniel College (1930–1935), and dean at Nazarene Theological Seminary (1945–1952), where he also taught theology. From 1940 to 1965, he edited the Herald of Holiness, the denomination’s flagship publication, amplifying his influence. Author of books like The Baptism with the Holy Ghost (1945) and Forward with Christ (1935), he emphasized sanctification and practical Christian living. Married to Lillie Morgan in 1915, with whom he had two children, he died at age 78 in Kansas City, Missouri, leaving a legacy of holiness preaching and Nazarene scholarship.