Introduction
The mission of the Salvation Army is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet needs in His name without discrimination. This mission statement helps us to understand that the Salvation Army is in fact a protestant evangelical church movement. For those interested in learning more about this fact, I highly recommend Who are these Salvationists? by Ret. Gen. Shaw Clifton. Shaw Clifton’s work Who are these Salvationists? (1997) emphasizes and underlines the importance of the Salvation Army as a part of protestant evangelicalism. The Salvation Army’s ministry is based on the Bible and it’s ministry is motivated by the love of God. The Salvation Army is most certainly a church organization, based on a conservative biblical interpretation of the scriptures, which means the Salvation Army is firmly entrenched in the protestant evangelical movements in the world that emphasize grace through faith alone, glory to God alone, Christ alone for salvation, and the Bible alone as the authority of divine teaching (Shaw, 1997).
The Salvation Army as Church
If one were
to ask General William Booth if the Salvation Army were a church, he would
probably reply, “The Salvation Army is an army!” (Shaw, 1997, p. 9). It’s most
probable that Catherine Booth would’ve also recognized TSA as a distinct
movement, not fitting any particular or current mold (Shaw, 1997,
p. 9). Later in the history of the army,
General Arnold Brown commissioned Frederick Coutts to produce a document on the Salvation Army and if it ought to be called a church (Shaw,
1997, p. 9). The document Coutts
produced simply indicated what was already quite true, the Salvation Army as a
group of Christian believers is a part of the body of Christ (Shaw, 1997, p.
9). The church is simply another way of
saying the body of Christ, which is the body of those who follow the Lord Jesus
Christ (Romans 12:5 New International Version). Sadly in some parts of the
world people are quite surprised to learn that the Salvation Army is a church,
which Shaw (1997) attributes to a too inward looking attitude and a failure to
understand the positive need for a clear articulation of what the army is
(Shaw, 1997, p. 10). Never the less, though the international mission statement
may be somewhat ambiguous regarding the fact of the Salvation Army being a
church, TSA meets all the standards of a legitimate church movement and ought
to be considered as such (Shaw, 1997, p. 12-13).
The Salvation Army as Protestant
Protestantism
is a collection of movements branching off of the theology of greats like
Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Jacob Arminius. These movements are extremely
diverse and therefore one might more accurately refer to these movements as
protestantisms (Shaw, 1997, p. 21).
Protestantism is based deeply on the foundational value of the Bible alone as
the authoritative and inerrant word of God (Shaw, 1997, p. 22). Perhaps just as importantly Protestantism is
based on the concept of an individual responsibility to accept or decline the
offer of salvation found in Jesus Christ. Though this should not be confused to
mean that protestants have an individualist view of church activities (Shaw,
1997, p. 22). Grace is prime to
Protestantism (Shaw, 1997, p. 23). In
fact according to Shaw (1997) “There is no more important word in the
Protestant vocabulary than grace” (p. 23). The Salvation Army certainly affirms
this primacy of grace. In addition, the
Salvation Army’s first doctrine unabashedly affirms the authority and value of
the holy scriptures (Shaw, 1997, p. 23).
The Salvation Army affirms all the key tenants of Protestantism
including the priesthood of all believers, the importance of holiness, and the
worship of God (Shaw, 1997, ch. 2).
The Salvation Army as Evangelical
The
Salvation Army is historically firmly rooted in the movements described as
evangelicalism (Shaw, 1997, p. 35).
Evangelicalism originally came about in the eighteenth century revivals
in England (Shaw, 1997, p. 35). Many
countries were affected by the revivals, including the United States. (Shaw,
1997, p. 35). William Booth was originally part of the Methodist denomination,
which came out of the revivals of the likes of Charles Wesley and Jonathan
Edwards (Shaw, 1997, p. 36). One could
say that William Booth’s Christian Mission and later the Salvation Army are
ideological descendants of evangelicalism and therefore part of modern
evangelicalism (Shaw, 1997, p. 36).
Some of the greats of modern and recent evangelicalism include John R.W. Stott, J.I. Packer, Francis Schaeffer, and of course Billy Graham (Shaw, 1997, p. 36, 40). In fact is one is looking for a ringing endorsement of a prominent evangelical leader, Billy Graham spoke direct praise for the Salvation Army during his years of ministry calling it "Christianity in action!" (Gariepy, 2009).
General Shaw (1997) indicates four great principles that are hallmarks of evangelicalism: they include insistence on biblical authority, personal emphasis in regard to conversion, recognition of the need for social service and social action, and a firm focus of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross (p. 45).
Salvationism is deeply influenced by the works of Dr. Francis Schaeffer, in that the Salvation Army rejects a liberal, or low view of scripture (Shaw, 1997, p. 25). Instead, the Salvation Army affirms the highest view of scripture as the inerrant word of God. Indeed, the Salvation Army also rejects the relativism of the modern age, which has made for moral chaos and the loss of truth as a concept (Shaw, 1997, p. 44). The Salvation Army affirms objective moral values, the fact that Christianity is a comprehensive worldview, and the fact of the necessity for modern believers to be vocal on important social and political issues of the day (Shaw, 1997).
Some of the greats of modern and recent evangelicalism include John R.W. Stott, J.I. Packer, Francis Schaeffer, and of course Billy Graham (Shaw, 1997, p. 36, 40). In fact is one is looking for a ringing endorsement of a prominent evangelical leader, Billy Graham spoke direct praise for the Salvation Army during his years of ministry calling it "Christianity in action!" (Gariepy, 2009).
General Shaw (1997) indicates four great principles that are hallmarks of evangelicalism: they include insistence on biblical authority, personal emphasis in regard to conversion, recognition of the need for social service and social action, and a firm focus of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross (p. 45).
Salvationism is deeply influenced by the works of Dr. Francis Schaeffer, in that the Salvation Army rejects a liberal, or low view of scripture (Shaw, 1997, p. 25). Instead, the Salvation Army affirms the highest view of scripture as the inerrant word of God. Indeed, the Salvation Army also rejects the relativism of the modern age, which has made for moral chaos and the loss of truth as a concept (Shaw, 1997, p. 44). The Salvation Army affirms objective moral values, the fact that Christianity is a comprehensive worldview, and the fact of the necessity for modern believers to be vocal on important social and political issues of the day (Shaw, 1997).
Conclusion
The
Salvation Army as a Christian movement focused on a dual mission of preaching
the gospel and meeting needs, is in fact a protestant evangelical church
movement. The Salvation Army is a church,
given the very nature of the army as a body of officers and soldiers who
regularly worship God. The Salvation
Army is protestant in that the basic precepts of protestant theology and
worship are met in the activities of the army.
And the Salvation Army is evangelical in that the army holds the highest
view of scripture, propagates the need for a personal relationship with Jesus,
and firmly emphasizes social service work and social action. Or as Shaw (1997) said in his book, quoting
cardinal archbishop Law of Boston, “The Salvation Army is an authentic
expression of classical Christianity” (p. 5).
References
References
Clifton,
Shaw. Who Are These Salvationists?. 1st ed. Alexandria, VA: Crest
Books, 1999. Print.
Gariepy, H.
(2009). Christianity in Action (1st ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
NIV Bible. 1st ed.
London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, 2007. Print.