What is the Salvation Army? Is the Salvation Army a Church?

William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army

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).

Concluding Thoughts

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

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.        

Twelve Steps: A Christian Process for Healing and Transformation

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Foundation Scripture: Romans 8:1-13

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Audio Presentation:


Our lives are beautiful, astonishing, powerful series of moments that end up defining who we are and what our legacy in life will be. We live in a miraculous world, and we live lives of miracles, victories, defeats, and transformations.

Though many in our world today chock up their lives to random chance and coincidence, as Christians we know there are greater things at work than mere happenstance. Life is a gift. It’s a gift from God. And especially the lives we live today, here in the United States, we have all we want to eat, we have good jobs, friendly communities, and reasonable government. We should be so very grateful for what God has given us.

The greatest gift we’ve ever received, that impacts our lives in the most incredible way is the gift of the grace found in Christ Jesus. The word says: “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,[b] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.” -Romans 8:1-3

Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe. As we look at ways we can grow in grace, and methods or practical recovery and healing, we must remember that we do everything out of Jesus Christ. If we begin by trying to force growth and healing in our lives, we won’t get anywhere. But if we seek to grow based on the love and relationship we already have in Jesus then we will succeed. We should always be cautious to live out of what we’ve already received in the riches of Christ Jesus. Jesus substituted himself for us. He’s transformed his life and witness to us, as a jacket, a coat of righteousness that we put on every day. We have full relationship with God through Christ. We all have full relationship. We have full adoption into the family of redeemed humanity. We have the Holy Spirit working in us, on us, and through us. All of this comes from Christ alone, not from ourselves. We can do nothing to add to it.

But as a result of what Christ has completed in us, we desire to live a godly, holy life. We want desperately to live the way God wants us to live, because of the incredible gift we’ve received. We’re so happy, so amazed, so grateful for to God, we want to live just the way he has asked us to live.

So today I’d like to share with you some ways to grow in God’s grace. These principles are taken from God’s word, translated through a process called the twelve steps. The twelve steps are Christian in origin, having been developed from the teachings of a 19th century Christian movement called the Oxford groups. These Oxford groups were Christians attempting to live their faith better. And I hope from this message we’ll find some “spiritual tools” to help us live as faithful Christians.

The first principle if something we should all try to understand and grow in, because it’s the foundation of all Christian growth. This principle is the principle of surrender. This is something William Booth talked about a great deal. It’s so vital to what we do. Essentially surrender is about the full, 100% admission that we are powerless, and in need of God’s provision. Apart from God, we can do nothing. But surrender is practical, in that we can practice it.

It can be as simple as a prayer. Lord, I surrender. I can do nothing apart from you. I’m powerless Lord. I need you, nothing more, nothing less. Linked to surrender is humility. If we aren’t humble, then we can never grow or achieve anything. Because someone with pride and ego assumes they already know everything. They can’t be taught anything.

Ego can lock us in a cell, alone by ourselves, unwilling to admit we need help, unwilling to admit we need to change, and for much of the secular world, it’s a prison where they will stubbornly refuse that love and guidance of God.

In my years of wayward struggle, my ego was out of control. But there is one thing that can break down ego: It’s suffering. God gave me exactly what I needed to hit rock bottom and lose all false ego. And once that ego is gone, at the bottom, it’s just you and your sins. There is no barrier between us anymore. Just me and what I’ve become. That’s when calling out to Jesus becomes a real possibility. For Christians like ourselves, we can practice surrender by falling on our knees before God. We can practice humility and surrender by lowering ourselves before God and declaring our full dependence on Him. I encourage you to let your knees hit the floor before our Lord. Stay there. Allow the Lord to dig deep into your and flatten out that ego within. Invite the Lord to do so. Cry out to Him, and weep, and ask for willingness.

Interestingly enough, in recovery programs surrender is step 1 of the process.

Second principle that we can practice in our lives is that of total commitment. God must have all there is of William Booth said the founder of the Salvation Army. God must have all there is of us. All of us. Not just some. Do we practice that? Or do we set aside certain parts of our lives? God you can have this part, but the sex life is my business. God you can have this part of me, but I’ll handle the finances. God you can have the spiritual part, but I’ll handle how I treat my husband, my wife, my kids.

There are no conditions in this agreement between God and man. There are no negotiations. We give our whole lives to God. Practically this means that we look to turn both our will and our entire lives over to God. But what does that mean? To turn our will over to God, is to say that we will now check our decisions against what God wants us to do.

Most people tend to function in our lives attempting to fulfill three basic desires within ourselves: security instinct, social instinct, and sexual instinct. We push our way through life trying to fulfill our desire for safety, which manifests in trying to buy a house, trying to find a good job and so on. Socially, we look for friends, for close relationships with family and coworkers. And in our sexual instinct we look to connect with someone of the opposite sex. Those things aren’t bad. Those are the three dimensions of life. But all of those areas can become problematic if we aren’t living out of the 4th dimension of life, which is the spiritual realm.

We as Christians are called to live in the Spirit. The rest of the world lives in the flesh, attempting to manipulate people and circumstances to fulfill their three basic desires for security, socializing, and sexual desire.

The word says:” Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” -Romans 8:5-6

To turn our will and our lives over to God is to live in the Spirit instead of the flesh, meaning as we live day by day we’re looking to fulfill God’s desires for us, instead of our own petty interests. Are you living that way? If not then I encourage you to commit yourself anew to our Lord, and to begin to consider in your mind: What is God’s will for me in this situation? What would God want me to do right now? It’s not so hard. In fact the more you practice it, the more natural it becomes. This is God-consciousness, what some call a conscious contact with God on a daily basis.

So first we surrender, step 1. And step two and three are the process of coming to believe, and then commiting oneself to attempt to obey the will of God in their daily life. How do we know the will of God? We study his word carefully and know his teachings on various issues.

Many of you probably already practice both surrender and practicing the will of God. Now I’d like to share with you a tool that will transform your entire life.

It’s called the process of taking a personal inventory. For those of you out there today who have been through a lot of traumatic experiences in your life, of you’ve gone through hard times, I can’t recommend this process enough to you. I’m absolutely amazed by the power of putting things down on paper. The act of writing out what we’ve been through is a process by which our soul is cleansed from past struggles.

When we go through hard times, trauma, depression, sorrows, and addictions it’s like we accumulate wreckage in our minds. And pretty soon that wreckage piles up to the point that we can barely function on a daily basis. We begin to live and feel as if we’re constantly surrounded by a cloud of doom. That cloud comes from these piled up past traumas.

So if you’ve got piled up sorrows from the past, grab a notebook and pen, or open up a word document on your computer and start writing. Write down exactly what happened. Honesty is vital in this process. If we rewrite history or leave the worst parts out, we won’t find any healing. But if we share the real truth about what has happened, and what our part was in it, then we’ll find healing. Once we’ve written all these things down, and when I did this I had over fifty pages, we take it to someone we trust deeply. It could be a trusted friend or pastor. And we read what we wrote to them and talk about what happened. This second part of confessing it is vital. The act of telling another person, for some reason, is the part that really clears this stuff out. Then we pray, thanking God for setting us free from these past harms, and many like to burn the pages as a symbol that in Christ all of these things are gone. Set free. He has set us free.

Those are steps four and five. Six and seven are steps that help those seeking healing to identify character defects, like fear, inconsideration, and selfishness, and to begin to practice the opposite of those harmful attitudes. The principle is inventory, matched with confession.

The final principle I’d like to share with you today is called reconciliation. As a non-believer, and an addict I hurt many people in my life. I think my family is who I hurt the worst. But also my extended family. And my close friends, coworkers, and college teachers. When we practice reconciliation, a biblical concept, we go to those we have harmed in the past and we ask for their forgiveness. But in addition, we also ask how we can make it right. They call this making amends.

I’d encourage you to consider in your life, how you’ve hurt others. It’s best I think to start with family. And then consider friends as well. How can I make it right with these people? How can I make amends for the wrongs I’ve done to them? This is probably the hardest part of the principles we’ve talked about so far. It’s very humbling (step 1) to go to family members and friends and admit the wrong we’ve done. But are we so proud? Do we have so much ego?

What would Jesus do? Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, a task seen as below the dignity of any decent person. Jesus did it. I never wanted to admit I was a drug addict. To admit that was to hurt my ego. It was to admit who I really was. But when I did, it changed everything. In the same way, most don’t want to admit they are sinners, and it’s humbling and ego crushing to do so, but once we admit it, we become open to the healing found in Jesus Christ. Making amends encompass steps eight and nine.

Ten, eleven and twelve have to do with continuing to practice the principles already discussed, to continue to grow in communion with God, and to carry the truth to others who don’t yet have it. Let me add this truth: Often when we are depressed, struggling, about to fall apart internally the solution is for us to serve someone else. It’s a paradox I know, but oddly enough, getting out of ourselves and focusing on someone else cures that internal sorrow.

In conclusion, the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans chapter 7: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! -Romans 7:21-25

In the journey of your life, in those moments that come that define who we are and how we live, remember that you are called to live in the Spirit. In this beautiful, amazing, shocking, awe inspiring adventure of our lives we will see so many things, come to know many people, and witness great shifts in society, and in ourselves. Consider how you live, and obey that wonderful Holy Spirit within. God will not lead you astray. He has given us the spiritual tools we need. Surrender, turning our will over to God, inventory, confession, and making amends are all gifts from God in Christ Jesus. Jesus loves us because we have received Him as our savior. As a result and a response to this wonderful completed relationship, let us live our faith and grow as Christians through the timeless principles found in the word of God.

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5. Origin, Meaning, Morality, & Destiny: An atheist and a Christian on discuss Worldview
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God Has Hidden Beauty in Every Corner of the Earth

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Audio Message:


God has hidden beauty in every corner of the Earth, every nook and cranny is full to the brim with it. If we go upon the mountains of the Rockies or the Appalachians we will witness pieces and parts of God’s glory and His divine mystery. If we go by boat to the north pole, and climb upon the crest of a snow mound and wait for darkness to fall, we will witness the incredible awe of the northern lights, atmospheric phenomenon that defy our ability to fully comprehend.

If we were to take a rocket ship and fly into deep space, we’d see the fiery burning star that fuels our planet with light. Yet I find I get to witness a bit of that beauty when I come home and see my two cats walking up to me as I open the door.

Tornadoes, hurricanes, prairie valleys, star filled night skies, underground caverns, flocks of geese flying through the air, herds of cattle roaming on the fields, music played by a symphony orchestra, a butterfly flapping it’s little wings through a summer day, tall trees reaching up toward the heavens, giant whales lurching through the seas, is there any end to the amazing beauty of this world our God has created?

A resident here at Bishop Noa often comes over to me, and sits down at my table, and asks me if I’m with the church. And I reply yes. And he tends to always ask me the same question: “Do you believe there is a heaven?”

And I always say yes. I do believe there is a heaven. But it’s more than mere belief. I know there is a heaven.

He often asks a follow up question, he asks: If we went up in a rocket ship and kept going through space do you think we’d eventually reach heaven?

Well that’s an interesting question. See the Apostle Paul spoke of three heavens. The first heaven is probably the blue sky above us. The second heaven then must be the universe. And the 3rd heaven is of course God’s throne room and the place where He and his angels exist in and live. This place is told of in the book of Revelation. And if we took a rocket ship up to outer space, we would not reach God’s heaven, it is beyond our reality of space and time.

It’s an interesting question though. He says to me that he’s never been there. He’s never seen a heaven or a hell. So why should he believe that they are real?

The Bible says that deep down we all know that God exists. There is something deep within us that tells us this is so. I believe that is true. But I like to see evidence and facts on why I should believe something. After all I have to make sure no one scams me right?

So here is an argument for the existence of God.

1. The universe began to exist.

2. Anything that begins to exist must have a cause.

3. Therefore the universe must have a cause.

This cause must be spaceless, timeless, omnipotent, and personally active, thus the best explanation for the existence of our universe is God.

Here is another argument, we were just talking about the beauty and mystery of nature.

1. It is statistically impossible for complex living thinking lifeforms to evolve by chance, even given billions of years.

2. Therefore if chance is ruled out, design is implied.

3. To find design in life, nature, and the universe, means there must be a designer.

The designer must be omnipotent and timeless, the being best meeting these guidelines is God. So there is good evidence and argument to believe that God does exist and that He is active in human affairs.

Now we come to the most important man who ever lived: Jesus.

Jesus Christ most certainly existed and he lived and spoke to people and he died by being crucified on a cross by Roman authorities in collusion with the Jewish leaders of that time in ancient history. Even the most skeptical historians and scholars agree that Jesus existed, lived, and died by crucifixion. So that should be nailed down right now as absolute fact. There was a Jesus of Nazareth.

I would continue to argue that the Bible, the historical records of the history of Israel and the teachings of Jesus and the church should be considered authoritative and factual. In fact the Bible is the single most well attested historical document in history. Actually no other ancient document even comes close to the number of matching parallel manuscripts, which is about 5,686 I believe.

So God exists. Jesus existed. And the Bible can be trusted. Which is why we read the Bible here at our church services, and why we sing songs of praise and worship to our glorious God.

Jesus came, and the scriptures say he was the God-man, God come to Earth, which is what Immanuel means. Jesus lived a perfect life. He was tempted, just like we are tempted everyday. Remember, to be tempted is not to sin. We are all tempted, that is not sin. Jesus was tempted just like us. He got tired just like us. He had to go and by himself and pray, just like we do. He had to trust and obey the will of God the Father.

Jesus lived a rather unremarkable life until he reached the age of about 30. He grew up with his family, ate, drank, used the restroom, just like us. He studied, he learned, he trained under his father as a carpenter I assume, and eventually began working to support his parents and family. All of this time Jesus knew that he would one day go into Jerusalem, speak the truth to the people, do great deeds, and then be offered up as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. And for my sins personally.

Jesus knew, and He came voluntarily. No one forced him to come on His rescue mission to save us. He came because he values us so deeply .

Jesus lived a life of service to others. Every time I read the gospels it seems like Jesus did nothing but help other people. And as a pastor in training, just learning the ropes, I can tell you that such work is very stressful and quite exhausting. The emotional, personal work with others is very draining and often quite discouraging. Yet Jesus lived like that. He served others during his three year ministries.

Jesus’ ministry went a mere three years, and consider all he accomplished. People like Napoleon or Hitler, they conquered much of the known world during their times, but they were defeated, and driven back. Today Jesus’ kingdom is worldwide. There are over 2 billion Christians in the world today. Churches and Christian movements exist in every country big and small. All starting with a mere 3 years of ministry done by Jesus.

So Jesus lived, served, and healed those who were sick with supernatural power from heaven. The people even back then were very skeptical of him. When Jesus healed a blind man, the blind man was dragged before the religious leaders and they refused to believe that the man had even been blind, til they called his parents who testified to it. We’re often quite skeptical today too. But I find it reassuring that even back then, when people was literally walking around healing people and doing miracles they were still like: Yeah whatever he’s just a faker, he’s bad, he’s no good, he’s doing it by the devil or something. It’s not true, it’s not real. We try to write often Jesus today too. But I encourage you to reject that worldly attitude and embrace Jesus. Let go of that skepticism and dare to believe. Your life will change, because Jesus is real. And he is really risen from the dead. He is alive right now. And he is here with us. Someday everyone will see Jesus face to face, then they won’t be skeptical anymore. But for many by then it will be too late.

I want you to know Jesus personally. Not as a part of a big church, or because other people in your family know Jesus, or because your pastor or priest tells you so, I want you to know and have fellowship with Jesus personally, one on one. It’s between you and Him. You and Him.

We here are all sinners, in that we’ve fallen short in so many ways in our lives. We know that. I know that. I know my sins. I know how I’ve hurt others. I know how I’ve used people. I know how I’ve lied, stolen, cheated, and mistreated my parents. I know what I’ve done. It’s ugly. And it’s a weight constantly on my back. It’s heavy and it drags on my life. And I was so happy when in despair, agony, depravity that I called out to Jesus, and He took that heavy bag off my back, and where did Jesus put that weight? He put it on His own back. That’s what Jesus does for you. For you personally. If you will accept and believe in Him. If you will turn your sins over to Him, and believe that your sin was put on Jesus when Jesus was on the cross, then your sin is gone. If you will live for Jesus, then you will live forever. Jesus went to the cross to receive the punishment that each of us deserved. Believe this. And believe that three days later after Jesus had died, he resurrected from the dead, to set us free from death.

If you believe these things I want you to pray with now. I want you to say it in your mind to Jesus, from you to Him. And follow Jesus. Read his word. His word brings life. 

Related Posts:

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A Battlefield of the Mind: Battling Lies with the Truth of the Christian Worldview

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We raise our weapons and rally against the night.  It's coming you know.  It's here.  And we face it at every turn.  Battle after battle, clash after clash.  We seem so weak at times, we seem so vulnerable.  While the enemy marches on us with ten thousand veteran troops, we seem to rally with a handful of tattered, broken young boys and old men, armed with rusty weapons and meager defenses.  Too often it seems like the battle of helms deep, too many orcs, not enough defenders at the castle, and terrified leaders.  But then again, sieges can always be turned. 

The institutions of the west have been conquered, twisted, and re-oriented to attack the founding principles.  Academia, Hollywood, late night talk shows, news media, public education, universities, government bureaucracies, newspapers, big business entities, and internet have all embraced counter-american values and now actively seek to brainwash the young, subvert traditional values, fundamentally transform america, and embrace secular ethics.  Don't get me wrong, there are many institutions, businesses, news sources, and internet outlets that fight against this agenda.  But for the most part, the vast majority of the entrenched institutions are controlled by a secular progressive elite.  But what become clear several months ago is that the american people, the everyday average joes across the nation do not agree with or support this agenda.  In fact there is a growing rage against it.

So there is great reason to be hopeful.  My primary concern is to carry the gospel to lost people.  But my secondary concern is to help uphold culture, politics, and society.  That's why I discuss both together.  We as Christians, as the church on Earth are called to both carry the gospel and uphold society.  Yes, politics is messy.  Culture is messy.  Most Christians just throw up their arms and try to stay out of it.  I can't do that, because I know I'm called to interact in both the spiritual realm and the physical realm.  All these things are intertwined.  Simply saying that "politics, religion, and ideology" are all bad is just stupid.  All of these things are interrelated, and all of them affect each other.  So I simply attempt to carry the gospel to the lost of this world, and uphold society by sharing biblical values based around liberty and choice in politics, philosophy, and government.  

We exist on a perpetual battlefield. This is a war.  And we are soldiers.  We don't fight with weapons.  Instead, we fight with ideas.  We demolish false pretensions, lies, and stacked up ideologies that attempt to circumvent the truth.  

Has that concept been lost?  Maybe it has to a certain extent.  Though I see great reason for hope.  There are so many things happening that never make the news.  So many Christian ministries serving day and night, yet they never make the news.  There are so many activists out there sharing Christianity, sharing Jesus, and taking a stand for religious freedom.  It's a blossoming time for evangelical Christianity, and biblical values in modern culture.  Things are really changing, for the better, I hope.  


The struggle remains day and night.  It continues in our lives.  We all have are regions and sectors of the world, the areas where we're called to serve.  We serve in small towns, medium sized cities, regions, like the midwest, the east, the south, and so on and so forth.  It's an honor, really it is.  To have been selected for this mission by God, before the foundations of the Earth, to do this, to be loved by Him, is an honor beyond measure.  I hope you carry it with you, within you, as love that holds you in times of difficulty.

It makes sense doesn't it?  Yes indeed it does.  God is good.  He calls us to much action, and much boldness.  We are called to dangerous faith, faith that acts in desperate situations.  But the world is always coming to the brink.  This isn't a new phenomenon.  It has happened time and again throughout human history.  The narrative of man improving himself and the woes and failures of the past being gone, giving way to a bright altruistic modernism is simply false.  The 20th century was the worst yet as far as violence, war, genocide, and famine are concerned.  Humanity hasn't changed.  We haven't "evolved" beyond petty rivalries and power struggles.  There are just craftier ways of taking power and wealth today than in the past.  So be it.  Society comes to the brink, God rallies a few heroes to restore order.  It has happened and will happen again.  There is nothing new under the sun.

Be a channel for the Lord's work to be done.  Don your spiritual armor and stand against the mobs of hysterical secular revolutionaries.  Prepare the way for the Lord.  Plant the seeds of salvation through the witness of His power in your life and affairs.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not comprehended it.  Be the light in this world.  Be the noble man of honor and dignity. Be the serene woman of dignity and strength. That is so lacking in our world today.  It's easy to be a selfish slob, it's harder to be a dedicated man of honor.  It's easy to become darkness and spit in the face of good.  It's harder to do good and be good in a corrupt world.  

The battlefield of the mind is where we wage our battles.  This is a battlefield that we can't necessarily see with our eyes. But we can perceive it with our minds.  It's a system that's all around us, and it's all encompassing.  It's harder to notice for most because we've been raised up in it.  Often times there are rare people who can see it despite the fact that they have been raised in it.  But for the most part, people don't realize that it even exists.  They think their ideas are their own, when they are actually repeating ideas that have been programmed into them by the surrounding system.  So many live under the system, chasing after what it tells them to chase after, and living the way the system tells them to live.  

The solution is to take several steps outside the system, and try to see it for what it is.  We have a guidebook to help us do that, it's called the Bible.  The Bible gives us a road map to detect and subvert the current system.  We do this by considering the worldview around us, and fighting against it with the truth of God's word.  

Why are you so full of lust?  Why does your mind race so often with endless images of half clad women?  Or why does your mind race with images of the perfect female body, and why does your mind attack you and shame you into thinking that you aren't good enough and that you constantly have to look prettier, and that you have to eat less and that no matter what you aren't enough and you aren't wonderful and aren't lovely and aren't perfect enough?  Why aren't you the one who is good enough?  Well, the struggle is real.  The truth is, our minds have been absolutely bombarded by lies, false realities, false philosophies, false ideologies, and backwards ideas intended to shame us, use us, manipulate us, and send the money flying from our wallets and purses into the hands of those who propagate these false ideas.  

The word of God says that you've been made perfect in Christ.  The word of God says that you are of great value to God.  The word of God says to not worry about anything!

And the ideas of the world say that you are nothing but evolved space dust.  The world says that you are of no value unless your sexually appealing, have a perfect body, or are filthy rich.  The world says to worry about everything and try to force everything to go your way.  

The world says that your in charge.  Take life and make it what you want it to be!  The word of God says, obey God's will and not your own.  The word of God says to die to self, and live to Christ.  

The world constantly tells us to indulge our senses, indulge our stomachs, indulge our sexuality and buy everything we want.  The word of God says that you don't have to covet what others have.  You can be totally content with what you have right now.  You don't have to constantly feed your desires, you can shut them off, and stop them from throbbing endlessly, demanding to be titillated.  

Do you see how the ideas of the world have us under their control?  Yes, for many of us they certainly do, to varying degrees.  Yet God is so good, when Christ enters our lives he begins to set us free, breaking chain after chain, usually over a process of many years, he uproots the lies from our minds and implants the truths from His word.  Praise be to God for this sanctifying process. It's such a joy to be free from the lies of the world, those old nasty lies that run us ragged, fill us with stress, and drive us absolutely nutty. 

Challenge the lies of the world with God's truth.  The truth is in his word.  Learn to study.  Cultivate disciplines and practices of daily study.  It's not so hard.  If you struggle with integrating God's word into your daily routine, ask God in prayer to help you.  He certainly will.  I struggled with that so much, I was so set in my routines, so resistant to changing them.  But I asked God to change that, and he did, he opened up my routine, like a rush of air, it was changed.  Thanks be to God. 

We rush in a frenzy, trying to gather the forces of justice and light to rally against the insurrection rising up amongst us.  Western civilization seems determined to commit cultural and political suicide.  Secularism moves out in all directions.  We fight, but it seems like we fight against a tidal wave.  

We gather our men and women together into columns.  We rally at the great city in the wilderness. The clouds of the sky break to bright mid day son as we march upon the great evils of our time.  We can do this.  We can do this together.  Unite my brothers and sisters.  The times are desperate, the evils multiply like overlapping dark storms upon storms. 

When great evil rises, and all seems nearly lost, a desperate few who dare to believe can change everything.  A few, so few that still believe that God will rise up against their enemies will win the day.  When all seems impossible, when the land of the enemy is filled with giants, a good report brings victory and hope to the people.  We will be victorious.  Believe, and never stop fighting.  Day in, day out, month by month, year by year, in it for the long haul, never stop fighting on the battlefield of ideas, propagate the truth, spread it across the world, once found the truth is greater than a million lies.  

Additional Articles:

1. The Return of Jesus Christ & the New Jerusalem
2. What will the New Universe be like?
3. Origin, Meaning, Morality, & Destiny: An atheist and a Christian on discuss Worldview
4. Seven Objections to the Bible and Seven Reasonable Responses
5. Quick Fact Sheet: Four Points to Consider
6. 10 Answers to Common Questions Raised by Skeptics
7. Believing in the Miraculous: The Work of Jesus Christ on the Cross
8. Can you see through the illusion?
9. Philosophy, Science, Logic, and History: Presentations on the Truth of Christianity from Multiple Disciplines
10. No Evidence for God?