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Editorial Introduction - UK
edition
by
Guest Editor, Captain Andrew Clark
Welcome to this special United Kingdom and Ireland Territory
edition of the Journal of Aggressive Christianity. It is most
UK Salvationist’s privilege to be able to take reasonable
length journeys and take walks along the Whitechapel Road, see
the Blind Beggar Pub and the old Quaker ground where Booth had
his first tent and to read in the histories of our corps
stories of the Army’s biggest name pioneers. The Army has no
doubt changed shape in the UK, but the passion lives on.
The issue kicks off with Captain Andrew Bale’s challenging
article, ‘Raison d'être’. In his though proviking and direct
style, Bale outlines what in essence was the UKs gift to the
worldwide Army – Primitive Salvationism – and challenges us
again to get back to the trenches, to keep the fundamentals
alive amongst us.
Taking us to the core roots of spiritual warfare, we have
Captain Lynne Davis sharing some teaching on ‘Blessings and
Curses.’ In our UK context we work against a background of
active occultic practice in many of our cities but also in a
cynical nation with a careless tongue. Captain Davis provides
some thought provoking challenges to ensuring we are free in
Christ and standing firm against the enemies schemes.
From her background in Franciscan Orders, Eleanor Burne-Jones
wades in with some big questions about how we promote, in
whatever context we are in, the core mission passion that is
ours as Salvationists. Against the backdrop of the confusion
of post-modernism, Eleanor asks if the best way to capture our
founding vision is to capture and own Salvation Army charisms
instead of cold statements which may never find their way off
the pages they are written on. She talks about Salvationism
embedded deep in the heart of the soldier.
It would be senseless to have a UKT edition without a
contribution from one of the ‘Founders.’ Instead of looking to
the Booths, we’ve included an article entitled ‘Tears’ by
Commissioner George Scott Railton initially published in the
Christian Mission days in their magazine. Hear the
Commissioner’s passion as he urges all followers of Jesus to
weep for the lost, from the closest of friends to the
strangest of strangers.
Captain Tanya Dooley, and American officer who has adopted the
UKI as her home territory offers us an empassioned call to the
Army to measure itself against the theological image of the
church as the Bride of Jesus and brings forth some great
images of covenant, love, holiness and reward. She challenges
us to be ‘a marching bride!’ She then follows this up with a
second article, a prophetic poem, a call to arms entitled ‘Fed
Up!’
Major Stephen Poxon, an accomplished and published Army
writer, offers a grass roots response to the General’s keynote
address at the recent conference of International leaders.
Poxon applauds and affirms an Army that marches bravely and
consistantly through strong tides of secularism and
post-modernism but issues a challenging call to every
Salvationist to be confident in our calling before God and
secondly, a call to us all to recognise the value, worth and
valiant ministry of corps officers and soldiers at the grass
roots of our movement.
Talking grass roots, pioneering soldier, David Lumm, shares
some of the convictions that have led him and his wife, Lucy,
to step out in faith and move to a town with no current
Salvation Army corps and seek to serve God as covenanted
soldiers there. Primitives to the core, David and Lucy have
stepped out to embrace this ‘Time for Action.’
Finally, my article identifying ‘apostolic genius’ in the
primitive Salvation Army was written, like Bale’s article at
the beginning, to re-affirm for our territory and the world’s
Army that at the root of our movement is the spiritual DNA
that catapults every significant move of God in the course of
history.
Read and be blessed, challenged and inspired.
yours from the home of Primitive Salvationism,
Andrew Clark
Captain
About the Editor
Captain Andrew Clark was rescued by brave local Salvationists
who dared enough to get involved in his life as a young
complicated teenager from a broken home. Inspired from the
beginning by anyone who would reach out to him, he is
determined to be the hero to many who share his roots. He
currently works in Torry, an urban priority community in inner
city Aberdeen, Scotland with his wife Tracy where they are
currently working to re-establish a floundering corps with a
small soldier team. Committed to incarnational living,
cell-based community and unapologetic proclamation of the
Kingdom, they seek to be good news to the poor and live to
rebuild, restore and renew Torry by a ministry pattern based
on Isaiah 61, Jesus-style.
Andrew is the author of a couple of self-published books: ‘Who
would have guessed?’ (testimony), ‘Salvationism Out Loud!’
(collection of short articles from his blog, Army Renewal) and
‘Blood and Fire’, currently being considered for publication
by IHQ.
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