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Characteristics
of Salvationism
by
Commissioner Wesley Harris
AMONG the people
of God Salvationists are likely to have certain
characteristics. I
would mention a few.
For one thing they should be visible.
In the street where we live my wife and I are known as
Salvationists because week by week we are seen in our uniform.
Our garb has sacramental significance and gives silent
testimony to our creed. Others may keep their faith under
wraps and only share it with close neighbours but we are
called upon to stand out because we stand up and at the very
least let our uniform do the talking.
The visibility of
our profession is a privilege and a responsibility. It
announces our availability to be of service to any in need.
The honour of the movement is on our shoulders.
If behind
the wheel of a car a uniformed salvationist behaved badly the
Army might share the blame just as courtesy on the road could
confirm a positive view.
On my travels
through the years my uniform has encouraged complete strangers
to confide in me and made it possible for me to help in ways
that would not have been likely otherwise.
Of course, what I have been able to share has needed to
be more than ‘uniform deep’ – a living and personal faith, no
less.
Then
Salvationists are often audible. Through the years some
of us have shouted the odds on issues of life and death on
beaches and street corners and market places.
But there have also been opportunities to speak up for
our Lord in an office or factory where it may have been known
that we were professing Christians and therefore expected to
witness.
Have we sometimes
been non-committal or struck dumb?
It is said that silence is golden but sometimes it may
just be yellow! The psalmist wrote, ‘Let the redeemed of the
Lord say so…’ (Psalm 107.2 KJV). It should be in our spiritual
DNA that when opportunity arises we will not hold back from
speaking a word in
season.
Then it should be
characteristic of the Slvationist that he or she is
credible. There is no doubt that in the early days of our
movement some of our forebears were outlandish in their
methods. No doubt
sedate souls looked askance at some of the means employed to
attract attention but they could not but be impressed when
drunkards became
sober and wife-beaters gentle men.
Holiness was a
prescribed part of salvationism so that even
critics had to admit that they were Army folk were good
people.. Now in some parts of the world we have to pray that
we may be at least as good as people have come to think we are
for we are all too conscious of our imperfections.
When The
Salvation Army is working at its best there is abundant
evidence for the credibility of the gospel.
It is found in the lives of souls reborn. God is
honoured by the lives of his faithful people.
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