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9
Reasons Why I'm A Salvationist
by Captain Peter
Brookshaw
I love The Salvation Army. Now don’t hear me as being someone
who is lacks the ability to critique a movement to which I
have committed to serve my life in. Far from it. But, that
being said, I love The Salvation Army. And maybe we don’t say
that enough. We are so ready to, as we would say in Australia,
‘to take the Micky out of it’. That is we are quick to find
the negative and let that be the content of our conversation.
Repentance and humility is needed. Absolutely. But let me take
a different approach right now.
The list I offer to you is not ’9 reasons why I chose
Salvationism over something else…’ I’m not attempting to
compare the mission and ministry of The Salvation Army with
that of the church down the road. I want to point out ideas,
concepts and reasons why I feel absolutely connected with the
work of this movement.
I want to offer to you, in no particular order, 9 reasons why
I’m a Salvationist. I surely should have some reasons; I mean,
I had put aside other ambitions in life and sacrificed other
things to become a Soldier in The Salvation Army. You may have
your own list.
Here is mine. 9 Reasons why I’m a Salvationist.
Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 1 –
I want to fight to make a difference in the world.
Salvationism best expresses my own inherent desires to stand
tall and advocate against injustice, to work to rid the world
of sinfulness, through Jesus Christ. There is an alignment
between what I desire to do in my life with the mission to
which God has called The Salvation Army to participate in, and
that which the Lord would have us do. I’m still ok with the
para-military nature of this ‘Army’. I can hold the tension
between a pacifist, compassion-filled, Jesus-focused kind of
ministry, with the need to fight. To water down the ‘fighting’
aspect of The Salvation Army, I believe dilutes the
passionate, aggressive drive within us to combat injustice and
write the wrongs of a broken society. We
can reconcile a
call to compassionate ministry, with a resolute commitment to
speaking out against discrimination and fighting for the
rights of the last, lost and the least. In fact, to not fight
for such things is not compassion at all.
Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 2 –
I have joined a movement that has agreement on foundational
doctrinal statements. I don’t aim to be theologically
controversial in this article. We have tried and tested
doctrinal statements that provide a great foundation for the
faith to which we profess. One may critique the wording and
the nuances of such statements, and I welcome that, but that
doesn’t alter the fact, for me personally, that such beliefs
undergird my commitment to this movement. See, we believe in
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe people can be
sanctified. We believe people need justification from sin that
only Jesus provides and they need the regeneration of the Holy
Spirit. We believe in the eternal happiness of the righteous
and the endless punishment of the wicked. The ground hasn’t
shifted such that we no longer uphold the nature of God,
original sin, justification, holiness, and the like. I love
the consistency of theological belief across this global
movement.
Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 3 –
We integrate the work of evangelism and social justice. We
don’t separate the two and place them in two different
buildings with two different line managers and never the twain
shall meet. No. As William Booth said, they are like Siamese
twins. As I wrote in a recent blog post, ‘When
the gospel is only about the salvation of souls we deprive
Salvationism of the fullness of the work of Christ. When the
service of God through The Salvation Army is only about cups
of cold water to those in need we can let people go
spiritually thirsty.
Captain Andy Miller III in
his new book Holistic
Hospitality says,
'The way in which people understood [the] balance between what
is social and what is spiritual was an issue in the beginning
of the Army and is still an issue today.' He mentions that in
some points of The Salvation Army's history we had 'dynamic
holistic missiology'.’ See the post:
Controversial Ideas The Salvation Army needs to wrestle with.
I love when I witness the amazing power that happens when
someone follows Christ and at the same time is finding
shelter, forgiveness, food and reconciliation.
Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 4 –
I have joined a global movement. I believe we are yet to grasp
the significance of having global interconnectedness. When a
powerful move of the Holy Spirit impacts enough territories
within the Army, it will spread like an Australian Bushfire
through the entire movement. In today’s technological culture,
let’s not sleep through an era in which there is so much
potential. Can I be honest for moment? I am disappointed there
are not more Salvationists using the platforms of social media
to make a difference in the world. I wrote a blog the other
day and it had 1,700 readers in two days. That’s more than my
Grandma and Great Aunt. Your God-ideas can go global in
minutes. Why are not more Salvationists embracing it? Why are
there not more Commissioners with Facebook pages, using their
God-given position and the ‘brand’ that that represents and
use it to grow the Kingdom of God? Why are there not more
social justice advocates with far-reaching twitter accounts?
We have global connectedness in The Salvation Army. It is
largely underutilized and over bureaucratized. Speak out about
Jesus! Advocate for the oppressed! Use all the avenues given
to you to make a difference!
Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 5 –
What grabbed hold of me when I first became a part of a
Salvation Army community of faith (when I was 18), was the
welcome I felt within that community. This wasn’t some
manipulative welcoming that was intended to simply grab
another recruit or fill an empty chair on a Sunday morning.
There was something alive with the Corps that made me feel
alive. People would join together every Sunday night after the
meeting and go out for pizza and pasta. We would laugh until
our bellies hurt and eat until our bellies hurt. I couldn’t go
past the welcome that these particular Jesus-people offered.
See, I didn’t receive that welcome at the local sporting club,
and I sure didn’t have that kind of community in my schooling
years.
Some of your hear this and say, ‘Well, I haven’t been part of
that kind of welcoming community. In fact, where I was, there
was only judgmentalism.’ I’m sorry if that was your
experience. But, what I am saying, is that one of the core
reasons why I personally am a Salvationist today is because of
that amazingly warm welcoming spirit that engulfed me at that
local corps. May we replicate such inclusive community in our
local expressions of Salvation Army ministry.
Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 6 –
The history of The Salvation Army fires me up and still does.
The explosive growth of The Salvation Army, in particular the
years 1878 – 1890 absolutely grips my heart. How could God
raise up a movement that radically expanded into scores of
countries within years? What was it that drove a 16 year-old
girl named Eliza Shirley to move from the UK to Philadelphia,
U.S.A. to open fire in a new country? Why would Edward
Saunders and John Gore be so passionate about this Christian
mission, that in the late 1800s they stood on the back of a
greengrocer’s cart in a park in South Australia and preach the
gospel and offer people a meal? Why would Salvationists be
praying ALL-NIGHT and even run out of room in the prayer
meetings, because the facilities were not big enough to
accommodate all those attending the prayer meeting? Why would
Salvationists like William McKenzie be in the trenches in
World War I, praying with Army soldiers, leading funerals,
running out into battle with the troops and being a chaplain
in such a volatile, horrific situation like WWI? What drove
William Booth to travel the world to raise up such a movement?
The passion, tenacity, focus and faith-filled dynamism of such
Salvationists still inspires me today. They lived for
something that drove them to their knees in prayer, that
called them to leave the comforts of their own lifestyles, and
to partner with God with vision that sparked a world-wide
movement. God, may we replicate the passion and drive of such
Salvationists today.
I
think of Eugene Peterson’s version of Romans 12:1-2,
‘So here’s what I want you to
do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your
sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and
place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does
for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so
well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without
even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be
changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants
from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around
you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God
brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in
you.’
Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 7 –
One of the reasons why I’m a Salvationist is because what I
believe God wants to do through The Salvation Army in the days
ahead. This is a faith thing and isn’t related so much to what
has gone before and what is even happening now (as good as
that has been and is). There is a little belief that pounds on
my heart that won’t go away. I liken it one of my children,
sitting in the car, saying, ‘Dad. Dad. Dad… Dad… Dad! Dad.
Dad. Daddy. Dad. Dad.’ The little voice is constant. I believe
it’s the whisper of the Holy Spirit and the regular reminder
in my mind of what the Spirit has said. The best days are
still ahead for The Salvation Army. I’ve said that 37 times
and I’ll say it again. It’s not that God is not doing great
things now. Sure. God is. I love it. I celebrate that. I’ve
heard some of the stories. I agree. That’s awesome. Though,
imagine the days when the Holy Spirit is spreading through
this movement in new and radical ways. Muslims are becoming
followers of Jesus by the thousands. Officer numbers are
increasing one hundred fold. Corps planting is hard to keep up
with. Conferences are jam packed. Homeless shelters are being
established like no tomorrow. We are raising up new hospitals,
rehabs and communities of faith in low-socio economic areas
that makes the past pale in significance.
Call me delusional. Call me crazy. I believe that when the
Spirit moves afresh upon us (as we allow Holy Spirit to do
that) and when we move from an institution to a movement ethos
we will witness global transformation. Sometimes you have to
build an Ark in a desert because you know sooner or later God
is about the send the rain.
Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 8 –
We have a radical, sold-out commitment to the last, the lost
and the least. Jesus clearly expressed a leaning towards
helping the poor, the outcast, the rejected and the seemingly
unlovable. His first public speech, as recorded in Luke’s
gospel, is one where he quotes Isaiah 61, and he affirms his
commitment to preaching good news to the poor, to healing the
brokenhearted and to setting the captive free. He then stirs
up the crowd and suggests to them that the people of God are
sent to be a blessing to more than just the Israelite people,
but to even the Gentiles!
I admire employees, Salvationists and volunteers who have laid
down their life to serve the most vulnerable of our
communities. The stories I hear are of chaplains sitting for
copious amounts of time listening and mentoring broken people.
They include stories of volunteers giving lifts to people who
are stranded and employees going to great lengths to encourage
an alcoholic to reform the way they think and behave. The
commitment I see in these workers within our movement is
inspirational. I’m a Salvationist because I align the call of
Jesus to minister to broken people, and see The Salvation Army
as an amazing vehicle to fulfil that mission.
Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 9 –
We do stuff. Yes, that’s right. We don’t just sit around in
our ecclesiastic structures intellectually debating
controversial theological issues. We do something about that
which we believe. The pragmatism of The Salvation Army
motivates me. Some have critiqued The Salvation Army for not
being intellectual enough; for not wrestling enough with
theological ideas and concepts. There’s probably truth to
that. Those with the gift of teaching should fan their gifts
into flame and continue to wrestle with what discipleship
looks like in a rapidly changing 21st Century.
Though the pragmatic, ‘do something’ kind of culture of The
Salvation Army is exciting. Someone is in need and we want to
help them. Someone is homeless, we want to house them. Someone
is addicted, we want to set them free. We are pragmatic to the
core and that’s one reason why I’m a Salvationist.
There is always more to be said. Some of these ideas may
inspire you. I hope they do. As we align our hearts with that
of God’s, I pray that God truly would grant the desires of our
hearts!
Pete Blogs Regularly at:
www.petebrookshaw.com
Twitter: @petebrookshaw
Facebook Page:
www.facebook.com/petebrookshaw
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