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Catching Up to William Booth
by Major
Stephen Court
We're inculcated with the priority of
the moment (selfies prove we were there!), the ascendancy of
the current (epitomised by recency bias), and the obsolescence
of the ancient.
All of this underlines a generational arrogance that presumes
it is better than what preceded.
Here's a little secret...
It's always been the case (though,
admittedly, ebbing and flowing through history and at
different rates in different places).
Hold that thought.
Now, William Booth, largely celebrated
for his innovative creativity and apostolic leadership, is
widely undervalued for his convictions.
Here are ten Booth had, along with the impact of
generational impact on the embrace of those convictions.
1. William Booth saw no New Testament
priesthood.
The Church of the day disagreed.
Today the Church is catching up with
William.
So is The Salvation Army.
We’re seeing that sticking a title like pastor’ behind
certain people’s names is inaccurate, misreading Scripture,
and hampering mission.
We’re seeing that it is inaccurate because lots with
that label are not ‘pastor’ / shepherd but apostle or prophet
or evangelist (alluding to Ephesians 4); it is misreading
because ‘pastor’ is translated that way only once in the Bible
– every other time it comes out ‘shepherd’ (and why is it that
no one sticks THAT on their business card?
[and the four-fold of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and
shepherd & teacher); and it is hampering mission because it
identifies with a role and an institution rejected out of hand
by the large majority of people in the world – the actual
people we’re trying to reach!
AND, it elevates the people of God who
are sent (apostolic), who prophesy (prophetic), evangelise
(evangelistic), and disciple (shepherd & teach).
2. William Booth saw no female
subordination in NT Scripture.
The Church of the day disagreed.
Today some of the Church is buying in.
And some of The Army is, too… Some of
our best apostles, best prophets, best evangelists, best
disciplers are female, as you’d expect.
And we’re increasingly recognizing them, applauding
them, supporting them, following them.
Much, much more to come…
3. William Booth saw an aggressive
evangelistic mandate in the New Testament.
The Church of the day disagreed.
Today most of the Church is catching
up.
The Army is rediscovering this, too.
We’re seeing that all of the credibility we’ve built
up, the incredible global infrastructure, the corporate genius
in dealing with marginalization, the collective sacrifice and
commitment, all of it can be leveraged to optimize
supernatural results for the Gospel.
Hallelujah.
4. William Booth saw no institution of
sacraments.
The Church of the day disagreed.
Today some of the Church is changing
its focus.
Some of The Army is blinking awake to
the truth, again, too.
There was a dalliance for a generation with imitating
‘church’ and all of its liturgical accoutrements.
But we’re recognizing the robustness of primitive
salvationism’s convictions and the missional shot-in-the-arm
that accompanies such perspective.
5. William Booth saw that the great
commission was a command.
The Church of the day disagreed.
Today some of the Church is coming
around.
The Army is figuring this out, too.
Whether it is the local expressions that are sorting
that without intentional, rigorous discipling practices we’re
limiting ourselves in impact or all the way out to a global
recognition that ‘all nations’ is a still a big gap in our
obedience that requires focus and commitment, we’re sensing
the indomitable draw of the great commission.
6. William Booth saw that the world
could actually be won.
The Church of the day disagreed.
Today more and more are believing that
we shall win if we fight in the strength of the King.
And our Army is getting around to this
point of view again, too.
Well, we believe it.
And you might, too.
That’s two of us.
And climbing!
7. William Booth saw no biblical
favouritism based on wealth.
The Church of the day disagreed.
Today most of the Church worldwide has
lined up with his understanding of truth.
SA keeps getting it (that is, we keep
resisting the temptation to butter up those with wealth at the
expense of those without it).
And, of course, most of the ‘church worldwide’ is
without wealth these days so the perspective has changed.
8. William Booth saw no reason to
criticise or benefit in criticising other parts of the Body of
Christ.
The Church of the day disagreed.
Today much of the Church has learned
this lesson.
Salvos are getting this, too.
We oppose the temptation to throw dirt and dig
ourselves in bigger holes.
And we celebrate victories across the Body of Christ as
they are ours (even if it means magnifying tiny connections,
like Gilbert Bilezikian getting saved at an open air meeting
and then being influential in the start of an influential
church or Yongii Cho apparently offering for Officership or
Brian Houston being an Officers’ kid or… [and let's not
criticise the later doings, following the main #8 point]).
9. William Booth saw justice as crucial
to the Gospel.
The Church of the day disagreed.
Today, increasing portions of the
Church has come onside.
The Army gets this.
And so as Richard Munn lays it out, we engage in social
service, social action, and justice – three tiers of
manifesting the effects of the Gospel.
10. William Booth saw no limits to the
power of Jesus’ love.
The Church of the day disagreed.
Today, a lot of the Church has
experienced his same revelation.
And The Army experiences it, too.
And so we relentlessly press in for more and more of
Jesus’ love in our own lives and through our lives to those
still lacking it.
God help us.
So, thinking differently might come
from a humility that recognises that the past (and Booth,
specifically in this take) has something from which we can
learn. God make us
humble and help us learn.
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