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Primitive Salvationism: Warriors in
The Army of Salvation & Soldiers in The Salvation Army
by Cadet Christopher Footer
WARNING
This article is idealistic and primitive. It is intended to
provoke thought, entice hearts and move bodies to some sort of
aggressive action.1
There is only one God, and there is only one Salvation Army.
That army however is made of many people; and many people have
many views. There are traditional Salvationists, Pentecostal
Salvationists, radical Salvationists, neo-Salvationists,
primitive-Salvationists… The list is endless. The focus of
this paper is Primitive Salvationism, however it is important
to state from the very beginning that these labels are just
that, labels. Not everyone will fit neatly into a
‘Salvationist box’; and even when someone does fit into a box
this does not mean they are incapable of stretching beyond the
boundaries of that box. These labels should aid us in
discovering who we are, and what we stand for; not constrict
us from expressing ourselves to our God, and to those around
us.
Primitive Salvationists are mission focused militants, and are
heavily involved in both mission and ministry. We believe in
“Going for souls, and going for the worst”, and there is a
strong sense of “relationship between our historical
foundations and obedience and call”2
While we do not wish to return to the days of women wearing
bonnets and men growing long beards, we passionately desire to
fulfil the great commission of our God. We long to make
disciples of all nations3,
and as William Booth put it, ‘win the world for Jesus’.
General John Gowans states; “I don’t want The Salvation Army
to demilitarise. I would say it should arm up and go for it;
because there’s a world here that needs a fighting company.”4
Primitive Salvationists aim to be this ‘fighting company’.
The concept of being a ‘fighting company’, a battalion of
soldiers at war, is not a metaphor. Primitive Salvationists
believe strongly in spiritual warfare, and are aggressively
involved in the ongoing war ‘…against the powers of this dark
world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
realms.’5 Being
charismatic in practice, primitive Salvationists believe in
(and practice) things such as miracle healing and prophetic
speaking. Captain Stephen Court (a prominent
primitive-Salvationist) has been heard to ask the question,
‘Have you ever raised someone from the dead? No? Well have you
ever tried?’. We are active, aggressive, and intentional about
the war we wage. While this behaviour may seem somewhat ‘out
there’ to some people, it is not all that different to how the
early Salvationists fought: “The Salvation Army came to be
synonymous with miracles, signs, wonders, and all sorts of
extravagant behaviour. They felt that people would be more
likely to believe in the 2,000 year old miracle stories of the
Bible if they saw miracles performed on their own streets.”6
Not content with war on the spiritual front alone, Primitive
Salvationists are also “fiercely evangelical and politically
aggressive”.7 To
this end you will find that Primitive Salvationists actively
speak out on morality issues such as abortion, sweat shops and
same sex marriage. You will also find, hanging on the office
wall of a Primitive Salvationist, a photograph of the child or
children they sponsor overseas. We exercise holy passion to
win the world for Jesus. Not just the people in our street;
but people the world over. As Chick Yuill puts it, “Our
presence should make a difference! Like salt, we should
challenge the corruption of all that is evil… It is not enough
to challenge non-Christian society by our presence. We must
seek to transform it by our participation.”8
We are not just present in the world, we are involved in it,
and we are fighting for the people that live on it!
This paints a picture of a zealous people, a fighting people,
a people living ‘on the edge’. We live this way because we
believe in our God, and we believe in a Heaven and a hell. We
must live on the edge, for it as at the edge that people fall
into the flames of hell. If we do not stand in the way,
pointing towards a better way, then who will? “We do all the
good we can, by all the means we can, in all the ways we can,
in all the places we can, at all the times we can, as long as
ever we can.”9
Some might accuse Primitive Salvationists of being overly
zealous, overly optimistic, and somewhat unrealistic. Does
Primitive Salvationism fail to apply itself in a way that
genuinely grasps current realities? No. “The Spirit of Christ
is the spirit of missions, and the nearer we get to Him the
more intensely missionary we must become.”10
While some people may not be comfortable with the way we do
things or the way we present ourselves, one truth rings
painfully in our ears: thousands of people condemn themselves
to hell for all eternity every day; and every day Christians
stand idle. Primitive Salvationists will not stand idle!
“While there remains one dark soul without the light of God,
we’ll fight, we’ll fight to the very end!”11
“Those who do not feel the urgent need of radical changes in
themselves and in mankind, or those who cannot reconcile
themselves to the desperate measures required by so desperate
a case, have nothing in common with us. The world is lost, and
Jesus has come to save it; and it must be saved, at any cost,
and whatever that may require, because whoever is not saved
will be damned forever.”12
It is important to note however that as with all things, a lot
of the aspects of Primitive Salvationism can be taken too far.
We are called to give our all, but not to the extent that we
wear ourselves into the ground where we are no good to anyone.
To sum up the heart of Primitive Salvationism, it is
“charismatic-flavoured, mission-focused heroism”13.
Primitive Salvationists are Warriors in The Army of Salvation;
and Soldiers in The Salvation Army. We will go to great
lengths to see even a single soul saved, and we will keep up
this fight until every soul is saved, or Christ returns to
Earth. How can any Salvationist live any other way? This is
not about how we worship, what songs we do and don’t sing,
what constitutes regulation uniform, or even any deep
theological debate. This is a response to the calling of
Christ, and to the mission of The Salvation Army.
Cadet Christopher Footer
A Servant of God
The Salvation Army Officer Training College -
Australia Southern Territory
Endnotes
1 Danielle Strickland - http://www.primitivesalvationist.com/perspectives.html
2 Rowan Castle
3 Matthew 28:18-20
4 General John Gowans - A Cause To Die For
5 Ephesians 6:12
6 Aaron White & Stephen Court – Revolution - Pg 75
7 Lieutenant Rowan Castle
8 Chick Yuill – Battle Orders - Pg 72
9 Source unknown
10 Henry Martyn - The Speaker's Quote Book – Pg 251
11 General William Boothe
12 George Scott Railton – Revolution – Pg 100
13 Captain Stephen Court
Bibliography
Primitive Salvationist – Rediscovering the Purpose of The
Movement
http://www.primitivesalvationist.com
A Cause To Die For – Become a modern-day warrior for Jesus (vol
1 DVD)
The Salvation Army Communications Department, Sydney,
Australia
Bolton, B Booth’s Drum
Hodder and Stoughton : Australia, 1980
Footer, C Warriors In The Army of Salvation & Soldiers In The
Salvation Army
Soldiership classes for the Primitive Salvationist, 2005
Ryan, G Sowing Dragons
The Salvation Army, 2001
White, A & Court, S Revolution (2nd Edition)
Credo Press, pre-publication digital copy, 2006
Yuill, C Battle Orders, Salvation Army Soldiership
The Salvation Army, 1997
E-mail correspondence with:
• Lieutenant Rowan Castle
• Captain Stephen Court
• Geoff Ryan
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