A Look at The Salvation Army and William Booth

The Salvation Army was co-founded by General William Booth and his wife Catherine in 1865 on the east side of London, England as a movement called “The Christian Mission”. In its critical years of inception and development into The Salvation Army, it made no claim to be a social agency. The ministry of the Christian Mission was entirely evangelistic. Out of its Christian compassion grew increased efforts to serve humanity’s material needs. This ultimately found its fruition in the Founder’s book, In Darkest England and the Way Out , published in 1890.

The Salvation Army, named so in 1878, is recognized through the world as a church which helps the poor sections of our communities. But performing acts of charity is not The Salvation Army’s primary purpose. The message that there is healing from God available in the name of Christ Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit is at the heart and soul of any of its ministries. It is a permanent mission to reach the unconverted and provide a caring social ministry as well. All of this motivated through the power and grace of Almighty God.

Like John Wesley before him, William Booth did not have a text book manual for developing a denomination, as he found himself striking new ground for the Kingdom of God and the body of the Church. General Paul A. Rader (Ret.) states, “General Booth never envisioned developing a new church, but preferred to see The Salvation Army as a continuing mission to the unconverted.” (Green, p.9.) William Booth’s passion and vision for preaching God’s love and call to the hearts of all who would listen came early in his life, but matured and transformed through each expression of leadership and decision.

One of the strongest ties Wesleyan Methodism purveys for the development of doctrine for The Salvation Army is that of sanctification and holiness of heart and life. “Part of John Wesley’s enduring theological legacy to the church was the distinction between justification and sanctification, or pardon and perfection. (Green, p.33.) John Wesley is quoted as stating, “There is more to the Christian experience than faith and forgiveness. The new birth that resulted from God’s forgiveness was only the threshold of holiness, when then entailed a process of continued openness to God’s grace and the exercise of love within a fellowship of believers that would provide a nurturing environment for growth in grace and in service to the world.” (Heitzenrater, p.220.)

Christian perfection was not an ideal which was unattainable within William Booth’s preaching, but an obligation of all believers to step away from sin and towards God’s holy character. William Booth would preach that not only has Christ died to save a soul from sin, but also to save it for sanctification – the holy life. Holiness of heart... an undivided heart was crucial. This doctrine of a life of sanctified holiness impassioned William Booth’s preaching, motivated any rationale of why to preach and where to preach and who to preach to. Focusing more on God’s will than an individual’s will, searching for God’s cleansing and keeping – these were fodder for William Booth and the manner in which he interpreted the Holy Scriptures. Give it all to God. His words still resonate today, boldly claiming in a sincere introspective statement, “The greatness of a man’s power is the measure of his surrender.” (Booth, 1910 public speech in London, England.)

Bibliographies

Booth, William, In Darkest England and the Way Out, Patterson Smith Publishing Corporation, Montclair, NJ, 1975.
Green, Roger J, The Life and Ministry of William Booth: Founder of The Salvation Army, Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN, 2005
Heitzenrater, Richard P., Wesley and the People Called Methodists, Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN, 1995.
Booth , William, public address, 1912:Internet Site: Sermonindex.com.

My Cohort Family at Asbury Theological Seminary

This is my band of brothers and one sister! After five long years of school together, we have finally come to the end of a long journey. We entered Asbury Theological Seminary in September 0f 2003 in the Master of Divinity degree program called "in-ministry". This would allow us to all stay in our ministry appointments that God has called us to and yet have the opportunity to earn our master's degree. While we completed two-thirds of the degree through the school's Exl program on-line, we also traveled to campus as a community of learners and completed the other one-third as traditional students. These past five years have given us all an opportunity to grow in our educational tract but also proved to be beneficial in growing us into a true "family of believers". We have share in each others trials and tribulations over the last five years and have also had the distinct privilege of celebrating the many joys and victories that life and ministry have brought about! We are prayer warriors who take every chance given to lift each other up, as well as our family and friends and congregations, in prayer. In the past five years we have grown through those prayers as well as come before the throne of God in singing and worshipping and learning and have felt the power of the Holy Spirit draw us together in a way that is indescribable.

I thank God for my "Cohort Family"! God is present and active in each of our lives. I ask that you hold them all up in prayer. They are Judy, Jim, Troy, Randy G., Randy M., Joel, Hugh, Larry, Ben, Marc, Joe, Steve, Frank, Scott, and me (Dave).

We are all on a mission. That mission is God's mission and He has molded us and equipped us to do battle for Him in the name of Jesus Christ! I am sure that God will use us each in the way he has planned and we each strive to serve Him every way! Our mission is not ending with the completion of this five year journey...it is just beginning!

"Mission is finding those whose hearts are right with HIM
and placing them where they can make a difference for the Kingdom!"---Oswald Chambers