Question 1
Is the linking together of the words "The Salvation Army" and "Church": a contradiction; a duplication; a happy marriage; or something else?
Question 2
Has "The Salvation Army" focussed more on "Army" or "Salvation" in its development, or has it managed to develop both?
Question 3
Do you have to be in The Salvation Army in order to be a "Salvationist"?
Feel free to leave comments on any or all of these questions. Your answers will not be held against you (!) but maybe used (anonymously and with your permission) in a further report on my thoughts and findings.
For your reference, here are the comments received so far on the first 2 questions.
Salvation Army Social Services Lay Employee
Question 1
Hmm.. I think that there must be a discipline within each of us who are Christians, and from that aspect I'd agree with the 'Army'. At the same time I feel that this discipline should be a self discipline and that it should not be enforced on everyone. I don't think the church needs to be disciplined as much as an army, but then maybe that's part of the reasons that the church is the way it is at this time.
At the same time we should be preaching God's grace and love, an army isn't generally renowned for for those elements of character. So from that aspect I think the biggest contradiction is 'Salvation' and 'Army' (although I know why they were put together)Question 2
Ok I think that I touched slightly on this in the first bit but I will go into again. I think that many army officers have become too wrapped up in the lineage of the army (much like the real army, i.e. I'm a fourth generation Salvationist) it has become a career for many rather than a passion that it should be. It was Jesus' passion for us that made him go to the cross for us and from the same point of view it should be our passion that leads other to the cross.
I think that the Salvation Army needs to rediscover its true meaning. An 'Army' (e.g. mass of people) pointing people to the saviour and showing them how to get the Salvation that has been paid for by the death on the cross.
Minister of an Evangelical Church
Question 1
To me it is not a contradiction, it's just a name. I have heard some Salvationists say that you are not a church.
Question 2
From my outside and uniformed perspective it seems that the army went away from its roots and was focussing on army more than salvation. The army seemed to become synonymous with music and uniform than presenting gospel. Again from an outside perspective it appears that the Army has been finding its roots again which has breathed new life.
A Salvation Army Officer (Corps)
Question 1
Army and Church are an entirely biblical idea...check out the Pauline text on armour etc.
Question 2
Probably neither! If we want to keep the name and remain credible with it then we need to focusing on fighting for people to align their lives with Gods.
A Salvation Army Bandmaster
Question 1
To Salvationists a duplication but to non Sally’s more an explanation.
Question 2
The Salvation Army has always focused on Salvation.
A Salvation Army Divisional Lay employee.
Question 1
I would opt for "happy marriage". TSA is a church and so the words can be linked both to express the church context of TSA's work and the Christian beliefs that motivate its work in other spheres (e.g. social outreach).
Question 2
Though "salvation" (i.e. mission outreach) has always been the stated focus of development inevitably the organisation has often been sidetracked into building structure and systems of an "army" (i.e. organisational development).
A Salvation Army Officer (DHQ)
Question 1
Depends to whom it is addressed. I don't see the need for the linkage if it is to an Army or church-based audience. It would be a duplication. However, in a non-churched culture it could be helpful, giving a clear picture of what we are about.
Question 2
Depends on where and when. Probably there has been an undue emphasis on "Army" on occasions, but hard to generalise.
A Salvation Army Officer (Corps)
Question 1
A happy marriage but I would contend that if used in terms of evangelism, the word church is not a terribly welcoming word to attract. This is borne out of general public questionnaires that indicate that 8% regularly attend church yet 69% testify to having had a spiritual experience (Mission Shaped Church - Graham Gray et al) People will be attracted to authentic and real life, with a dose of hearing from a Christian 'I'm struggling and haven't got it all together yet'. My own perception is they will not be attracted by 'Come along to church' (with the implication, 'We are sorted!') So I'd prefer 'Salvation Army' with a sub heading of our mission
Question 2
Too much on the Army and not enough on the SALVATION
A Non-member of The Salvation Army
Question 1; I don't think I would describe it as a happy marriage, perhaps just a marriage, with its ups and downs
Question 2; I fear it’s often perceived as too much Army and too little Salvation. Sometimes I have to agree.
A Senior Salvation Army Officer (Territorial)
Question 1
It is, in my view, a crucial necessity to link both. The Salvation Army is not an organisation, it is not a business, and it is not even adequately described as a movement. Sure there are elements of all these things in what the Army is, but first and foremost the Army is a part of the Body of Christ. It is therefore, 'church'. It has to be. If not, I have no place in it.
Question 2
I am privileged to get an overview of the Army through international eyes. I have seen the Army engaged in ministry and service in many parts of the world. In my view, both 'Army' and 'Salvation' have been - and are being - well developed globally because both words describe who and what we essentially are. The Army is bigger now, globally, than it has ever been in the whole of its existence. Salvation' therefore must be well developed. If by 'Army' we mean aggressive Christianity rather than playing Army games, then we are developing the 'Army' concept well too. Look globally, and you see that the Army is fighting aggressively against many of those things that devalue humanity. In the UK, our recent campaign in relation to the Gaming Bill is a good example. Another example is the IHQ response to human trafficking and the tsunami disaster. There are many more examples of course.
Salvation Army Social Services Lay Employee
Question 1
The Salvation Army is an integral part of the universal Christian Church. That's pretty clear to me.
For some people of the "Old Corps" there is a difficulty with the definition of the SA as a church because in the dim & distant past there was snobbishness in the "church general" that looked down on the SA and the lack of education of many of its ministers. This has change over the years so that there is now a reverse snobbishness within the Army.
Question 2
The good old SA used to be pretty authoritarian, run with an army style discipline where the CO's word was law; the Division ruled supreme with the General pretty much revered much like in the Catholic Church. Times change and the Army has changed with it.
As far as Salvation versus Army, my experience has pretty much been that Salvation was always fore front with the "field" although the ways used to profess this became pretty atrophied.
The wearing of uniform meant that "outsiders" tended to group any uniformed Salvationist as pretty much on a par regardless of whether the wearer was soldier or officer.
A Salvation Army Officer (DHQ)
Question 1
It certainly isn't a contradiction - I guess in some ways it is a duplication because that's precisely what we are...a church - yes, we have our distinctive characteristics and personality (as do all other churches/denominations) - but we are part of 'the universal Christian Church' (to quote our own international mission statement). I'm not sure I agree with 'a happy marriage' - a marriage takes place between two people - who, whilst they gladly choose to be together, are capable of existing without the other - the day The Salvation Army sees itself as existing in its own right - without any reference to the wider Church is the day we stop being a church and start being a sect.
Question 2
Um....hard to say. I think it's attempted to develop in a holistic way - seeing development as a whole rather than the two being separate things. I think the way people view the relationship between salvation and social justice is key - do we only really care about personal salvation or are we seriously committed to seeing society transformed by people whose own lives have been transformed by the saving power of Jesus Christ?
A Salvation Army Officer (DHQ)
Question 1
In my opinion they are not a contradiction. In fact they are very Biblical. We are called to do battle with the enemy - defending the ground, reclaiming the land and pushing back the frontiers of evil.
Question 2
They are inseparable in my mind. Answer one partly answers this question too. As to whether there is a dichotomony in some people's depends on where you are. I can think of Army units/departments/Corps/Centres that could be described as 'Army' because they are so autocratic. Likewise there are many others who are in the business of real Salvation mission and grace is dispersed very generously
A retired Salvation Army Officer
Question 1
A happy marriage
Question 2
Probably both
A Salvation Army lay employee
Question 1
I think that The Salvation Army Church is correct as the Salvation Army has a few areas in which it works it is good to distinguish one from the other. Not everyone that knows about The Army knows this.
Thanks in advance of your comments
Dan
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