FAD | the uniform
Part 1 by our newest blogger Eric Himes
u·ni·form [yoo-nuh-fawrm]
– adjective
1. Always the same, as in character or degree; unvarying.
2. Conforming to one principle, standard, or rule; consistent.
–noun
1. A distinctive outfit intended to identify those who wear it as members of a specific group.
I’ve been struggling with this for a while. Like that time in the summer of 2004 when I stood in full uniform, playing in a brass quintet at an Open Air in Bielefeld, Germany. The suspicious looks of the townspeople should have first tipped us off but we kept playing and smiling and absorbing their scowls because the DC was on his way and we wanted to give him a good show.
It wasn’t until we started playing the tune “Austria” that we realized how offensive our outward expression of our inward commitment was to that market. We were only few measures into the tune when the corps officer started to shout above our music, in broken English, “Stop! Stop playing this song. This is not good music. This is Nazi music.” And we looked at each other, slowly putting down our instruments, realizing that we looked more like Hitler Youth than Young Salvationists striving to win the world for Jesus. Needless to say, no one was won that day.
There are more examples, more contradictions, more frustrations and more explaining that I-am-not-a-pilot-and-I-don’t-know-where-your-gate-is every time I go to the airport. And I am a proud Salvationist and I love the heritage and traditions that have been handed down to me from the saints of generations past. I fully embrace the purpose of those traditions but I am wondering, more and more, is the uniform really working?
I have a hypothetical situation that plays in my head from time to time. National surveys are taken and somehow it is proven that we could help save x% more of the population if we stopped wearing our uniforms. Pilot churches are formed and sure enough, more people come into a relationship with Jesus Christ because we removed a barrier that scared them away from the fellowship of Believers known as The Uniformed Salvation Army. This imaginary summary usually ends with this thought: What percent are we willing to live without? What percent are we ok with saying, “I’m sorry you won’t come to meet Jesus here - and may go to hell as a consequence - but we like wearing these outfits, thank-you-very-much.”
These are very cynical thoughts. Please forgive me for them. Like I said, I’ve been struggling with this for a while.
As I grow in leadership and experience I am getting mixed messages about the purpose of the uniform. Is it a high calling? Is wearing it a prophetic act? Or is it simply a symbol of conformity and authority? Of all the messages out there, the latter gets the most prominence in the discourse. And I am not comfortable with this short-sighted purpose.
Yesterday I got a call from a retired officer asking me for speaker suggestions for an upcoming youth event. She told me that she would prefer a Salvationist but that she had a large budget and could afford an “outside speaker.” I quickly suggested a brilliant Salvationist teacher who had the authority and creativity to engage any group of youth. The first question she asked was, “Does he wear his uniform?” She had my full attention and I asked her what she meant. She continued, “What I mean to say is, is he one of us?” I said, “Yes, he is a great man of faith and has a powerful testimony of what God is doing in his life. He would be a great speaker for your youth event.” She pressed on, “But does he wear his uniform?” I said, I didn’t know. We don’t go to the same corps. She then asked for other suggestions.
My fear is that we are settling to define the uniform as an adjective and not a noun. That we are only using it to describe who we are rather than what we are as Salvationists. If the uniform is a truly an effective prophetic tool than we shouldn’t only wear it for ourselves and at the same time, we should be wise in knowing when not to wear it and have the faith to believe that God would still use us to win His world.
Writer: FAD - Future Army Dictionary is written by Eric Himes, the USA Central Territory’s Director of Young Adult Ministries who is passionate about encouraging leaders to use their unique gifts in God’s Kingdom. He is a member of a worship band called The Singing Company and is enthusiastic about providing resources and training for corps worship bands. He spends his time obsessing about the Chicago Cubs, Lost, Dodgeball, Baggo, Praise and Worship, creative writing, youth ministry and the future of The Salvation Army. Eric and his wife Cathleen live in Oak Park, Illinois with their cat Salinger (pictured). They attend the Oakbrook Terrace Corps, where he leads a Dodgeball youth outreach and community garden.
22 Comments to FAD | the uniform
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The uniform was created because it was cheap to make and stylish at the time it was created. Hmmmm . . .
Yay! Apologies if that sounds childish, but I’m really glad that you’ve been brave enough to state such a heartfelt, but outrageous, thought.
I’ve struggled for some time with a few of the traditions that have grown up around the Salvation Army as they appear to have taken the place of the reality of being a Christian for some people.
Things that were originally rooted in the best of motives have unfortunately become blindly-followed traditions that subsume rational thought.
I know the Salvation Army is trying to move forward and progress and I support this.
Wow, good post Eric. I hope to see more of this quality!
My suspicion is that you’re right—our uniform currently exists to maintain our culture and reinforce authority structures. I blogged about this recently ( http://spiritcry.wordpress.com/2008/06/23/a-few-thoughts-about-uniform-wearing/ ).
I’m not entirely sure what the answer is. The uniform is a great idea, but it is used badly. Do we just let it go by the wayside? Or do we try to reclaim it? I’m inclined to the second, but in practice I tend to the first. Hmm, more thinking!
The uniform was the idea of Catherine Booth the people who came to the meetings where very poor and did not have the fancy clothes to go church in. So a uniform was a great idea. Read Come Join our Army for the rest of the story. This uniform stuff is an old issue people please move on. We worship the living Christ. Some 40 years ago came to Christ in a bathing suit walking the shores of the Pacific Ocean drawn to a beach meeting from the sounds of Newton’S great song. At Southlands C.C in Winnipeg we gather for prayer meeting in jeans some in shorts, 29 people gather.5 years ago only 6 people would show up God is Good and God bless The Salvation Army. Bless you for reaching out to the young people. Sincerley Henry
Henry, unfortunately this is far from an old issue in some Corps. I have a friend who recently stopped wearing uniform having decided to step down from some of the sections he was involved in, and people in his Corp have informed him that they’re praying for him because they believe he must have committed some sin that means he feels guilty about wearing uniform.
It appears that your Corps are more enlightened. Good for them!
As wearying as as it for me to see that TSA-internal issues such as these generate the most debate on this site, uniforms are not “over”. So far nobody here has mentioned how much uniforms can enhance discipline. Having recently attended my first Congress it was wonderful to see the sense of unity uniforms promote…and in this chaotic world we need all the unity we can get.
I suspect that a healthy revival will include uniforms, though perhaps there will be less legalism (especially for soldiers) on the subject of what uniforms ought to look like. (variations on a thing) It will bring us together.
I’m not surprised to read of someone coming to Christ in a bathing suit…but the uniform is one sign to the world that we are saved.
Thanks for raising this matter,
Andrea
Andrea,
I don’t doubt the uniform has value, and I don’t think its time is over. However, it has taken on a meaning very different from the one it originally had. Like the sacraments—and I’ve always considered uniform wearing sacramental—it fills a different role to what it was supposed to.
Even the idea of creating unity is problematic. If we can’t be unified without a uniform, we won’t be unified with one.
And I have had the unpleasant experience of turning up to a Corps where everyone wore perfect uniform; everyone, that is, except for me, my wife and a few people in the front row who had been bussed in from a nearby social centre. In that situation—which I admit, isn’t normal—the uniform created a sense of ‘them’ and ‘us’ which I found very difficult to break through.
The uniform might foster a sense of unity, but at what (and whose) expense?
Well said, Cameron.
Andrea, I understand your vantage point, but my heart broke a little bit when you said, “The uniform is one sign to the world that we are saved.” I think I understand your intentions, but it is exactly this kind of thinking that gets us in trouble…
The Bible is clear on what signals to the world we belong to Jesus: love for God, love for our brothers and sisters, the fruit of the Spirit.
Jesus never said, “they will know you by your uniform”.
“By His wounds you are healed”
It is interesting for me as i hear from within the many voices of this (age old) conversation that we each come toward this conversation of “uniform” with a slant of it being Sacred; as if we do the saving and what we wear is leverage for the Spirits power.
When will more of you get it…
That the conversation about”Uniform(s)” is much, much, much more then about what you wear in the Salvation Army!
Romans 14:20
Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat(wear). Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble.
Read through all of the posts above - the thing about the SA is the fact that we are a worldwide Church. That presents us with a problem - there seems to me to be areas of the World where uniform has some cultural relevance and meets the founding vision. The West is not one of those places - the use of recognised symbols and badging in appropriate settings is exactly what is needed. this may not always be onour clothing but sometimes will be.
The fruit of our ministry, the presence of the Spirit in what we are (not just what we do)and authentic relationships with those who maybe unaware of the power and cleansing of God’s love is the real clothing we should be wearing - sometimes wearing uniform but always being uniform in our approach to the lost - gracious and loving.
When discussing the uniform let’s be honest and ask ourselves a few important questions. Is it…
Scriptural: I Think you will be hard pressed to find scripture to support the standardized dress of believers, however Jesus tells us not to worry about what we’re going to wear and even condemns the Pharisees for playing dress-up to show how religious they were.
Functional: Depends on what your function is. Maybe I’m not wearing it right, but I find it to be the least functional outfit I own. I feel a little overdressed whether working at my computer or feeding the hungry. Do I really need a tie to serve the guy using a rope to hold up his pants? Does it make him feel more comfortable that my shoes are shiny when he doesn’t have a pair of shoes himself?
Identifiable: How many people really recognize the uniform? Without a bell or horn in hand we don’t look any different than an airline pilot. Take off the tunic and hop on a bike and you people would guess you were a Mormon before a Salvationist. I f the uniform was really about identification it should probably say The Salvation Army somewhere boldly on it. The Red Shield is our most recognizable symbol and not on the uniform.
Cultural: Booth lived in a jingoistic (look it up, I had to) society and culture. Wearing uniforms was popular and fashionable. Today in the western world. People are not so “gung ho” about the military and or patriotism. What might Booth have whipped up today for his soldiers?
Affordable: Pretty pricey. Can you say Salvation Armani? I can print up some nice T-shirts that say The Salvation Army in the biggest boldest letters for 3 bucks a pop. All the money we save on uniform production we can use to erase the national deficit.
I really don’t even think it works well with our whole “Army Metaphor”
I soldier doesn’t hit the battlefield in the same uniform he goes to a to a military sponsored ball. He dresses for the occasion, as should we. I personally I feel that when I do wear my uniform it’s usually to win the approval of other uniform wearers, not to get an edge on winning souls for the Lord.
I neither condemn nor promote the wearing of uniforms. It does not affect my devotion to the Lord are my allegiance with the Army (The Articles of War I signed say nothing about the uniform). There are times when it helps open doors and times when it can close them. I trust the Spirit to lead me as to when those times are.
Invoking the airline pilot is always my favourite argument for not wearing a uniform. What could be worse than people in an airport approaching us for help in an airport, or the aisle of a mall when we get mistaken for security guards? Is it such a bad thing?
Just like youth workers wearing clown suits, and Community Church Pastors wearing Polo shirts with little doves on them, it attracts people. The bigger issue isn’t the uniform’s functionality, but what we do with people who approach us when we wear it. That will redefine or give definition to the meaning and function of the uniform.
I was not invoking the airline pilot for arguing against the wearing of the uniform, but against the claim that the uniform identifies us to the world that we are The Salvation Army.
It’s not such a big deal to get confused with a pilot or security guard, but let’s not pretend that these random occasions to talk about who we are justify the uniforms place in our current culture.
Do uniforms, clown suits, and little doves really attract people? What do we do about the people who wont approach us because of the uniform?
Fulton,
After reading your original post and follow up to Rick, I’m speechless. Like the Sanhedrin before the disciples, I have nothing to say in response. Great arguments.
PS. I am not attracted to little white doves or clowns either. I think having a cool name like “Fulton Hawk” would invite more conversations than any uniform
Cameron:
The meaning of symbols evolves overtime. Symbolically the uniform has proven durable if mutable.
Phil and Henry:
I never said that the uniform was sacred or that it was the only possible sign of being saved or that it was scriptural. Christians find themselves called to all sorts of denominations and church homes. I find myself drawn to my corps in soldiership. My uniform has shown itself to be much hardier than I would have thought the first time I put it on.
Fulton, I like what you have to say about uniforms for different situations. As you will recall I called for less legalism. Logoed workshirts and kakhi pants, for example draw a nice balance between crispness and practically. And people “out there” really do recognize the uniform and other symbols…it amazes me. I suspect that while the guy with the rope belt holding up his pants doesn’t need a uniformed guy serving him food, part of him might appreciate the effort it took to look smart.
Rick, you are too right that when uniforms (or other army wear) attract interest it is important to know how to respond.
To quell any suspicion that I am trying to curry the favour of other uniform wearers, I know that is hopeless. No matter my efforts and years of experience working at a drycleaner’s, the rogue lint and persistent rumples for which my uniform has a super magnetic attraction make it evident that I’m not out to impress.
Andrea
Pros to the uniform [in my context]:
Girls like a man in uniform [really has helped in evangelism]
It’s known in my context
It’s a sign of covenant and people do know I’m “one of them”
I fit my dad’s old uniforms so their free.
I can fit in anywhere with them. Street corner or business meeting
I honour and respect people who that speaks to [retired officers luncheons]
People stop me walking down the street so I can pray for them [I guess I repeat that it is known in my context]
You can change it up with a plethora of swag
Cons:
Polyester pants
I look silly in a shopping mall
If I wear it as a sports jacket some people can get mad for not wearing it ‘right’ [we do tunic Tuesdays] - insert wearing it right and God looks at the heart comment here.
Here is my revelation: Where there is authentic incarnational mission and the uniform was/is used properly it is positive. Take it out of the mission field or throw it on someone without the inner life and it just stinks!
Andrea, I appreciate your last comment (and your first). Reading through this whole discussion, I felt that occasionally people were “reading into” the comments of others. I think we’ve all had this discussion so many times that we assume we know what the other person is going to say . Of course, it can be very hard to have a discussion on line, especially if you may be talking to people whom you don’t know.
I agree that the uniform is great in certain contexts and a hindrance (occasionally even an embarassment) in others. I often stop off at the grocery store in uniform. I’m an officer, so I’m always wearing it! 4 or 5 times in the past couple of years people have stopped me in the grocery store and asked for prayer or some guidance about a personal/spiritual issue. Not elderly people, either. (It always seems that older people are more likely to recognize the uniform.) Also, I’ve been in the most unlikely of places and asked to explain my uniform, which led to my testimony. But you all have heard stories like that.
I wish we wore it less. I wish soldiers and officers were free to use their better judgment about when it would be appropriate and when it wouldn’t. And I appreciate Fulton’s comment about military dress wear and military daily wear. But I’m glad we still have the uniform. It has served me well and opened doors to sharing the gospel.
I’ve written about my views on the uniform on my blog twice in the past year, and I’m fairly vocal about how I feel concerning its usefulness and how it should and shouldn’t be worn…so I won’t regurgitate those thoughts here. What I will say is how bothered I am that we tend to wear the uniform for each other internally more than to send a message or as a form of identification outside our walls.
For officers, how often have we been told that such and such an occasion requires full uniform? Whether it is a commissioning event, or meeting with the Territorial or International Leaders, it goes without question that full uniform is required. Yet, when it’s time to leave our inner sanctum to interact and fellowship on a social level, we all hurry to change out of uniform into civilian attire. Can somebody explain why this is the case?! I’d much rather wear my uniform to the grocery store or to my sons’ parent-teacher interviews than to an internal, semi-private function.
I wear my uniform proudly, but it’s not always what my superiors would consider “proper” uniform. Everywhere I go I don my SA windbreaker that sports a huge shield on the back. I was walking along a path a few weeks ago wearing this jacket and a young couple walked past me. They must have looked back because they called out after me, “Great jacket…good job!” I returned their comment with a simple, “thank you.”
As for the form of our uniform, I can’t say much because I have no fashion sense at all. My basic thought is simply this: that we should wear something that communicates who we are and our readiness to engage. If that’s the tunic and cap, so be it; if it a wind breaker with a huge shield emblazoned on the back, so be it. But let’s not ever do away with the uniform.
Andrea said:
“The meaning of symbols evolves overtime. Symbolically the uniform has proven durable if mutable.”
That’s very true. But just like in biology, it’s possible for a symbol to evolve into a dead end. While it stays mutable, there is hope.
My concern is that the uniform symbolises many things to many people. I don’t like what it has come to mean for the Salvation Army culture, although I do appreciate what it means to many individual Salvationists.
With one singular exception, I appreciate what it means (and doesn’t mean) to those outside the Army. The Army’s call is to those outside itself, so I concern myself with this more than anything else. If uniforms help us do what we do, let’s wear the best uniform we can for the job. Otherwise, let it die.
Not to beat a dead horse, but I decided to test the Culturally Irrelevant moniker attributed to TSA uniform. Is it true?
I found so much on fashion trends in the last 10-15 years leaning towards the influence of military styling. Google Military Chic or Miltary Fashion. Sitting in a dentist office, Deana came across an article in Sept.22, 2008 MacLeans magazine reporting Sears introduction of military fashion. It is available on many news wires, and I found it covered on Yahoo News.
North American Retailer, Sears, launched its newest clothing line in partnership with the US Army Infantry Division. The line features military style clothing as the newest trend in Military Chic. While we shy away from the uniform as outdated and irrelevant, the catwalk continues to demand military style clothing. In the Yahoo coverage of the story, Sept.9,2008, they feature this quote from the US Army spokesman,
“Strong brand identification through retail sales of products potentially can enhance Army recruiting and the public’s general goodwill toward the Army and its activities,” said Army spokesman Paul Boyce.
From a purely fashion and culture perspective the initial statement about irrelevance does not hold water, but I would agree with Jonathan that missional relevance is our concern.
Another angle on this I think is ecumenical. Ecumenicalism is rarely considered in the Army, but if we were on any path toward reconciliation with other denominations, the uniform would be an obstacle. Eric asks us if we could forgo the uniform for the sake of the lost (that is, if it helped us win more people without it). I ask, could we give it up if it helped us unite with other denominations? Is unity worth that sacrifice?
I’ve heard this before, about the uniform being a barrier to ecumenicalism, but I really don’t buy it personally. It can be, but that is more a heart matter than a clothing matter. Should we ask Anglican priests to abandon their collars, monks their robes, and everyone else their suits in the name of ecumenicalism? I suspect all that stuff is just frosting, the real issues lie below.
Grace,
Aaron