Salvation pistols

Aaron White wonders if the Sex Pistols are a parallel to TSA

A friend of mine was recently given tickets to go see a band, live in concert. This band, as far as I am aware, does not feature any brass, nor do they exist to promote the gospel or to edify the body of Christ. And they have a name which I seriously doubt has ever before graced the pages of a Salvation Army publication, unless perhaps in the vein of condemnation. My friend is going to see the Sex Pistols.

Shock. Horror. The Sex Pistols. Their name is bad enough, if that’s all you know about them. If you are actually familiar with the style and content of their music, there’s a good chance you would be even more outraged.

You see, my friend is a fine Salvationist in good standing, holds a significant ministry position, is middle-aged and has children. He is not going to the concert for the purposes of evangelism, nor in an effort to be culturally relevant. He is going because he loves the Sex Pistols. And possibly because he wishes to stave off a mid-life crisis.

Now I’m not terribly interested in examining the moral implications of his attendance at this concert, as I know many would and will be. Feel free to discuss this at your leisure. I am more intrigued by the Sex Pistols themselves, and the extent to which they may exist as a parallel to The Salvation Army. Dodgy territory, to be sure. But let’s examine the issue a little.

The Sex Pistols were a shock to the British system. They burst onto the scene in the 1970’s as a no-holds-barred punk band. Their first single was banned from the radio, as its lyrics were too incendiary. Nothing was considered sacred. Teens rioted at their concerts. Band member Steve Jones was the first person to use the “f” word on British television. In order to give London a taste of their illicit music, they chartered a riverboat and sailed it up and down the Thames River, singing God Save the Queen (their own unique version), for which they were arrested.

So, let’s see. A shocking group with its genesis in London, turning society on its head, willing to try anything, not considering any man-made thing sacred, conducting wild gatherings, upsetting authorities, and playing loud, crazy music outside in order to get their message heard. Sound familiar? OK - William Booth never swore on television, but he did say some outrageous things that got people buzzing.

But the buzz soon fizzled for the Sex Pistols. The group combusted internally in 1978. Sid Vicious, the bassist for the group, was arrested for murder and later died of a heroin overdose. The great anarchistic punk revolution stalled in its infancy. The Queen is still alive and on the throne of England, and anarchy does not reign in the UK.

The Sex Pistols have, in a sense, given up. It’s over, and it’s been over for more than 20 years. But the surviving members have recently reunited and begun touring again. Why?  Well, at least their motivation is entirely out in the open. They named their comeback “The Filthy Lucre Tour.” They are in it for whatever money they can wring out of a public that remembers their “greatness.” They are living on past glory, and reaping in the benefits from people with long and fond memories of former rebellion.

Now, here is where I must be careful citing parallels. Am I suggesting that The Salvation Army is only in it for the Filthy Lucre? Absolutely not. I honestly don’t believe that, though I know some who do. Nor am I suggesting that the mission is over, or that we have internally combusted… yet.

Furthermore, I don’t know of any Salvationist bass player who is up on murder charges. I do know, however, that the great vision that fuelled the Booths and prompted the creation of The Salvation Army has not yet come to fruition. And what I am suggesting is the possibility that we are no longer in it for the revolution. The buzz has most certainly lost a great deal of its fizzle.

Now, this is not a new word for many people. There are some, I imagine, who would maintain that The Salvation Army is every bit as vibrant and revolutionary as it was when it began, but this unfortunately bears no resemblance to reality, at least not in the western world. The rest of us are aware that the problems exist, that our form has taken over our function and that revival of some order is necessary.

But we have to ask the question, “Why do we keep on touring?” Are we really just keeping the machine rolling in order to be another denomination? The Salvation Army could cease to exist, and the faith communities that have developed could probably keep on going, or could be subsumed into other denominations.

Theologically and stylistically (minus some obvious trappings), we could fit quite nicely into a number of other congregations. Many of the new Community Church plants are in fact indistinguishable from any other church, for better or for worse. Maybe we should not be striving to be unique, and should simply allow for denominational distinctions to fade away. There is certainly a case to be made for that.

What is our motivation? What drives us to keep on going? For those of you who identify yourselves with The Salvation Army, why do you do it? If you are young and don’t have a decades-long connection to the Sally Ann, what is the draw? Do you think there is something there that is worth reviving? Do you believe there is still some of the old shocking power left? Do you think God isn’t quite finished with it?

What is your hope and vision for what the Army can be?

Now, how about those crazy Sex Pistols? Well, the most recent news has them trying to get to Iraq in order to put on a concert for democracy. More insane stunts? Hard to see a real financial motivation there. Perhaps, just perhaps, they are starting to feel a pull back to their roots. It will look very different to their original days in London, but maybe they will be able to shock the world again.

Wait a minute - am I talking about The Salvation Army or The Sex Pistols? Who knows? Anything is possible.

Writer: Aaron White and his wife Cherie, along with their four children and one not-long-for-this-world goldfish, live in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and give leadership to 614 Vancouver, Canada. Aaron is interested in nearly everything, and knows next to nothing.

7 Comments to Salvation pistols

1. ” I don’t know of any Salvationist bass player who is up on murder charges”…maybe not, but I’ve sat next to a few whose playing’s been criminal! ;-))
Johnny Laird on April 8th, 2009

2. Good on you Aaron! A provocative piece, beautifully written.

   I too grieve for the Booth’s vision which seems to have been dressed up in a starched white shirt with epaulettes and trussed up by incompetent, self-serving middle management. It’s a constant battle, but at least these days we can drown our sorrows and find like-minded true believers at Cyber Cafe Rubicon.

   Ask Lt-Colonel Johnny Rotten to crank up the sex pistols version of Oh Boundless Salvation (ala God save the Queen).
Bruce Redman on April 8th, 2009

3. Wonderful, wonderful piece - thank you!

   Deportmentophiles - READ THIS!
Matt Clifton on April 8th, 2009

4. It is interesting to note that William Booth was not thinking about what was forming. I don’t think the early Apostles either. Both got their name for what they did.

   So why are we looking to our name for what to do? … that is unless we’ve forgotten what to do.
Antonio Robateau on April 8th, 2009

5. Domo arigato M. Robateau.

   I’m not sure where you got the notion that we look to our name for what to do from this article, but I will say this: I would suggest that we have by and large forgotten what to do. A lot of what gets done in the name of TSA now is very good and nice, but maybe doesn’t really jive with what we say we’re all about. There is for sure a disconnect between our words and actions, especially our songs and our actions. Something’s got to give.

   Grace,

   Aaron
aaron on April 8th, 2009

6. Like the idea. Reminds me of the shocking staccato-like poetic wailing of Amos trying to awaken people from the moral numbness of their day. We need poets and musicians and writers like these to wake us both to the decay and hope inherent in our day, my God raise them up and may those called to this step forward.

   Matt Reid
Matt Reid on April 9th, 2009

7. Aaron,

   Bold and daring of you to flesh this out on this forum. Your comparison of the Army to the Pistols is astute and strikingly accurate. I wonder too often where we’re going to end up on this current tour. It is embarrassingly true that we strive to perfect our form while our function suffers. In too many places we’re limping onto the stage instead of boldly proclaiming our mission and intent.
Rob Reardon on April 9th, 2009

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