Satyagraha Salvationism

‘Truth-force’ and social justice, by Richard Munn

Introduction:

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defining moment in the development of The Salvation Army is the 1885 partnership of Bramwell Booth and W.T. Stead – editor of the prestigious Pall Mall Gazette – in the ‘The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon’ series that brought to light the prostitution of young girls in London. After the chaos – and imprisonment for Stead – what was the result? The legal age of consent was raised to sixteen. “In the long term, the trial helped the Army to gain recognition, and enabled the Army to further its social work objectives in Britain and overseas.”

Are we again being called to principled protest? Mahatma Gandhi propelled passive resistance – satyagraha (truth force) – onto the international stage in leading India to political independence during the late 1940’s. What are the great injustices that disturb Salvationists today? › Continue reading

An Honest Prayer

by Dion Oxford

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t was a Wednesday evening. A group of the residents of the hostel had gathered with some of the staff to debrief the slaying of one of our own community members two nights previously. Everyone in the room was still in shock and disbelief as we attempted to deal with this. We all felt that it wasn’t supposed to be this way. › Continue reading

On Poverty and Economic Justice

A biblical perspective on the poor, by Bruce Power

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t happened in Bethany. In the home of a man known as Simon the Leper. A woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, broke the jar and poured it over Jesus’ head.

Immediately the critics noted a year’s wages had been spent on this act, declaring the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. They took the woman to task for her extravagance. But Jesus comes to her defense: “The poor you will always have with you …” (Mark 14:7). › Continue reading

Greed

No Rhyme or Reason (the fourth in a series of articles on each of the seven deadly sins* to be published on each Friday until Labour Day), by Geoff Ryan

“Greed is a sin directly against one’s neighbour, since one man cannot over-abound in external riches, without another man lacking.” (Thomas Acquinas).

“Suppose everybody cared enough, everybody shared enough, wouldn’t everybody have enough? There is enough in the world for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.” (Frank Buchman: Remaking the World)

“What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26)

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ere are a few of the more uncomfortable facts and figures comparing the world’s “haves” (us) with the world’s “have-nots” (most of the rest of the world). › Continue reading

Gluttony

“Eat and drink…for tomorrow they die!”(the third in a series of articles on each of the seven deadly sins* to be published on each Friday until Labour Day), by Geoff Ryan

“Wise temperance of the stomach is a door to all virtues. Restrain the stomach, and you will enter Paradise. But if you please and pamper your stomach, you will hurl yourself over the precipice of bodily impurity, into the fire of wrath and fury, you will coarsen and darken your mind, and in this way you will ruin your powers of attention and self-control.” (Ignatius Brianchanov - 19th century, Russian Bishop)

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recently watched the film Super Size Me. It is one of a recent spate of first-person socially conscious documentaries. The hero of the film, producer and director, Morgan Spurlock, tackles obesity in America through the paradigm of fast-food culture, specifically the McDonald’s corporation. After a check up by doctors (who continue to monitor him throughout the experiment) Morgan embarks on a month-long ‘study’ in which he exercises as little as possible and eats all his meals - three times a day - at McDonald’s. › Continue reading

Are We the Church of the Poor?

The body of Christ is more than the sum of its parts. All Christians are called to embrace the marginalized, by Rick Zelinsky

William Booth took Bramwell on a field trip to a local pub and told his son, “These are our people”

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ecently I had coffee with a local pastor and the topic turned to Salvation Army ministry. According to him, we are the church that takes care of the poor. I wasn’t sure if I should warn him about my strong convictions on this topic. › Continue reading

Compassion or Co-Dependence?

An examination of compassionate Christian ministry in the 21st Century from the perspection of a Salvation Army Officer [1] by the late Captain John Walter

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n 1865 William Booth felt the call of God upon his life to preach to the lost of East London. The people were some of the poorest of the poor. While the primacy of the mission was evangelism, there soon developed a wide variety of practical acts of compassion, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, clothing the naked, caring for prisoners, and helping drunkards break their addiction. › Continue reading

OTTAWA MANIFESTO/MANIFESTE D’OTTAWA

OTTAWA MANIFESTO*

Regarding homelessness in Canada, Presented by the National Roundtable on Poverty and Homelessness at Street Level 2006, Ottawa, Canada

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e, the members of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada’s Roundtable on Poverty and Homelessness, and other signatories, are representative of the many Canadian people of Christian faith who believe that the care of poor and vulnerable people of all ages is a central tenet of our own faith, of good government, and of responsible, compassionate citizenship. We have already committed significant personal and organizational resources to this purpose. We have witnessed the rise of homelessness as a crisis of disturbing proportions, and of societal, systemic and individual complexity. › Continue reading

Intentionally Including Illegal Immigrants through Incarnational Ministry

Church walls can keep out those most in need of salvation, by Jason Pope

Revolutionary Mission

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iving in the United States of America, I grew up hearing stories about the American Revolution. We take pride in the way we stood up to the unjust taxation policies of the British Government. We took pride in the way we created a society that would allow us to worship God freely and not be forced into worshipping under a state-governed church. On July 4, our independence day, we celebrate the words of the Declaration of Independence that all men were created equal and thus were entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We paint that statement with broad strokes of limited colors. We apply it to those of European heritage, of course, but not quite as much to those of African heritage and maybe not at all to those “illegal immigrants” who have crossed the border from Mexico. › Continue reading

Crash

From Reflective Mirror to Reflexive Hammer: Film, Multicultural Politics, and the Presentation of Alternative Solutions to Fear and Isolation in Post-911 America, by Steven E.S. Bussey (E.38.2078001, Marita Sturken, Department of Culture and Communication, Steinhardt School of Education, New York University, Introduction: Crashing the Party)

“Art is not a mirror to hold up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it.”, Bertolt Brecht, (quoted by Paul Haggis during his 2006 Oscar speech for winning Best Original Screenplay

The movie-going world was left side-swept on March 5, 2006, when Jack Nicholson announced that the low-budget film, Crash won the Oscar for best picture. Most projections had pointed toward Brokeback Mountain as being the clear winner. The next day, columnists and late night television hosts throughout America were talking about the film that ‘crashed the party’. › Continue reading