teisipäev, veebruar 01, 2005
from the Journal of Aggressive Christianity
Being What We Are
by Commissioner Wesley Harris
IN his excellent new book, Turning points. Major Allen Satterlee writes that the Army is ‘most like the platypus, that creature that defies classification because it is neither mammal nor fowl. It has fur and appears mostly mammal. But then there are those webbed feet and the eggs it lays. The platypus is not terribly bothered by the problems we humans have in classifying it. It simply is what it is. We in The Salvation Army need to quit wringing our hands about what is different about us and rejoice that God has allowed us our own distinct identity’.
I say ‘Amen’ to that and am sorry that in some quarters there are Salvationists who seem to have an identity crisis. I believe that we should keep our nerve and humbly dare to be different if, as it appears, that is what God intended.
In recent years there has been an increased tendency in some places to refer to our corps as churches. Now of course, from the beginning Salvationists have believed that they have been part of THE Church and a lively limb of the Body of Christ. But generally they have not taken on ecclesiastical terms and titles, so why do so now?
I mean no disrespect to Christian friends outside the Army if I say that at least in Australia, the very secular part of the world where I live, the word ‘church’ does not conjure up a very good brand image. I wish it were otherwise, but here ‘churchianity’ has little general appeal, particularly to the young, although spirituality is far from dead in our post modern society.
As a reason for change of terms some may cite the fact that many see the Army only as a social agency and do not realise that our buildings are not only centres for welfare but places of worship. Then, without taking on a lot of ecclesiastical baggage through the use of church terms, that notion might be corrected by a notice describing the building as a ‘place of worship and service.’
I visited a corps where the upwardly mobile young corps sergeant-major preferred to be known as ‘the senior elder’ whatever that might mean to the secular mind. I wondered whether there were sociological reasons behind a preference for church terms. Perhaps ‘going to church’ sounded a little more respectable than ‘going to the Army’!
Personally, I prefer dynamic Army terms strange as they may appear to some. Rather than abandoning our image we should build on it. People think of the TSA as a ‘people’s army’ down to earth and ‘there when they’re needed’. If we are confined to our citadels and oblivious to the big world outside then we are not what people expect of us. Even more important we are not being true to our God-ordained mission. But thank God for many corps which are reaching out and drawing people into an accepting community.
In retirement I have knocked on hundreds of doors while our band has been playing in the streets, without one rebuff. The acceptance – even by those awakened from their Sunday morning slumbers – has been incredible. If I had been dressed in mufti and representing most other groups there would have been a lot more explaining to do!
I have often prayed that we Salvationists may be as good as people think we are. Apart from the grace of God most of us know that we are very ordinary indeed. But we have a ‘goodly heritage’ which can commend us to people and help us in our ministry. It is true that many who admire the Army do not consider joining us but there is little evidence that changing uniforms for vestments or bands for bells would bring more recruits.
Some of the most enthusiastic people I know are people who are new to the Army and see it with new eyes but there are others, long in the service, whose Salvationism has not gone stale but who are still enthusiastic about the movement despite the fact that it has faults - being made up of people like some of us.
Rather than being pale, carbon copies of other groups we should be ourselves. The Universal Church should not be characterised by dull sameness. We may well admire other expressions of Christianity but we don’t have to ape them. There is a diversity of gifts and we can rejoice in those God has graciously given to us in the Army.
© Copyright 1998-2004 JAC Online, Inc. All rights reserved.
by Commissioner Wesley Harris
IN his excellent new book, Turning points. Major Allen Satterlee writes that the Army is ‘most like the platypus, that creature that defies classification because it is neither mammal nor fowl. It has fur and appears mostly mammal. But then there are those webbed feet and the eggs it lays. The platypus is not terribly bothered by the problems we humans have in classifying it. It simply is what it is. We in The Salvation Army need to quit wringing our hands about what is different about us and rejoice that God has allowed us our own distinct identity’.
I say ‘Amen’ to that and am sorry that in some quarters there are Salvationists who seem to have an identity crisis. I believe that we should keep our nerve and humbly dare to be different if, as it appears, that is what God intended.
In recent years there has been an increased tendency in some places to refer to our corps as churches. Now of course, from the beginning Salvationists have believed that they have been part of THE Church and a lively limb of the Body of Christ. But generally they have not taken on ecclesiastical terms and titles, so why do so now?
I mean no disrespect to Christian friends outside the Army if I say that at least in Australia, the very secular part of the world where I live, the word ‘church’ does not conjure up a very good brand image. I wish it were otherwise, but here ‘churchianity’ has little general appeal, particularly to the young, although spirituality is far from dead in our post modern society.
As a reason for change of terms some may cite the fact that many see the Army only as a social agency and do not realise that our buildings are not only centres for welfare but places of worship. Then, without taking on a lot of ecclesiastical baggage through the use of church terms, that notion might be corrected by a notice describing the building as a ‘place of worship and service.’
I visited a corps where the upwardly mobile young corps sergeant-major preferred to be known as ‘the senior elder’ whatever that might mean to the secular mind. I wondered whether there were sociological reasons behind a preference for church terms. Perhaps ‘going to church’ sounded a little more respectable than ‘going to the Army’!
Personally, I prefer dynamic Army terms strange as they may appear to some. Rather than abandoning our image we should build on it. People think of the TSA as a ‘people’s army’ down to earth and ‘there when they’re needed’. If we are confined to our citadels and oblivious to the big world outside then we are not what people expect of us. Even more important we are not being true to our God-ordained mission. But thank God for many corps which are reaching out and drawing people into an accepting community.
In retirement I have knocked on hundreds of doors while our band has been playing in the streets, without one rebuff. The acceptance – even by those awakened from their Sunday morning slumbers – has been incredible. If I had been dressed in mufti and representing most other groups there would have been a lot more explaining to do!
I have often prayed that we Salvationists may be as good as people think we are. Apart from the grace of God most of us know that we are very ordinary indeed. But we have a ‘goodly heritage’ which can commend us to people and help us in our ministry. It is true that many who admire the Army do not consider joining us but there is little evidence that changing uniforms for vestments or bands for bells would bring more recruits.
Some of the most enthusiastic people I know are people who are new to the Army and see it with new eyes but there are others, long in the service, whose Salvationism has not gone stale but who are still enthusiastic about the movement despite the fact that it has faults - being made up of people like some of us.
Rather than being pale, carbon copies of other groups we should be ourselves. The Universal Church should not be characterised by dull sameness. We may well admire other expressions of Christianity but we don’t have to ape them. There is a diversity of gifts and we can rejoice in those God has graciously given to us in the Army.
© Copyright 1998-2004 JAC Online, Inc. All rights reserved.
