A few years ago, our family visited Disney's Magic Kingdom over New Year's Eve. Over 800,000 guests were in the park that day. It was an incredible mass of people, all intent on getting to their favourite attraction at the same time. Eventually, we found ourselves waiting in a two-hour queue for one of the more popular rides. Inching along the line, I became more and more conscious of the large number of people waiting with us. I wondered about their stories: Where had they come from? How many had a personal faith in Christ? How many would I see gathered in the courts of Heaven? Being in the midst of my thesis research on Army history, I wondered what William or Catherine Booth would have done in this moment. Surely there would have been an impromptu sermon! As I became increasingly convicted, I struggled with why I didn't seize that moment to proclaim Christ.

In fairness, my hesitation wasn't really that hard to understand. No doubt, park officials would have had something to say about my actions, never mind the reaction of my children! Yet, this aggressive perspective that says, “Let me speak of Christ at all times and in all ways” is part of the legacy we inherit as Salvationists.

When God created The Salvation Army, he raised up a Movement of Christian believers who defined themselves by an “unrelenting spirit.” Early Salvationists were known for their uncompromising determination to make Christ known. In 1880, Catherine Booth recognized that the world would caution us not to be too aggressive with our message, for fear that we offend. “Am I to wait till an unconverted Godless man wants to be saved before I try and save him?” she retorted. “Am I to let my unconverted friends and acquaintances drift down quietly to damnation and never tell them about their souls, until they say, 'If you please, I want you to preach to me!'?”

Turning back the pages of our history, we are confronted with one indisputable fact: early Salvationists were driven by conviction. They didn't wait for permission to speak of Christ—they just did it. They understood that the world did not want religion rammed down its throat, but didn't let that limit their evangelistic work.

In this series, we continue to ask why the world still needs the presence of The Salvation Army in the larger context of the universal Church. What is it we bring to the table as Salvationists that is unique and life-giving? I would argue it's a distinct flavour of Christian witness defined by our energy and vitality. It's the strength of a gospel message informed by passionate voices that still has the power to impact the work of the Kingdom.

If this is our conviction, then three questions invite conversation.

1) What is it today that holds us back from passionately representing Christ? To conduct open-air meetings is not as easy as it was for our Founders. Making “our cathedral in the great outdoors” requires jumping through administrative hoops for city permits, etc. Add to this the fact that people increasingly live behind closed doors and in closed communities. People fear contact with strangers. Is the task of reaching them too difficult?

Are we hesitant to demonstrate our spiritual fervour simply because we aren't sure of the best way to do it? How do we get the attention of our audience in a way that is non-threatening, yet honouring of what the gospel represents? Perhaps the key is to realize how our renewed enthusiasm for the task can actually draw people toward our message.

What is it today that holds us back from passionately representing Christ? How is morale or “spirit to represent Christ” growing in us? How do we rethink our operational strategies to do 21st-century evangelism?

2) How is morale or “spirit to represent Christ” growing in us? If we look back to Principles for War, set out for the secular military in the late 1700s, we see an incredible emphasis on developing morale among the troops. A key voice in this discussion was military historian Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) who argued that “numbers, armament and resources cannot compensate for lack of courage, energy, determination and a bold offensive spirit, which springs from a national determination to conquer.” Clausewitz recognized that success in war was dependant on morale and determination.

Early Salvationists clearly understood this, too. While they did not have impressive buildings or vast resources to draw the attention of the public, they used what they had. Their greatest ammunition was a passionate conviction that the same salvation experience that changed them could transform the lives of others. In the testimonies of converts, it was evident that people were living “close to the flame.” Something was alive within them and the power of God was shining forth. In our context, we must ask: What is alive and growing within us? What is motivating us to passionately represent Christ?

3) How do we rethink our operational strategies to do 21st-century evangelism? In the Booths' day, a Salvationist's unrelenting spirit usually meant a confrontational approach. We broadcasted this “in your face” form of evangelism into the world with the intent of waking up sleeping sinners. The challenge today is that our audience has become too comfortable hitting the snooze button on the Church's breaking-news reports. Complacency to spiritual truth has lessened the impact of our confrontational message. Our new strategy must be to intentionally draw people inside the experience of faith, using invitational instead of confrontational battle tactics.

Presbyterian minister and author Thomas Long provides a helpful analogy when he speaks of an explorer entering a cave, intent on finding a treasure. After wandering through alluring grottos and inching across dangerous ledges, suddenly he turns a corner and discovers what he has been looking for all along. Shining a light on a wall, he discovers gems dancing with fire and colour. He stands in awe and silence. He knows exactly what he must do. Carefully retracing his path, he scrambles back to the mouth of the cave. Waving his flashlight, he calls out, “Come on in here everyone … have I got something to show you!”

The world needs to see this signaling flashlight in the hands of today's Salvationists. Our goal is to invite people “inside the cave” to see the glory of the Lord. The vitality of what we have discovered for ourselves and the reality of what is growing within us will encourage others to follow.

Why an Army? Because the world still needs people who are passionately inspired by their faith. The world still needs the unrelenting spirit of today's Salvationist. May God help us to live close to the fire of our convictions.


Major Julie Slous is the corps officer at Heritage Park Temple in Winnipeg. She has a doctorate in ministry from Luther Seminary in Minneapolis, U.S.A.