My husband and I had been anticipating this moment since the day our eldest daughter was born. If you are a parent, you know what I'm talking about; that jolting realization when you look at each other and say, “Our baby is all grown up!”

The college graduation gown and engagement ring say it all. Our daughter is no longer reliant on her parents. She has “come of age” and is ready to take on the world. It can be tough for us to redefine our relationship with an adult child. How will she need us in the days ahead? What will our future relationship look like?

A World Come of Age?
In many respects, the same challenge faces us as Salvationists. As we wade through the murky waters of a postmodern world, we seek to redefine our relationship with society. We grapple with questions such as:

• In an age of political correctness, inclusivity and tolerance, does the world still respond to an aggressive approach of Salvationism?
• Does our military metaphor still make a meaningful connection in a world plagued with war and ethnic tensions?
• Do our theological convictions still apply or should we simply become like the church down the street?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor and theologian who joined the resistance against Adolf Hitler. He knew the harsh consequences of proclaiming his convictions in a world that perceived it had come of age—days before the Second World War ended, he was executed by the Nazis. Bonhoeffer saw his society embracing a false sense of maturity, pushing religion into the margins as secularism took centre stage. It was evident to him that people were learning how to “get along without God, arguing that religion was something of a childish or pre-scientific notion.” Bonhoeffer wryly asked: Has the world outgrown its need for God?

Do our theological convictions still apply or should we simply become like the church down the street?

As Christian values are increasingly swallowed up by secular opinions, we might well ask if we minister to a world that perceives itself to have come of age. Is it possible that the world can justifiably say it's all grown up? Does it need the Army's ministry? How will The Salvation Army define its relationship with the world in future days? Does God still have a mandate for us?

We Still Have a Sin Problem
I would argue that the world still needs The Salvation Army because sin still abounds. It doesn't matter how grown up our world may perceive itself to be, sin is still the number one reason why trouble and turmoil make the headlines every day. Greed, bitterness, jealousy, lust, pride and selfishness …. How far we have moved from God's intended design for life! No question about it, sin still knows where we live.

Not much has changed in 144 years. Our Founder, William Booth, witnessed first-hand the depths of human depravity and despair on the streets of London's East End. He saw young children hanging on barroom doors; mothers force-feeding alcohol to their infants; children fashioning toys out of street garbage; adults making their burial places in back alleys. To these societal challenges Booth called early Salvationists: “Arise, to drive back the hellish armies that perpetuate these daily horrors!”

The Language of Grace
The call of the Founder rings true today. Let's not be deceived by the world's coming-of-age perspective. Sinners still need salvation. Humankind has not outgrown its need for the ministry of The Salvation Army. Christ's Kingdom will only advance as we boldly draw attention to the problem of sin in our world. This is our unwavering mission.

It will not be a message people readily hear. Yet Christ's love compels us to proclaim the full gospel message. Theologian Barbara Brown Taylor puts it this way: “Abandoning talk about sin will not make it go away ... It also [weakens] the language of grace, since the full impact of forgiveness cannot be felt apart from the full impact of what has been forgiven.” Light cannot be fully appreciated until we have grappled our way out of the darkness.

Moving Forward
How do we claim the world for Christ? While our mission is unwavering, let us continually assess our methods as we redefine our relationship to society. As we continue to be Christ's hands and feet to a troubled world, let us remember that sin is still the enemy. Only as we proclaim sin's hard consequences can we appreciate the depths from which we have been saved, and the grace that makes redemption possible. Bonhoeffer argued that two things remain: “First, the world come of age does not know where it should be, that is, in Christ. Secondly, this world, with whatever advantages it has derived from its increasing maturity, must nevertheless be claimed for Christ.”

May the complexity of our times not confuse the clarity of our cause. God can still use The Salvation Army and the world still requires our influence and presence. Sin still lives in our neighbourhood. The Army's mission lives on through you and me. May God help us in every way to be faithful.

Next topic: Our Unchanging Message

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