Dignity
We respect and value each other, recognizing everyone's worth
To be human is to bear the image of God. This is innate and inalienable; it cannot be earned or taken away. It gives every human being a fundamental equality with every other human being. When it comes to our social services, our founders, William and Catherine Booth, offered “soup, soap” and then “salvation” to hurting people. I think the order is important because it speaks of dignity. They realized that it’s hard to feed a person’s soul when they have an empty stomach. It’s hard to preach about finding a spiritual home when you don’t have anywhere to lay your head for the night. That’s why they took care of people’s practical needs first. Human dignity should never be ignored.
