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The Salvation Army is an evangelical Christian denomination founded in 1865 by one time Methodist minister William Booth. It is sometimes mistakenly regarded simply as a charity and social services organization, however it is also part of the mainstream Christian Church and has as its objectives "the advancement of the Christian religion as promulgated in the religious doctrines . . . which are professed, believed and taught by the Army and, pursuant thereto, the advancement of education, the relief of poverty, and other charitable objects beneficial to society or the community of mankind as a whole."

The international headquarters is at 101 Queen Victoria Street, London, England, with thousands of branches around the world. As a denomination, it is not as widespread. It is sometimes affectionately referred to as the "Sally Ann" in Canada, "Sally Army" in the New Zealand and the UK, and the "Salvos" in Australia and the US.

Image:Salvation Army.svg

Image:Standard of the Salvation Army.svg The William Booth Memorial Training College, Denmark Hill, London: The College for Officer Training of The Salvation Army in the UK Image:Salvation.army.hq.london.arp.jpg Image:Salvation army world map.PNG Statue of Catherine Booth, the Mother of the Army

Contents

[edit] History

The Salvation Army began with the efforts of two founders, William Booth and Catherine Booth, to bring hope and salvation to the poor, the hungry, the homeless, and the destitute. In 1865, William Booth established The Christian Mission in London, England, which would later be called The Salvation Army in 1878. It adopted uniforms, ranks, and a flag. The name was changed to The Salvation Army (apparently by the request of an initial member; the Christian Mission's mission-statement originally called the organization a 'volunteer army', and the speaker felt that he wasn't strictly a 'volunteer') and a quasi-military outlook was adopted.

When William Booth became known as the General, Catherine was known as the “Mother of The Salvation Army.” William preached to the poor, and Catherine spoke to the wealthy gaining financial support for their demanding work. She also ministered, which was a revolutionary act at the time. Together the Booths worked tirelessly to help others and brought a spiritual and practical message of rejuvenation. As William said, “The three ‘S's’ best expressed the way in which the Army administered to the 'down and outs': first, soup; second, soap; and finally, salvation.”

William Booth, in March 1880, sent George Scott Railton, Captain Emma Westbrook, and six women soldiers to the Greater New York area to establish The Salvation Army. All the officers knelt on the dockside at Battery Park in New York City to give praise and thanks for their safe arrival.

The seven women who accompanied Railton are often referred to as the “seven hallelujah lassies.” A “lassie” was a slang term for a girl or a young woman who isn’t married; its use was first recorded in 1725. The seven soldiers included Captain Emma Westbrook, who began her work in Notting Hill Corps and was at North Shields, her first station, when she received the orders to go to New York. “Attaining the rank of major, she continued in the service until her promotion to Glory in 1933.”

The other six soldiers where Alice Coleman, Rachel Evans, Emma Elizabeth Florence Morris, Elizabeth Pearson, Clara Price, and Annie Shaw. These women are often described as possessing outstanding strength and vigor of spirit, who crossed the ocean to spread the gospel and the work of The Salvation Army. Because the training home for women officers wouldn’t open till the following May; “the training the valiant six had, was twenty-six days tossing on the tempestuous Atlantic Ocean.” The entire group progressed quickly with their desire for missionary work and began a Salvation Army in Newark, New Jersey as well. Railton left two of the women in charge when he left for St. Louis, Missouri.

The Salvation Army's main converts were at first alcoholics, drug addicts, prostitutes and other "undesirables" of society. These "undesirables" were not welcomed into polite Christian society, which helped prompt the Booths to start their own church. As a result of Booth's pragmatic approach to ministry, they decided not to include the use of sacraments (mainly baptism and Holy Communion) in the Army's form of worship, believing that many Christians had come to rely on the outward signs of spiritual grace rather than on grace itself. William and his wife Catherine Booth felt that much of what passed for Christianity in their day was primarily an observance of outward ritual. Other beliefs of The Salvation Army are that its members should completely refrain from drinking alcohol (Holy Communion is not practiced), smoking, taking illegal drugs, and gambling. Its soldiers wear a uniform tailored to the country they work in; they can be white, grey, navy, fawn and are even styled like a sari in some areas. Any member of the public is welcome to attend their church services.

As The Salvation Army grew rapidly in the late 1800s, it generated opposition in England. Opponents, grouped under the name of the Skeleton Army, disrupted Salvation Army meetings and gatherings, the usual tactics being the throwing of rocks, rats, and tar, and physical assaults on members of The Salvation Army. Much of this was lead by publicans who were losing business due to the Army's stance on alcohol and targeting the frequenters of saloons and public houses.

The mission of The Salvation Army is to win the world for Jesus, bringing the whole world under the lordship of Jesus Christ. This mandate is based on the Army's interpretation of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. The Salvation Army believes, as stated in their first doctrinal statement, that only these scriptures "constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practice."

[edit] Worldwide expansion of the Salvation Army

[edit] Current organization and expenditures

Image:CliftonS.jpg

The Salvation Army operates in 111 countries and provides services in 175 different languages. For administrative purposes, the organization divides itself geographically into Territories, which are then sub-divided into Divisions. Each Territory has an administrative hub known as Territorial Headquarters (THQ). Likewise, each Division has a Divisional Headquarters (DHQ). For example, Japan is one territory, the United States is divided into four Territories: Eastern, Southern, Central, and Western while Germany & Lithuania together are one territory. Each of these Territories is led by a Territorial Commander who receives orders from the Salvation Army's International Headquarters in London.

The Salvation Army is one of the world's largest providers of social aid, with expenditures including operating costs of $2.6 billion in 2004, helping more than 30 million people. In addition to community centers and disaster relief, the organization does work in refugee camps, especially among displaced people in Africa. The Salvation Army has received an A- rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy.

Its membership includes more than 17,000 active and more than 8,700 retired officers, around 100,000 other employees and more than 4.5 million volunteers. It is led by General Shaw Clifton, who has held this position since April 2, 2006 after the 2006 High Council elected him as the next General January 28, 2006. According to the 2006 Salvation Army Year Book, in the United States there are 85,148 Senior Soldiers and 28,377 Junior Soldiers, 17,396 Adherents and around 60,000 employees.

In 2004, the Army received a $1.5 billion donation in the will of Joan B. Kroc, third wife of former McDonald's CEO Ray Kroc. This donation was among the largest individual philanthropic gifts ever given to a single organization. The donation came with certain restrictions that were met with some controversy.

The ordination of women is allowed in the Salvation Army. Salvation Army officers were previously only allowed to marry other officers; however, this rule has been relaxed in recent years in some countries. Husbands and wives usually share the same rank and have the same or similar assignments—the major exception to this is the General's spouse, who is given the rank of Commissioner.

[edit] Music

A parade with a Salvation Army brass band, Oxford, England

As the popularity of the organization grew and Salvationists worked their way through the streets of London attempting to convert individuals, they were sometimes confronted with unruly crowds. A family of musicians, named the Frys, began working with the Army as their "bodyguards" and played music to distract the crowds.[citation needed] They were also involved in union-busting actions: Salvation Army bands would show up at union actions and attempt to drown out the union activities with hymns and music.[citation needed] This in turn led the Industrial Workers of the World to create their own lyrics set to popular Salvation Army Band tunes, many of which remain in that union's "Little Red Songbook."[citation needed]

The tradition of having musicians available continued, and eventually grew into the creation of true bands. Their musical groups, usually a brass band or smaller collection of brass instruments, are seen in public at Army campaigns, as well as at other festivals, parades and at Christmas. Across the world the brass band has been an integral part of the Army’s ministry and an immediately recognizable symbol to Salvationists and non-Salvationists alike. The Salvation Army also has choirs; these are known as Songster Brigades, normally comprising the traditional soprano, alto, tenor and bass singers. The Premier Songster Brigade in the Salvation Army is the International Staff Songsters (ISS).

The standard of playing is high and the Army operates bands at the international level, such as the International Staff Band (a brass band) which is the equal of professional ensembles although it does not participate in the brass band contest (see music competition) scene. Some professional brass players and contesting brass band personnel have come up through The Salvation Army.

Depending on the size, sometimes Salvation Army corps (churches) have brass bands that enhance Sunday meetings or services by accompanying the congregation in the singing of the songs (hymns) and/or during "Praise and Worship" times set aside during the service. See Maidenhead Citadel Band

The Army tradition in music is to use the popular idiom of the day to reach people for Jesus. The Army's Joy Strings were a hit pop group in the 1960s and early 1970s in the UK and beyond, reaching the charts and being featured on national television. Another popular band is The Insyderz, an American ska-core group in the 1990s and early 2000s. Current bands like New Zealand's Moped and The Lads, England's Electralyte, Australia's Soteria Music Ministries and Escape and America's transMission and The Singing Company, carry on this Salvation Army tradition.

Saytunes is a popular website designed to encourage and promote these contemporary Salvation Army bands and artists.

[edit] Disaster relief

The Salvation Army's first major forays into Disaster Relief resulted from the tragedies of the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. The Salvationists' nationwide appeals for financial and material donations yielded tremendous support, enabling the Army to provide assistance to thousands. General Evangeline Booth, when she offered the services of Salvationists to President Wilson during the First World War thrust Salvation Army social and relief work to newer heights. From being a persecuted religious 'thorn in the flesh', it became a well loved institution.

The Salvation Army is a prominent non-governmental relief agency and is usually among the first to arrive with help after natural or man-made disasters. They have worked to alleviate suffering and help people rebuild their lives. After the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, they arrived immediately at some of the worst disaster sites to help retrieve and bury the dead. Since then they have helped rebuild homes and construct new boats for people to recover their livelihood. Members were prominent among relief organizations after Hurricane Hugo and Hurricane Andrew and other such natural disasters in the US. In August of 2005 they supplied drinking water to poor people affected by the heat wave in the US. Later in 2005 they responded to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Most recently they have helped the victims of the May 2006 Indonesian Earthquake.

In the year since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, The Salvation Army has allocated donations of more than $365 million to serve more than 1.7 million people in nearly every state. The Army’s immediate response to Hurricane Katrina included the mobilization of more than 178 canteen feeding units and 11 field kitchens which together have served more than 5.7 million hot meals, 8.3 million sandwiches, snacks & drinks. Its SATERN network of amateur ham-radio operators picked up where modern communications left off to help locate more than 25,000 survivors. And, Salvation Army pastoral care counselors were on hand to comfort the emotional and spiritual needs of 277,000 individuals. As part of the overall effort, Salvation Army officers, employees and volunteers have contributed more than 900,000 hours of service. [1]

The Salvation Army was one of the first relief agencies on the scene of the 9/11 attacks in New York. They provided tea and coffee for all the firemen, police and medical staff. They also provided prayer support for families of missing people.

The Salvation Army, along with the American National Red Cross, Southern Baptist Convention, and other disaster relief organizations, are national members of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD). [2]

[edit] Thrift shops and charity

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The Salvation Army is well-known for its network of Thrift Stores or Charity Shops, which raise money for its charitable and religious activities by selling donated used items such as clothing, housewares and toys. The Salvation Army has a history of free rehabilitation from alcohol and drug abuse. Thrift stores provide the revenue to run the Adult Rehabilitation Centers known as ARCs. The ARCs, found in many global locations, are work- and Bible-based and are usually long term residential facilities.

In many countries The Salvation Army is most recognized during the Christmas season with its volunteers who stand outside of businesses and play/sing Christmas carols, or ring bells to inspire passersby to place donations of cash and checks inside red kettles. A tradition has developed in the U.S., where, in some places, gold coins are anonymously inserted into the kettles that the bell ringers collect donations in. This started in 1982, in Crystal Lake, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

[edit] Family Tracing Service

One programme for which The Salvation Army is internationally renowned is its Family Tracing Service (sometimes known as the Missing Persons Service). This was first formally established in 1885, and the service is now available in most of the countries where The Salvation Army is represented. The objective is to restore (or to sustain) family relationships where contact has been lost for some reason, whether recently or in the distant past. Thousands of people are traced every year on behalf of their families. A world record was attained in 1988 when a brother and sister were reunited after a separation of 81 years.

[edit] Youth groups

The Salvation Army includes multiple youth groups, which primarily consist of its Sunday schools and the Scout and Guide pack. Some territories have Salvation Army Guards and Legions Association (SAGALA). In the United States these internal youth groups that are specifically for females are known as Girl Guards (older females) and Sunbeams (younger females). Adventure Corps serves boys who are enrolled in school for first through eighth grade.

[edit] The Refuge

Another youth group that has emerged in The Salvation Army is The Refuge, meaning REviving FUture GEnerations. The Refuge was established in The Salvation Army division of Pendel which is in the Eastern Territory of The United States. The Refuge was created and founded by a group of friends and salvationists. It began when this group recognized the need for this type of ministry in their area. The Refuge began in the Spring of 2005. With the aid of dedicated musicians and administrative staff, the Refuge has been a success and continues to be a safe place for worship, fellowship, food, and fun.

[edit] Alove UK

In the new millennium, The Salvation Army in the United Kingdom created a sub-brand of itself for the youth, called Alove, the Salvation Army for a new generation. Its purpose is to free the youth of the church and their communities to express themselves and their faith in their own ways. Its mission statement is "Calling a generation to dynamic faith, radical lifestyle, adventurous mission and a fight for justice.", and it emphasizes worship, discipleship, missions, and social action.

[edit] Controversy

The Salvation Army in the USA has come under scrunity for what some people see as discrimination in hiring and for its requirements on how employees should behave. Despite the tax breaks it receives as a registered charity and its government funding (about 11 percent of total revenues, in the form of grants and payments for services), it has a contoversial employment policy.

"It is the policy of The Salvation Army that it will provide equal opportunity for employment on the bases enumerated in the federal, state and local laws applicable to it, except where a prohibition on discrimination is inconsistent with the religious principles of The Salvation Army. Such equal opportunity for employment will apply to recruitment and hiring, training, promotion, salaries and other compensation, transfers and layoffs or termination.
As a religious organization, a branch of the Christian church, The Salvation Army reserves the right to make such employment decisions, adopt employment policies (including employee benefits) which are calculated to promote the religious and moral principles for which it is established and maintained, consistent with its rights to the free exercise of its religion guaranteed to it by the Constitution of the United States.
Without limiting the foregoing, by accepting employment with The Salvation Army, an individual acknowledges that The Salvation Army is a church, agrees to do nothing to undermine its religious mission, and acknowledges that conduct must not conflict with or undermine the religious programs of The Salvation Army, or its religious and moral purposes."
The Army's position is that because it is a church, Section VII of the US Civil Rights Act of 1964 explicitly guarantees its rights to be particular in its hiring.

In a recent case, the New York Federal Court ruled that the organization could use religious criteria in its hiring; that ruling is being appealed by the New York Civil Liberties Union. Other issues in the lawsuit by 19 current and former employees are still under consideration by the trial court.

The State of New York has proposed legislation that requires businesses to offer health benefits to same-sex partners of employees. The Salvation Army opposes this policy and has threatened to close its soup kitchens and shelters across New York.

In July 2001, The Washington Post published a Salvation Army internal memo. According to that document, The Salvation Army and President George W. Bush made a deal: The Salvation Army would support Bush's push on faith-based initiatives if Bush made sure that The Salvation Army would be exempt from local and state legislations that prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation. The leak created considerable amount of protest from the gay community and other liberal groups. [3]

In December 2001, a Moscow court ruled that the Salvation Army was a paramilitary organization subject to expulsion. [4] In October 2006, the European Court of Human Rights ruled this decision to be illegal. [5]

[edit] Cultural references

  • George Bernard Shaw's famous play Major Barbara centers around the Salvation Army. In Bertolt Brecht's play Saint Joan of the Stockyards, Joan, the protagonist, is a Lieutenant of the Salvation Army.
  • The character Harold Bishop in the long-running Australian television soap series Neighbours is a member of the Salvation Army.
  • The song Silver Bells, first sung by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell in the movie The Lemon Drop Kid, was inspired by the imagery of Salvation Army bellringers standing outside department stores every Christmas season.
  • The Beatles song Strawberry Fields Forever was inspired by the Salvation Army's Strawberry Field Children's home in Liverpool, England. Strawberry Field closed in 2005 as a social centre and is now a new prayer and mission centre.
  • The Simon and Garfunkel song, Hazy Shade of Winter, includes a line "Hear the Salvation Army band."
  • The 1955 film Guys and Dolls follows the fictional love story of a worker at the "Save a Soul Mission" (clearly modelled on the Salvation Army), played by Jean Simmons, falling for a hoodlum played by Marlon Brando. The extremely popular film was nominated for, but did not win, an Oscar in 1956. Jean Simmons won the 1956 Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy Golden Globe award for her portrayal of Sergeant Sarah Brown. (see Salvation Army Filmography for the full list of films featuring the Salvation Army)
  • Joe Hill's song The Preacher and the Slave includes a reference to a group called the "Starvation Army", who perform music and solicit donations but offer the poor only promises of "pie in the sky when you die".
  • Hallelujah! was a British TV sitcom from 1981 set in a Salvation Army citadel starring Thora Hird and Patsy Rowlands
  • The White Stripes have a major hit single, Seven Nation Army, which is named after Jack White's belief as a child that the Salvation Army was actually called "the Seven Nation Army."
  • The Dream Academy's song Life in a Northern Town starts off with the lyrics "A Salvation Army band played".
  • In the 1985 movie Brazil there is a parody called Consumers for Christ; their logo is a Cross with the dollar sign and their uniforms resembles the ones of the Salvation Army
  • The American composer, Charles Ives wrote a piece for vocalist and piano entitled General William Booth Enters Into Heaven. William Booth was the founder of the Salvation Army and Ives grew up in Connecticut, a neighbour of Booth's granddaughter.
  • The Australian song "The Woolloomooloo Lair" refers to an insincere joining with the Salvation Army.
  • The punk rock band Rancid has a song entitled "salvation" that shares the experience of Tim Armstrong's employment with the Salvation Army.
  • The Salvation Army is seventh in the list of the "Twelve Pains of Christmas" by the Bob Rivers Comedy Group.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Eason, Andrew Mark. Women in God's Army: Gender and Equality in the Early Salvation Army. Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2003. ISBN: 0-88920-418-7
  • The General next to God (Collier Richard)
  • God's Army: The Story of the Salvation Army (Brook Stephen)
  • McKinley, E.H. (1995). Marching to Glory: The History of the Salvation Army in the United States, 1880-1992. Eerdmans Pub Co. ISBN 0-8028-3761-1.
  • Taiz, Lillian (2001). Hallelujah Lads and Lasses: Remaking the Salvation Army in America, 1880-1930. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0-8078-2621-9.
  • Walker, Pamela J. (2001). Pulling the Devil's Kingdom Down: The Salvation Army in Victorian Britain. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-22591-0.


[edit] External links

de:Heilsarmee es:Ejército de Salvación fr:Armée du salut ko:구세군 it:Esercito della Salvezza he:צבא הישע hu:Üdvhadsereg Szabadegyház Magyarország nl:Leger des Heils ja:救世軍 no:Frelsesarmeen pl:Armia Zbawienia pt:Exército da Salvação ru:Армия Спасения simple:Salvation Army sr:Армија спаса fi:Pelastusarmeija sv:Frälsningsarmén vi:Cứu Thế Quân zh:救世軍

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