Discipleship

William Booth is quoted by Roger Green in his biography on Catherine Booth. General Gowans probably used this quote when he summarised the Army's mission with the words: Save souls, grow saints and serve suffering humanity!

I have been reading Tyerman's Wesley in my illness and have, by comparison his (Wesley's) experience with my own, I think, derived some important lessons. One is that, under God, Wesley made Methodists not [only] by converting sinners, but by making well instructed saints. We must follow in his track, or we are a rope of sand. He laid as much stress on visiting the members privately, and in classes, as on preaching. Let us profit by the experience of those who have trod similar paths before us.

Equal emphasis on evangelism and discipelship! That's where we come from!

Respectability

Another quote from William Booth:

"The greatest curse on the church here is respectability. It sits like a nightmare on every branch of it, crippling all its energies, compressing its vitality, and shutting the Holy Ghost out of it."

Bless you all!

The Future of the Army by W. Booth

This text is quoted from "Origins of the Salvation Army" by Norman Murdoch.

... Booth worried about the "Rest and be thankful spirit" that destroys movements. The earth was full of movements that "became proper and temperate"; would this happen to his army? He believed that God would gather a multitude from England to shake the nations of the earth. If God thinned the army's ranks, it would be alright; an army can afford to be smaller if it is one in purpose, prepared for "losses and crosses, and agonies, and deaths."

I think this bit is strikingly relevant for today! Any reactions?

The rest of the chapter is quite scary, focussing on the military structure of the army...

Social Work in the Army

I have been looking for a good way of writing down the army's view on social problems. General Coutts has a great one in his book "No discharge in this war"

The quote is as follows:

It could therefore be justly said that the Army's approach to social problems is empirical, based on observation and experiment. Yet it is an empiricism born of the Christian truth that every human being is of value in the sight of God, and has as its end aim the redemption of the whole man - of himself, body, mind and soul, as well as his setting.

That says it fully! I believe that this mission should be the heart of all Social Work in the Army. I also hope it will be in the centre of my own heart!