The Truth About the Salvation Army: Part 2 – Beliefs

In the previous installment of this two part series, we related how during the Christmas season each year we often see people ringing bells and collecting donations for the Salvation Army. We also remarked that most people assume that the organization is basically a relief agency whose primary purpose is to provide food, clothing, and shelter to people in need. Indeed, in many communities, local United Way or Community Chest drives help to finance the good works of the Salvation Army. The truth is, as we learned, the Salvation Army is much more than a group of “do-gooders” helping people with their material needs. It is also a deeply religious movement whose primary ambition is to evangelize people to its spiritual teachings.

Given the broad spectrum of religious groups seeking converts today, we should exercise good discernment and ask, “Just what kind of religion is the Salvation Army?” Is it a deceptive cult or sect disguised as a charitable relief group? In this two installment article we are examining the truth about the Salvation Army. In Part 1 we reviewed its history, organization, and practices. In Part 2 we now analyze its beliefs in light of the Bible and answer a very important question: Is the Salvation Army something a Christian should join, support financially, or participate with as a volunteer?

As we studied in Part 1, the founders of the Salvation Army were English man and woman William and Catherine Mumford Booth. William Booth was born in Nottingham, England, on April 10, 1829. While working as a pawnbroker’s apprentice in London, he experienced a conversion to Christ at the age of fifteen. Called to ministry in 1852, he became a Methodist minister and served as a pastor in that denomination until 1861 when he went into full-time evangelistic work. Together, William and Catherine began a mission in London which, in 1878, they termed the “Salvation Army.” They adopted a quasi-military organization structure and William Booth took the rank of General. Catherine was called the “Army Mother.” By the early 20th century their movement had spread to a number of countries including the United States.

So, then, just what does the Salvation Army believe and teach? What are its ultimate goals? The Salvation Army has the following mission statement posted on its official website (https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn):
“The Salvation Army is an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.”

It would be hard for any evangelical Christian reading that generic statement to argue with what it says. But as we know, many pseudo-Christian cults and sects often use standard Christian terminology to hide their unbiblical teachings. Could that be true of the Salvation Army? To make an evaluation, let’s take a closer look at the specific doctrines of the Salvation Army as delineated on its website in light of the Bible and Historic Evangelical Christianity. Let’s start with its statement on the Bible.

• The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and that they only constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practice.

We naturally are in complete agreement with that statement. All authentic Christian churches and denominations accept the Old and New Testaments as uniquely divinely inspired. We can find no reason to doubt the Salvation Army’s adherence to that principle. We can also find no evidence that it considers any other written source as having that kind of authority. Even the writings of General William Booth, or any of his successors, though revered by Salvationists (i.e.: adherents to Salvation Army beliefs), are not regarded as superior, equal, or supplemental to the Bible alone.

• There is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship.

No disagreement here either. This is a perfectly clear and true statement of the theistic worldview concept of God. Indeed, “there is only one God!” That being said, however, it is, by-itself, insufficient to be regarded as a fully Christian perspective. It could also apply to Islam, Judaism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Unitarianism, the Way International, and a host of other religions, cults, and sects. Therefore, further explanation is needed.

• There are three persons in the Godhead – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory.

This statement resolves the insufficiency of the above point. This is a clear declaration of the historic Christian and biblical doctrine of God. It attests fully to the unique Christian doctrine of the Triune nature of God – the Holy Trinity. No problems at this point!

• In the person of Jesus Christ, the Divine and human natures are united, so that He is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.

Again, this is clear testimony to the Christian doctrine of the Person of Jesus Christ. It attests to the full deity and full humanity of the incarnate Lord Jesus. Perfect.

• Our first parents were created in a state of innocence, but, by their disobedience, they lost their purity and happiness, and that in consequence of their fall, all men have become sinners, totally depraved, and as such are justly exposed to the wrath of God.

This is a pretty strong statement regarding the fallen and sinful nature of humanity. Many people might object to the assertion that all men are “sinners and totally depraved.” That seems to run counter to the modern humanistic belief that humans are naturally good. The statement’s pronouncement that all people are “justly exposed to the wrath of God” would also tend to engender objections from liberal theologians who want to deny that an all-loving God expresses any sort of wrath. We, however, find no objections from a biblical position to this statement and completely agree with it.

• The Lord Jesus Christ has, by His suffering and death, made an atonement for the whole world so that whosoever believes in Him may be saved.

This is a clearly made statement regarding the atoning work of Jesus Christ as the Salvation Army understands it. It reflects the traditional Wesleyan-Arminian view that the atonement of Christ was unlimited and was sufficient for all mankind, conditioned only by their response (see the next point).

Such is the usual perspective of all Methodist and Wesleyan churches and denominations. That stream of theological thought is traced historically to Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609). It was later adopted by John Wesley (1703-1791), founder of the Methodist movement. This view differs from the traditional Reformed, or Calvinist, perspective of limited atonement, that is that Jesus died only for the elect – i.e.: those who are chosen for salvation. Both of those positions are well within the framework of essential evangelical Christian doctrine.

• Repentance toward God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit are necessary to salvation.

This statement asserts the provisional nature of salvation (as opposed to universalism). That is, salvation is dependent upon the conscious and authentic response of an individual to the saving work of Jesus Christ by His death and resurrection. The response requires the following elements: repentance (a turning from sin to God); faith in the Jesus as personal Lord and Savior (trusting in Him); and regeneration (being reborn spiritually) by the work of the Holy Spirit. Most evangelical Christians agree with this formula (but not all – some evangelicals deny the necessity of repentance).

• We are justified by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and that he that believeth hath the witness in himself.

This is the heart of the salvation message. We are saved by grace, that is, God’s unmerited favor and love. We do not deserve, nor can we earn, our righteousness before God. The statement “he that believeth hath the witness in himself” is a bit vague and archaic. We assume it refers to the inner witness of the Holy Spirit to one’s righteous standing before God.

• Continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ.

This statement once again reflects the Wesleyan-Arminian basis of Salvation Army theology. It is the traditional position that one’s salvation, though based on grace through faith, is not absolutely secure. Believers may commit apostasy, which would put their salvation in jeopardy. In other words, people who have genuinely been saved can lose their salvation if they renounce their faith or engage in willful sinful rebellion. This contradicts the Reformed (and predominant Baptist) view that once salvation is received it is absolutely secure and cannot be lost under any circumstance. That being said, this view does not fall outside of essential historic evangelical theology.

• It is the privilege of all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This statement is also indicative of the Wesleyan-Arminian Holiness tradition. It basically asserts that a believer is capable of living a sinless and holy (fully sanctified) life. Most non-holiness evangelicals disagree. Their view is that sanctification is a life-long process of spiritual growth beginning at regeneration. They would say that total holiness and sinlessness, however, is not possible while we remain in our mortal sinful bodies. We will attain that level of sinless perfection only at the final future state of glorification. In spite of the disagreement, this point of view still remains well within the realm of traditional evangelical theology.

• In the immortality of the soul, in the resurrection of the body, in the general judgment at the end of the world, in the eternal happiness of the righteous, and in the endless punishment of the wicked.

We cannot disagree with anything here. It reflects the historic Christian belief in life after death and is clearly not a universalist or annihilationist perspective. In this regard the Salvation Army is clearly in the mainstream of Christian eschatological theology. The saved will live forever in heaven. The lost will spend eternity separated from God in hell.

Conclusions
In this two part series, we have reviewed and analyzed the history, practices, and doctrines of the Salvation Army. It is our opinion that Salvation Army doctrines fall well within the mainstream of historic Christianity. It is, therefore, an authentic evangelical Christian denomination in the Wesleyan-Arminian (Methodist) tradition. It is in no way a cult or sectarian group.

More so, the Salvation Army is, by its activities, a model of what and how all Christian groups should conduct their ministries. It demonstrates the love of God in words and sincere deeds of charity. Though all Christians may not agree with everything the Salvation Army teaches, there is no question that millions of people have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ and received Him as their Savior and Lord through that organization. Those who are officers and soldiers in the Salvation Army are indeed our brothers and sisters in Christ, just as they say in their mission statement (see above).

So next December as you go about shopping for Christmas presents, you can have no qualms about dropping a few dollars in the kettles outside the stores. They will be well used to help ring in the kingdom of God!

© 2018 Tal Davis