Salvation Army

Evangelical Christian church known for its charity campaigns. It was founded in 1878 by the evangelical protestant minister William Booth and his wife Catherine Booth. They started preaching to members of the poor working class in 1865 (organised as East London Revival Society). In 1678, the Salvation Army was officially founded. Following the slogan of the three S´s, which stand for soup, soap, and finally salvation they had the idea of actively helping the destitute and sinners and spread the word of God.

Quasi-Military, hierarchical Organisation The Salvation Army was and is organized militarily. Booth understood his church as the "Army of God" whose purpose it is to fight against the sins of this world. Booth took the rank of “General”, the ministers are called “officers” while members are ranked “soldiers”. The Salvation Army has its own flag.

Music as a means Equality In the Salvation Army since the beginning women and men have equal rights.

Mission

Motivation

Booth was motivated in his work by the strong desire to fight against the vices and the misery of East End London, one of the poorest places in England. In his eyes all bars and brothels, where people amused themselves, and all the crude immorality and the unhygienic conditions of the slums with its desolation embodied the incarnation of godlessness. The work of the devil manifested itself in East London. Here amidst the poor help in form of “salvation of souls” was urgently needed. Booth felt that he had to actively go out of the parishes to fight against the devil and vice.

Practice

In the early 1860`s Booth started out his missionary work preaching on the streets nearby brothels and pubs, trying to save as many souls as possible. This early period was not very successful for Booth. On the one hand he was regularly attacked by bar or brothel personell on the other hand only a few of the proselytes were willing to lead a life without vices. Apart from this neither the Church of England, which was mostly supported by aristocrats, nor the churches of the middle class, such as the Methodists or the Congregational Church had any interest in welcoming new working-class East Enders in their parishes.

Unorthodox Method - The Active Recruiting of new male and female Preachers

Because in William and Catherine Booth's eyes, the established churches were too dull and autocratic to fight against the lack of religion among the poor, they saw themselves forced to act. In 1865 under the name of “Christian Mission” they decided to work independently from the established churches in order to control and consolidate the conversion, schooling and integration of newcomers. They supported the idea that recently converted “brothers and sisters” ought to be properly bible-schooled and go out to preach and help to “save more sinners' souls” and therefore recruit new members. The ideological basis and practice patterns of the “Salvation Army” were established. It was a matter of time and inner struggle between William Booth, who formed the church movement more and more autocratically and hierarchically, and Calvinist members of the “Christian Mission”, who were strictly against the separation of class barriers in the movement, until in 1878 the name and structure of the “Salvation Army” was established.

Entertainment as means to attract new believers

In order to save as many souls as possible off the “domain of the devil” William Booth ordered his officers to use any means, also dubious if necessary, to get the attention of the masses. Therefore the growing organization held daily “outdoor meetings”, which were accompanied by the so-called “Hallelujah Bands”, which played to make people come out of their houses and join them. During processions “soldiers” held up large cardboards that stated: “Save your Soul” or “Trust in God”. In "indoor meetings" lots of entertainment was offered, for many of the recruits were circus artists, dancers or singers. For these missionary “indoor meetings” often dubious invitations that looked more like flyers to low-life places were dispersed among the poor and probable "sinners".

Sources

Gnewekow, Dirk/Hermsen, Thomas, Die Geschichte der Heilsarmee.Das Abenteuer der Seelenrettung. Eine sozialgeschichtliche Darstellung, Opladen: Leske+Budrich, 1993.

http://www.salvationarmy.org/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/salvationarmy_1.shtml

http://www.salvationarmy.org/heritage.nsf/titles/1878_Foundation_Deed_Of_The_Salvation_Army