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The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over 120 countries.^[2]

It was founded in 1865 in the United Kingdom by William Booth and his wife Catherine as the north London Christian Mission and with a quasi-military structure.^[3] The theology of the Salvation Army is "mainstream Protestant".^[4]

History[link]

The Salvation Army founder, William Booth

Women's dormitories operated by The Salvation Army, Washington, D.C. c. 1920

The Salvation Army was founded in London's East End in 1865 by one-time Methodist minister William Booth and his wife Catherine. Originally, Booth named the organization the East London Christian Mission. The name The Salvation Army developed from an incident in 20–19 May. William Booth was dictating a letter to his secretary George Scott Railton and said, "We are a volunteer army." Bramwell Booth heard his father and said, "Volunteer! I'm no volunteer, I'm a regular!" Railton was instructed to cross out the word "volunteer" and substitute the word "salvation".^[5] The Salvation Army was modeled after the military, with its own flag (or colours) and its own hymns, often with words set to popular and folkloric tunes sung in the pubs. Booth and the other soldiers in "God's Army" would wear the Army's own Uniform of The Salvation Army|uniform, for meetings and ministry work. He became the "General" and his other ministers were given appropriate ranks as "officers". Other members became "soldiers".^[6]

When William Booth became known as the General, Katherine 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 work. She also acted as a religious minister, which was unusual at the time; the Foundation Deed of the Christian Mission states that women had the same rights to preach as men. William Booth described the organization's approach: "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."^[7]

In 1880, the Salvation Army started its work in three other countries: Australia, Ireland, and the United States. It was not always an official officer of the Salvation Army who started the Salvation Army in a new country; sometimes Salvationists emigrated to countries and started operating as "the Salvation Army" on their own authority. When the first official officers arrived in Australia and the United States, they found groups of Salvationists already waiting for them.

The Salvation Army's main converts were at first alcoholics, morphine addicts, prostitutes and other "undesirables" unwelcome in polite Christian society, which helped prompt the Booths to start their own church.^[8] The Booths did not 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.^[9] Other beliefs are that its members should completely refrain from drinking alcohol (Holy Communion is not practised), smoking, taking illegal drugs and gambling.^[10] Its soldiers wear a uniform tailored to the country in which they work; the uniform 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 meetings.

As the Salvation Army grew rapidly in the late 19th century, it generated opposition in England. Opponents, grouped under the name of the Skeleton Army, disrupted Salvation Army meetings and gatherings, with tactics such as throwing rocks, bones, rats, and tar as well as physical assaults on members of The Salvation Army. Much of this was led by pub owners who were losing business because of the Army's opposition to alcohol and targeting of the frequenters of saloons and public houses.^[11]

The Salvation Army's reputation in the United States improved as a result of its disaster relief efforts following the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The establishment of Victorian bell-ringers raising charity today "helps complete the American portrait of Christmas", with over 25,000 volunteers taking up kettles over the holiday period in the U.S. alone.^[8] The church remains a highly visible and sometimes controversial presence in many parts of the world.

In 1994, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, an industry publication, released the results of the largest study of charitable and non-profit organization popularity and credibility. The study showed that The Salvation Army was ranked as the 4th "most popular charity/non-profit in America" of over 100 charities researched with 47% of Americans over the age of 12 choosing Love and Like A Lot for The Salvation Army.^[12]

Charity Watch rates the Salvation Army an "A-" to an "A".^[13]

Worldwide expansion[link]

The worldwide expansion of Salvation army

• 1865 – England
• 1874 – Wales
• 1879 – Jersey, Scotland
• 1880 – Australia, Ulster, United States
• 1881 – Alderney, France
• 1882 – Canada, Guernsey, India, Sweden, Switzerland
• 1883 – Isle of Man, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa (see Die heilsleer), United Kingdom
• 1884 – Ireland, St Helena
• 1886 – Germany, Colony of Newfoundland
• 1887 – Denmark, Italy, Jamaica, Netherlands
• 1888 – Norway
• 1889 – Belgium, Finland

Stamp USA 1965 commemorating 100 years Salvation Army

• 1890 – Argentina, Uruguay
• 1891 – Zimbabwe, Zululand
• 1894 – Åland (until 1950), Hawaii, Indonesia
• 1895 – Gibraltar (until 1968), Guyana, Iceland, Japan
• 1896 – Bermuda, Malta (until 1972)
• 1898 – Alaska, Barbados
• 1901 – Trinidad & Tobago
• 1902 – Grenada, Saint Lucia
• 1903 – Antigua and Barbuda, St Vincent & the Grenadines
• 1904 – Panamá
• 1907 – Costa Rica
• 1908 – Korea
• 1909 – Chile
• 1910 – Paraguay, Perú
• 1913 – Russia (until 1923), Namibia (until 1914)
• 1915 – Belize, Myanmar
• 1916 – Republic of China (until 1951), Mozambique, St Kitts
• 1917 – U.S. Virgin Islands
• 1918 – Cuba
• 1919 – Czechoslovakia (until 1950)
• 1920 – Bolivia, Nigeria
• 1921 – Kenya
• 1922 – Brazil, Ghana, Zambia
• 1923 – Latvia (until 1939)
• 1924 – Faroe Islands, Hungary (until 1949)
• 1926 – Suriname
• 1927 – Austria, Estonia (until 1940), Curaçao (until 1980)
• 1930 – Hong Kong
• 1931 – Bahamas, Uganda, Namibia (recommenced) (until 1939)
• 1933 – French Guiana (until 1952), Tanzania, Yugoslavia (until 1948)
• 1934 – Algeria (until 1970), Congo (Kinshasa), Manchukuo (until 1945)
• 1935 – Singapore
• 1936 – Egypt (until 1949)
• 1937 – Congo (Brazzaville), French Indo-China (until 1942), México, Philippines
• 1938 – Malaysia
• 1950 – Haïti
• 1956 – Papua New Guinea
• 1960 – Swaziland
• 1962 – Puerto Rico
• 1965 – Taiwan
• 1967 – Malaŵi
• 1969 – Lesotho
• 1970 – Bangladesh
• 1971 – Portugal, Spain
• 1972 – Venezuela
• 1973 – Fiji
• 1976 – Guatemala
• 1978 – Canary Islands
• 1980 – French Guiana (recommenced)
• 1985 – Angola, Colombia, Ecuador, Marshall Islands
• 1986 – Tonga
• 1988 – Liberia
• 1989 – El Salvador, Thailand (until 1993)
• 1990 – Czech Republic (recommenced), Hungary (recommenced), Latvia (recommenced)
• 1991 – Russia (recommenced)
• 1992 – Belarus (until 1996), Somalia (until 1995)
• 1993 – Georgia, Ukraine
• 1994 – Guam, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova
• 1995 – Dominican Republic, Estonia (recommenced)
• 1996 – Rwanda
• 1997 – Botswana
• 1999 – St Maarten
• 2000 – Macau
• 2004 – Lithuania, Romania
• 2005 – Falkland Islands, Poland
• 2007 – Greece,^[14] Burundi, Northern Mariana Islands
• 2008 – Namibia (recommenced), Mali, Kuwait, Mongolia^[15][16]
• 2009 – Nepal^[17]
• 2010 – Sierra Leone, Nicaragua, United Arab Emirates
• 2011 – Solomon Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Togo
• 2012 - Greenland

The Salvation Army currently works in 125 different countries and has its main headquarters in London, England.

Current organization and expenditures[link]

The Salvation Army International Headquarters in London

As of 22 May 2012 the Salvation Army operates in 125 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. In larger areas, regional and area commands are also introduced as sub-divisions of divisions. Each territory has an administrative hub known as territorial headquarters (THQ). Likewise, each division has a divisional headquarters (DHQ). Each of these territories is led by a territorial commander who receives orders from the Salvation Army's International Headquarters in London. A territory is normally led by an officer holding the rank of colonel (for small territories)or commissioner for larger territories. In some countries, the work of The Salvation Army may be called a command, led by a command commander. A larger command is typically led by an officer holding the rank of colonel.

Its claimed membership (as quoted from 2010 Year Book) includes 16,938 active and 9,190 retired officers, 1,122,326 soldiers, 189,176 Adherents, 39,071 Corps Cadets, 378,009 Junior Soldiers, around 104,977 other employees and more than 4.5 million volunteers. Members of The Salvation Army also include "adherents", these are people who do not make the commitment to be a soldier but who formally recognize The Salvation Army as their church. (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.)

The Army's leader, General Linda Bond, was elected to this position on 31 January 2011, by The High Council of The Salvation Army. She assumed the rank of General and the mantle of International Leadership at 00:01hrs on 2 April 2011.

The monument to the Salvation Army in Kensico Cemetery

The Salvation Army is one of the world's largest providers of social aid^{[citation needed]}, with expenditures including operating costs of $2.6 billion in 2004, helping more than 32 million people in the U.S. alone. 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. In the United Kingdom, The Salvation Army is no longer the largest non-governmental provider of social services; however provides a significant service to people in need. The Salvation Army is the second largest charity in the United States, with private donations of almost $2 billion for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2007.^[18]

In 2004, the Army in the United States received a $1.6 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 caused some controversy.^[19]

The International Congress of The Salvation Army is normally held every 10 years^[20] as a conference for all Salvationists from around the world to meet. The first such conference took place in London, UK, from 28 May to 4 June 1886, and subsequent Congressional meetings were held sporadically until 1904 and then 1990.^[21] The seventh International Congress in Atlanta, GA, USA, from 28 Jun to 2 Jul 2000, was the first held outside of the UK.^[22]

Beliefs[link]

The beliefs of the Salvation Army rest upon these eleven doctrines:^[23]

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

2. We believe that 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.

3. We believe that there are three persons in the Godhead – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory.

4. We believe that 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.

5. We believe that 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.

6. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has by his suffering and death made an atonement for the whole world so that whosoever will may be saved.

7. We believe that repentance towards God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit, are necessary to salvation.

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

9. We believe that continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ.

10. We believe that 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.

11. We believe 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.

Soldiers affirm that they will give "as large a proportion of my income as possible" to the Salvation Army.^[23]

The ordination of women is permitted in the Salvation Army. Salvation Army officers were previously allowed to marry only other officers (this rule varies in different countries); but this rule has been relaxed in recent years. 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.

The organization will not appoint 'practising' homosexuals to posts as ministers, preferring the heterosexuals "whose values are consistent with the church's philosophy...."^[24]

Officers are given 'Marching Orders' to change ministries within The Salvation Army. Usually, officers are given new Marching Orders every two to five years and reassigned to different posts, sometimes moving great distances.

Life issues[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

The Salvation Army is pro-life, only accepting abortion in extreme cases, and also opposes euthanasia and assisted suicide. Their official statement says: "The Salvation Army believes in the sanctity of all human life and considers each person to be of infinite value and each life a gift from God to be cherished, nurtured and redeemed. Human life is sacred because it is made in the image of God and has an eternal destiny. (Genesis 1:27) Sacredness is not conferred, nor can it be taken away by human agreement."

They are also against the death penalty: "The Salvation Army recognises that the opinions of Salvationists are divided on the moral acceptability of capital punishment and its effectiveness as a deterrent. However, to advocate in any way the continuance or restoration of capital punishment in any part of the world would be inconsistent with the Army’s purposes and contrary to the Army’s belief that all human life is sacred and that each human being, however wretched, can become a new person in Christ."

Homosexuality[link]

The Salvation Army offers its services to all who are in need, regardless of sexual orientation, and opposes the abuse of people based on sexual orientation.^[25] However, as documented below in the "Controversy" section, in some countries the organization has campaigned against laws that ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. It also disapproves same-sex relationships among its Salvationists and Officers: "Christians whose sexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon to embrace celibacy as a way of life."^[26]

Symbols[link]

Flag[link]

Standard of The Salvation Army (Anglophone Version)

The Salvation Army flag is a symbol of the Army's war against sin and social evils. The red on the flag symbolizes the blood shed by Jesus Christ, the yellow for the fire of the Holy Spirit and the blue for the purity of God the Father.

The star contains the Salvation Army's war cry, 'Blood and Fire'. This describes the blood of Jesus shed on the cross to save all people and the fire of the Holy Spirit which purifies believers.

The flag precedes outdoor activities such as a march of witness. It is used in ceremonies such as the dedication of children and the swearing-in of soldiers. It is sometimes placed on the coffin at the funeral of a Salvationist. The Salvation Army term used to describe the death of a Salvationist is that of the deceased being "promoted to glory".

Crest[link]

The oldest official emblem of The Salvation Army is the crest.

In 1878 Captain W.H. Ebdon suggested a crest, and in 1879 it was to be found on the letterhead of the Salvation Army Headquarters. The captain's suggested design was changed only slightly and a crown was added.

The meaning of the crest:

The cross: The cross of the Lord Jesus Christ
The "S": Salvation from sin through Jesus
The ray on the outside of the circle: The Fire of the Holy Spirit
The dots: The Truth of the Gospel
The swords: Spiritual Warfare
"Blood and Fire": The Blood which was shed by Jesus for our sins and the Fire of the Holy Spirit

Red Shield[link]

The Red Shield has its origins in Salvation Army work during wartimes. At the end of the 19th century, Staff-Captain Mary Murray was sent by William Booth to support British troops serving in the Boer War in South Africa. Then, in 1901, this same officer was given the task of establishing the Naval and Military League, the forerunner of the Red Shield Services.

Salvation Army officers serving in the Red Shield Services in wartime performed many functions. The Doughnut Girls of World War I are an early example, serving refreshments to troops in the trenches. They also provided first aid stations, ambulances, chaplaincy, social clubs, Christian worship and other frontline services.^[27]

This symbol is still used in Blue Shield Services that serve the British Armed Forces but it is widely used as a simple, more readily identifiable symbol in many Salvation Army settings. It is common to see the Red Shield used on casual Salvation Army uniform.^[28]

In Australia, the Red Shield has become one of the country's most identified and trusted brands, leading the Australian Salvation Army to prefer to use this symbol over the crest on its uniform, corps buildings and advertising materials. In the 5th Volume of Australian Superbrands it was recorded that "Research reveals that the popular Salvation Army slogan ‘Thank God for the Salvos’ has almost total recognition amongst the Australian public, achieving 93 per cent aided awareness".^[29]

The Salvation Army consistently comes out in research as the charity to which people would most like to donate (named spontaneously).

Similarly the Red Shield logo is highly desired by companies wishing to link their brand with a solid emblem of care and compassion.

The uniform also gives the Salvos a very visible presence, often creating a sense that they are ‘everywhere’, although uniformed Salvationists are actually a very small percentage of the Australian population.^[30]

Uniform[link]

Salvation Army officers and soldiers often wear uniforms. The idea that they should do so originated with Elijah Cadman who, at The Salvation Army's 'War Congress' in August 1878 said "I would like to wear a suit of clothes that would let everyone know I meant war to the teeth and salvation for the world". The uniform identifies the wearer as a Salvationist and a Christian. It also symbolises availability to those in need. The uniform takes many forms internationally but is characterized by the 'S' insignia for 'Salvation' and carries the meaning 'Saved to Serve', or 'Saved to Save'.^{[citation needed]} Other letters are substituted to conform with local language.

Tartan[link]

The Salvation Army Dress Tartan

Since 1983 there has been an official Salvation Army tartan. It was designed by Captain Harry Cooper, for the Perth Citadel Corps Centenary commemoration. It is based upon the colours of the Salvation Army Flag, with which it shares the same symbolism. However, it is rarely seen outside Scotland.^[31]

Salute[link]

The Salvation Army has a unique form of salute which involves raising the right hand above shoulder-height with the index finger pointing upwards. It signifies recognition of a fellow citizen of heaven, and a pledge to do everything possible to get others to heaven also.^[32] In the case of saluting in response to applause, in circumstances such as a musical festival or being applauded for a speech, it also signifies that the Salvationist wishes to give Glory to God and not themselves.

In some instances, the salute is accompanied with a shout of 'hallelujah!'

Services[link]

Music playing[link]

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 (the Frys, from Alderbury, Wiltshire) began working with the Army as their "bodyguards" and played music to distract the crowds.^[33]

The tradition of having musicians available continued and eventually grew into standard brass bands. These are still 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 scene, and territorial levels such as the New York Staff Band. Some professional brass players and contesting brass band personnel have Salvation Army backgrounds. Many Salvation Army corps have brass bands that play at Salvation Army meetings, although not all.

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 popular in the 1990s and early 2000s. Hundreds of current bands carry on this Salvation Army tradition, such as New Zealand's Moped, Chamberlain, Vatic, Agent C, and The Lads; England's Electralyte; Australia's Soteria Music Ministries and Escape; and America's transMission, The Singing Company, HAB, BurN, and CJD – Cookies, Juice, & Donuts. Saytunes is a website designed to encourage and promote these contemporary Salvation Army bands and artists.

Another significant musical feature of the Salvation Army is its use of tambourines. With coloured ribbons representing the colours of the Salvation Army flag, timbrels play an integral facet of music in the Salvation army. They are mainly played by women.

Local corps usually sing contemporary worship music songs in Sunday worship services, as well as traditional hymns and music accompanied by the brass band.

Ensembles[link]

Today it is becoming common in Salvation Army corps not to have a full brass band. This is reflective for many social and cultural reasons.^{[citation needed]} Some Salvation Army corps make use of smaller ensembles of musicians. Often this ensemble consists simply of a guitar, piano or a keyboard, drums and sometimes a bass guitar and other instruments, especially during "Youth Fellowships".^{[citation needed]}

The music played does tend to also take on a more contemporary style as is reflected in modern music today. The early Salvation Army bands were known for their excitement and public appeal, and the modern ensemble keeps to this ideology. Traditional hymns are still used in worship services and these are blended with other musical pieces from Christian Music Publishers such as Vineyard Music, Hillsong, and Planet Shakers to name but a few.

Disaster relief[link]

In the USA The Salvation Army's first major forays into disaster relief resulted from the tragedies of the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. 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 Woodrow Wilson during the First World War, thrust Salvation Army social and relief work to newer heights. Today the Salvation Army is best known for its charitable efforts.

The Salvation Army is a 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 United States. In August 2005, they supplied drinking water to poor people affected by the heat wave in the United States. Later in 2005 they responded to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Most recently they have helped the victims of the May 2006 Indonesian Earthquake.

The William Booth Memorial Training College, Denmark Hill, London: The College for Officer Training of The Salvation Army in the UK

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 and drinks. Its SATERN (Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network)^[34] 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.

The Salvation Army was one of the first relief agencies on the scene of the 9/11 attacks in New York. 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).^[35]

Also among the disaster relief capabilities is the Red Shield Defence Services, often called the SallyMan for short. The effort that they put in is similar to that of a chaplain, and reaches many more, offering cold drinks, hot drinks, and some biscuits for the soldiers of the military to have, though, if a SallyMan is on deployment, the locals are offered a share in the produce.

In Australia the Salvation Army have Emergency Services Support Units throughout the country, providing food and other welfare to members of the Emergency Services such as bushfires, floods, land search, and other both large and small scale emergency operations undertaken by Police, Fire, Ambulance and State Emergency Service members, and the general public affected by these events.

Thrift Stores and charity[link]

Salvation Army Thrift Store, Santa Monica, CA

The Salvation Army is well known for its network of thrift stores or Charity Shops, colloquially referred to as "the Sally Ann" in Canada, "Sally's"^[36] or "Salvo" in the US and "op shops" in Australia, 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 Centres known as ARCs. The ARCs, found in many global locations, are work and Bible-based and are usually long-term residential facilities. Clothing collected by Salvation Army stores that are not sold on location are often sold wholesale on the global second hand clothing market.

The Salvation Army operates a fleet of trucks that will pick up donations in kind from people's homes to benefit the Thrift Stores. Donations of clothing, furniture and other household items can be scheduled by visiting SATruck.org. For example, in October 2011, the Salvation Army and their fleet truck operation in the Chicagoland area partnered with local Christmas tree company Treetime Christmas Creations to donate gently used artificial Christmas trees to families in need all throughout the state. See: Chicago Christmas Tree Donation Program. These large scale charity events fuel the network of "Sally's" and are common throughout the year but are most prevalent during the Christmas season.

Red Kettles[link]

Red kettle at supermarket entrance, Ypsilanti, Michigan

In many countries, The Salvation Army is most recognized during the Christmas season with its volunteers and employees who stand outside of businesses and play/sing Christmas carols, or ring bells to inspire passersby to place donations of cash and cheques inside red kettles. A tradition has developed in the United States in which, in some places, gold coins or rings are anonymously inserted into the kettles. This was first recorded in 1982, in Crystal Lake, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.^{[citation needed]}

Red Shield Appeal[link]

The Red Shield Appeal is an annual fundraising campaign in some territories, such as the UK and Australia. Each year, officers, soldiers, employees and volunteers take to the streets worldwide to participate in door to door or street collections. The money raised is specifically channelled towards The Salvation Army's social work in each respective territory.

Family Tracing Service[link]

The Family Tracing Service (sometimes known as the Missing Persons Service) was established in 1885, and the service is now available in most of the countries where The Salvation Army operates. The Tracing Service's objective is to restore (or to sustain) family relationships where contact has been lost, whether recently or in the distant past. Thousands of people are traced every year on behalf of their relatives.

Youth groups[link]

Salvation Army in Lausanne

The Salvation Army includes multiple youth groups, which primarily consist of its Sunday schools and the Scout and Guide packs that are sometimes set up. The Scout and Guide packs are not Salvation Army but are sometimes set up by members of the Salvation Army and are open to anyone. Also some schools volunteer to get a group of kids to help. 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.

Alove UK[link]

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. Alove is a member of The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS).^[37]

Controversy[link]

United States[link]

Homosexuality[link]

A fake $3 bill distributed by LGBT activists as a "Queer Dollar" for use in protesting policies of the Salvation Army

The Salvation Army in the U.S. has been the topic of some controversy about alleged discrimination against homosexuals in their hiring practices.^[38][39] The New York Times reported that the Salvation Army believed it had a firm commitment from the White House to issue a regulation that would override local antidiscrimination laws. A disclosure of The Salvation Army's request "outraged some civil rights groups and lawmakers," and resulted in an immediate reversal of a previous promise to honor the request.

The Salvation Army maintains that they were "not trying to get permission to discriminate against hiring gays and lesbians for the majority of its roughly 55,000 jobs and merely wanted a federal regulation that made clear that the charity did not have to ordain sexually active gay ministers and did not have to provide medical benefits to the same-sex partners of employees."^[40]

The Salvation Army's position is that because it is a church, Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 explicitly guarantees its right to discriminate on the basis of its religious beliefs in its hiring. To reinforce its position, it threatened to close all soup kitchens in New York City when the city government proposed legislation that would require all organizations doing business with it to provide equal benefits to unmarried domestic partners.^[41]

In 2001 the Salvation Army sought a change in distribution regulations for the $24 billion in new federal grants and tax deductions for charitable institutions requested by President George W. Bush.^[42] The alteration would have denied funds to state and municipal governments if they imposed restrictions on anti-gay hiring practices such as are practiced within the Salvation Army. Controversy arose after the publication of an internal Salvation Army memorandum suggesting that the discrimination provision would be allowed in exchange for the organization's support of the Bush faith-based public works program.^[42] Matt Coles, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Lesbian and Gay Rights Task Force, said the implied deal was "really about... the Salvation Army trying to get a license to discriminate using public money."^[42] Ultimately, Ari Fleischer, White House press secretary, who denied the existence of a back-room deal, released a statement saying the administration would not, in the words of ABC News, issue the "regulation sought by the church to protect the right of taxpayer-funded religious organizations to discriminate against homosexuals."^[42]

Following the firestorm in the summer of 2001, the Salvation Army approved a plan in October 2001 to start offering domestic-partnership benefits to gay employees.^[43] The organization, acknowledging "a clear difference in how we deal with homosexuality as an employer and as a church in ministering to our followers," affirmed its historical objection to gay marriage while a spokesperson nonetheless observed that shifts outside the church had created "a new awareness of our world."^[43] Members of various evangelical Christian interest groups were quick to protest the decision. Focus on the Family founder James Dobson excoriated the Salvation Army for abandoning its "moral integrity" and urged his radio listeners to bombard the organization's offices with phone calls and letters.^[43] The American Family Association also accused the Salvation Army of a "monstrous ... appeasement of sin" that resulted in a "betrayal of the church."^[43] By November 2001 the Salvation Army rescinded its decision from the month before with an announcement that it would only provide benefits coverage for different-sex spouses and dependent children of its employees.^[43]

In 2004, the Salvation Army threatened to stop all work and close all its offices and stores in New York City unless it was exempted from a municipal ordinance requiring that groups contracting with the city government offer benefits to gay employees’ partners. The City Council refused to make the exemption, however, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's administration chose not to enforce the ordinance. The administration right to decline to enforce was upheld by the New York State Court of Appeals in 2006, but it remains for each future Mayor to decide whether to enforce the ordinance.^[44]

The organization's views and practices on homosexuality have triggered an ongoing boycott effort in the U.S. since 2001.^[44]

Canada[link]

During the 2010 Christmas season, The Salvation Army in Calgary, Alberta, refused to accept toys based on the Harry Potter and Twilight franchises because of a perceived conflict with the organization's religious principles. One volunteer claimed that the toys were destroyed instead of being given to other agencies. The volunteer also criticized The Salvation Army for accepting violence-themed toys such as plastic rifles while not accepting Harry Potter or Twilight toys. A Salvation Army captain said that the toys were given to other organizations, not disposed of.^[45] This policy is not universal. The Wetaskiwin chapter of The Salvation Army has accepted Harry Potter toys. One captain called the series "a classic story of good winning over evil".^[46]

Also during the 2010 Christmas season, The Salvation Army in Vancouver, BC, came under fire for a program that provides goodie bags to federal inmates for Christmas by playing Santa to incarcerated criminals.^[47] This was however simply an extended outreach as part of The Salvation Army's prisoner visitation program established over a century ago.

United Kingdom[link]

In February 2000, the Salvation Army publicly (in their publication known as "War Cry" and in a letter to a Scottish Parliament committee) opposed the repeal of Section 28 of the Local Government Act (1988)^[48] However, The Salvation Army in the UK and Ireland website refers to the organisation offering 'unconditional assistance and support regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual choices, respecting the identity and choices of all those referred to them....As well as having a right to be dealt with professionally, people can expect from us encouragement and a respect for their individual beliefs, ambitions and preferences.'^[49]

Australia[link]

From the 1940 to the 1970s the Salvation Army in Australia sheltered approximately 30,000 children. In 2006 the Australian Salvation Army acknowledged that sexual abuse may have occurred during this time and issued an apology. In it, the Army explicitly rejected a claim, made by a party unnamed in the apology, that there were as many as 500 potential claimants.^[50] The Salvation army's attitude towards homosexuals has recently been widely discussed in the media.^{[citation needed]}

New Zealand[link]

Before the passing of the Homosexual Law Reform Act in 1986, the Salvation Army was active throughout the country gathering signatures for a petition seeking to prevent the bill's passing. In 2006 the Army released a statement regretting the ill feelings that persisted following this activity. It stated in part "We do understand though that The Salvation Army’s official opposition to the Reform Bill was deeply hurtful to many, and are distressed that ill-feeling still troubles our relationship with segments of the gay community. We regret any hurt that may remain from that turbulent time and our present hope is to rebuild bridges of understanding and dialogue between our movement and the gay community."^[51]

Russia[link]

A Moscow court ruled that the Salvation Army was a paramilitary organization subject to expulsion. This ruling was later changed when clarification was accepted by the Russian government.^{[citation needed]} In October 2006, the European Court of Human Rights ruled the original decision illegal.^[52]

See also[link]

	London portal
	Christianity portal

• World Vision
• Booth College
• Chalk Farm Salvation Army Band
• Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army
• Generals of The Salvation Army
• High Council of The Salvation Army
• International Staff Band
• Kroc Center
• Officer of The Salvation Army
• Maidenhead Citadel Band
• Melbourne Staff Band
• The Salvation Army in Manchester
• Salvation Army Namibia
• The Salvation Army in Parramatta
• Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network
• Salvation Army U.S.A Central Territory
• The Salvation Army U.S.A. Western Territory
• Soldier of The Salvation Army
• Follow On (hymn)

Notes[link]

References[link]

• 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
• A Hundred Years’ War:The Salvation Army 1865–1965 (Watson Bernard)
• The History of the Salvation Army Vol. I (Sandall Robert)
• 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. 
• Winston, Diane (2000). Red-Hot and Righteous: The Urban Religion of the Salvation Army. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-00396-9. 
• Ostling, Richard N. (15 December 2005). "The Salvation Army: A distinctive corps simultaneously expands and shrinks". Associated Press. http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2005/12/16/special_reports/religion/19_11_1312_15_05.txt. 
• Washington Post article regarding the deal between Salvation Army and the Bush administration

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Salvation Army

Wikisource has original text related to this article: Portal:Salvation Army

• Official website of the Salvation Army
• The Salvation Army Wiki
• Private Museum about the Salvation Army
• The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS)
• The Salvation Army – Wonderful Words of Life program
• The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network
• Statistical Profile of Salvation Army in the USA and Canada at the Association of Religion Data Archives
• The Salvation Army: A Presentation by the Canadian War Museum
• The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center – ARC Home Page

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This article may contain wording that merely promotes the subject without imparting verifiable information. Please remove or replace such wording, unless you can cite independent sources that support the characterization. (April 2012)

General Linda Bond
Born	(1946-06-22) 22 June 1946 (age 66) Glace Bay, Nova Scotia [1]
Occupation	General of The Salvation Army

Linda Bond (22 June 1946) is a Canadian national born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, and the current General of the Salvation Army. Since being commissioned as a Salvation Army officer on 21 June 1969 in Canada,^[2] she has served throughout the world, and since 2008 held the post of Territorial Commander of the Australian Eastern Territory. On 31 January 2011 Bond was elected by the High Council to be the next General of the Salvation Army and assumed office on 2 April 2011. Linda Bond is the third woman and third Canadian to be elected General of the Salvation Army. Her predecessors were General Evangeline Booth (1934–1939) and General Eva Burrows (1986–1993).

Part of a series on
The Salvation Army
Background
Christianity · Protestantism Pietism · Anglicanism Arminianism · Methodism Holiness Movement Evangelicalism
Organization
General Chief of the Staff High Council Commissioners Officer · Soldier · Corps
Prominent Salvationists
William Booth Catherine Booth Bramwell Booth Florence Booth Evangeline Booth Ballington Booth Catherine Bramwell-Booth Elijah Cadman Frederick Booth-Tucker Arthur Booth-Clibborn George Scott Railton T. Henry Howard Theodore Kitching Ray Steadman-Allen Eva Burrows
Other topics
Brass Bands Promoted to Glory Order of the Founder Limelight Department Christmas kettle The War Cry Articles of War Reliance Bank
Related organisations
Volunteers of America Skeleton Army The Blind Beggar
Christianity portal
v t e

Life[link]

General Bond's early experience in Salvation Army corps life and activities in Canada shaped her thinking and approach to ministry and prepared her for the time when she felt that God was calling her to make a lifetime commitment to him for service as an officer in The Salvation Army. General Bond says: ‘The call to officership came as a gentle whisper from the Lord and there has never been a day, not even a second, when I doubted this call.'

Linda Bond attended the college for officer training for two years and was commissioned with the rank of lieutenant in 1969. Nine years were spent in corps appointments, then Captain Bond was appointed as a member of the training staff at the college for officer training in Toronto and later was appointed candidates secretary.

Following these important developmental leadership experiences, Captain Bond was appointed once again to corps ministry, with an appointment as the commanding officer of the Kitchener Corps, during which time she was promoted to the rank of major. After that, she served at the college for officer training in St. John's, Newfoundland as assistant training principal.

Divisional leadership came in 1991 - first with an appointment as divisional secretary of the Maritime Division and, two years later, as divisional commander of the same division.

In the summer of 1995, with promotion in rank, Lieut-Colonel Linda Bond embarked upon her first ministry experience outside of her homeland, being appointed to International Headquarters of the Salvation Army (IHQ) in London, as under secretary for personnel.

On completion of her IHQ appointment during 1998, Lieut-Colonel Bond was transferred to the UK Territory as Divisional Commander Central North Division. She returned to Canada a little more than a year later when, on 1 November 1999 with promotion to the rank of colonel, she was appointed as Chief Secretary Canada and Bermuda Territory.

In July 2002, promoted in rank once again, Commissioner Linda Bond was appointed to the USA Western Territory where she served as territorial commander and territorial president of women's ministries.

Commissioner Bond was subsequently appointed to International Headquarters in 2005, when General John Larsson appointed her Secretary for Spiritual Life Development and International External Relations. These appointment responsibilities involved considerable international travel throughout the Salvation Army world, enabling her to fulfill a ministry of teaching and preaching to the enrichment of officers and soldiers alike.

In May 2008 Commissioner Bond was appointed territorial commander of the Australia Eastern Territory, from which appointment she traveled to London to participate in the High Council of the Salvation Army that elected her to the Army's most senior office - General.

General Bond holds a Bachelor's degree in Religious Education and a Master's degree in Theological Studies. Through a period of many years she lectured regularly at The Salvation Army's International College for Officers, in South-East London, and also effectively engaged her intellect and spiritual passion as a member of the Spiritual Life Commission.

The General's ministry is now broadened to encompass the global mission objectives of The Salvation Army. General Bond is committed to seek the guidance of God in her leadership and to follow his direction. ^[3]

Appointments:[link]

• Canada and Bermuda Territory

Corps (June 1969),

Training (June 1978),

THQ (Aug 1982),

Corps (Feb 1987),

Training (Oct 1989),

DHQ (July 1991)

Divisional Commander (July 1993)

• International Headquarters

Under Secretary for Personnel (July 1995)

• United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland

Divisional Commander (August 1998)

• Canada and Bermuda Territory

Chief Secretary (November 1999)

• USA Western Territory

Territorial Commander and Territorial President of Women’s Ministries (July 2002)

• International Headquarters

Secretary for Spiritual Life Development and International External Relations (July 2005)

• Australia Eastern Territory

Territorial Commander and Territorial President of Women’s Ministries (May 2008)

• International Headquarters

General of the Salvation Army (April 2011)^[4]

References[link]

1. ^ http://www.sawiki.net/index.php/Linda_Bond
2. ^ http://www.salvationarmy.org/highcouncil
3. ^ http://www.salvationarmy.org/ihq%5Cwww_sa.nsf/vw-sublinks/BAC4DC12CC4CB94180256D4F004ABAEF?openDocument
4. ^ http://www.salvationarmy.org/ihq/www_sa.nsf/vw-search/0613A346BDCFB902802578260039EE0E?opendocument

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William Booth
General Booth of The Salvation Army
Born	(1829-04-10)10 April 1829 Sneinton, Nottingham, England
Died	20 August 1912(1912-08-20) (aged 83) Hadley Wood, London, England
Resting place	Stoke Newington, London

William Booth (10 April 1829 – 20 August 1912) was a British Methodist preacher who founded The Salvation Army and became its first General (1878–1912). The Christian movement with a quasi-military structure and government founded in 1865 has spread from London, England to many parts of the world and is known for being one of the largest distributors of humanitarian aid.

William Booth was born in Sneinton, Nottingham, England, the only son of four surviving children born to Samuel Booth and Mary Moss.^[1]

Conversion and Early Ministry[link]

William Booth in about 1862

Booth's father was wealthy by the standards of the time, but during his childhood, as a result of bad investments, the family descended into poverty and his father became an alcoholic. In 1842, Samuel Booth, who by then was bankrupt, could no longer afford his son's school fees, and 13-year-old William Booth was apprenticed to a pawnbroker. Samuel Booth died later that same year.^[2]

Two years into his apprenticeship Booth was converted to salvation and Methodism.^[3] He then read extensively and trained himself in writing and in speech, becoming a Methodist lay preacher. Booth was encouraged to be an evangelist primarily through his best friend, Will Sansom. Sansom and Booth both began in the 1840s to preach to the poor and the sinners of Nottingham, and Booth would probably have remained as Sansom's partner in his new Mission ministry, as Sansom titled it, had Sansom not died of tuberculosis, in 1848.^[4]

When his apprenticeship ended in 1848, Booth spent a year looking in vain for more suitable work than pawnbroking, which he disliked and considered ungodly.^[5] In 1849, Booth reluctantly left his family and moved to London, where he found work and lodging in a pawnbroker's shop. Booth tried to continue lay preaching in London, but the small amount of preaching work that came his way frustrated him, and so he resigned as a lay preacher and took to open-air evangelising in the streets and on Kennington Common.

In 1851, Booth joined the Reformers (Methodist Reform Church), and on 10 April 1852, his 23rd birthday, he left pawnbroking and became a full-time preacher at their headquarters at Binfield Chapel in Clapham. William styled his preaching after the revivalist American James Caughey, who had made frequent visits to England and preached at Booth's favourite church, Broad Street Chapel. Just over a month after he started full-time preaching, on 15 May 1852, William Booth became formally engaged to Catherine Mumford. In November 1853, Booth was invited to become the Reformers' minister at Spalding, in Lincolnshire. Booth married Catherine Mumford on 16 June 1855 at Stockwell Green Congregational Church in London. Their wedding was very simple, as they wanted to use their time and money for his ministry. Even on their honeymoon Booth was asked to speak at meetings.

Though Booth became a prominent Methodist evangelist, he was unhappy that the annual conference of the denomination kept assigning him to a pastorate, the duties of which he had to neglect to respond to the frequent requests that he do evangelistic campaigns. At the Liverpool conference in 1861, after having spent three years at Gateshead, his request to be freed for evangelism full-time was refused yet again, and Booth resigned from the ministry of the Methodist New Connexion.

Soon he was barred from campaigning in Methodist congregations, so he became an independent evangelist. His doctrine remained much the same, though; he preached that eternal punishment was the fate of those who do not believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the necessity of repentance from sin, and the promise of holiness. He taught that this belief would manifest itself in a life of love for God and mankind. Eventually, the Booths' children became involved in the ministry. William then became the leader of the salvation army.

The Christian Mission[link]

Manifesto of The Christian Mission as a "Volunteer Army" (1878)

In 1865 Booth was in the East End of London, preaching to crowds of people in the streets. Outside The Blind Beggar public house some missioners heard him speaking and were so impressed by his preaching that they invited him to lead a series of meetings they were holding in a large tent.

The tent was set up on an old Quaker burial ground on Mile End Waste in Whitechapel. The first of these meetings was held on 2 July 1865. To the poor and destitute of London's East End, Booth brought the good news of Jesus Christ and his love for all.^[6]

Booth soon realised he had found his destiny, and later in 1865 he and his wife Catherine opened 'The Christian Revival Society' in the East End of London, where they held meetings every evening and on Sundays, to share the repentance that salvation can bring through accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior to the poorest and most needy, including alcoholics, criminals and prostitutes. The Christian Revival Society was later renamed The Christian Mission.

Slowly The Christian Mission began to grow but the work was difficult and Booth would "stumble home night after night haggard with fatigue, often his clothes were torn and bloody bandages swathed his head where a stone had struck", wrote his wife. Evening meetings were held in an old warehouse where urchins threw stones and fireworks through the window. Outposts were eventually established and in time attracted converts, yet the results were discouraging. The Christian Mission was just one of about 500 charitable and religious groups trying to help the poor and needy in London's East End.^[6]

Booth and his fellow brethren in Christ practised what they preached and performed self-sacrificing Christian and social work, such as opening “Food for the Million” shops (soup kitchens), not caring if they were scoffed at or derided for their work.

The Salvation Army[link]

Part of a series on
The Salvation Army
Background
Christianity · Protestantism Pietism · Anglicanism Arminianism · Methodism Holiness Movement Evangelicalism
Organization
General Chief of the Staff High Council Commissioners Officer · Soldier · Corps
Prominent Salvationists
William Booth Catherine Booth Bramwell Booth Florence Booth Evangeline Booth Ballington Booth Catherine Bramwell-Booth Elijah Cadman Frederick Booth-Tucker Arthur Booth-Clibborn George Scott Railton T. Henry Howard Theodore Kitching Ray Steadman-Allen Eva Burrows
Other topics
Brass Bands Promoted to Glory Order of the Founder Limelight Department Christmas kettle The War Cry Articles of War Reliance Bank
Related organisations
Volunteers of America Skeleton Army The Blind Beggar
Christianity portal
v t e

The Christian Mission becomes The Salvation Army (May 1878)

The name The Salvation Army developed from an incident in May 1878. William Booth was dictating a letter to his secretary George Scott Railton and said, "We are a volunteer army." Bramwell Booth heard his father and said, "Volunteer, I'm no volunteer, I'm a regular!" Railton was instructed to cross out the word "volunteer" and substitute the word "salvation".^[7] The Salvation Army was modelled after the military, with its own flag (or colours) and its own music, often with Christian words to popular and folkloric tunes sung in the pubs. Booth and the other soldiers in "God's Army" would wear the Army's own uniform, 'putting on the armour,' for meetings and ministry work. He became the "General" and his other ministers were given appropriate ranks as "officers". Other members became "soldiers".

Though the early years were lean ones, with the need of money to help the needy an ever growing issue, Booth and The Salvation Army persevered. In the early 1880s, operations were extended to other countries, notably the United States, France, Switzerland, Sweden and others, including to most of the countries of the British Empire: Australia, Canada, India, South Africa, New Zealand, Jamaica, etc.

Often the beginnings in other countries occurred through "salvationist" activities by non-officers who had emigrated. With some initial success they would contact London to 'send officers.' In other cases, like in Argentina, a non-salvationist told Booth that there were thousands of British people there who needed salvation. The four officers sent in 1890 found that those British were scattered all over the pampas. But the missionaries started ministry in Spanish and the work spread throughout the country – initially following the rail-road development, since the British in charge of building the rail-roads were usually sympathetic to the movement.

During his lifetime, William Booth established Army work in 58 countries and colonies, travelling extensively and holding, "salvation meetings."

Booth regularly published a magazine and was the author of a number of books; he also composed several songs. His book In Darkest England and the Way Out not only became a best-seller after its 1890 release, it set the foundation for the Army's modern social welfare schemes. It compared what was considered "civilised" England with "Darkest Africa" – a land then considered poor and backward. What Booth suggested was that much of London and greater England after the Industrial Revolution was not better off in the quality of life than those in the underdeveloped world.

General Booth in later years

He proposed a strategy to apply the Christian Gospel and work ethic to the problems. The book speaks of abolishing vice and poverty by establishing homes for the homeless, farm communities where the urban poor can be trained in agriculture, training centres for prospective emigrants, homes for fallen women and released prisoners, aid for the poor, and help for drunkards. He also lays down schemes for poor men’s lawyers, banks, clinics, industrial schools and even a seaside resort. He says that if the state fails to meet its social obligations it will be the task of each Christian to step into the breach. However, Booth was not departing from his spiritual convictions to set-up a socialist or communist society or sub-class, supported by people forced to finance his plans; Booth's ultimate aim was to get people "saved."

Booth asserts in his introduction,

I have no intention to depart in the smallest degree from the main principles on which I have acted in the past. My only hope for the permanent deliverance of mankind from misery, either in this world or the next, is the regeneration or remaking of the individual by the power of the Holy Ghost through Jesus Christ. But in providing for the relief of temporal misery I reckon that I am only making it easy where it is now difficult, and possible where it is now all but impossible, for men and women to find their way to the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It was asserted in some circles that In Darkest England was actually written by the crusading journalist, W.T. Stead, who, in his own words, acted as a "literary hack" for the General when Mrs. Booth lay dying. However, this assumption was swiftly dismissed by Stead some years later, declaring that, "The idea of Darkest England.. was the General's own. My part, of which I had no wish to speak.. was strictly subordinate throughout.^[8]

In Darkest England and the Way Out was reprinted several times and lately in 2006.

Opposition[link]

A magazine cartoon of 1882 captioned, "Now, Mr Booth, let us know what you are going to do with all this money!"

During its early years The Salvation Army faced a great deal of opposition, especially from those in the alcohol-selling industry who were concerned that the activities of Booth and his followers would persuade the poorer classes to stop drinking. One group opposed to Booth and The Salvation Army was the Skeleton Army, a diffuse group, particularly in Southern England, that opposed and disrupted The Salvation Army's marches against alcohol from the early 1880s until about 1892. Clashes between the two groups lead to the deaths of several Salvationists and injuries to many others. During 1882 alone 662 Salvation Army soldiers were assaulted: 251 of them were women and 23 of them were under fifteen years of age.^[9]

Other accusations centred around the fact that Booth appointed his own children to posts for which others were better qualified, leading to claims that The Salvation Army was a Booth family-business. For example, he appointed his daughter Emma Booth as the Principal of the Officers' Training Home, The Salvation Army's first training school for women when she was just 19. Others believed that Booth was creating a dynasty, as was suggested by the fact that he insisted that his sons-in-law added 'Booth' to their own names (see Frederick Booth-Tucker and Arthur Booth-Clibborn).^[10] This was further borne out when Booth appointed his son, Bramwell Booth, as his successor as General in his will.

The press was often hostile to Booth and The Salvation Army as well because their methods and message were widely misinterpreted. The Army's motto ‘Blood & Fire’, which had deep theological meaning representing the saving ‘blood of Jesus’ and the sanctifying ‘fire of the Holy Spirit’, was erroneously thought to mean the blood of sinners and the fire of hell. There was also suspicion about the Army's motives, with Booth often portrayed as a charlatan only out to make money.^[11]

The Church of England was at first also extremely hostile to the activities of Booth and The Salvation Army. The philanthropist, politician and evangelist Lord Shaftesbury even went so far as to describe Booth as the "Anti-Christ". One of the main complaints against Booth was his "elevation of women to man's status".^[12] Many found him dictatorial and hard to work with. Some of his own children denounced him as their leader and turned their backs on The Salvation Army, including his daughter Kate Booth and his sons Herbert and Ballington Booth, the latter founding a separate organisation, the Volunteers of America with himself as 'General'. The evangelist Rodney "Gipsy" Smith left him because of his rigidity and D.L. Moody would not support him because he felt there was a threat to the local Church. But no one could deny his compassion for the sufferings of his fellow man.^[13]

Later years[link]

Booth and his granddaughter Catherine Bramwell-Booth during the 1904 motorcade

Opinion of The Salvation Army and William Booth eventually changed to that of favour. In his later years, he was received in audience by kings, emperors and presidents, who were among his ardent admirers. Even the mass media began to use his title of 'General' with reverence.

In 1899, Booth suffered from blindness in both eyes, but with a short rest, was able to recover his sight. In 1904 he took part in a 'motorcade' when he was driven around Great Britain, stopping off in cities, towns and villages to preach to the assembled crowds from inside his open-top car. In 1906 Booth was made a Freeman of the City of London, and was granted an honorary degree from the University of Oxford. In 1902 he was invited to attend the coronation of King Edward VII.

His last visit to the United States was made in 1907, and in 1909 he embarked on a six month motor tour of the United Kingdom. During this tour he discovered he was blind in his right eye and the sight in his left eye was dimmed by cataracts. The rest of the tour had to be cancelled. On 21 August 1909 a surgeon at Guy's Hospital removed his right eye. Despite this setback, in 1910 Booth campaigned in Holland, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. On his return to England he embarked on his seventh and last motor tour.

William Booth was 83 years old when he died (or was Promoted to Glory) at his home in Hadley Wood, London. At the three day lying in state at Clapton Congress Hall 150,000 people filed past his casket. On 27 August 1912 Booth's funeral service was held at London’s Olympia where 40,000 people attended, including Queen Mary, who sat almost unrecognised far to the rear of the great hall.

The following day Booth's funeral procession set out from International Headquarters. As it moved off 10,000 uniformed Salvationists fell in behind. Forty Salvation Army bands played the ‘Dead March’ from Handel’s Saul as the vast procession set off. He was buried with his wife Catherine Booth in the main London burial ground for 19th century non-conformist ministers and tutors, the non-denominational Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington.^[14]

Legacy[link]

In Booth's honour, Vachel Lindsay wrote the poem, "General William Booth Enters Into Heaven".^[15] Charles Ives, who had been Evangeline Booth's neighbour, set the poem to music. In 1990 a diesel locomotive in the British Rail fleet was named 'The William Booth'.^[16]

The William Booth rose, developed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, was named in his honour.^[17] The William Booth Memorial Training College in Denmark Hill, London, the College for Officer Training of The Salvation Army in the United Kingdom, is named after him,^[18] as is the William Booth Primary School in his native Nottingham and William Booth Lane in central Birmingham. Also the William Booth memorial statue in Whitechapel, London.

Children of William and Catherine Booth[link]

William Booth and Catherine Mumford were married on 17 June 1855^[19] at Stockwell New Chapel, at that time part of Surrey.^[20] They had nine children^[21][22]:

• Bramwell Booth (8 March 1856 – 16 June 1929)
• Ballington Booth (28 July 1857 – 5 October 1940)
• Kate Booth (18 September 1858 – 9 May 1955)
• Emma Booth (8 January 1860 – 28 October 1903).
• Walter Booth (1861)
• Herbert Booth (26 August 1862 – 25 September 1926)
• Marie Booth (4 May 1864 – 5 January 1937)
• Evangeline Booth (25 December 1865 – 17 July 1950)
• Lucy Booth (28 April 1868 – 18 July 1953)

Grandchildren of William and Catherine Booth (37)[link]

Children of Ballington

• Ballington Booth (jnr)
• Charles (formerly William) Brandon Booth
• Theodora Myrtle Booth

Children of Bramwell

• Catherine Bramwell-Booth 20 July 1883 – 4 October 1987
• Bernard Booth
• Mary Booth
• Florence Miriam Booth
• Olive Booth
• Dora Booth
• Wycliffe Booth

Children of Catherine

• Catherine Evangeline Booth-Clibborn
• Victoria Margaret Booth-Clibborn
• Herbert Samuel Booth-Clibborn
• Arthur Augustin Booth-Clibborn
• William Emmanuel Booth Clibborn
• John Eric Booth-Clibborn]
• Freda Lucy Booth-Clibborn]
• Evelyn Beatrice Booth-Clibborn
• Theodore Percy Booth-Clibborn
• Josephine Christina Booth-Clibborn

Children of Emma

• Evangeline Booth-Tucker
• Frederick Kristodas Booth-Tucker
• Herbert Booth-Tucker
• John Booth-Tucker
• Lucy Mina Booth-Tucker
• Catherine Motee Booth-Tucker (Mrs Commissioner Hugh Sladen)
• Muriel Booth-Tucker
• Tancred Bramwell Booth-Tucker
• William Booth-Tucker

Children of Herbert

• Ferdinand Booth
• Henry Booth
• Victor Booth

Children of Lucy

• Emma Booth-Hellberg
• Eva Booth-Hellberg
• Lucy Booth-Hellberg
• Daniel Booth Hellberg
• Ebba Mary Booth-Hellberg

Gallery[link]

• William booth birthplace.JPG

  Plaque on the house in Nottingham in which William Booth was born on 10 April 1829

• William booth statue.JPG

  "William Booth" statue at his birth place in Nottingham

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  Reverend William Booth, General of the Salvation Army

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  Memorial to William and Catherine Booth in Abney Park Cemetery

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  General William Booth memorial in Battery Park, New York City

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Hattersley, Roy (1999), Blood and Fire: William and Catherine Booth and the Salvation Army, Little Brown, ISBN 0-316-85161-2 
• Railton, George Scott (1912), The Authoritative Life Of General William Booth, George H. Doran 
• Sandall, Robert (1947), The History of the Salvation Army Vol.1 1865–78, Thomas Nelson 

Works[link]

• In Darkest England and The Way Out Diggory Press, ISBN 978-1-84685-377-7
• Purity of Heart Diggory Press, ISBN 978-1-84685-376-0

Works About[link]

• "General Booth", a biographical portrait by John McLure Hamilton from Men I Have Painted (1921).

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: William Booth

Wikisource has original works written by or about: William Booth

• SalvationArmy.org.uk/heritage Biographical Data on General William Booth
• The William Booth Birthplace Museum – Nottingham
• The Authoritative Life of General William Booth at Project Gutenberg
• Works by William Booth at Project Gutenberg
• Books by William Booth
• Recording of William Booth reading Please Sir, Save Me (1906) – a British Library sound recording