The Salvation Army

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Apr 23, 1896

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 22, No. 17.

The Salvation Army.

—Rev. John B. Devins, whose knowledge and fairness is vouched for by the Independent, says:—

“The officers and the friends of the Army say that they reach a class of people, meaning the lower order socially, that the church can not reach. A careful study of city mission work here and elsewhere leads the writer to take direct issue with this statement.”

“While the work of the Salvation Army is generally understood to have been carried on among the lower classes, which it was organized to reach— the unchurched classes, so called—and while workers and money have been secured to reach people from this class, the most aggressive work of the Army, in the opinion of many, has been among the wage-earning and the so-called upper classes; and its chief attention has been directed toward the members of churches, whom it has flattered and won away from their first love, thus weakening the churches of the many denominations, whose representatives have been contributing money for its support.”

Mr. Devins asserts that the Army is a rival to the church, while “it offers a poor substitute for church privileges.” A pastor who was desired to speak at a meeting in their interests, asked the attitude of the Army on baptism, the Lord’s supper, ministry of the word, and relation of the members of the Army to individual churches. Mr. Devins gives the substance of the reply, as follows:—

“(1) We do not observe the sacraments mentioned, but we have what we consider a substitute for them; (2) we have no ordained ministry, but we have what we consider a substitute for that; (3) we do not say that the soldiers shall leave the churches with which they have been connected, but we place upon each soldier so much work that he has no time to attend to the duties of church membership.”

Substitution is dangerous. If we substitute with God, ought we not to expect the same from him? What would he substitute for life and salvation?