Pornography and covenants

Back in 1976 I read “The Vision” by David Wilkerson I was 15 at the time and was attracted to the book because it had been written by the man behind “The Cross and the switchblade” story.’ As a teenager I had been captivated by “The Cross and the switchblade”. The story spoke of a Christianity I had never encountered I was excited by this pastor who decided to give up watching television in the evening and devote his time to studying his Bible and prayer.

Although it was 35 years ago that I read “the vision” I have a couple of clear recollections of how the book affected me. The book was all to do with prophecy and much of it seemed to go too far, I remember being uncomfortable with some of the suggestions that the author was making. Even as a teenager who wasn’t properly saved there was something about the book that didn’t seem quite right.

Having said all of that, I can clearly remember some of the predictions contained within the book. In 1974 when the book was written censorship of the cinema and television was quite severe. If you lived in the UK you had access to three television channels and they had a heavily enforced watershed – programs with mature themes came on after 9 PM. In America censorship was even tighter. Wilkerson predicted that within a few decades we would have access to hard-core pornography both in the cinema and on television. Of course one development Wilkerson didn’t predict was the advances in technology that make censorship impossible. The arrival of the first of all videos and then DVDs, cable television, satellite channels finally followed by the Internet makes pornography accessible to all. Once upon a time if you wanted to buy pornography you had to visit a specialist shop, a shop you might be seen entering, a shop where you would have to carry out a transaction with a living human being. Not today, anyone with the most basic knowledge of IT and access to the Internet can within seconds of going online start looking at hard-core porn.

Maybe it is this ready access to pornography that has desensitised us and done away with things like ‘watersheds’. Music videos, television adverts, soap operas, situation comedies, and tabloid newspapers – almost every medium you can think of constantly smudges the line between what is acceptable and what is pornography. I’ve noticed recently that television programs that carry a 15 certificate are often broadcast in the middle of the afternoon. In addition Sky television hosts what can only be described as traditional ‘peep-shows’ 24/7 – unless parents have the common sense to block these channels anyone with access to the remote control can watch them. As for the music channels the pop videos they show are very suggestive and the lyrics even more so. Mike Stock (songwriter and record producer) recently commented on this phenomenon:

“The recent final of Britain’s Got Talent was broadcast at 7.30 pm on a Saturday evening, featured two finalists who were 11 and 12 years old, and was watched by millions of children of about the same age or even younger.

Yet the producers still thought it appropriate that the guest-star Nicole Scherzinger, formerly of the raunchy band the Pussycat Dolls, was dressed in a knicker-skimming mini-dress, bumping and grinding her hips suggestively through her latest hit, while singing ‘Come on baby, put your hands on my body . . . right there’.

Her whispering ‘I like it dirty’ seemed as unsurprising as it was superfluous, and was, suffice to say, wholly inappropriate for the programme’s family audience.

Ms Scherzinger’s gyrations prompted me to voice my concerns about the insidious impact the music industry was having on our children — that the lyrics of pop songs had become too sexualised, that music videos had effectively turned into soft-core pornography, and that the combined impact of both is almost certainly having a hugely damaging effect on our children.”

The thing that concerns me more than anything else is that our children and young people are growing up with a wholly inaccurate idea of what sex is. Boys will expect their partners to behave in a certain way and girls will feel pressured into doing things with which they feel comfortable. The idea of gently exploring ways of expressing love in a physical way has all but passed away.

Now I know there are many who will argue with me, there are people in the world today who believe that sex is a means of enjoying ourselves no different from eating food or listening to music. There are some who live in open relationships and are quite willing to share their partner sexually in much the same way they would encourage them to go out for a meal with someone else.

Of course pornography is not new; neither is the link between pornography and immoral sex, look at the following text from Ezekiel 23:

“She saw men portrayed on a wall, figures of Chaldeans portrayed in red, ¹⁵ with belts around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers, natives of Chaldea. ¹⁶ As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. ¹⁷ Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her.”

I am of course speaking from a Christian perspective, not only from a Christian perspective but from a Salvationist perspective. My recent posting on covenants in relation to doctrine and Christian ceremony caused something of a stir. How do we feel about our covenants in relation to sex and pornography? The following three paragraphs are taken from the salvation soldiers’ covenant, the “Articles of War”

“I will be responsive to the Holy Spirit’s work and obedient to His leading in my life, growing in grace through worship, prayer, service and the reading of the Bible. I will make the values of the Kingdom of God and not the values of the world the standard for my life.

I will uphold Christian integrity in every area of my life, allowing nothing in thought, word or deed that is unworthy, unclean, untrue, profane, dishonest or immoral.

I will abstain from alcoholic drink, tobacco, the non-medical use of addictive drugs, gambling, pornography, the occult and all else that could enslave the body or spirit.”

As I write this blog I am sitting in my study in an empty house, my vocation provides little accountability other than that which I acknowledge from above and that which I impose upon myself. If I wanted to look at pornography then I am only a few keyboard clicks away from an almost unlimited supply. The devil can tempt me to look but according to Paul in his letter to the Corinthians in chapter 10 of his letter,

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. “

There would be a certain pleasure in giving in to the temptation, if the temptation wasn’t attractive then by definition it would not be a temptation. Holiness allows me to turn my back on temptation and embrace the will of God.

Of course it was not always like this, there was a time when my life was riddled with sin, there was a time when I made Paul’s hapless character in Romans 7 look like a Mother Theresa! However experience has taught me that giving in to temptation leads to misery and ultimately death. Whereas holiness provides us with a life of inexplicable joy in which we are used by God to positively touch the hearts and minds of other people.

Those of us who are Salvation Army Officers and Soldiers let’s make sure that we are being true to the voluntary promises we have made to God. Sadly it is impossible to walk through life today without being confronted by sexual imagery, turning a page of a newspaper or changing the channel on the television can reveal images we would never choose to look at. Let us not confuse temptation with sin.

As James reminds in chapter 1 of his letter the desire to do wrong in itself is not a sin but if it is left unchallenged it will develop into sin which ultimately has the power to destroy our faith.

“each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

Let’s not be deceived by the subtle changes in opinion around this, let’s not make excuses for ourselves, let’s not blame nature, and DNA, the weaknesses we inherited from our original parents. Let’s not call it stress relief or relaxation but let’s be completely aware that “any man or woman who looks a member of the opposite sex lustfully has already committed adultery with them in their hearts.

In a world of shifting values,

There are standards that remain,

I believe that holy living

By God’s grace we may attain.

All would hear the Holy Spirit

If they listen to his voice,

Every Christian may be Christlike

And in liberty rejoice.

Grace and peace, Andrew

We sin because we want to!

On 29 June 1998 Billie Piper became the youngest recording artist to debut at no: 1 when she declared:

“Why you gotta play that song so loud?Because we want to! because we want to!Why d’you always run around in crowds?Because we want to! because we want to!Why d’you always have to dance all night?Because we want to! because we want to!Why d’you always say what’s on your mind?Because we want to! because we want to!”

What the 15-year-old singer probably didn’t realise was that she was actually stating a deep and irrefutable philosophical truth.

Largely speaking human beings do what they want to, they may be partly persuaded by upbringing, nature, peer pressure or indeed by a myriad of other influences but generally they do what they want to do. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, sometimes illness can reduce or even take away our responsibility completely, and in addition drugs like alcohol can cause us to behave in a way that is out of character. However, most of do what we want to.

This truth needs to be at the forefront of our thinking when we consider holiness. Holiness happens when we surrender our free will and embrace God’s will. In the Free Church we are always reluctant to link what we do with what God does. We are terrified of becoming guilty of trying to earn our salvation. Even though all of the promises of God – without exception – are conditional we are still nervous when a particular doctrine suggests that spiritual blessing might be dependent upon our behaviour. I believe that this is largely the reason why holiness is so misunderstood. Holiness is completely dependent upon our obedience.

Because self-denial, as the phrase implies, runs contrary to our desires we are always happy when we can find biblical evidence that seems to suggest that we can never be free from sin. The classic lifebuoy that people have always grabbed hold of is 1 John 1:8-10

“⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

I am always amazed when this verse is used to refute the possibility that we might be able to enjoy a “career of uninterrupted victory over sin.” What does this verse actually say; it says if we claim to be without sin we are deceived – I can’t imagine any Christian arguing against that! It also says that if we claim we have not sinned we are calling God a liar – again I can’t imagine any Christian arguing against that! It also says that if we confess our sins he will forgive us – another undeniable truth. Then there are those five words hidden away in the middle in which God promises to “purify us from all unrighteousness.” In other words although we cannot be without sin or claim that we have never sinned we can be utterly clean and set free from its hold. Another reason I have always been amazed that people use John’s first letter to attack the possibility of experiencing victory over sin is because in the same letter John says:

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin” (1 John 2:1)

“We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.” (1 John 2:3)

“Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6)

“If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.” (1 John 2:29)

“No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” (1 John 3:6)

Finally John goes on to say,

“Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. ⁸ The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. ⁹ No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. ¹⁰ This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.” (1 John 3:7-10)

If we were to be absolutely honest with ourselves we would have to admit that the reason we don’t want to believe that victory over sin is possible is because such a belief would take away the permission we have to wallow in our weakness.

We do not give in to every temptation that comes our way, indeed we pick and choose very carefully. Top of our list are those sins which have a visible consequence – if we were to give in to those sins then our hypocrisy would be exposed. Most of us manage to avoid those sins which cost us money or have a negative impact on those we love. In fact the sins that Christians struggle with on the whole fall into the category of secret sin. We know that God can give us the power to conquer sin because we have achieved victory over sin in many areas of our life. However, when it comes to our secret sins we have no wish to surrender these. These sins do not have a visible consequence, they don’t break the bank, they don’t noticeably hurt our loved ones, they don’t threaten our social status or our position at church, and indeed we are the only people who know of their existence.

To go back to Ms Billie Piper we commit these sins “because we want to”. Our love for God has not matured sufficiently and that is why we are able to tolerate their existence in our lives. Of course, although these sins may be hidden from human sight we are not able to keep them secret from God. As Paul reminds us in Galatians:

“⁷ Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸ Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:6-8)

John Wesley used to call holiness “perfect love” I wonder if he was inspired by 1 John 2:5 “if anyone obeys his word, love for God
is truly made complete in them.”

I have always been fond of the way in which JB Phillips paraphrases the opening verses of Romans 12.

“With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.”

Phillips picks up beautifully on the truth that our righteousness, our obedience, our holiness will always be an act of self-denial done in response to God’s love. “With eyes wide open to the mercies of God…” he says “give him your bodies…”

Let there be no further suggestion that the reason we continue to live under the power of sin is because God has yet to rescue us. Another lifebuoy desperately clung to by those who want to justify secret sin is of course Romans chapter 7. Dear friends to read Romans chapter 7 without reading chapter 8 and without reading the preceding chapter 6 is to try and live our Christian life the wrong side of Calvary.

As the old song says we have been saved from “sinning and sin” anyone who argues against the fact does God a great injustice. Let’s stop fooling ourselves we give into temptation “because we want to”.

Grace and peace Andrew

Is holiness obsolete?

Last summer I visited Stonehenge. I’ve seen it from the road before but never actually stopped and taken the time to look at this remarkable mystery properly. I use the word mystery because nobody knows what Stonehenge is. Lots of archaeologists have come up with interesting theories but the truth is that the purpose behind Stonehenge, the reason it was built has been lost forever in the mists of time.

Stonehenge stood at the very centre of the society that constructed it, whether it was an important meeting place or a place of religious worship, the time and effort that must have gone into its construction proves beyond any doubt that it was of enormous significance. Yet today we know nothing about its construction or why it was built. It’s still there of course, some 4-5 thousand years after it was built but sadly its raison d’être hasn’t proved as durable.

Sometimes I think that we live and serve in a Salvation Army where holiness is at risk of turning into some kind of theological Stonehenge.

How many people in the Salvation Army today understand what holiness is? How many officers actively preach it? How many holiness testimonies do we hear in our meetings?

Do we still 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”?

Do we still believe that “continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ”?

These two doctrines clearly indicate that Salvationists believe that it is possible for Christians to live a life of constant victory over the power of temptation.

Contemporary Christians – even contemporary Salvationists struggle with this concept of victory over sin.

Yet the truth is we experience such a victory in some areas of our lives and we expect other people to exercise the same victory in parts of their lives.

Nobody can be more compelled to behave in a certain way than an alcoholic, drug addict or compulsive gambler – yet when people like this walk into our halls we believe that God can deliver them.

The age of miraculous conversions is not dead and there are many Salvationists who can testify about people who have been set free from habitual sin.

One of the reasons that the concept of consistent victory over sin is difficult for some people to grasp is because we do not emphasise enough the significant link between our will and what our forebears called the blessing of holiness.

In one of the doctrines I quoted above we state that “continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ” – this doctrine unequivocally states that our salvation is dependent upon our obedience. This powerful and somewhat controversial statement has substantial backing from Scripture. In the New Testament, in both the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, we see a clear link between faith, love, obedience and salvation.

“If you love me, keep my commands.” John 14:15 (NIV)

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 (NIV)

“No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” 1 John 3:6 (NIV)

The reason that we seem to possess an almost innate propensity for sin is not down to our nature but the fact that we choose (in certain areas of our life) to remain disobedient.

Most Christians have managed, by grace through faith, to overcome and defeat at least one habitual weakness in their life. The reason they have decided not to go after the others is a consequence of their will, they may not like to admit it but they have made a decision to hang on to those habits, they enjoy them (or maybe need them) more than they desire to obey Christ.

There is probably no greater requirement cited in the Bible as a condition of Christianity than self-denial. Jesus repeatedly told the disciples that unless they were prepared to deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow him they could not be his disciples. In order to make such a complete surrender we will need a powerful motive. That motive of course can only be love. “If you love me” says Jesus “you will obey my commands”.

Holiness happens in our lives when God’s love gives us both the desire and the power to surrender our will and embrace his. The most dramatic example of this in the pages of Scripture is of course Gethsemane. Too many Christians see the outcome of Christ’s struggle in Gethsemane as a done deal. The truth is (and this is made quite clear by the text) that Jesus had plans of his own which were at odds with what God wanted him to do. Our salvation turned upon the willingness of Christ to say (both in word and deed) “not my will but yours be done.”

Becoming holy doesn’t need to be a complicated procedure, as all it takes is a sincere decision to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your body”

As long as we continue to deny ourselves and embrace the will of God then we will be given new hearts and new minds that are naturally inclined towards obedience.

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel 36:25-27 (NIV)

To put it bluntly the reason that holiness is no longer properly taught or experienced is because it requires obedience. Of course God will not force holiness upon us; he will not override our free will and compel us to become good but when we are prepared to cooperate with him the outcome will always be victory. To say that holiness is impossible is a weak and shallow lie and we are fooling no one but ourselves.

John Gowans got it absolutely right (as he usually does) when he said:

If you want it–it’s yours!

If you want it–it’s yours!
Do you want the power to be a better person?
If you want it–it’s yours!

Or to put it another way:

If you want boldness, take part in the fight;
If you want purity, walk in the light;
If you want liberty, shout and be free;
Enjoying a full salvation.

At the end of the day it would be interesting to know what part Stonehenge played in the lives of our ancestors but the fact that we do not doesn’t have any fatal consequences. However, if we forget what holiness is and if we refuse to experience it then the consequences for us as individuals and for the Salvation Army (and the wider church) collectively are dire for “without holiness none shall see the Lord.”

Grace and peace, Andrew

Holiness possible!

Easter isn’t that long ago and the memory of Christ’s sacrificial death will still be fresh in the minds of many Christians. Indeed the memory of Christ’s death is probably never far from the believer’s mind whatever time in the Christian calendar. Is it not this act of undeserved sacrificial love that drives us on to serve him? Don’t we love because he first loved us?

What an awful tragedy it is therefore that so many people have yet to experience his love in a tangible way. Yet, unbelievably there is an even greater tragedy; one that must grieve Christ in an unimaginable way for this tragedy limits salvation for both the believer and the unsaved alike.

Christ died to take away the sins of the world, to do away with the works of the devil, to deliver us from evil. Yet so many thousands of Christians insist on staying ‘outside the land of promise’.

Do you suffer from the restraints of habitual sin? Is your usefulness to Christ and his mission hindered by a lack of spiritual confidence? When you reach a point of ‘deeper consecration’ are you held back because ‘all the memories of deeds gone by rise within you and his power deny’?

This is not how Christ meant it to be, he dies to save us not only from sin but from sinning.

I came across this great quote some time ago in ‘Orders and Regulations for Field Officers’ (1908 edition):-

“Holiness is not an end of war with outward sin but a career of uninterrupted victory over it.”

Isn’t that a fantastic statement!

In a few weeks the Salvation Army Officer Cadet Session called ‘The ambassadors of holiness’ will be commissioned. Yet how many Salvationists don’t understand what holiness is let alone have experienced the freedom it delivers?

17 years ago when I first got saved I hardly ever heard holiness mentioned but its status has been steadily increasing among Salvationists in the years since then – especially in the last decade.

So what is holiness? Sherlock Holmes used to say “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” So let’s start by eliminating all those things which are often mistaken for holiness.

Holiness is not:

• Asceticism
• Puritanism
• Isolation from the world
• Discipline
• Maturity
• Being like Jesus
• Sinless perfection
• Walking the narrow way

All or some of these things may be a consequence of holiness or contribute to it but they are not – either together or separately holiness.

Holiness in its most basic form is supernatural victory over sin.

What is the central ingredient of Christianity?

When you consider the incarnation, the visit of the shepherds, the loyalty of Joseph, the obedience of the Magi, the miracles, the crucifixion, the resurrection, Pentecost, the rapid birth of the earthly church – what is the common denominator? The answer is of course the supernatural power of God.

What makes holiness possible? The answer is the same – the supernatural power of God.

How does it happen? It happens when we, empowered by love and grace, surrender our will and embrace Gods! It happens when we say with Christ ‘not my will be done but yours’. That is holiness and it can only happen when we are in a loving relationship with Christ. Holiness is born out of love, empowered by love, sustained by love and produces even more love.

Some will say they can never be free from sin, they will tell you that human nature will always give into temptation, without ever realising they crown death rather than Christ as their saviour from sin. What they fail to realise is that Christianity demands the surrender of the will. My human nature may want to sin, may even enjoy sin but it is those desires that I give up when I surrender my will. Just like Christ in Gethsemane holiness happens when I give up what I want to do and fully embrace what Christ wants. This is holiness and denying its existence, its power and failing to live within the freedom it gives grieves God and debilitates the church.

• Let’s preach holiness.
• Let’s teach holiness.
• Let’s expect holiness.
• Let’s experience holiness.

For without it none of us will ever see God!

Grace and peace, A

Thank you Helen Clifton

I was deeply saddened, along with the rest of the Salvation Army world, to hear of the promotion to glory of Commissioner Helen Clifton. The Salvation Army, indeed the world, will be much poorer place without her physical presence and influence.

My brother David, who was only 18 months younger than me, died prematurely at the age of 21 just under 30 years ago. Coming to terms with his loss taught me many things. I was with him when he passed away and I now have no fear of death whatsoever. I have no doubt at all that he was going somewhere, he was even able to tell us about the place he was destined for, and he could see it and was able to share with us what he saw.

Salvationists don’t die they are Promoted to Glory. Their life continues albeit in a different and invisible realm. Salvationists don’t mourn the passing of comrades but rejoice in the fact that they have gone to heaven. Of course such confidence does not protect us from the inevitable sadness that befalls all those who grieve. Where there has been much love there will always be much sorrow. Shakespeare was not a Salvationist but he seems to have understood the contradictory feelings experienced at times like this when he described “parting” with his oxymoron “sweet sorrow”.

In recent days, on this blog and more notably on Facebook (which links to this blog,) I have been discussing the issue of covenant relationships within the Salvation Army. To be true to one’s covenant demands courage and sacrificial discipline. It is all too easy to compromise when remaining true to a promise threatens to result in painful consequences.

The kind of Salvation Army Helen Clifton grew up in was an Army inhabited (on the whole) by officers who when they received a change of appointment saluted and went “without a murmur”. I remember General Kay Rader counselling my wife Tracey when she was coming to terms with her own calling to Officership. Tracey was concerned about the security of our then only daughter Charlotte who at the time was a babe in arms. I can remember clearly the advice given by General Rader-“the safest place for your children is the centre of God’s will”.

Regardless of the apparent risk to herself, her husband or her family Commissioner Helen Clifton ensured that she stayed in “the centre of God’s will”. As a consequence she served in more than one hot and sunny climate including; Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and the USA. I understand that her journey to heaven was hastened by skin cancer. If that is true then I suppose one could argue that this fair skinned European woman paid the ultimate price in being obedient to her covenant.

I think that Helen and Shaw’s personal integrity and transparent committment to their soldier and officer covenants speaks for itself. The fact that their three children are all Officers (John get’s commissioned on July 9th) shows how parents can impact on the lives of their offspring when they are brave enough not only to ‘talk the talk’ but also ‘walk the walk’.

General Shaw Clifton and his family will feel their loss for a long, long time to come. It is true that time heals but anyone who has ever had any kind of major surgery will know that big scars can be the cause of irritation and even pain. Every Mother’s Day, every Christmas, every birthday, and for General Shaw Clifton every time he wakes up in the morning, Helen will be missed.

As I understand it there is no concept of time in heaven and the Bible tells us that there is also no sadness there. It seems therefore to me to make perfect sense to assume that anyone who is going to heaven is already there and has indeed been there since the world began. So Helen is not only with her Lord and saviour but with all her friends and family who share her love for Christ.

Thank you Commissioner Helen Clifton for your life, your commitment, your faith and your evident obedience which will remain an inspiration to many of us for many years to come.

Covenant Crisis?

Yesterday my reposted blog from 4 years ago seemed to touch a few raw nerves. I normally get about 4 or 5 ‘views’ a day yesterday I had over 80!

Let me try and explain in a less aggressive way why I think this issue is so important.

It all comes down to covenants and whether or not they are relevant today.

The idea of covenant is at the heart of TSA.

Perhaps the two most important covenants within TSA are the Soldier’s Covenant (Articles of War) and the Officer’s Covenant.

These covenants are entered into voluntarily by people who are called to serve in TSA, signing them is an act of love.

They are akin to marriage. When two people are in love they often choose to seal that commitment by making promises to each other. Those promises are made even though the future is unclear – ‘in sickness and in health, for better or for worse’ etc.

Marriages sometimes break down, people change, maybe we entered into marriage impulsively and as a result we make a decision to annul the covenant through the legal act of divorce.

Once the marriage is annulled the separated parties are free to search out other partners. However, if someone were to do that whilst still in a marriage we call it adultery and it is considered a sin.

What if the marriage were arranged, what if the bride was sold to the husband, what if she is one of many wives, what if she was abused or beaten? A wife in such circumstances would be well within her rights to campaign. Such a wife would be a victim of injustice and any disobedience to her covenant ‘promises’ made as a sign of protest would be legitimate.

In church terms we have seen this happen. When Martin Luther led the Reformation there was only once church, a church to which he was bound by a sacred covenant, however the church had become corrupt and breaking that covenant was not only legitimate but in this instance inspired by God.

Unlike the 16^th century TSA is not the only church in the world today nor do SA Officers claim that people can only connect with God through them. The contemporary church is a veritable smorgasbord of different denominations from strict Baptist through to wild charismatic.

There is only one TSA and some of us believe that its principles, procedures, theology and methodology are still wanted by God today. If an Officer or Soldier gets to a point where they fundamentally disagree with such a stance wouldn’t the honourable action be to simply pick another denomination?

Of course we need to change but to go back to my marriage metaphor – change must come through dialogue not adultery. Until the terms of our covenant change we are expected to be obedient to it ‘for better or worse’.

Grace and peace, Andrew

Have I grieved thee with an ill kept vow?

The following was first blogged almost 4 years ago I think it’s worth re-airing.

Every Salvationist publicly states at the time of their enrolment that they ‘believe and will live by the truths of the word of God expressed in The Salvation Army’s eleven articles of faith.’ In addition every soldier solemnly declares that they “will be true to the principles and practices of The Salvation Army, loyal to its leaders, they will show the spirit of Salvationism whether in times of popularity or persecution.”

In his well-known song “I renew my covenant with thee’ Will Brand asks the question – ‘have I grieved thee with an ill-kept vow?’

TSA in the UK has a hard-core clique of Officers and soldiers who are openly dismissing (in both practice and public preaching) the following Army beliefs:

• Doctrine 5 – Original sin
• Doctrine 9 – The possibility of back sliding
• Doctrine 10 – Holiness
• Doctrine 11 – The general judgment and eternal punishment of the wicked

In addition we have:

• Officers who baptise new converts
• Corps that regularly hold what can only be described as communion services,
• Officers who question our commitment to total abstinence from tobacco and alcohol,
• Officers who only ever wear their uniform when compelled to
• Officers and soldiers who openly rebel against the instructions of their
  leaders in these particular areas,

Under the guise of post modernism, cultural relevance, free expression and
intellectual freedom these Officers and soldiers are all attempting to serve God
‘with an ill kept vow’ for they are living lives completely at odds with the two
covenants mentioned above.

Anyone who disagrees with TSA’s beliefs and practices to such a degree should feel morally obligated to resign their Officership and ask for their soldiership to be cancelled. Once they are not in disagreement with the covenants they voluntarily made they are then free to fight their revolution. To be so at odds with one (and for Officers two) sacred covenants is deliberate sin and dishonours themselves, the Army and most of all God.

Broken covenants are a serious business – either keep your covenants or cancel them but please don’t compromise them – such sin in the camp merely withholds God’s blessing from the Army.

“Have I ceased from walking close beside thee?
Have I grieved thee with an ill kept vow?
In my heart of hearts have I denied thee?
Speak oh speak dear Lord and tell me know.”

Grace and peace, Andrew

“Redeem the time at thy command”

Salvation Army Corps officers find themselves in a position of almost complete autonomy without hardly any accountability. Of course sensible officers will create accountability and do everything they can to make the way they spend their time as transparent as possible. In our appointment we produce a weekly newsletter and in that newsletter under the heading ‘what are your officers doing this week?’ we publish our diary.

If an officer takes their covenant relationship with both the Army and with God seriously then the freedom they possess provides opportunities for glorious success. However, when an officer has become complacent and even lazy then being the master of one’s own time, without any enforced accountability, can be a recipe for disaster.

All of us, whether we are Corps Officers are not, are of course ultimately accountable to God. In Ephesians 5:15 – 17 Paul gives the following advice:

“¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

Time is probably the most valuable thing that we possess and yet we spend it as if we had all the time in the world. In the last month two friends of mine, not much older than me who appeared to be physically fit, both collapsed with heart attacks. One of those friends is now with God and the other has to take things a little slower. We live our lives as if tomorrow is guaranteed when in fact we ought to leave live as though today were our last day.

What we do with our time can have life changing consequences for other people and for ourselves. I have been coming under conviction recently to make better use of my time. I have worked out that by making a few simple modifications to my routine I can create an extra three hours per day. That’s over 45 extra days a year or to put it another way – an extra one and a half months!

Although these modifications are small the extra time they will generate is significant. Of course I will need to be disciplined if I am to succeed with this new regime. If I am successful then the positive impact on my life, the life of those around me and most importantly on my ministry could be huge.

I have always been something of a driven person and I am aware that some of that drive is motivated by guilt. I cannot deny that there is a bit of me that is always trying to ‘restore the years that the locusts have wasted ‘. I also am aware that for a Christian guilt is neither a positive nor a commendable motive. If I am to succeed then I must switch my focus from my sin onto my saviour. The truly sanctified life can only be motivated by love. When I consider that God on the cross not only dealt with my sin but also with my shame I find myself motivated by a much more positive force.

It’s time to stop wasting time!

“Thee will we serve, and thee alone,

No other ruler will we own,

But with a godly fear

Redeem the time at thy command,

Then, with the saints at thy right hand,

Triumphantly appear.”

Grace and peace, Andrew.

Death or glory?

Wherever I go, whatever I do, however I try and focus my thoughts, my mind seems inexorably drawn to what I believe are the burning questions facing the western Salvation Army today.

In summary those questions surround the issue of how we will stay true to our various covenants (which include an acceptance of our doctrines) whilst maintaining our reputation for being compassionate and inclusive with a bias towards minority groups within society.

The following quotes are taken from the UK Salvation Army’s current positional statement on Human Sexuality:

“Human sexuality is part of God’s creation and as such it is good and to be celebrated. Like the rest of creation and human life, the use of our sexuality can fall short of God’s intentions and be misused… Sexual identity is widely accepted to be unchosen by the individual. The Salvation Army believes that it is wrong to discriminate against anyone in the provision of goods and services, and social and pastoral care because of their presumed or declared identity.”

Most of the above could find its way into the positional statement of almost any church or religious organisation. Indeed if you take away the references to ‘God’s intentions’ it could probably find its way into the positional statement of almost any humanitarian organisation.

The following is a further quote from the same positional statement:

“The Salvation Army endorses biblical teaching which sees humans as responsible for their behaviours including behaviour resulting from sexual feelings however powerful. Sexual behaviour is wrong when it lacks consent from either partner, or is undertaken with people unable to give fully informed consent (children and vulnerable adults), or when it involves violence or coercion.”

So far the statement has still managed to keep the Salvation Army’s interpretation of biblical morality in regard to human sexuality fairly low-key. However, eventually the statement has to address the unavoidable (and possibly uncomfortable) truth that the Salvation Army considers homosexuality to be unacceptable to God.

“The Salvation Army teaches that sexual acts should take place only in a monogamous heterosexual marriage, believing that this reflects God’s intentions for sexual behaviour and provides the best environment for raising children. “

The statement is written in politically correct language and deliberately avoids inflammatory words like ‘sin’.

This positional statement and the way in which it is worded reflects the change in the way society defines morality. Things were quite different 140 years ago.

In 1884 the Salvation Army opened a refugee home at Ivy House on Mare Street, Hackney specifically to cater for women who were pregnant and unmarried. At that time such women were considered social outcasts, disowned by their employers and parents. This centre was the first in the United Kingdom to look after unmarried mothers; previously all hospitals would only cater for those women who were married. By 1974, when the hospital was taken over by the National Health Service, its raison d’être no longer existed. Being a single mother was no longer considered ‘sinful’ and to deny women proper medical care on the basis of their marital status would have caused an outcry. When the hospital was first opened those who worked there were renowned for their compassion and tolerance yet there was no confusion within their own hearts and minds about the immoral state of the women who presented themselves for treatment. To a primitive Salvationist having a baby out of wedlock was quite clearly a sin but those women who found themselves in such a predicament were still seen as victims of evil who needed saving. The Salvation Army could enthusiastically go about its task of redemption and in doing so still be seen as radically compassionate.

If the Salvation Army tried to operate a similar venture today rather than being seen as radically compassionate they would be seen as self-righteous, judgemental and intolerant. In most Western countries single mothers receive the same medical care as married mothers because marriage is seen as only one of many acceptable lifestyle choices all of which are considered by society to be equally moral.

The United Kingdom Salvation Army continues to administer social care to those on the edge of society. Drug addicts, alcoholics, prostituted people, those with mental health problems, the homeless, those addicted to gambling, victims of abuse and folk who are generally unable to cope with the demands placed upon them can still find help by visiting their local Corps and at the same time as they receive their ‘soup and soap’ they will also be offered ‘salvation’. However institutionalised social care such as that administered in hostels and other residential centres is increasingly restricted in how intentional its evangelism can be – this is particularly so if the work of the centre is heavily subsidised by government money. In France state legislation prevents evangelism of any kind taking place within institutionalised care – even that administered by TSA.

The Salvation Army in the United Kingdom has recently been awarded a contract funded by government money to help the victims of human trafficking – see the following press release by SA UKT. The press release deliberately makes no mention of the Salvation Army’s evangelical role. The Salvation Army won the contract partly because they were considerably cheaper than the other organisations who tendered. The following article taken from the Guardian newspaper sees the award of the contract as a controversial decision by the government because of the Salvation Army’s religious ideology.

‘A charity that pioneered specialist services for victims of sexual trafficking, providing refuge and therapeutic support for hundreds of abused and exploited women, faces an uncertain future after ministers withdrew its funding. Eaves Housing has accused ministers of taking an “ideological decision” after they awarded a £6m contract to run the Poppy Project services it has developed and provided over the past eight years to the Salvation Army. It said the decision marked a change in the way government supports care for victims of trafficking: “They were after a bare minimum service, not a specialist service.”‘

‘Abigail Stepnitz, national co-ordinator for the Poppy Project for Eaves Housing, said that, according to their calculations, the new contract would reduce funding by 60% per victim. This meant it would be impossible to offer anything more than a limited service to victims, many of whom need intensive psychological support, she said.”We are concerned for the women in our care. We really do not know how we are going to be able to offer appropriate care for these women.” A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said Eaves Housing “had done a very good job” in recent years, but the Salvation Army had put in a stronger bid for the contract, which has been widened to provide support for trafficked men as well as women.’

This coming weekend I will be, along with other local Salvationists in the area, celebrating the hundred 20th anniversary of The Hadleigh Colony (the jewel in the Crown of the ‘In Darkest England’ scheme. Booth’s passion for social work on a large scale like that undertaken at Hadleigh was one of the main reasons for the breakdown in his relationship with George Scott Railton. Railton considered that The’ Darkest England’ scheme had become a distraction from the Army’s main mission to complete the ‘great commission’. Notwithstanding Railton’s concerns nobody could accuse Booth of a lack of evangelical fervour or focus. The simple fact was that in the late 19th century and early 20th century the primary users of Salvation Army social services were people whom the Salvation Army and society considered to be morally inept. Of course there were exceptions to this rule; some were victims of circumstances beyond their control – the offspring of the morally inept! The ‘submerged tenth’ were considered to be unsaved and the Salvation Army helped them because their social problems were a barrier that kept them from the gospel.

The burning question facing the Western Salvation Army today is how can we offer evangelism alongside social care when society which no longer sees our ‘clients’ as immoral and discourages us from defining them as such. In addition how will the Salvation Army respond to the continuous march of legislation designed to protect minority groups from prejudice. How will the Salvation Army respond if legislation compels employers (regardless of their religious sensibilities) to offer employment to all regardless of their sexuality or the position they apply for.

In the eyes of society prejudice based on sexuality is no better than prejudice based on skin colour or race. As the UKT’s positional statement reflects sexuality is increasingly seen as no more a person’s choice than is the colour of one’s skin. We need to remember that those responsible for defending National Socialism and Apartheid were not afraid to use the Bible to defend their regimes. The number of people who would accuse contemporary evangelical Christians of the same shortcomings is growing all the time. Arguing that the interpretation of Scripture by groups like the Nazis was selective and narrow-minded will do little to help us, indeed one can already hear the cry ‘out of his own mouth he condemns himself!’

So, how do we respond in such circumstances? I think that inevitably we will see the decline of the institutionalised provision of social care by the Salvation Army. It is already on the decline in the west and increasingly hindered by restrictions. However I think we also need to see a proportional increase in the social care delivered by our Corps. This increase will be delivered by Officers involved in incarnational ministry. The trailer-park junky will get saved at the trailer-park Corps and not parcelled off to the big city detox unit.

In short it is just not possible to respond corporately to this challenge – as we have already seen positional statements can only go so far. The Salvation Army must become once more an organisation that fulfils its mission on a one to one basis – a true friend of the poor. It is only in this kind of intimate setting that the love we feel for the ‘sinner’ will not (in the eyes of the world) be contradicted by our moral stance. On a one-to-one basis actions will always speak louder than words. On a one-to-one basis there will be no need for me to explain my motivation or to defend my opinions.

Who then can be against us? What is it that dares to prevent this almost evolutionary paradigm shift in our modus operandi? What stands between the majority of Salvationists and the ministry to which they are urgently being called? The problem is that soldiers involved in hand to hand combat are vulnerable and exposed – maybe the most likely to be mentioned in dispatches but also the most likely to get killed! In a one-to-one encounter we cannot hide behind the reputation of our mother organisation. In a one-to-one encounter our hypocrisy will always get in the way of our Ministry – as the song says “only as I truly know the can I make thee truly known, only show the power to others which in my own life is shown”

Whether the western Salvation Army has the resources or the will to survive another 145 years is down to the individual Soldier – corporately we may always ‘have a reputation for being alive’ but bits of us will always be ‘dead’, corporately we run the risk of being neither ‘ hot nor cold’ but individually it is still possible for our ‘light to so shine before men that they might see the good works we do and give the glory to our Father in heaven’.

Carpe Diem

“’Carpe diem’ – seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary” so says John Keating  (Robin Williams) in the film “Dead Poets Society”.

Time is unstoppable, it marches on regardless of whether we use it wisely or not. I can’t believe that we have been Rayleigh 10 months. I can’t believe that in five weeks’ time I will be 50! I can’t believe that Tracey and I have been married for 19 years. I can’t believe that my brother David passed away 27 years ago at the tender age of 21. All of these things I find hard to accept yet they are all irrefutable facts.

The last 49 years have whizzed by and I’m told that the older you get the quicker time flies. The constant advance of time is all around us. In the five months and one day that so far
make up 2011 I wonder how much time I have wasted?

Tomorrow I have my appraisal with the Divisional Commander I don’t expect this appraisal to contain any surprises I work hard and I believe that my record speaks for
itself. However, my achievements are founded upon those moments of time which I
have invested wisely. I wonder how much more I could have achieved had I used the rest of my time more productively.

Of course I have spent time with my Bible and in prayer this year but probably not as much time as I could (or should) have done. Perhaps if I had spent more time in
prayer, actively applying the promises of God to my life and ministry my
achievements might have been extraordinary rather than just above-average.

If I’m honest I’ve always managed to be just above-average without firing on all
cylinders – maybe it’s time I stepped things up a bit?

As a Salvation Army call officer I have complete autonomy and very little accountability (other than that which comes from above and the checks and balances I have personally put in place). Such freedom places me in a position where I could literally dedicate all my time to God. Obviously the quality time I spend with my family and wife is legitimate as is the time I spend resting. However, the rest of my time could be managed much more
effectively.

I started with a quote and I’ll finish with two, the first one is from Mother Teresa “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” The second one is from Ephesians 5:14 to 16

““Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”  Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

Grace and peace, A