Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Social Evils The Army has Challenged
Just finished reading a classic book (published in 1946) on the various campaigns around the world where The Salvation Army confronted, challenged and changed social evils. It's amazing.
Honestly, I'm so convicted by it that I'm pursuing how we can re-publish it with some contemporary application.
Funny enough I was reading it while I was also at the Brengle Institute (in Australia every year, officers are selected to attend a holiness retreat) and it was key to what I was presenting... I was speaking about the scriptural and traditional understanding of righteousness and justice (which is a whole picture of holiness). In Psalm 97 it says, 'righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne' and over and over again in Scripture (indeed one of the Hebrew words for righteousness at it's root can be translated righteous or just... ). clearly Jesus commands summed up suggest that personal devotion and purity is intimately connected to social interaction and impact.
Not only do the Hebrews, the Prophets, Jesus, and the early church understand this but clearly many other holiness traditions did as well... ask Wilberforce who was converted in a John Wesley campaign and became a social activists not out of some liberal tradition but right smack dab out of the conviction of the Holy Spirit that to live a pious and holy life meant to commit himself entirely to justice. that's what holiness looks like,
Anyway, prepare yourself for the new edition of social evils the army has challenged... actually, even better why not just get holy and challenge a few in your neck of the woods - those stories can make the next installment of reports on challenging evil.
"Some want to live within the sound of church and chapel bell.
I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell." -c.t. studd
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