THE P RTAL
March 2015
Page 21
We asked if ordination was accompanied by actions, not sacramental in our practices but hopefully in our
such as the laying on of hands. Cmr Bill said, “No. That living. We are not anti-sacrament.”
would not be expected.”
Ronald: “I know many Salvationists who are
Jackie: “We have a lot to learn from you. The regularly at the sacraments.”
Ordinariate had nothing; we brought no buildings
with us. We must see how we may start in different Cmr Bill: “Salvationists are not forbidden from
places and if it’s God’s will something will happen.
doing that, but they would not expect it during a
Salvation Army service or ministry. Every Christian’s
Cmr Bill: “We are happy to be known as a church calling is to bring Christ to the people as we also seek
because we are part of the body of Christ. When surveys to bring the people to Christ. Those early Salvationists
asked ‘How do you describe the Salvation Army?’, we were seeking to ‘win the war for Christ’, to use the
are recognised as a Christian church but beyond that, language of the time. Some of them were from other
we are still a mystery. William Booth’s work was in the denominations; William Booth was a Methodist,
East London Christian Mission; his mission to reach George Scott Railton an Anglican. We had people
and evangelise the unchurched in the poorest part of from all other denominations and these brought their
London. Those missionaries quickly became settled, own view of mission. The early Salvationists faced the
organised and institutionalised. We formed our own same dilemma that we would have now if we proposed
rules and set out a statement of our faith and how we introducing sacraments. Not to have sacraments was
would practice it. We were very specific about that a pragmatic decision that we took and I believe that
from early days.”
our ministry through 150 years bears witness to the
rightness of that decision. We make our distinctive
Jackie: “Has anything in those statements been witness as part of the body of Christ; respecting and
changed?”
understanding the variety of sacramental traditions
and taking our place as another Christian tradition.”
Cmr Bill: “The eleven doctrines of the Army were
established by the Salvation Army Act of Parliament; Ronald: “Does that colour your approach to
they have not changed. The wording of the statement ecumenism? In the conversations, there was a
on living the Christian life that was known as the reluctance to be involved in organic union because
Articles of War has been changed into less military the celebration of the variety of Christendom is itself
jargon and is now known as the Soldiers Covenant, something of God.”
which everyone becoming a Salvationist will sign.
So the original intention of saving people and then Cmr Bill: “I think that in any denomination that
passing them on to other churches changed and people would be a major consideration and we know that these
stopped moving on in large numbers.”
matters continue to divide us. Many things we can do
together with no difficulty. We can gather round great
Ronald: “The Salvation Army doesn’t have social, ethical and moral issues and reach common
sacraments in the way that other churches do. Do you ground quite easily. The dividing issue is often parts
want to be known as a sacramental church? Would the of Christian experience so meaningful to millions of
Holiness Meeting on a Sunday morning be, in a sense, Christians - for example, Baptism or Communion.
a sacrament?”
We have to keep talking and praying about that. We
stand slightly apart, with the Quakers; only we and the
Cmr Bill: “We don’t have any sacramental rites or Friends hold to this particular witness within the body
rituals, but we believe that a holy life is a s