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Considering Early Army Hymnology & Theology
by Major Terence Hale

It has often been said that what a people sing becomes the DNA of their theology, or perhaps more accurately, the DNA of one’s theology is revealed in what a faith community sings. I hold that it truly is a two-way street of sorts, but no matter what angle you approach it from, the theology of the people is embodied in the songs of the people. This can clearly be applied to the early Salvation Army. In short, we can assume when exploring the hymns of the early Salvation Army that they sang what they believed and they believed it because they sang it. Indeed, in the introduction of the 1930 edition of The Salvation Army Song Book, General Edward Higgins included the words of William Booth that implored the worshipper to “take in the meaning of every song.” He continues, “here is a great treasury of truth… be determined that by God’s grace you will never sing what you do not really mean and that you will be fit to sing all you find here.”[1]

Booth was not alone in this assertion. In recent history, Resch, in the introduction to his article, Hymnody as Teacher of the Faith, writes that, “Hymns are teachers…. The teaching influence of hymnody is important because … both young and old learn about matters such as theology through the texts which they sing.”[2] For the poor masses of Victorian England, hymns, which in the Army’s case were set to familiar secular tunes, would have been key tools for the transmission and learning of theological concepts. Anthony Baker offers support for this idea. Baker explores the connection between poetry and theology, and while agreeing with C.S. Lewis that theology is not poetry, and actually belongs in an entirely different category, he lays out an argument that poetry can be theology or at least serve as a gateway for the human soul into theological understanding.[3]

With this in mind, what is very telling is that the early Army song book,[4] and sung worship, was full of themes concerning the fire, the Presence of God, or the Holy Spirit, which served the role of empowering, transforming, and setting apart His people for service, mission, and sacrifice. In the same song book introduction already referenced, Booth writes, “let us persevere in our singing of the simple old truths … that God has already blessed so widely to the Salvation of souls and the making and training of red-hot Soldiers.”[5] Early Salvation Army theology and mission was very pragmatic and utilitarian. What was not necessary, and seen as key to moving the mission forward, was eventually jettisoned from the movement. The sacraments are a case in point.[6] As the early years of the movement progressed much of traditional ecclesiastical practice was abandoned, if even adopted to begin with, while other more useful ideas and practices became solidified into its outlook.

Theologically, it is striking in this light how far the idea of the holiness and the fire of God, leading into power and sanctification, was kept and celebrated, testifying to its central importance to early Salvationists. The hymnology of the early Army accordingly reflects the pragmatic and utilitarian nature of theological thought within the movement. The majority of songs could be grouped into three themes, salvation, consecration, and, what would become a hallmark[7] of Army sung worship, warfare. Sandall notes that in an early hymn book, of the then Christian Mission, there were twenty-five entries of ‘the type of “Soldiers of Christ, arise!”’[8] In another work he adds that in his opinion The Salvation Army owed as much of its “astonishing success” to its hymns as it did to its disciplines.[9]

It is unnecessary for us in this context to delve completely into early Army hymnology, which, for instance, would have to consider the inclusion of many hymns by Charles Wesley, so for our purposes we can focus primarily on the works of just two writers, William Booth himself, and Commissioner John Lawley. Booth has not been remembered in history as a song writer, and indeed there are only two songs penned by him in the present edition of the Song Book. However, the two songs that he is remembered for are profound, and one in particular reveals his understanding of the role of sanctification in mission. In 1894 William Booth wrote the following song, entitled “Send the Fire”:

Thou Christ of burning, cleansing flame,

Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire

Thy blood bought gift today we claim,