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The Army's Holistic Ministry
by
Colonel Henry Gariepy
“In our era, the road to holiness necessarily passes through
the world of action” wrote Dag Hammarskjold in Markings. The
Salvation Army’s theology of holiness is a practical theology;
it is not private but social, it is not passive but active.
John Wesley, a mentor of William Booth, declared, “There is no
Gospel but the social Gospel.” Holiness without social concern
is as a soul without a body, but social concern without
holiness is as a body without a soul. Only when wedded
together do we have a healthy, life-giving gospel.
The cross of our Christian faith has two beams: the vertical
beam of relationship to God, and the horizontal beam of
relationship to others. The two intersect in our Christian
faith.
In the aftermath of the urban riots of the mid-1960s The
Salvation Army launched its Multi-Purpose Center in a
riot-scarred ghetto next to the heart of downtown Cleveland.
The Center’s galaxies of programs and services drew over 1,000
different persons a day through its doors.
When Billy Graham came to Cleveland in 1972, he requested to
visit the Center. He interacted with the youth and staff in
the multiple programs serving the critical needs of that
community. Our tour ended in the chapel where I commented,
“Billy, here is the core of this center where lives have been
transformed by the grace of our Lord.”
He observed, “Henry, this is truly Christianity in action!” I
responded, “Thank you, Billy, for the best definition I have
ever heard of The Salvation Army.”
Salvationists have never subscribed to the artificial
dichotomy between the sacred and the secular. The time-honored
slogan defines its mission as – “Heart to God, Hand to Man.”
Its spiritual and social work are as the two blades of
scissors, each essential to provide its cutting edge.
The Salvation Army is Christianity with its sleeves rolled up,
out where the air is blowing and people are hurting, serving
as the infantry of the militant Christian church. Though today
more sophisticated, its mission remains unchanged—defined by
General Gowans, “to save souls, to grow saints, and to serve
suffering humanity.”
Our human services have expanded exponentially in recent time,
with response to major tragedies both domestic and
international, and with the advent of the mega Kroc Centers.
This poses administrative and financial challenges, but also
maintaining the primacy of the spiritual, less we become
morphed into a social service agency devoid of our spiritual
birthright and mission.
As an adjunct faculty now for 13 years at our East SFOT, I am
each year encouraged by the cadets dedication of their entire
lives to our dual ministry, with our holiness heritage as the
foundation for all we do. As I teach in each session I pray,
“Lord, help us to be true to their sacred calling of our
holistic ministry.”
[Colonel Henry Gariepy is author of 28 books and recipient
of The Order of the Founder.]
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