JAC Online

Analysis of Candidates Forms
by Major Harold Hill

A Review of Candidates’ Application Forms in the New Zealand Territory

with reference to traditional Salvation Army Holiness teaching compared with Pentecostal/Charismatic experience over a 40 year period up to 2007

Discussing my research into the relationship between the Salvation Army and the Pentecostal and charismatic renewal movements, Major Kingsley Sampson referred me to the application papers of Candidates applying for training as Salvation Army officers. He recalled that when he had been working in the Youth Department and processing these papers in the 1980s he had been struck by the number of people testifying to what might be described as a “charismatic” approach to Christian experience rather than a traditional Salvation Army “holiness” experience. He recalls as even more revealing the self-portraits penned by Candidates as part of their Candidates’ lessons, which he was responsible for marking in the late 70s-early 80s. He felt at the time that this could have some influence on the future of Salvation Army culture and theology in New Zealand.

Unfortunately the self-portraits are no longer available (having been returned to the Candidates) but Candidates’ papers may provide a useful insight into the thinking of Salvationists in general in that they represent the views of people who are active in the organisation and committed to it but who are not yet acculturated into professional ministry as officers. With the kind permission of the then Secretary for Personnel, Lt. Colonel Wilfred Arnold, I have gone through all available Candidates papers and attempted to classify them along the lines Kingsley suggested, setting them out on a chart which follows these introductory remarks.

The 479 applications reviewed and analysed, taken from the period 1967-2007, were accessed through the Personnel Section records and the Archives at the Salvation Army Headquarters in Wellington. Because some files were missing, incomplete or unavailable at the time, they are not a complete account – there were actually just under 600 cadets trained in New Zealand during these forty years. However, the over-all picture that emerges is probably representative of the whole. For the most part, this review does not include people who entered officership by way of appointment as Envoys or Auxiliary Captains, as their initial application forms did not request a spiritual self-analysis of this description. Some, however, were included where their papers provided such information. I did not include in the survey overseas (Asian) cadets spending time at the New Zealand Training College, nor Fijian or Tongan candidates except where they were trained in New Zealand rather than in Fiji.

It can be seen that nearly 40% of these officers have resigned their commissions over the years. Analysis of the papers shows that there is no correlation between views expressed as candidates and later resignation. Although some did in fact leave the Salvation Army in order to join charismatic or Pentecostal faith communities, these were not necessarily people who had come into officership with that perspective.

Two major problems beset any attempt to analyse or classify the views expressed by candidates: 

The first is a matter of language – the same words could be used to denote a variety of experiences. The Salvation Army employed a wealth of expressions for the Wesleyan “Holiness” experience, as mediated through the teaching of the American Phoebe Palmer and the Booths and Samuel Logan Brengle in particular: the second blessing, the blessing of the clean heart, holiness, sanctification, purity of heart, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, amongst others. The Army’s traditional language, pre-dating the “pentecostal” movement by some decades, employed expressions like “baptised in or with the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit” but with content sometimes differing theologically from that which came to be assumed by the later Pentecostals and charismatics. At times I have guessed or made assumptions based on some knowledge of individuals concerned in order to assign candidates’ statements to one or other category. I will have made some mistakes. The truth is that there are not only square pegs and round holes but an infinity of shapes to accommodate! And some would find any attempt to separate sheep from goats a futile exercise. The Candidate who wrote, “For many years I struggled on from one rededication to another. I earnestly sought after the victorious Christian life but I didn’t know I needed the ‘second blessing’ of baptism in the Holy Ghost. After years of needless struggling I received this outpouring and infilling of God’s Holy Spirit”, would see his testimony as entirely consistent with traditional Salvationist theology, while the same individual would be regarded by many as an advocate of charismatic experience. The designation “traditional Salvation Army Holiness teaching” fails to take into account that this changed significantly over the years and that the way it manifested by the 1960s was often a somewhat ossified, formulaic presentation, perhaps somewhat removed from the spontaneity of early Salvationism.

The second problem is that it is difficult to compare like with like because the wording of the application forms changed from time to time over the years. For much of the period there were two sources of information:

(a) The “Initial Application Form” included a range of short-answer questions on the candidate’s spiritual life, including “Have you received the Blessing of the Clean Heart? ............ If not, are you seeking it? ………” From 1974 this became “Do you enjoy the blessing of Holiness?” etc.  

(b) Another form was headed “The Candidate’s Personal Experience”.

• Some earlier forms simply requested the candidate to “give a brief account of your life and experience, both before and after your conversion.”
• Most in use in the 1960s, however, began with a series of leading questions to which narrative answers were required. Up to the mid-1970s this included: (“a) How and when you were saved; also a brief record of your personal history up to this time. (b) Whether you enjoy the Blessing of the Clean Heart; if so, when and how you obtained it; if not, whether you are earnestly seeking it.”
• From the later 1970s, this became “(a) How you became a Christian, (b) your experience of the Holy Spirit’s infilling…” etc. This language could be more accommodating of a charismatic or pentecostal interpretation.
• In the mid-1990s the wording was revised again, yet more broadly: “Please attach an account of your spiritual journey (800-1000 words). Please include an account of your conversion, spiritual growth, holiness experience, call to serve as an officer, discipling of others.” In the 1990s the Evaluation forms filled in by a candidate’s “backers” also included a question as to whether the candidate “enjoys the blessing of sanctification.”

At first sight the analysis supports the impression of a broad shift away from the candidates professing an understanding of and a claim to enjoying “holiness” as the Salvation Army traditionally formulated spiritual experience, and towards a more charismatic expression. It also appears to provide evidence for a progressive attenuation of the traditional teaching of holiness in Salvation Army meetings; the categories employed by Booth and Brengle are no longer common currency towards the end of the period. The change in the leading questions means that these conclusions cannot be substantiated with any certainty, although the content of peoples’ accounts of their personal experience does still point in this direction.

As a matter of interest, 6 candidates, applying in 1973, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1985 and 1989 respectively, said that reading Brengle’s books helped them to claim the blessing of Holiness.

For a number of years from the early 1980s, Candidates were required to sign and return a form saying that, “I am accepted with the understanding that I subscribe to the Salvation Army’s non-sacramental position as referred to in The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine.” The reason for this was that some Salvationists of a charismatic persuasion tend to be open to or in favour of the Army’s re-adoption of water baptism and, to a lesser extent, of the Lord’s Supper.  A number of candidates referred to their having been water-baptised in connection with their baptism with or infilling by the Holy Spirit, and in some cases their corps officers had performed the rite. This occasioned some tension with the Army’s leadership.

In order to establish some shape and discern trends in the papers, I classified the applications into 5 main categories:

1. Those in line with the Army’s traditional holiness teaching, which posited a crisis experience subsequent to conversion. In many cases, the Candidates had been brought up as Salvationists and had typically made their first commitment as Sunday School children around the age of 7 or 8. These tended to make a new commitment in later teen-age or early twenties and often identified that experience as the second blessing, or blessing of holiness. Others, converted in teens or twenties, came to another point of commitment later on. This was often described as “letting God have complete control of my life”, or some similar expression.

About a year after my conversion I became worried at my inability to keep those things which I had promised to God and so I sought the blessing of the Clean Heart. This for me has been a great struggle but I believe at this moment that I have the blessing and I am growing daily in this experience.

      Approximately a tenth of applicants subscribing to the Army’s traditional teaching on this matter nevertheless acknowledged that they personally had not received this blessing but were still seeking it, so I have bracketed these in a separate column. They are also included in the first category however.

2. Those claiming a Pentecostal or charismatic experience. Sometimes this was explicitly and clearly stated; at other times it has been inferred from other evidence in the papers.

Every born-again Christian, and there aren’t any other types, I believe enjoys the Blessing of the Clean Heart. However, not every Christian enjoys the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and shares in His gifts.

Another wrote:

At a healing meeting, God baptised me with his Holy Spirit and at the same time I received the gift of tongues.

3. Some made no reference to this matter at all. In the earlier papers, some left the short-answer questions blank. In the later papers, requiring a narrative of personal experience without categories being provided, an increasing number simply told their story, showing no particular awareness of either “traditional” or “charismatic” teaching or the language associated with those views. As stated above, this could equally indicate the absence of this teaching, so that candidates did not describe their experience in the traditional formulaic terms, or could follow from the absence of leading questions.

4. Some, possibly in reaction against a perception that people were supposed to be able to identify definite points of “crisis” in their spiritual journey, testified to an experience of gradual deepening of commitment and faith.

My conversion and call to the Lord’s work occurred over a long period of time… and there is no incident that I could cite as particularly significant, but I firmly believe that it is the work of the Holy Spirit.

            Another wrote:

I do have the Blessing of Holiness, although I don’t recall any specific happening.

5. Finally, some, perhaps coming from the same place as the “gradualists” but wanting to analyse or question the question being asked, took issue with the necessity for two stages or levels of experience (let alone three…).

All Christians enjoy having the Clean Heart, or should if they don’t… I obtained my Clean Heart when I became saved, and to stay this way must continually ask God for forgiveness and for the renewing of the Holy Spirit within my life.

And for the record, I found that my own response to the question, “Have you received the blessing of the clean heart?” had been, “It depends on what you mean…” (The interviewing panel evidently expressed doubts about my doctrinal soundness and a copy of an article on Brengle I had written in Battlepoint quarterly was filed with the papers.)

As a matter of interest I have also recorded:

(a) Those who mentioned previous membership or the influence of members of other churches or groups as significant for them. Most of these were charismatic, although interestingly both the former AOG pastors identified with the classic SA formulation.

(b) Those who mentioned Aggressive Christianity Conference involvement, either as the occasion of their second blessing, or charismatic experience, or as the reason for their application for training as officers.

(c) Those who identified their call to officership as the next big thing after their conversion – it was seen to be the equivalent of the second blessing or an alternative to it. The factor in common was the “full surrender” to God’s will.

Made commitment for officership, which was for me an infilling of the Holy Spirit, at Youth Councils.

A number of candidates described how inadequate teaching of holiness and controversy over Pentecostal views had led to their struggling to clarify just what they believed:

It took me five years to grasp the meaning of Holiness as taught by the Salvation Army. It wasn’t until January 1973 that the truth of Holiness became a complete reality. Up until then the complete doctrine of full sanctification had eluded me, partly the result I feel of confusion over differing interpretations, especially that of the Pentecostal movement.

Year	Number in sample (number who later  resigned)	1 Classic SA crisis Holiness	(of the classic theory but said “still seeking”)	2 Charis- matic type	3 No reference made to this experience	4 Gradual experience of holiness or ambiguous	5 Discuss meaning or deny 2 stages blessings	Other Church influence*	ACC** involvement mention	Holiness identified with call to officership
1967	8  (2)	8
1968	19  (2)	18	(4)			1				1
1969	10  (3)	10	(3)							1
1970	7 (0)	6	(1)				1
1971	8 (5)	7			1					2
1972	20 (11)	18	(2)							1
1973	19 (14)	19	(5)					1 AOG pastor
1974	10 (0)	10	(1)
1975	19 (14)	17	(1)		1	1
1976	10 (3)	7	(1)			1	2
1977	13 (6)	12		1						2
1978	16 (7)	11	(1)		3	2
1979	17 (8)	10		5			2	1 AOG		2
1980	15 (7)	10	(2)		3		1		1
1981	18 (10)	15		2		1		1 ecumenical
1982	2	2
1983	17 (12)	12	(1)			4		1 FGCBF Subritzky
1984	13 (8)	12	(5)			1				1
1985	14 (8)	13	(1)	1
1986	15 (10)	10		3		2		3 YWAM Presbyt
1987	15 (9)	9		5		1		2 AOG Anglican	2	2
1988	14 (4)	13			1				1
1989	13 (8)	9		3	1			2 AOG FGCBF		1
1990	12 (6)	9		2		1			1	1
1991	5	3	(1)	1	1				2
1992	14 (5)	7	(1)	6		1		2 FGCBF Pente Ch	4
1993	15 (4)	5		4	4	2		3 Baptist Pente Ch
1994	14 (4)	9		3		2				1
1995	11 (3)	7	(2)	1	3
1996	6 (4)	6
1997	8 (4)	3		1	4			1 Pente Ch
1998	10 (3)	2		2	6				2
1999	7 (2)	4			2	1			1
2000	5 (2)			2	2	1		1 Pente Ch	1
2001	8			3	4	1		1 AOG pastor
2002	8				4	4
2003	8			2	6			3 AOG
2004	10 (1)	1		1	7	1		3 Elim Lifeways Vineyard
2005	9			5	4			3 AOG Presbyt Subritzky
2006	10	3		1	4	2
2007	8	1		2	5			Life in the Spirit Seminar		1

My impression is that this analysis confirms Kingsley Sampson’s original observation that the language which New Zealand Salvationists used to describe their spiritual journey underwent a change in the latter part of the 20^th century. I suggest this came about as a result of (1) the gradual decline in the teaching of the Salvation Army’s traditional holiness doctrine and experience, and (2) the influence of the charismatic renewal movement in the wider church.

* Explanatory notes on “Other Church influence”:

            AOG: Assemblies of God

            FGCBF: Full Gospel Christian Businessmen’s Fellowship

             Subritzky: Bill Subritzky, a New Zealand charismatic evangelist and teacher (an Anglican).

** Explanatory note on “ACC”: Aggressive Christianity Conventions. These were “renewal” teaching seminar events similar to later “Roots” Conferences in some other territories, held in New Zealand between 1985 and 1996. Originating as a combined Family Camp arranged by three Corps, there were eventually incorporated into the official Salvation Army Calendar under Territorial Headquarters auspices and at the peak of the movement some five of these held in a year (one in each Division). They are credited with substantially altering the style of Salvation Army meeting generally encountered in New Zealand.