Monthly Archive for May, 2006Page 3 of 4

Tinkering?

Published
by
Graeme
on May 12, 2006
in old uksalvationist posts
. 4 Comments

Being out here in Latvia we tend to receive the Salvationist well after its published. For some reason the 22 April issue was even more delayed than usual, so I’ve only just got round to reading it. When I got to the letters page I saw it was full of the ‘outside’ bands and ‘test piece’ music letters that it has been for weeks, but then I saw a short letter from Norman Bearcroft where he simply says:

“It’s time to stop tinkering with the Army and get on with the war.”

My immediate reaction was wholehearted agreement! It’s about the war we’re fighting, not about the Army!

The problem is that the comment is still in my head and it won’t go away! I have no idea what lies behind Lt Col Bearcrofts comment, although I’m sure it is a very sincere thought, but is it the right message to be sending?

I look at today’s Army and see a fairly ineffective fighting force. We have soldiers who have no understanding of the war that they are supposed to be. We have a multitude of corps that have no interaction with the people God called us into being to serve. When I think of the Founders final message I see:

While women weep, as they do now, I’ll pat them on the shoulder;
while little children go hungry, as they do now, I’ll pay the professionals;
while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll leave it to the chaplains;
while there is a drunkard left,
while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets,
while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll sit in my nice little hall;
and sing to block them out!

I’m sure someone else could have done that far more eloquently, but I hope the point is made.

In a physical war between two countries the side that wins the battles is the side that’s most prepared for the fight. History is littered with examples: Napoleon’s disastrous Russia campaign, The Charge of the Light Brigade and so on!

The fact is that a lot of the Army is not prepared for the war!

Many of fellow soldiers are unable to back up their faith except to respond with clichés like, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so”, or “You ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart”, which aren’t wrong in themselves, but are usually ineffective in this post-modern world. The average Salvationist in the West seems happy to let their faith only scratch the surface of their lives. Yes they are good people, but are they a holy people?

Yes we should stop tinkering with the Army, instead we should be giving it a complete overhaul so that it prepares our fighting force for the battles they are going to face! Yes it’s time to get on with the war, but let’s make sure we don’t go into it with unfit, poorly armed, badly trained soldiers who are going to end up simply being cannon fodder for the enemy!

Have you heard the one about Prince Harry and the Commissioner?

Published
by
Graeme
on May 11, 2006
in old uksalvationist posts
. 0 Comments

Now, I’ve heard through the blogosphere that Commissioner Helen Clifton has God’s heart for justice, but for me she’s starting off her new role in a brilliant and challenging way!

Read this from the International website and applaud the way the Army’s going!

Go Commissioner!

Political vs Theological leanings

Published
by
Graeme
on May 10, 2006
in old uksalvationist posts
. 0 Comments

There is a conversation going on on Martin’s blog about the political and theological viewpoint of Primitive Salvationism. I felt that I should post what I’ve just said within the conversation.

“Our first calling is for the salvation of the world and that means all people. For this we must be fundamentalists in reaching lost people! Nothing should compromise that goal.

“This does not mean that we must be like the religious right-wing fundamentalism that we associate with the word today. Too much of this is about the picking and choosing where they will apply strict adherence to scripture! Instead of loving the sinner, it is about abusing anyone who doesn’t agree with their viewpoint, whilst being totally ignorant of their own hypocrisy.

“I would say that to be a primitive Salvationist we can be neither liberal nor fundamentalist. Instead our whole lives must reflect Jesus’ life and in all our dealing with people we should act as He did. Therefore we must protect the oppressed, whatever their sin may be, and speak out against the oppressors. We must challenge the sin in peoples’ lives whilst never condemning the people themselves.”

All too often we see Christians judging other people and calling God’s wrath down upon those people that don’t agree with their view. Their reaction is more often about hate than love! At the same time we see Christians who are have gone so far in their battle for inclusiveness within the Church, that they no longer see a person’s sin. Both of these groups are wrong and I believe that The Salvation Army is called to stand firmly in the middle ground, showing without compromise that we Christians are called to the often used phrase of “loving the sinner but hating the sin”.

PS: I try not to add things to posts but I thought that this and this were relevant! We need to be full of grace and truth! Thanks Phil & Patrik!

Prayer for Children at Risk

Published
by
Graeme
on May 9, 2006
in old uksalvationist posts
. 2 Comments

Over the weekend of 3rd/4th June 2006 the Viva Network are organisting the World Weekend of Prayer for Children at Risk. This is now the 11th year running that that Christians across the globe will join together to pray on the first weekend of June. Last year 1.2 million people took part and this year they want it to be the biggest yet.

The themes they are highlighting this year come straight from Isaiah 61Open Link in New Window and include the gospel, freedom for child prisoners, AIDS orphans and children with disabilities.

You can find out more at the WWP (Viva Network) website and maybe get your corps/church to organise something over that weekend!

A Deeper Read

Published
by
Graeme
on May 8, 2006
in old uksalvationist posts
. 1 Comment

It’s strange that last month I blogged about ‘thinking about our faith’ and suddenly I read the latest Salvationist to here about The Deeper Read which is encouraging just that.

Personally, I’ve never belonged to any sort of book club before and I’m looking forward to joining in where possible. I’ve ordered my copy of The Drama of Scripture (well hinted strongly to Zoe that it would be a good birthday present!) and aim to take part in the discussion.

At the same time you might notice that I’ve got a new page to the blog called Books where I’ll be posting stuff I’m reading!

The only problem now is the additional cost of the books!

She’s worth blogging!

Published
by
Graeme
on May 6, 2006
in old uksalvationist posts
. 2 Comments

This week has been a strange week as we had 2 bank She's worth blogging! holidays in it! That means we had both Monday (1st May) and Thursday (Redeclartion of Independence) off work. For me this means that I got to spend much more time with Zoe & Sian than I normally would.

At the moment almost every time we turn round Sian is saying a new word or doing something that she hasn’t done before! It’s easy now to see why people say children grow up so fast.

Working the way we do Zoe & I manage to spend far more time with Sian than we would if we were stuck in our old jobs back in England. I’m convinced that this is just another blessing that God is bestowing on us because of the commitment we’ve made to Him. She is so beautiful, clever and loving that even the most frustrating times are worth every moment!

Sporting weekend!

Published
by
Graeme
on May 6, 2006
in old uksalvationist posts
. 2 Comments

With my forthcoming trip to the Ice Hockey World Championship final now only 15 days away Latvia are still in with a chance (although highly unlikely one) of reaching one of the 2 matches I’ll be watching. I suspect however that I won’t be cheering on our adopted home team. Even so though Latvia managed a highly creditable 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic last night, with the Latvian goalie saving an amazing 30 saves!

This weekend also sees my football club (Lincoln City) needing only a draw to grab the last play-off place in League 2. If they manage it will be the fourth successive season and maybe this year it’ll be our turn to be promoted!

Whatever happens to either team it is amazing how we can get so passionate about the sports teams we support, but so few Christians manage to exhibit the same sort of passion in their expression of faith. Why is that?