WHO WE ARE HISTORY
Rise from the Ashes
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To grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. — ISAIAH 61:3 (ESV)
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Recent national and world events with respect to social, racial, and political unrest have in some ways hindered and in other ways helped the spirit of reconciliation among our diverse populations. So, a burning question is, “How do we actually rekindle a sense of hope and restoration among people and rise from the ashes of pain and sufering in a post– COVID–19 world?” By sharing an overview of the history of racial healing in The Salvation Army, this article will reflect on the initiatives that have brought The Salvation Army to where it is today, and hopefully enlighten and inspire you to do even greater, more effective work for the Kingdom.
The tumultuous 1990s Racial reconciliation swept across the world in the 1990s like a mighty tsunami. Cape Town, South Africa, was its epicenter. After 27 years as a political prisoner there, Nelson Mandela emerged a free man and ultimately the nation’s president. Although most people rejoiced, others feared that black South Africans would seek revenge for the years they suffered under apartheid. But then the words of Bishop Desmond Tutu, an Anglican cleric and Nobel Peace Prize winner, shook the world. The spiritual tsunami he unleashed swept hearts when he said, “Before Nelson Mandela was arrested in 1962, he was an angry, relatively young man. He founded the ANC's military wing. When he was released, he surprised everyone because he was talking about reconciliation and forgiveness and not about revenge.” Tutu went on to further define what reconciliation would look like. “True reconciliation is never cheap, for it is based on forgiveness, which is costly. Forgiveness in turn depends on repentance, which has to be based on an acknowledgement of what was done wrong, and therefore on disclosure of the truth. You cannot forgive what you do not know.” Tutu’s words washed over nations, cities, communities, churches, and homes everywhere. One of his most
by WARREN L. MAYE
memorable statements will remain, “Forgiving and being reconciled to our enemies or our loved ones are not about pretending that things are other than they are. It is not about patting one another on the back and turning a blind eye to the wrong. True reconciliation exposes the awfulness, the abuse, the hurt, the truth. It could even sometimes make things worse. It is a risky undertaking but, in the end, it is worthwhile, because in the end only an honest confrontation with reality can bring real healing. Superficial reconciliation can bring only superficial healing.”
The Salvation Army weighs in World leaders were deeply moved. General Paul A. Rader, then the international leader of The Salvation Army, was among them. During a heartfelt speech, he publicly admitted the organization's failure to “stand up and be counted” during the years of apartheid in South Africa. Then in 1998, Rader made another historic move. He appointed the then–Colonels Israel L. and Eva D. Gaither, an interracial couple and ministers in The Salvation Army, as leaders of the Southern Africa Territory. Mandela’s recent presidency had radically changed the political climate and helped make Rader’s selection to this post possible. The appointment of the Gaithers signaled to the world that the Army would now stand strong on racial equality.
Breaking racial barriers Breaking racial barriers was nothing new for the Gaithers, who in their earlier years, had helped open doors for other interracial couples to step into Salvation Army training colleges in the United States. But they knew that this appointment would be daunting. Israel Gaither later said, “Following the initial shock on receiving word of the appointment, I experienced an overwhelming feeling of inadequacy. It was at that point, as it has happened on previous occasions when we have received our ‘farewell orders,’ we again gave
Volume 7 Number 2, 2021
