Editor's comment

FIGHTING TALK

THREE years ago Major Andrew Stone, editor of the War Cry, commissioned a survey by the market research organisation YouGov to find out what kind of impact the paper was making. One of the questions was about whether the title would stop people buying it. Only 11 per cent of the 2,059 people surveyed said it would. ‘I wondered whether the name was a little old-fashioned and a little bit too brutal for the public to engage with,’ Andrew said. ‘The market research showed that wasn’t the case.’

It seems that people are generally happy with this military terminology, which shouldn’t really come as a surprise because fighting talk is quite common. We often hear phrases like ‘the fight for justice’, ‘the war on drugs’ or ‘the battle against racism’ – and in the past year, a number of wartime analogies have been used during the fight against coronavirus.

The Salvation Army has always believed that there is a war to be fought. Although this war is spiritual in nature, it is also expressed in outward actions and at times the Army has been opposed with physical violence. In this week’s issue we feature a new book about the early Army, The Mob and the Mayor, which shows how things got rough in the south-coast town of Eastbourne. Author Stephen Huggins researched the situation in depth, learning about the hostility of anti-Army mobs and the local officials who encouraged them. He also discovered how women Salvationists were a target for the mobs and highlights their courage and faith.

In his weekly message the territorial commander makes use of a military metaphor in calling us to be ‘battle-ready’ – not perhaps to face the kind of opposition witnessed in the Army’s early days, but to put love into action, relying on the power of the Spirit.

Being ready to put love into action has been a hallmark of the Army’s response to all kinds of situations. One of the most well-known examples was the 1966 Aberfan disaster, which resulted in the tragic loss of 116 children and 28 adults. Salvationists were soon on the scene, the first being Major Dorothy Graham. In an interview that took place in 2010 and has never been published before, Major Dorothy, who was promoted to Glory in December last year, recalled how the Army responded by offering practical help and comfort.

Most examples of love in action are less dramatic and public. Peter Woods demonstrates that fact by describing three encounters in which people’s lives were touched by words of encouragement and hope. He believes many others are active in this way and calls it ‘the unseen, mostly unrecorded, work of The Salvation Army’.

In the first of a series of articles in which different people reflect on the Candidates Sunday theme Be Willing, Commissioner Harry Read OF refers to his military service and sees parallels with his Christian service. He says that in both spheres ‘new strategies are always needed’ if we are to remain effective.

Salvationists serve on many fronts and in various ways – in our corps and centres, at home, at work and in our communities. But what matters just as much as where we serve and what we do is how we do it. May our service always be motivated by the love of God, empowered by the Holy Spirit and characterised by courage, faith and compassion.

From the Editor Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts