The Salvation Army Then and Now

Even the most ardent and defensive Salvationist would not deny that the Army has lost much of this fire, at least in the Western world. Perhaps this is natural for a movement born of “blood and fire” in the cauldron of Victorian Britain – social scientists tell us the second and third generation of movements will inevitably adapt and develop beyond their founders. The Army is still very active in Western countries, doing brilliant and inspiring work. In many ways, it still represents a challenge to individualistic and capitalistic arrangements of human life. But a worrying trend has developed in recent decades, whereby the social services wing of the Army continues to thrive but the corps, or church wing, declines at a rapid rate. Indeed, most officers of my generation are greatly concerned that in the next thirty years the corps will continue to decline while the charitable wing continues to expand, unaffected.