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On Primitive Salvationism
by Stephen Court - REPRINTED with permission.
JOURNAL OF AGGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY
Issue 8, Aug / Sept 2000

Note (2006): I stand by these words today.  I’ve refined my concept of Primitive Salvationism to be mission-focused, charismatic-flavoured heroism.  And Catherine Booth’s prophecy – the last words of this paper – continues to animate my life and war-fighting for a global revolution. ~ sec


The 'primitive' in Primitive Salvationism is that which takes us back to the Movement's roots, the unadorned, unadulterated Salvationism that shook the world. It means: 'pertaining to the beginning; original; not derivative; in its simplest form (WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY).

The 'Salvationism' in Primitive Salvationism is a largely lost conviction, a forgotten dream, a soured romance. It comprises the sum and substance of the surrendered and committed life of thousands of soldiers through history. But in its essence it has been diluted, drowned out by the voices of compromise, worldliness, and mediocrity. "Salvationism means simply the overcoming and banishing from the earth of wickedness" (William Booth, THE OFFICER. 1893). To the extent that we find this statement by the Founder quaint, unrealistic, or misguided, to this extent we have deviated from Primitive Salvationist norms.

For some of us, such a definition kindles awkward mortification; for some of us, residue of primitive conviction swirls deep within us; for some of us, flashbacks of the world-conquering dream grow more frequent and unsettling; for some of us, the embers of the first love flame burn hot enough that a renewed romance seems more than a remote possibility. This company of soldiers who have inherited this primitive legacy deserve an explanation of Primitive Salvationism.

This is not a defence. A defence of Primitive Salvationism by necessity relies on Salvationist sources, official and unofficial. This is as futile as using the Bible in Christian apologetics with an atheist who does not accept the Bible's validity. Those with whom we argue don't even accept official SA documents as legitimate. Argument is in vain. Yet, an explanation is in order.

PRIMITIVE SALVATIONISM: Conceived in Prophesy.

Although The Salvation Army was born in the fire, it was conceived in prophesy. "Fully four years before the Christian Mission morphed out of what was initially called the East London Special Services Committee, on January 23, 1861, a member, named Baptist Noel truly prophesied to some 200 Christians:

If this work is done, we shall see some unknown Luthers and Whitefields excavated out of this dark mine, to spread the Gospel farther and wider than we have any idea. I believe we are on the eve of a greater work than England ever saw, and the East End of London is the right place to begin. (J. Edwin Orr. THE SECOND GREAT AWAKENING. 1964. p62)

This was an accurate prophecy. Along with the Lawleys, Cadmans, and Dowdles, God raised up Railtons, Brengles, and Tuckers who, between them, began to spread the Gospel farther and wider than any of the 200 in attendance could have imagined.

The Hebrew word 'naba', translated 'prophesy' in the Old Testament, means to bubble up. Prophesy bubbles up and then gushes forth. The next bubbling gurgle came in late 1863, in an incident at a billet's home:

"Excuse me Mr. Booth. what is it that engages your thoughts so frequently and protracted as you pace the garden?" Mr. Booth, with face all ashine, answered, "My friend, I am thinking out a plan, which, when it is implemented, will mean blessing to the wide, wide world." (J. Edwin Orr. THE SECOND GREAT AWAKENING. 1964. p68)

Who can deny that this bubbling, that this Movement has subsequently blessed the wide, wide world?

PRIMITIVE SALVATIONISM: Birthed in Fire.

Just one year after becoming a Salvation Army, the first Council of War was attended by 4,000 soldiers in the heat of revival fires. General Catherine Booth implored them:

The time has come for fire. All other agents have been tried: intellect, learning, fine buildings, wealth, respectability, numbers. The great men and the mighty men and the learned me have all tried to cast out these devils before you, and have failed. TRY THE FIRE. There are legions of the enemies of our great King. Fire on them. There are legions of strong drink, damning millions; of uncleanness, damning millions more; of debauchery, blasphemy, theft, millions more! Charge on them, pour the red-hot shot of the artillery of heaven on them, and they will fall by thousands! (Catherine Booth, in St. John Ervine. GOD'S SOLDIER: GENERAL WILLIAM BOOTH. 1934. v1. p461)

Primitive Salvation Army revival spread like prairie fire. In New South Wales, Australia, The Salvation Army grew from zero Corps and five salvationists in December 1882 to 20,000 soldiers and adherents in 46 Corps by December 1884!

In New Zealand 5,000 conversions were recorded in the first nine months!

In Canada, the Army opened 73 Corps (10-83) in one year (1884)!

Globally, The primitive Army experienced amazing, 'great awakening' growth between 1881 and 1886. During this period there were more than 250,000 conversions. That's more than 1,000 each week! During this period five Corps were opened per week (from 251 to 1,552)! The next year was even better! In 1887 The Salvation Army exploded by 50%, from 1,552 to 2,328 Corps. That's about 15 new Corps each week! (notes from Major Ray Herron, AUSTRALIA SCHOL FOR YOUTH LEADERSHIP)

And as Primitive Salvationists attacked with Holy Spirit fire the various demons General Catherine described, society was transformed. Between 1876 and 1886 annual sales of alcohol in England fell 46,980,000 pounds! In one of Major Jack Stoker's appointments 13 pubs went bankrupt in the first three months after his arrival! By 1901 there were 30,000 converted drunks in the ranks of the Army in the UK!

ONE TRACK MIND

Part of the success achieved in Primitive Salvationism is attributable to single passion, to win the world for Jesus. Such was the effectiveness of their efforts that General Catherine Booth could assert the following and not get run out of town:

There is no record since the Apostles of a body that has so encompassed the Divine idea, all its members being taught to make all other objects and aims of life subservient to the one grand purpose of preaching the Gospel to every creature and striving to win every soul with whom they come in contact to its salvation (Catherine Booth. THE SALVATION ARMY IN RELATION TO THE CHURCHES. p31,32).

The one thing was not evangelism but world winning. While evangelism is certainly an integral part of that, so is discipleship. General William Booth affirmed: "The objects for which this Army exists. are, in brief, to seize the slaves of sin and not only set them free and turn them into children of God but as far as possible in each case to make them soul winners" (William Booth, ORDERS AND REGULATIONS, 1879?. Intro).

World war against sin was the sole, abiding passion of the Primitive
Salvationist:

And what is our work? To go and subjugate the world to Jesus; everybody we can reach; everybody we can influence, and bring them to the feet of Jesus. (Catherine Booth, AGGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY, p190)

My business is to get the world saved. If this involves the standing still of the looms and the shutting up of the factories and the staying of the sailing ships, let them all stand still. When we have got everybody converted, they can go on again. (William Booth, in answer to his own question, "Are all to be officers?" in Robert Murdoch. THE ORIGINS OF THE SALVATION ARMY p141)

THE DARING, RECKLESS, DETERMINED STANDARD

We naively believe that today we can accomplish more that our primitive forebears because of the improvement in technology. After all, we possess the Internet, television, radio, and airplanes. Primitive Salvationists had none off these things. And yet the expectations for them were much higher than any of us would think of imposing on ourselves or others today.

General William Booth instructed, "Under ordinary circumstances a daring, reckless, determined Commanding Officer can make himself known to 30,000 people in less than three days" (William Booth, ORDERS AND REGULATIONS. 1879? Section 1:17).

How do we measure up to the daring, reckless, determined standard of Primitive Salvationism? How likely is it that we'd see this report in a current War Cry?

My heart is cheered. We are making the devil mad. Victory will come! Look out for some martyrdom here in the near future- it is to come, for sure. Well, we are saved to die, and don't care much where our bones are buried. (Major Wells, California, in John Rhemick, A NEW PEOPLE OF GOD. p79)

Booth's rebuke to the churches of her day is appropriate for many parts of her Army today:

These people stand in these paths of traditionalism and routinism just where their forefathers left them occupying all their time admiring the wisdom and benevolence and devotion of their forefathers instead of IMITATING THEIR AGGRESSIVE FAITH, and MARCHING ON TO THE CONQUEST OF THE WORLD. (Catherine Booth. PAPERS ON GODLINESS. p62)

MISSION-CRAFTED SYSTEM

Talk of systems and organization seems vulgar in juxtaposition with
discussion of passion and Fire. And yet, Primitive Salvationist
organization was fundamental to its success. It remains a truth that we must structure to handle revival. Salvationist structure was even a part of its definition:

We are an army of soldiers of Christ, organised as perfectly as we have been able to accomplish, seeking no church status, avoiding as we would the plague every denominational rut, in order perpetually to reach more and more of those who live outside every church boundary. (George Scott Railton, HEATHEN ENGLAND, 1887, p145)

We did not just adopt military jargon. The Christian Mission actually became The Salvation Army, filled with soldiers organized as perfectly as possible.

The media preferred to call it a 'cold-blooded system' (NEWCASTLE DAILY CHRONICLE, 22nd May 1879). Of the first Orders and Regulations one reporter noted, "It is shrewd enough to have been written by Machiavelli. The book is clever in the most worldly sense" (NEWCASTLE DAILY CHRONICLE, 22nd May 1879). General William Booth didn't entirely deny it, recounting:

Beginning as I did with a clean sheet of paper, wedded to no plan. willing to take a leaf out of anybody's book. above all, to obey the direction of the Holy Spirit. we tried various methods and those that did not answer we unhesitatingly threw overboard and adopted something else.

And while the conclusion was the military model, Primitive Salvationists were quick to borrow from other systems:

We believe that all rational measures, all the measures which men use with respect to the world, if they are lawful and good, may be transferred by the sanctification of the motive, by the transposition of aim, to the Kingdom of God. Yea, we are bound to it. (Catherine Booth. THE SALVATION ARMY IN RELATION TO THE CHURCHES. p47,48)

Change, adaptation, and novelty were persevering principles of Primitive Salvationism.

This was the target of much criticism by unbelievers of the day:

It requires "General" the Rev. William Booth to organise eccentricity into a system. The chief of the Salvation Army glories especially in the means by which he attracts the multitude. (NEWCASTLE DAILY CHRONICLE, 20th May 1879)

General William Booth defended this truth excitedly:

The success of The Salvation Army, humanly speaking, has largely resulted from the novelty of its plans and methods; and now we appear in danger of sinking down to the level of an ancient sect. If we do, I feel sure God will raise up some other people, who will go as much in advance of us in novelty, and daring, and reckless disregard of public opinion, and as much in the teeth of the prejudices of old-fogeyism, either amongst us, or outside us, as we ourselves did in these respects twenty years ago. We must wake ourselves up! Or somebody else will take our place, and bear our cross, and thereby rob us of our crown. I look to you to help me.
(William Booth to Commissioner Dowdle, in George Scott Railton, COMMISSIONER DOWDLE. p96)

His call for help comes down the generations to us. Will we sit by and watch our crowns stolen, or will we step up and be the 'those amongst us' who rescue the prophesy and the Army?

AN UNLEASHED HOLY SPIRIT

Clearly Primitive Salvationism was a holiness movement with holiness as the theological glue that bonded it all together. It was the experienced blessing of a clean heart, of perfect love, and of eradicated inclination to sin that powered the Movement. General William Booth was willing to tie the success of The Salvation Army to the work of the Holy Spirit in their midst:

The very spread of The Salvation Army does itself bear witness too the message we have proclaimed from the beginning- THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL COME DOWN ON ALL THE LORD'S PEOPLE IF THEY SEEK HIM. (William Booth, in John Rhemick, A NEW PEOPLE OF GOD. p121. emphasis Booth's)

General Catherine Booth saw the Holy Spirit's activity as a key cause of criticism of the Army:

What unkind things have been said of The Salvation Army, because people have fallen on their faces under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit at our meetings; but you see, this is Apostolic. (Catherine Booth, with reference to 1 Corinthians 14, AGGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY, p55)

In response to criticism, General Catherine Booth asked, "How is it that wherever we go as an organisation signs and wonders are wrought" (Catherine Booth. PAPERS ON GODLINESS. p124)?

Commissioner George Scott Railton answered:

What is to be won for God must be captured from the devil. Not indeed, by human might or power, but the use of all men's powers under the mighty influence of the Holy Spirit are signs and wonders continually possible. (George Scott Railton. COLONEL JUNKER. p107)

Listen to this prophetic exhortation by our prophet of holiness,
Commissioner Samuel Logan Brengle:

It is this holiness that we Salvationists must maintain, otherwise we shall betray our trust; we shall lose our birthright; we shall cease to be a spiritual power in the earth; we shall have a name to live and yet be dead; our glory will depart; and we, like Samson, shorn of his locks, shall become as other men; the souls with whom we are entrusted will grope in darkness, or go elsewhere for soul nourishment and guidance; and while we may still have titles and ranks, which will have become vainglorious, to bestow upon our children, we shall have no heritage to bequeath them of martyr-like sacrifice, or spiritual power, or dare-devil faith, of pure, deep joy, of burning love, of holy triumph. (Samuel Logan Brengle. LOVE SLAVES. p72)

God forgive.

THOROUGH REPENTANCE

The prevailing problem then and today in evangelism is the tendency to ask Jesus into our hearts without repenting of sin. General Catherine Booth explained:

They try to believe; they want to follow Him, but they are kept back by the right hand and the right eye which the Holy Spirit has told them they must cut off and pluck out before He will receive them. They will not do it, so they are ever learning, and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. You must renounce evil in your will. You must will to 'obey the truth'. You must say 'yes Lord'. (Catherine Booth, 1891, PAPERS ON AGGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY. p32)

The primitive Salvation Army fought through long battles while the Holy Spirit convicted men and women of the guilt with regard to sin, righteousness, and judgement and brought a godly sorrow which brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret. Many then outside the ranks, and ironically, many now within take offence at what conviction, godly sorrow, and repentance can look like. Here is an extended critical description of an all night of prayer by a newspaper correspondent during which all of these things occurred:

So great was the commotion in the centre of the room, so terrifying was the din, that this incidence (four rows tipping over), which would have thrown an ordinary congregation into uproar, passed almost unnoticed. Several figures are bent double near the platform, groaning and wringing their hands. The "Hallelujah Lasses" have surrounded them; the tall figure of the proprietor of the "Hallelujah Fiddle" gyrates around them; the sweep is dancing and shouting "Glory be to God;" and the "General" is smiling placidly and twiddling his thumbs.

Penitents! Are these penitents who kneel on the form and wring their hands? Or are they persons struck with the contagion of over- wrought enthusiasm?

As may be seen from what I have written, until penitents "throw themselves at the feet of Jesus," as it is called, a meeting of the Salvation Army is a tolerably sane affair. The fat is at once in the fire, however, when penitents come forward.

Half a-dozen crop-headed youths are praying vociferously, with their faces towards me. Did I say praying? It was vociferous shouting, with closed eyes. Their bodies sway to and fro; their hands are lifted, and brought down again with a thump on the form; they contort themselves as if they were in acute agony.

The converts retire to their seats with red faces. Let us follow one of them. He is a broad- faced, shock-headed youth, of about twenty. A few minutes since, he was foaming out of a well-developed mouth. Now he is dancing about the floor, shouting "hallelujah" and wringing the hands of all those who will yield their arm to him. Anon he will mount one of the forms, and shout his experience into the middle of a hubbub which condemns him to remain unheard. Then he will waltz round again, alternately laugh and cry, and go through a new course of hand-shaking. He has in fact been converted. (NEWCASTLE DAILY CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY 21st MAY 1879)

Primitive Salvationism emphasized repentance of sin. In General William Booth's effective salvation tract, HOW TO FIND GOD, 5 of the 7 steps deal with sin. You can't get through it without completely repenting of sin. If all our converts experienced this heart searching process, whether or not it is accompanied by the manifestations described, we'd likely create more Primitive Salvationists.

CLAIMING THE INHERITANCE

Primitive Salvationism is our inheritance. This is our birthright; ours to claim. Primitive Salvationism today is characterized by these same features. Our God is the Resurrection Specialist! He can do it again! He can do it even better this time!

We have two choices, both dealing with our role in prophesy. Either we can sit by and allow the warning prophesies of The Salvation Army to transpire, or we can determine to fulfill the conditions that will make this last prophesy true:

The decree has gone forth that the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and that He shall reign whose right it is, from the rivers to the ends of the earth. I believe that this Movement is to inaugurate the great final conquest of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Catherine Booth, in John Rhemick. A NEW PEOPLE OF GOD. p202,203)


Copyright © 2000 Journal of Aggressive Christianity