The Antiques Roadshow
By Major Fred Ash
An-tique: 1. a relic or object of ancient times 2. existing since or belonging to earlier times 3. being in the style or fashion of former times.
I drove through the main street of a southern Ontario
Except for the sign, the church looked the same as it did when it was erected, more than a hundred years ago. The church is itself an antique. No one worships there anymore. The money changers have taken it over, selling old things to old people, nostalgic for things that were, but will never be again.
I thought of the Salvation Army churches I visited over the past few months. Most of the worshippers were as old as the antiques in that little brick church. Or they remember using what today are sold for antiques. Even some of us baby boomers grew up with oil lamps, vacuum tube radios, and box cameras.
It begs the question: Has The Salvation Army become an antique, an organization in the style or fashion of former times?
I went into Officers Training College Canada
Antique stores have their clientele – dedicated to their hobby and willing to pay top dollar for something they really like. But antique stores don’t attract a fraction of the people who shop at Wall-Mart or who go to the movies or who visit the local Tim Horton’s. The same can be said of most churches, including those that belong to The Salvation Army. We have our clientele – people who are dedicated to attending the Sunday morning worship and people who will pay top dollar to hear a brass band concert or choir. But those numbers pale in comparison to the numbers of people a the local mall on Sunday morning, or at a rock concert on Saturday night, or at the local coffee shops on Wednesday evening.
In the eyes of many the church has become an antique. We who attend just don’t have the honesty to hang the sign on the front steps.
But the Gospel is as fresh today as when Jesus first announced the Good News on the hills of Galilee . It spoke to His generation and to every subsequent generation. And the postmodern generation is waiting to hear it. One of the problems is that we don’t speak their language. We don’t think like they think. Until we learn that we will be stuck in antiquity.
William Booth knew how to speak the language of his generation. That was a generation of progress that looked to the future expecting it to get better. Booth capitalized on that and made plans for his Army to establish a heaven on earth and to win the world for Jesus. And they nearly did it.
But this is not a generation of progress. We have some technological advances in communication, but wars, natural disasters, terrorists and economic crisis have all but destroyed any optimism this generation may have had. Few are expecting the immediate future to be better. The language and methods of Booth do not resonate with this generation.
If we continue to use outmoded methods and language we will be relegated to an antiques road show attracting the nostalgic and the curious while the mass of humanity passes us by.
I am an antique. In my early days I used to get invited to conduct youth rallies and run summer camps. Now I get invited to conduct seniors Sundays. Antiques are not entirely useless. While they are not very practical, their most valuable quality is their ability to inspire. Take for example antique cars. The oldest ones are very slow. The muscle cars of the 1960s are gas-guzzlers and air polluters. But when put on display, polished and restored, they attract car enthusiasts who admire the cars’ beauty and the ingenuity of those early designers.
So the antiques in the church are most valuable when they inspire the younger generation to do more, better and more efficiently than the previous generation. A Nash is inspirational, but it is the new vehicles that will get the job done.
(first published in Salvationist, 2010)
Don’t Bet On It
by Major Fred Ash
I sat in a barber shop in a mall. Outside the large glass windows was a lottery booth. Since I had a long wait to get my hair cut and the magazines were two years old I entertained myself by watching the people buying lottery tickets.
One elderly lady intrigued me. She must have been approaching 80. Her long, winter coat hung loosely on her frail body. Her wrinkled face looked drawn and pale. I first noticed her standing beside the trash can tearing off tabs from instant-win lottery tickets. 1…2…3 tabs. No win. She threw the losing ticket into the garbage then began on another. 1…2…3. No win. She threw that one in the garbage as well, then began again 1…2…3. On and on it went.
After going through the stack of tickets in her hand she was left with a few “winners” – if winners you could call them because all they entitled her to was more, “free,” tickets. She took them to the lottery booth, exchanged them for more and bought another handful. Then the whole process started again. 1…2…3 tabs. No win. Throw the useless cards into the trash. This exercise went on for at least quarter of an hour – tearing off tabs, throwing useless tickets away, burying more – until finally I was called to get my hair cut.
Somewhere between my eyebrow trim and neck shave, the old lady ran out of money. She hobbled off poorer but no wiser. I wondered if she had enough food to eat at home. I thought about the fresh fruit she could have purchased or a new coat. I wondered what compelled her to throw her money away so aimlessly. Was it a dream that she would be rich? Was it desperation? Was it hope that her failed life would somehow, miraculously, turn around and she would at last come out a winner?
As a child I was enrolled as a Junior Soldier in The Salvation Army. Among the promises this 10-year-old kid made was: “I promise not to gamble.” At ten years old I hardly knew what gambling was. I knew that in our house playing cards were not allowed because they were associated with gambling and no matter what kind of innocent game some of my friends played – from Crazy Eights to Fish – there was no legitimate reason for “the devils cards” to come into our house. To this day I still can’t play cards. The closest I ever got to gambling was playing Snakes and Ladders with my mother.
At the age of 14 I was enrolled as a Senior Soldier in the Army. And there it was again, the promise not to gamble. Since I hadn’t started up to that point I felt I might as well not begin. That promise, first made when I was a child, then affirmed as a teenager, has kept me in good stead. To this day I have never bought a lottery ticket nor played on-line gambling, nor gone to a Bingo game. And I don’t feel as if I am missing anything.
For Christians who think that gambling is just harmless fun, consider this. More than three percent of Canadian adults are affected by moderate to severe problem gambling. In a population of 34 million that puts the number of problem gamblers into the hundreds of thousands. The problem gamblers in turn affect their families by wasting money that could have gone into children’s education, mortgage, or a family vacation. Problem gambling sometimes results in criminal activities as gamblers steal money or sell drugs to support their gambling habit. Problem gambling sometimes results in the loss of homes and family when the gambler has to declare bankruptcy. Every time a Christian engages in gambling he/she becomes a part of the problem.
From a biblical standpoint, what is wrong with gambling? First it encourages avarice – “the insatiable desire for wealth.” The Bible warns: People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:9-10) Secondly it is a form of robbery. All winnings come from someone else’s pockets. For every lottery winner there are hundreds of losers – people who are going to go home with empty purses, perhaps empty back accounts, because their money was taken by someone who gave nothing in return. If you take something from someone and give nothing back then you are a thief. Neither… thieves nor the greedy… nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God .
You still think God overlooks your little gaming habit? Don’t bet on it.
(First published in Salvatinist, May 2010)
A Sobering Thought
Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Stronger
by Fred Ash
I sat in a restaurant with two Christian friends. Each of us belonged to a different church, a different denomination. As school board trustees we respected one another’s opinions and views. We did not have to agree on everything to enjoy good company and genuine fellowship.
When the waitress asked us if we wanted drinks, my reverend Anglican friend said, “White wine.” My doctored United Church
The table erupted with laughter. Even the waitress joined in, even though I’m not sure that she understood the full impact of my statement. But my two colleagues certainly did. They knew I was a Salvation Army officer and they knew the Army’s stand on alcohol. As leaders in their own denominations they not only understood my position; they respected it.
Why then are there among us Salvationists who want to introduce social drinking to the Army? Could it be that they are not as learned as my Anglican and United Church
It has been proposed, even by some Salvation Army officers that the words “I will abstain from alcoholic drink” be removed from the Soldier’s Covenant (Articles of War). After all, they say, you can still be a good Christian and take a social drink. They sarcastically argue that if Jesus were here even he would not qualify to be a Salvationist because he was known on occasion to drink wine. Perhaps people who argue this way have a carnal fascination for the forbidden. Perhaps they are just plain ignorant.
Since the opposite of ignorance is knowledge, let us remind ourselves that alcohol is a drug. Teengrowth.com (http://www.teengrowth.com) is a website dedicated to addressing health issues of adolescents. Its medical advisory board is made up of American medical doctors of the highest calibre. When asked the question “Is alcohol a drug?” the medical team’s response was: “Yes, alcohol is a drug. Alcohol can affect every organ in the human body - brain, liver, stomach and heart to name a few! In teenagers and adults as well, behavior that occurs ‘under the influence’ of alcohol can also lead to serious threats to life and health. Although alcohol is not a prescription drug or an illegal substance (for adults), it carries all the risks of addiction and illness that street drugs do.” The Alcohol-Drug Education Services (htpp://ades.bc.ca) says: “Alcohol is the most commonly used drug in Canada
With all due respect to C.S. Lewis and other imbibing Christians I believe that because alcohol is such a powerful drug, abstinence is more prudent than indulgence.
Secondly removing the words “alcoholic drink” from the Soldier’s Covenant would force us to remove a whole lot more as well. If we cannot say “I will abstain from alcoholic drink” neither can I say “I will abstain from the non-medical use of addictive drugs” because alcohol by definition is a drug. Similarly neither can I say “I will abstain from all else that could enslave the body or spirit” because alcohol is an addictive substance that enslaves tens of thousands daily.
But most important is the fact that if I cannot promise “I will abstain from alcoholic drink” neither can I promise “I will be faithful to the purposes for which God raised up The Salvation Army.” William Booth found his calling outside the Blind Beggar, a tavern in the infamous East End of London, England. The special task that God gave the Army was to minister to the victims of alcohol who, because of their dependency, were reduced to poverty, bringing down with them their spouses and children. As Salvationists part of our calling is to stand in solidarity with those who are addicted to alcohol. And the only way to do this is through abstinence.
As to whether Jesus would qualify to be a Salvationist I would point out that the only instance of Jesus “drinking” is at the Passover Feast which we call the Last Supper. And that one cup was shared among thirteen men – hardly a social drink. He’d definitely qualify. Besides, since God raised up the Army I think His Son would be proud to march in our ranks.
Soda anyone?
(First published in Salvationist, March 2010)
Our Future Lies in our Past
by Fred Ash
During the collapse of the East Coast Fishery a reporter interviewed an old Newfoundland
There are some who would say the same of The Salvation Army. And it is hard not to disagree. In a little more than a decade all the great Salvation Army hospitals in this country were handed over to government. Two historic training colleges closed and the properties sold. Hallowed campgrounds were disposed of, and corps closed, their properties converted (or backslidden) to garages and warehouses. And there are fewer cadets then ever in training.
Yes, it is difficult not to say that our future is a thing of the past. Difficult, but not impossible.
When William Booth started The Salvation Army it was a Christian mission. In fact that is what he called it – The Christian Mission. It was the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of its day. The aim of the mission was to “go for souls and go for the worst.” The missioners saw nothing greater than saving souls.
Then the mission morphed into an army. “Salvation was their motto. Salvation was their song. And round the wide, wide world they sent the cry along.” The Salvation Army saved the drunkards from their drink and the criminals from the prisons, and girls from the streets by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, complete with repentance and holiness. And for their soul-saving, evangelistic work they were often ridiculed and persecuted.
But along with the spiritual work, the Army applied the social gospel. The Army was the World Vision of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And the more the Army got involved in social work the more it was praised. We gained quite a reputation for ourselves as a humanitarian organization.
And it was at this point, so very subtlety as to be unnoticed, that the Army began to change yet again. We began to become a quasi Red Cross. In fact we adopted similar vocabulary and invented the Red Shield. Doing good deeds, gained us favor with the people. No one would argue against an organization that did so much good. Governments threw grants at us. People poured money into our coffers. Donors stuffed envelopes with cheques and mailed them to us. Humanitarian work was profitable. Much more profitable than spiritual work.
Not many would give us money to preach against sin or support us to proclaim that Jesus saves, and Jesus alone. Only a faithful few would stuff a church offering envelope and put it in the collection plate every Sunday. Certainly not governments or big corporate donors.
Our social programs grew at the expense of our spiritual ones. And so we find ourselves today on the brink of morphing into another YMCA, which began in 1844 as another Christian mission to the young men of London
Humanitarian work is good but that is not our calling as The Salvation Army. Our work is first and foremost spiritual. In the Early Church
The S’s on Salvation Army uniforms used to mean “Saved to Save.” It was a statement of early Salvationists’ faith that they were saved so that they could save others. They testified of the saving grace of God that came to them when the Blood of Christ was applied to their hearts and their sins were washed away. “Saved to Save” is an evangelistic testimony from the heart of a Christian believer.
If my mission is simply humanitarian, then it makes no difference whether or not I am instrumental in saving anyone’s soul. I can give a man a good, used coat, a hot bowl of soup, and a warm bed for a few weeks, then send him on his way. I have fulfilled my mission. I have served. The man may be back again next year and I will have the privilege of serving him again and again and again.
If my mission is to save, then I will not be satisfied until I have put a new man in that old coat, until his heart is as warm with the Spirit as his belly is with the soup, until he eventually falls asleep in Jesus.
Our future is not a thing of the past, but the key to our future success lies there. You'll find it at Mile End Waste, London, 1865.
(First Published in Salvationist, January 2010.)
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Meet Me at the Kettle
by Fred Ah
One of the things that frustrates me during Christmastime is that I keep losing my wife in the malls. She will probably tell you that it is the other way around – she keeps losing me.
You know how it is. You are shopping together and talking, weaving in and out and around other shoppers and suddenly you realize that you are talking to yourself. Somewhere between the shoe store and the video store she disappeared. Something caught her eye and she stepped behind a coat rack and “puff” she vanished. So you spend the next half-hour peeking into boutiques, stretching your neck around corners, and sitting on benches hoping to catch sight of her. And when you do find her she says, “Where have you been? I wanted you to look at this dress.”
But this year I have a solution. When we go into the mall we’ll check our watches and head in different directions. She will shop for me, and I will shop for her, and we will meet at the kettle at a designated time.
I assume that you know what I mean when I refer to the kettle. The Salvation Army kettle. Some people called it the Salvation Army bubble. It’s that plastic thingy hanging from the red stand, alongside of which is usually a smiling, young Salvationist thanking those who drop donations into the little money slot. And by the way those money slots are way too small…I know because I have often been the smiling, young Salvationist standing there. OK, I’m not so young anymore, but I’m still smiling, and I have a lot of memories of kettle experiences.
There was that young mother with her little daughter who looked to me to be about 7 or 8 years old. The mother helped the little girl put a donation in the bubble and I smiled and said thank you. Then she proceeded to tell me about her wedding. She said when her fiancé gave her her engagement ring, she was very excited but thought it was way too expensive for a Christian to wear. So a few days later she and her fiancé went back to the jewellery story and exchanged it for a less expensive one and received a refund for the difference.
Because it was near Christmas, the Army kettles were in the malls. She and her fiancé walked up to one of the kettle stands and stuffed the refund into the little money slot. Every year since then she goes to the mall with their children and repeats that act of generosity. And each Christmas she tells her them the story of her engagement ring.
Then there was the time when someone walked up to the kettle I was manning and left me with a six-pack of beer. Actually it was a five-pack because he kept one for himself. Now you must know that as a Salvationist I do not drink, but I did not have time to explain this to the generous donor. His wife had been baking a Christmas pudding and the recipe called for so many ounces of beer. She sent him to the store to get some but he couldn’t buy just one bottle, so he bought a case, took one out and placed the six-pack-minus-one at my feet, saying that perhaps someone else was baking and might need it.
Before I could explain that this was probably not a good idea, he was gone. There I was in full Salvation Army uniform standing at the kettle with a case of beer (less one bottle) at my feet. I discreetly cover it with my overcoat. I knew that the donor’s heart was in the right place, but the beer was not.
Then I realized that here was a golden opportunity to have some fun. When my shift ended I walked out of the mall with my overcoat over the beer case and headed for the corps officer’s house. Knocking on the door I waited for him to appear. It was about 10 p.m. by now and he was no doubt putting the finishing touches to his sermon. When he opened the door I trust the box into his arms with a hearty “Merry Christmas” and turned a headed down the driveway. He was shouting something in the darkness as I got into my car, but my laughter drowned it out. I think it was something about what happened to the other bottle!
This Christmas I don’t know what stories will be created or told around the kettle, but if you see a lonely man standing nearby, straining his neck to find his wife among the thickening crowd, it’s probably me.
(First published, December 2009, in Salvationist)
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New Day Dawningcompiled and edited by Fred Ash
In 2006 The Salvation Army published New Day Dawning, a book which I compiled and edited, and which contains some of the best stories from the first year of the magazine Faith & Friends. The stories, many of which I wrote personally, are about people (mostly Canadians) who have had a life-changing experience with Christ. This is a great book to give as a gift to any of your unsaved friends. It is available from The Salvation Army Supplies and Purchasing or through salvationist.ca for $4.95.
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J.C. & Co. Inc.
by Fred Ash
Whatever happened to the family of God? Somewhere in the consumer driven craze that took over Western society in the mid twentieth century the church morphed from a family into a business. And not just any business, but a big, international corporation, complete with expensive advertisements, million dollar buildings, and well-paid staff (some with annual salaries of more than $100,000.00). The Family of God has become J.C. & Co. Inc.
In The Salvation Army we have only to look at our titles to realize how much this business mentality has taken over our organization. Words like “office,” “executive,” “operations,” “secretary,” and “director” are commonly used to describe positions within the Army. Even those shepherding positions in the local corps now carry the title of “director” – the director of pastoral care, the director of program etc. There is nothing wrong with these words in themselves, but corporately (pun intended) they project a business model for what the Bible calls the family of God. And the vocabulary we use defines the way we think. It’s what Marshall McLuhan described in the phrase “the medium is the message.”
The chief concern of big business is the bottom line – profits. When services cost too much they are cut. When buildings become too expensive to maintain they are sold. When products are no longer profitable they are discontinued. That’s good business. But it doesn’t make for a good family. We are shocked when we hear of parents who abandon their children or even sell them because they can no longer afford to keep them. Yet church denominations, the Army included, have been known to abandon some communities and some of their “children” because they were no longer profitable. Thinking like big business results in ministry only to those who can afford it.
The business model has also engulfed the local church. Have you noticed how much local churches are beginning to look like big Wall-Marts for Christian programs? The bigger the store, the more customers it will attract. And just like the big box stores, the mage-churches don’t care about putting the smaller one-pastor church out of business.
Those churches that succeed in attracting the highest numbers can boast that they are a seeker-friendly church. In reality they are consumer-friendly churches. They succeed in attracting the most consumers of Christian programs. The more programs a church offers the better chance it has at attracting the consumers of those programs. It’s a safe bet that in this country wherever you see a church growing there is another church in the same town dying and that most newcomers to the growing church are from that dying church. The Church is not growing, Christians are merely switching brands.
Your church is struggling financially. It had to let its youth pastor go. Not a problem. The church across town just hired a new youth pastor and it also has a music pastor and a visitation pastor. Take your business there. You don’t like your church’s new management? Don’t worry, the church a few blocks over just hired a Bible-thumping, pew-jumping, charismatic pastor who also happens to play a mean guitar. Take your praises there (along with your weekly offering, of course).
It used to be that churches were family. And families stuck together through thick and thin. Sometimes they had their family problems, but they learned to work through them. The members sometimes hurt one another, but they also learned humility by asking forgiveness and they learned Christlikeness by forgiving hurts. Members of the church family not only laughed together and learned together, they also cried together and grew in their faith together. But with the consumer-driven church this is unlikely to happen.
The one characteristic that identifies healthy families above all other institutions is commitment. Family members are committed to each other. Husbands and wives make vows of commitment to each other, vows that include faithfulness and loyalty. These vows and those commitments keep them together in tough times so that over the years they see things through together. This is the exact opposite of the consumer mentality that says I will stay in this church as long as I get what I want. If you don’t have what I want, I will go somewhere else and get it. It’s also the opposite of the denominational approach to ministry that cuts programs and congregations that don’t make a financial profit.
If we’re not careful J.C. & Co. Inc. will go the way of GM and Chrysler. Oh, I think that’s the bailiff at the door!
(First published October 2009, in Salvationist)
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Destroyer of Myths
by Fred Ash
Mythbusters is a TV show that tests the truth behind urban myths and historical legends. The hosts go through great lengths to find out if the myths have any basis in fact. They particularly like blowing thing up, dropping dummies from great heights, and crashing cars into various objects.
There are a few Salvation Army myths which I would like to bust:
Myth #1: People from the general public will not enter a church building; you have to go to them.
About two years ago God sent to my office a representative from Alcoholics Anonymous who was looking for a room in which to hold a meeting for his group. At the time, most of the rooms in our church sat empty for most of the week. Although we had the traditional band, songster, YP band, singing company and Home League, they occupied only a fraction of the space and the time on the calendar. So our Ministry Board said yes to the AA group.
The AA group found our facility and our church members very user-friendly. They told other groups about us and soon we had another AA group and then another and another. Word spread. Al-anon, the support group for families of alcoholics came in. Then Gamblers Anonymous. Then Narcotics Anonymous. Then Eating Disorders Anonymous. In between these groups the Burlington Amateur Radio Club set up camp in our building. This group works with The Salvation Army in times of disaster. A small private school will be coming our way in September, and we are working with a local elementary school to organize an afterschool homework club.
In our Ministry Board we refer to this as our Bridgebuilding Ministry. We don’t preach. We don’t proselytize. We simply reach out a hand of friendship and support. We place literature around the hall in key areas, and thank God every time we have to replenish the supply. We meet the strangers in our building with a smile and a sincere greeting. We are there to address their concerns.
Does it pay off? About four months ago one AA member died by suicide after experiencing a personal tragedy she could not cope with. The AA members asked me to conduct a memorial service for her. On a Monday evening about 150 members of AA gathered in our sanctuary to hear me preach the word of God and share with them the love of Jesus. Their expressions of gratitude were overwhelming. A few have begun to drop in to our Sunday service.
Myth #2: People from the general public are turned off by uniform-wearing Salvationists.
Most of the time when I am in our around our church building I am wearing some form of Salvation Army uniform – usually a regulation shirt and tie with the words Salvation Army embossed somewhere on either my shirt or jacket. The people who hang out behind the church before or after their meeting are usually smoking cigarettes and talking. They eagerly address me a “Major” and have no reservations about stopping to chat with me. To others I am “the maj.” When they see the uniform they know who I am and they know what I stand for. To them I am the embodiment of the organization that supports them, encourages them, and does not judge them.
Myth #3: We cannot identify our churches as Salvation Army. Our church has a large, colourful Salvation Army crest to the left of our main doors. A light shines on the crest at night. Our main doors, which are glass, are etched with a large Salvation Army shield. To the right of the door there are raised, white letters spelling out the words The Salvation Army, again with a light at night. From our flagpole flies the Army flag. There is no mistaking who we are. For this reason people often walk into our building off the street without an appointment – some looking for help, some offering help. The identity does not prevent them from coming. Quite the opposite happens, they come because we are The Salvation Army.
Now that I have thoroughly busted you myths, I have a few dummies to attend to.
(First published October 2009, in Salvationist)
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