For a Salvation Army Officer, part of life is moving from one role to another with some frequency throughout their career. But each move brings with it a whole range of complexities, anxieties, and opportunities, which makes for a heady mix of emotions, especially when combined with the loss of the previous appointment and the…
Salvationism struggles with an obsession over its identity, which can create fear. But what is it about Salvationist symbols and culture that gets people so passionate? Passionate in a way I don’t see in quite the same way in other denominations? Issues That Kill Our Energy There are always ‘those issues’ in churches and denominations…
What can local churches do to work for justice in their communities? In this article, we see how Local Churches can use practical politics to seek justice in 8 steps. I am drawing from the work of Dr. Helen Cameron in her book Just Mission: Practical Politics for Local Churches. The book is available from…
Perhaps at no other time in history have people been so divided. Here are 7 Steps to Disagreeing Well that will hopefully start to change things. Whether cultural, political, ideological, or religious, there are huge divides that seem uncrossable. We have lost the art of disagreeing well. Differences descend into shouting matches on social media….
Over six years, I worked part-time towards a PhD in divinity from the University of Aberdeen. As it entered its final stages, I spent some time reflecting on what I learned about actually doing a PhD and what I wish I had known at the beginning. Here are the 10 lessons I wished I’d known…
⚠ Content Note This post is a sensitive subject and includes discussion about suicide and death. There are no graphic descriptions given, but the conversation is about suicide. Please be aware before reading further. What follows comes from my experience of suicide from working in The Salvation Army UK’s homelessness service, working as an officer…
A key tool in your armoury for doing theology is practical theological reflection. What Is Practical Theological Reflection Theological reflection lets you place a real-life situation in the context of the wider historical Christian tradition and the Bible. Getting used to doing this will help you put your theological knowledge into action to inform your…
The structure and identity of The Salvation Army is a form of prophetic irony. The Salvation Army is an ironic critique of the world’s false military power. It directly contradicts how kingdoms of this world function, as opposed to how the Kingdom of God works. The Salvation Army is… An Army? The dominant ecclesial metaphor…