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Not only is The Salvation Army Canada’s largest non-governmental direct provider of social services, it is arguably the world’s most trusted
and respected charity. Be it a flood, hurricane or earthquake, or an ongoing need to help alleviate human suffering, it is hard to find a place of need in our world where the Salvation Army does not have a significant presence.
Serving in 118 countries, speaking 175 languages, with more than 15,000 locations, and a force of officers and soldiers numbering close to 1.2 million, The Salvation Army is powerful example of holistic Christian ministry.
If you’ve wondered how this decidedly evangelical ministry has managed to grow so large and influential, you will want to get your copy of Christianity in Action: The International History of The Salvation Army by Henry Gariepy (Eerdmans, 2009, ISBN: 978-0-8028-4841-3). An 
adjunct faculty member at the Army’s Training College in London, Gariepy teaches Salvation Army history and Bible.
Gariepy, an author of 29 books and contributor to 50 others, has provided a “meticulously researched yet engaging” account of the Army’s humble beginnings and phenomenal growth into an international evangelical relief and development organization.
The Army’s founder, William Booth, himself reared in poverty, came to faith as a teenager through the preaching of an American holiness preacher. By age 17, Booth was preaching the gospel on the streets of England’s cities. However, before long, the Methodist circles in which Booth ministered grew uncomfortable with his revivalistic methods.
Matters came to a head in May, 1861, when the annual church conference voted to deny Booth the opportunity to engage in full-time evangelistic. William and Catherine, his wife, left that meeting vowing to continue their gospel work without the blessing of the Church.
As William and Catherine Booth embarked on their Abraham journey, they formed the East London Christian Revival Society. By 1867, the ministry had been renamed the Christian Mission. Readers will enjoy discovering how the movement was eventually to be known as The Salvation Army - it was the result of an off-the-cuff remark by a ministry worker commenting on the wording of a promotional pamphlet written by William Booth.
If Booth is remembered as the public voice of the work, Catharine is surely acknowledged the organizational master-mind. Her influence on the Army’s beginnings extended to the role of women - every aspect of the ministry was to be equally accessible to both women and men. In some ways, The Salvation Army is the forerunner of evangelical feminism.
In 27 chapters, Gariepy distils 144 years of compassionate gospel ministry. From the Army’s humble, holiness-centered revivalism to one of the world’s largest compassionate outreaches, the Army has become what may well be one of Christianity’s greatest stories of holistic Christian ministry - a humanitarian giant immersed in gospel truth.
As well as recording the great councils, chronicling the opening of new countries, and reflecting upon strategic advances and challenging set-backs, Gariepy provides fascinating glimpses into the front-line service of Army workers. For example, how many of us would know that The Salvation Army operated the world’s first 24/7 donut shop?
In August, 1917, following 36 days of rain, Salvation Army women served freshly prepared donuts to cold, hungry and battle-weary soldiers fighting in France. They improvised by using a wine bottle as a rolling pin and an old helmet as the frying pan. The gesture was so appreciated that other Salvation Army workers began doing the same in other battlefield locations. Very soon this became a 24-hour, daily service provided to soldiers on the front.
Gariepy’s one volume history concludes with a series of appendices outlining the doctrinal convicitons of the Army, the Soldier’s Covenant, the Founder’s song, and several statistical lists. Readers will be amazed at the many programs operated by The Salvation Army.
The book is well-written and a joy to read. It is a timely reminder that evangelical ministry can effectively meet the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of our world’s most vulnerable citizens. I highly recommend it.
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The author of this article received a review copy from the publisher.
Tags: Christianity in Action, Eerdmans Publishing Co., Evangelism, Henry Gariepy, Holistic Ministry, Humanitarianism, The Salvation Army, William & Catherine Booth
Already the poorest country in the western hemisphere, the devastating earthquake in Haiti has pushed this country to the very brink. As with other major disasters, governments, NGOs and people around the world are rushing to help.
(water, rice, beans, fish) and tarps. EI partners with an evangelical Baptist denomination in the country meaning that those who will handle the relief effort are Haitians who live in the country and will be there long after the international community has moved on.