The Salvation Army Kettle

I'm a Salvationist.

The church I attend is the Salvation Army. It's not a perfect church--as it's populated by imperfect people--but overall I joined it because I agree with the message which it embraced at its founding.

One of the most visible icons of the Salvation Army is the Red Kettle which appears throughout the world during this time of year. The Red Kettle has a long history, as it began in 1891, with the Captain Joseph McFee wanting to help the poor in San Francisco. Unfortunately, he had no funding for his desire to help the poor, then he remembered seeing a large kettle called "Simpson's Pot" during his days as a sailor while in Liverpool, England. The Simpson's Pot was basically the same thing as the Red Kettle today in that passengers of those boats docked at the port in Liverpool would toss coins into it to help the poor.

So the Captain took a pot to Oakland Ferry Landing, tossed a sign up, and was thus able to collect enough donations to have a Christmas dinner for the poor, and the Kettle has spread like wildfire both through the collective unconscious related to the Christmas season and through the Salvation Army itself as a viable means of collecting donations.

Now, you may be wondering why on earth I'm talking about these things. After all, nearly everyone has seen one, and while some may not know all that history junk up above about them, they all know that the Kettles are related to helping the poor during Christmas.

The reason I'm writing on them, is because of an article I read today about what is being called a "plastic kettle." Apparently, these were tested in Dallas and Colorado Springs last year, and this year they are enlarging the test market to 30 cities.

What this thing is, is basically your standard Red Kettle, but attached to it is a wireless credit card reader similar to the ones found on gas station pumps.

I read the linked article over on Fox News, and frankly, was dismayed.

I don't like credit cards. I'm not even that fond of my debit card and do carry cash for my lunch during the week and things like that. I firmly believe that it is too easy to over-extend ones self with either of these things, in addition to other problems associated with them.

But even above and beyond that, the Salvation Army in its primary role as a Christian Church should not be encouraging the use of debt-creation tools.

After all, Romans 13:8 states (NIV):

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.

That's Paul, telling the Romans quite clearly that they should pay off their debt as fast as possible.

I find it hard to reconcile that scripture with the preponderance of tools which are designed to make it easier to put us in debt.

Additionally, what they seem to fail to grasp (or worse, never considered) is that debt is bondage, and Galations 5:1 says (NSV):

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

There, that is Paul telling us to eschew any form of slavery--whether to debtors or drugs or alcohol or even to the legalism which the Galations were preaching in regards to the Law.


No, this is a bad move on the Salvation Army's part, as it leads directly to further bondage and debt, a state which we as Christians are supposed to be moving away from. The Bible teaches that we are supposed to live free lives, secure in the knowledge of the Grace and love of Christ.

As far as I am concerned, and as a Christian, I won't be using a plastic kettle. Ever.

The Untruthful Vegan

PETA will do anything to get you to not eat meat. Including lie about Christ. In an effort to further their political agenda they are spreading lies about Christ, saying that He would encourage (their website says He did encourage) a vegan lifestyle. What's even more amazing, is that they claim He had a vegan lifestyle. This is nonsense. Jesus was a Jew. He performed all the proper rituals according to that religion. Including the Passover Lamb and probably witnessed and encouraged animal sacrifice. It is sad that this organization would use such overt lies to further their political view.

Personally I have never understood PETA. What's wrong with raising animals for slaughter? They exist to be food. If we don't eat them something else will. That is the way of the world. To deny that is to deny nature. A good portion of these people assume that given time anyone (could they even think anything) would choose to be a vegan. I'm here to tell them I will never give up my meat. There is nothing wrong with raising animals for food. There is nothing wrong with hunting animals for food. There is nothing wrong with killing animals for food. I think I might start a new group. People for the Ethical Treatment of Vegatables (PEVe). We'll try to liberate those poor defenseless plants that are raised just to be ripped from their homes and slaughtered for the consumption of those heartless Vegans. What's worse is all the various chemicals and poisions we routinely dump on those poor defenseless plants. How dare we? Don't we have feelings for the Turnip?

Okay, enough of that, it hurts my head to think that way. Give me a nice steak and potatoes and salad. I'm equal opportunity, I'll slaughter both plants and animals.

What I want to teach my youth...

Above all other things there are 2 things I want my teens to get out of my Sunday School class:

1. Read. The more they read the better Christians they can be. Reading the Bible gives you the answers, reading other books gives you the questions. Reading is one of the BEST ways to learn new information.
2. Question your leaders. This is something that is woefully lacking in our youth today. They seem to want to take whoever is teaching them at FACE VALUE! I am horrified at such a concept. If n oone is going behind me and looking up my references, if no one is going behind me and ensuring what I say is according to the Gospel, how do they know I am truly speaking truth? Christians have a few requirements in their lives, and one of these is to question their church leaders and teachers.

I have said this once or twice, but if ANY techer, pastor, or evangelist tells you that you should "Trust them" or that questioning what's happening in your church is "Doubting the Spirit" leave. Get away from that person as fast as possible because they do not speak truth. Praise and deceit cannot come from the same mouth, and any who tells you to "Trust me" is a liar and should not be trusted to teach the Word.

Oh well, that's my mission for my kids. Peace to all.

Soap, Soup, Souls...

Is this a true qoute in today's society? Or is it just "Soap & Soup?" While looking for apologetic information about the Salvation Army, I realized, there is none. Why is this? Is it because the SA doesn't put an emphasis on it's primary mission? Take a look at the Southern Terrortory's website. Try and find the doctrines of the Salvation Army. It's on that site. What bothers me is that it's on a secondary page, about 3/4 of the way down a huge page of text. The webiste puts a bigger emphasis on the social services programs than Christ. Looking at the links, donations, value guides, and special gifts all come before the "About us" link which is where you will find a mention about Christ. I guess it is telling that the logo used on the websites is the "Red Shield" from the lodge program and not the more Christian Salvation Army Crest.

Onto the second thing that I started the rant with, where are our Apologists? Apologetics is a very essential aspect of Christianity. Peter tells us that we should all be ready with an answer to whomever asks us a question. So in theory all soldiers and officers should be apologists, yet there is not a single site for it. What's worse is the concept is not taught. In a recent Sunday School class I asked my students if they would be upset if a teacher/pastor/CSM could not answer their questions they said yes, then I asked if they would be upset if the person next to them could not answer that same question and they said no. Is this because they didn't realize the importance of the concept of Apologetics or is it because we have taught our youth that the Bible is hard and you have to be a "leader" to interpret it.

Either way, our youth have a lot to learn.

The Sad Case of the Liberal-like Christ...

Here's an interesting example of this particular website: Gay Challenge to Fundamentalists

Now some of what it says is true. People with a homosexaul tendencies are required Biblically to have the same standards on promiscuity and adultery as heterosexuals. The unfortunate part is, they advocate homsexuality. No matter how you look at this topic, any sex outside of marriage (as defined by God during the creation as being between a man and a woman) is sin and a defilement of the body.

This website goes about telling you that it's ok, yet they never actually give scriptures backing themselves up. This website says gay marriages are ok, yet their "proof" is just wishy-washy emotionalism.

Yes, in his day, Jesus was a liberal. He preached on self-control, moderation, loving all people. But at the same time, HE never espoused sin. Yes, he forgave the prostitute, but He commanded her to "Go, and sin no more."

Here's an interesting qoute for you:

Directly informing this historic decision were Dr. Evelyn Hooker's demonstrations through psychological profiles that the psychiatric community was unable to distinguish homosexuals from heterosexuals by any feature other than their orientations. Dr. Hooker's findings, eventually incorporated in a National Institute of Mental Health Task Force on Homosexuality Report, showed clearly that homosexuality did not imply pathology.Gay Today: Ex-Gays. Sandy Rapp

The Bible plainly teaches this. There is no difference between a homosexual and a heterosexual.

Except a matter of a simple sin.

The Church that was…or was it?

In today’s paper (August 8, 2002) there was a front-page story about the churches in my area building new buildings due to increasing membership. What is so different about my church that the members run away from it? Is it the cliques? Is it the indifference on the part of the senior leadership? Is it the soul-sapping melancholy that one feels as you walk through the doors? How can you institute change when the leaders refuse to listen? Is there anything we can do to change this? How can you break up cliques? How can you grow, when you refuse to offer classes dedicated to certain age groups? How can you grow, when you refuse to speak to people? Other Salvation Army Corps are growing by leaps and bounds, why not us? What is so different about the Pensacola Corps that we are stagnant and decaying? What is so wrong with us that we cannot work up the outrage over the gossip and the backbiting, and all those other small things that destroy us? Is it better to have a church of hundreds that cannot stand one another, or a church of ten where love is evident? I know which I would choose. I know which I wish my church were. The sad truth about the Pensacola Corps is that if my first experience with Christianity came from there, I would be asking, what’s the point? I thought Christian’s loved one another? At the start of this rant, I asked the question, why aren’t we growing? The sad truth is that that is not the proper question to be asking. The question that needs to be asked is, “Why aren’t we all loving one another?” The church will not grow unless its members love one another. Until that is fixed, we just have to sit there and smell the gangrene, or go find a new church.

How can we show love to sinners, when none wants to show love to the saints?