The Sick State of The Salvation Army

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The Sick State of

The Salvation Army

In 1865, William Booth was moved by the Spirit to take God’s saving grace

to the slums and help down-and-outs.

Out of his Spirit-led work a movement was born.

But that movement has now lost its way, as dreams from God illustrate.

By Malcolm B Heap, Midnight Ministries

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We recently received this letter from a leader of the Salvation Army in Britain:

4th April 2003

Dear Julia,

Thank you for sending me, unsolicited, a parcel of booklets relative to the ministry of Midnight Ministries. I apologise for having to reply to you via the address of Midnight Ministries, but as the note you enclosed with the booklets contained no contact details, I assume this address is the one to use.

I am not impressed with the booklets you sent, and have therefore sent them all to the recycling bin. This is not because I am not a Christian, but because they are distinctly lacking in any grace, and are quite rude and offensive. I follow Jesus Christ, whom Scripture tells us was full of grace and truth. Your booklets might well be full of truth (and even that is questionable), but they are certainly not full of grace. They do not, therefore, ring true of Jesus, and that, for my money, is the ultimate benchmark.

I am particularly offended by the broad claims in the booklets that your movement is right, and the Church is wrong. Whilst the Church is indeed wrong in many ways, the hallmark of a cult is always to believe itself right, and others wrong [which is what he is doing – Editor], and I can but warn you against such assumptions. This complete lack of humility is most unattractive, and does not incline me to Midnight Ministries in any way at all. I should, therefore, be grateful not to receive any further correspondence from you.

For my part, and with a clean conscience [Oh yes? The heart is deceitful above all things - Jer 17:9.], I shall continue to go along to church on Sundays. Likewise, I shall continue to observe both Easter and Christmas. If, on this basis, you still wish to regard yourself my 'sister in Christ' then that is entirely up to you. From the tone of your booklets, though, I shouldn't have thought you would want anything much to do with someone you patently regard as an idolater (which, for the record, I am not).

I thoroughly dislike having to write to you so strongly, but the nature of your booklets, which carry a strong sense of judgementalism, leaves me with little choice.

Name withheld.

A supporter of Midnight Ministries had sent this individual some of our booklets, including: Why Keep Christmas?, The Truth About Easter, Why Keep Sunday?, The Faith Once Delivered, and several others. They challenged this man!

I replied:

7th April 2003

Dear Xxxxxxx,

We have received your letter of 4th April, to Julia. She is a supporter of Midnight Ministries and a close friend, but since your letter takes exception to publications which I have authored, and you seem to have a 'bone to pick' with me, we thought it best if I replied.

Before doing so, I took a look today at your article Growing Pains! in the Plain Truth. I had not read it previously. I don't normally read the Plain Truth because it is too shallow and often amounts to window dressing for hypocrisy.

In your letter I notice various hostile, belligerent and intolerant statements which belie what you have written in your article, where you write:

"The bottom line is that we human beings don't always enjoy being told what to do, or how to behave.... We need to learn from Jesus, whose example of obedience, humility and grace-under-fire is par excellence. ...I would suggest that not only Christian children, but Christian adults too, should follow the pattern set by Jesus Christ, who 'grew in wisdom and stature', and encourages us to do likewise."

No one who knows the Truth can fault your words there. But words can be cheap. Actions speak much louder. Your article was an exhortation to accept correction, to move on in the faith, and mature spiritually.

That was the purpose of those booklets coming to you. But, like a child throwing a temper tantrum, you say you have "sent them all to the recycling bin." It's a pity you didn't read them first and, since you take great exception to what is written therein, show me where the errors are in what I have written. That is the correct biblical pattern (Gal 6:1; Jas 5:19,20).

However, you say what was sent to you was "distinctly lacking in any grace". Clearly you didn't read far. Since your prejudice or some other demonic root got the better of you, let me give you a few tasters about God's grace expounded in one of those publications, A Message To Worldwiders:

1. Pg 18: "Those who continue to be led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God (Rom 8:14)."

2. Pg 19: "About a year after our expulsion from the church, God led us into a fuller understanding of these gifts of the Holy Spirit, and He has blessed our family with various spiritual gifts. I mention a little more about this on page 25."

3. Pg 19: "Why are spiritual gifts evidenced in predominantly Sunday-observing churches?"

4. Pg 20: The story of Haralan Popov, the Baptist pastor who was tortured for 13 years in Communist prisons, and how God's grace sustained him with angelic visitations.

5. Pg 22: "Knowing Jesus is the most important factor for us as Christians. Otherwise He will disown us at His coming."

There are many other statements of the wonder and beauty of God's grace in what you received.

But, you also read of unsavoury statements about WCG hypocrisy and slander against me, which clouded your appraisal. Those are all you remember, and you took offence. (Correct me if I am wrong, but that's how it appears that you reacted.) And, because you thought I was coming against the WCG (Worldwide Church of God) in a hostile vein (which I was not – I was simply pointing out errors in their approach and teaching), you reacted towards what I have written with hostility also.

Let me tell you something. I have loved those people in that church more than you can understand. And that love has been demonstrated in every way it could be. I gave all my money, and even my life to help deliver those people from spiritual kindergarten, but they have refused to grow up. They want to stay in kindergarten. They want to play childish games, get upset like children, and carry on behaving immaturely.

That's their choice, of course, as it is yours. I'm surprised that you should respond so immaturely.

You say: "I am particularly offended by the broad claims in the booklets that your movement is right, and the Church is wrong." (What Church? You do not clarify whether you are referring to the Church Universal or whether you mean the WCG, or the Salvation Army.) Then you contradict your objection by admitting "Whilst the Church is indeed wrong in many ways...." Then why get offended when such errors are pointed out? Why accuse me of being arrogant? (Was Jesus arrogant because He rebuked the religious leaders in His time? See Matt 23.) And why claim that just because we point out the truth we know, and claim to have some of that truth, that we are a cult? Such an asinine assumption betrays your unwillingness to learn and be corrected by someone else (who may have more truth, and may have learned it from Jesus).

If Jesus brings you more truth, how does He do it? Does it not often occur by what you learn from others? And if someone else does have more truth from Him, WHICH HE HAS GIVEN THEM, when you reject them and reject that truth they bring, whom are you rejecting? Them, or the One who moved them? The answer is in Matthew 10:39-41.

You claim the booklets were rude and offensive, which is untrue. Those with a child-like attitude that you were encouraging in your article, are not offended by them. It's only the high and mighty, the arrogant, the proud, the elevated, the pompous, who get offended by some things there.

The fact that you were unwilling to respond to show me where what is written is in error is an admission that you cannot, which is why you prefer to destroy what presents too much of a challenge. In fact, by your own words, you admit you cannot fault the publications on the basis of the truth they contain: "Your booklets might well be full of truth..." But, because you don't know very much biblical truth, you cannot make an accurate judgement on that.

"...but they are certainly not full of grace." That statement is highly presumptuous. I have already shown you its inaccuracy. You just didn't care to find the grace of God in them, because you took offence at the exposure of error through the preaching of truth. The very fact that the booklets contain much truth (by your own admission, also), is an evidence that they are from the Source of grace. For, Jesus came to bring grace AND truth. You can't have one without the other. Truth exposes the need for grace, when the humble realise they have missed the mark of God's standards of righteousness. And grace raises the tempo for the entrance of truth.

You completely misunderstand and misconstrue my motives. But it would seem that you WANT to misconstrue, which raises the question whether you do actually misunderstand. As Peter said of the wicked before: "they wilfully forget" (2 Pet 3:5).

"For my part, and with a clean conscience, I shall continue to go along to church on Sundays... observe both Easter and Christmas..." Good, do that. I won't stop you. But whether that will save you, is another more serious matter that you should consider.

There were many stiff-necked, arrogant and self-righteous religious leaders in Jesus' time who subscribed to "the error of the wicked" (2 Pet 3:17). Their empty, self-glorifying religion didn't save them, and nor will the hollow hypocrisy you peddle.... unless, of course, you turn, which I would hope you will.

I wish you well.

Sincerely, in His love,

Malcolm B Heap

I received no reply!

God predicted this altercation very succinctly in a dream to me on 11th January 2003:

A person came against me with a very hurtful false accusation. They accused me of the height of arrogance for writing what I have done.

God invariably gives us prior notice of what is about to occur (even if we don't understand precisely what the dreams mean until later). This is to His glory. By it, you see just how much God knows about what will occur BEFORE it does! He knows everything beforehand!

What the incident above illustrates, and what you need to discern from the man's response, are the demonic strongholds over his life. He thinks he is OK spiritually, but is as blind as the Pharisees were in Jesus' day. There is no evidence of the Spirit in his response.

This is because the Salvation Army has shut out the Spirit of God from its worship, and replaced it with human substitutes. These actually welcome demonic spirits!

Another individual who belongs to the Salvation Army was in touch with us a short while ago, and he was equally fearful and defensive. God gave Helena this dream about him:

14th December 2002. H. Baby with diarrhoea.

I came into a building. There were a number of small children, almost babies. I picked up one of the smallest, but as soon as I picked him up, he started to have severe diarrhoea. I held up the baby near a dirty pond. As soon as the baby recovered I held it and gave it some attention. I felt it needed loving care. After a while I left it safely in one of the beds. There was a made-up lady, who looked like a business woman and also a man who didn't care about the children.

Meaning: The baby needed spiritual cleansing. This represents a young man we know from the Salvation Army and the spiritual state of this 'church'.

Jesus has more to say about this cult which obeys its leaders, but that's enough for now.