Until injustice ends, there's work to do

This weekend, The Salvation Army gathers at the Royal Albert Hall in London to renew its commitment to Social Justice and welcome new leaders, Commissioners Andre and Silvia Cox.

The weekend commemorates one of William Booth’s final public appearances before he died in 1912 in which he used these words to urge Salvationists to fight for justice:

While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight;
while little children go hungry, as they do now, I'll fight;
while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I'll fight;
while there is a drunkard left,
while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets,
while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight
-I'll fight to the very end!

It is easy to hear the echo of the Old Testament prophets in these words:

Is this the kind of fast that I require, a day of mortification such as this:
That a person should bow his head like a bulrush and use sackcloth and ashes for a bed?
Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?
Rather is not this the fast that I require:
To loose the fetters of injustice, to untie the knots of the yoke,
And set free those who are oppressed tearing off every yoke?
Is it not sharing your food with the hungry,
Taking the homeless poor into your house,
Clothing the naked when you meet them,
And never evading a duty to your kinsfolk?
(Isaiah 58: 5-7)

Today The Salvation Army is known for its practical service to a wide range of people. Those affected by homelessness, unemployment, family breakdown, and frail old age, for example. Yet these enduring social problems are not just a consequence of individual misfortune, the structures of society can assist or undermine the struggle for human flourishing.

William Booth started as an ardent evangelist but as a result of ministering amongst London’s poor he also became a social reformer. He set up hostels for homeless men that included work experience. He set up the first Labour Exchange to help people find a job. He established an international family tracing service to reunite family members who had drifted apart. He opened a match factory to highlight the health and safety atrocities of existing manufacturers. He insisted on the equal dignity and worth of everyone with his Cab Horse charter which argued that there was no working horse on the streets of London that would not be lifted to its feet if it fell, and fed and housed. No human life should fall short of this standard.

This is a big heritage for The Salvation Army to live up to at both a corporate and individual level. The culture we inhabit can subtly condition us to put judgement before justice. It is a challenge when phrases like benefit cheat, gang member, neighbours from hell and work-shy come so readily to our lips. We need to be sensitive to our own role in perpetuating indignity and disrespect through language and actions.

We also need to be alert to the way in which social structures are changing and speak out where they affect those in need unfairly. The Salvation Army is expressing concern about the proliferation of betting shops with fruit machines in poor communities. We look forward to the Health and Social Care Bill with its promise of fair access to care for all older people. The Public Affairs Unit tries to draw together the practical experience of those on the frontline to influence the political debate.

The vision for the coming weekend is that it will give fresh courage to Salvationists to fight for just structures as well as continue their mission to build relationships that restore human dignity and worth.


Dr Helen Cameron is head of public affairs at The Salvation Army