The Salvation Army has long been a shining example of service to the poor and needy. Its stated purpose is "the advancement of the Christian religion ... of education, the relief of poverty, and other charitable objects beneficial to society or the community of mankind as a whole."
But is The Salvation Army drifting from its roots? National Review reports that the organization is going "woke," and adopting elements of Critical Race Theory.
In a guidebook titled "Let's Talk About Racism," the organization calls Christians to reflect on and rectify their contributions to the social inequities and prejudicial systems that have harmed minorities. Citing its "International Position Statement on Racism," the organization writes that it "acknowledges with regret, that Salvationists have sometimes shared in the sins of racism and conformed to economic, organizational and social pressures that perpetuate racism."
An accompanying document created by the Salvation Army's International Social Justice Commission, called the "Study Guide on Racism," claims that white people are responsible for "unconscious bias," an idea promulgated by Critical Race Theory advocate Ibram X. Kendi. Kendi argues that white people's legacy of racism is irredeemable, and that the only remedy is reverse discrimination as a matter of retributive justice to level the societal playing field.
The Salvation Army has recently responded to this criticism by pulling the document from its website and issuing the following statement:
"[E]lements of the recently issued 'Let's Talk About Racism' guide led some to believe we think they should apologize for the color of their skin, or that The Salvation Army may have abandoned its biblical beliefs for another philosophy or ideology."
"That was never our intention, so the guide has been removed for appropriate review."
We'll keep an eye on this important issue. As Dr. James Dobson has written, "At its core, CRT is driven by a godless, Marxist worldview that interprets everything in life through a radical racial lens that divides people into two groups—the oppressors and the oppressed. Its end goal is division and upheaval."
Our hope and prayer is that The Salvation Army remains true to its roots and refuses to ring the bell for an unbiblical and divisive worldview.