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This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from the King’s Research Portal at https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/ LIVING RIGHT WHILE RIGHTING WRONG A THEOLOGY OF PROTEST SHAPING THE SALVATIONIST RESPONSE TO INJUSTICES AGAINST THE WORLD’S POOR AND MARGINALISED Swan, Wendy Florence Awarding institution: King's College London The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. 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Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 02. Oct. 2021 1 LIVING RIGHT WHILE RIGHTING WRONG: A THEOLOGY OF PROTEST SHAPING THE SALVATIONIST RESPONSE TO INJUSTICES AGAINST THE WORLD’S POOR AND MARGINALISED A Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Wendy Florence Swan Department of Theology and Religious Studies Faculty of Arts and Humanities King‘s College, London July 2017 2 ABSTRACT This thesis explores the theological underpinnings of The Salvation Army‘s advocacy on behalf of and with the poor and marginalised of the world and argues that the widespread forms of human suffering require an understanding of Christian salvation that is beyond the narrow focus of the soul. It proposes that the telos of shalom provides a theologically rich framework for the creative development of a first order theology of protest that is original, Christologically grounded, doctrinally sound and normative for the life of discipleship. Using a Trinitarian construct, the work identifies the sacrificial nature of the protest act as a key practice in the announcement of the Lordship of Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God. If the thesis is correct in its appropriation of a theology of protest, the Salvationist community (and by extension the church) is challenged to seize its prophetic responsibility to participate in humanity‘s redemption by living right and righting wrong. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page 1 Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Acknowledgements 7 Abbreviations, Notes on Style and Use of Scripture 8 Chapter 1: The Salvation Army and Social Justice 10 1.1 The Quest for Justice 10 1.2 Why a Social Justice now? 13 1.2.1 A Necessary Apologetic 14 1.2.2 Communication of Values 15 1.2.3 Accountability and Congruency in Practice 16 1.2.4 The Challenge of Pluralism 18 1.2.5 Political Questions Requiring Address 19 Chapter 2: Shalom for the World’s Poorest 21 2.1 Identifying the Issues 21 2.2 The Why and What of Protest 22 2.3 Justice and Injustice 24 2.4 Telos of Shalom 28 2.5 Primacy of Act in The Salvation Army 29 2.6 Locating the Work 33 First Order Account of Second Order Theology 33 2.6.1 Constructive Theology – Theological Mapmaking 36 2.6.2 Transformation Theology 39 2.7 Methodological Issues 40 2.8 Theological Template 41 2.9 Speculative Thinking 47 2.10 Question of Voice 47 2.11 Uniqueness of Contribution 52 2.12 Overview and Outline of Thesis 53 Chapter 3: An Army Born to Protest 56 3.1 Practices 57 3.2 An Orienting Concern 60 3.3 Nineteenth Century Attitudes to Poverty 61 4 3.4 Political Influences 64 3.5 Methodism and American Evangelicalism 65 3.6 Theological Provision – Grace by Every Possible Means 70 3.7 Works of Piety – Grace in the Inner Life 71 3.8 Works of Piety – Grace in Life Together 73 3.8.1 From a Mission to an Army 74 3.8.2 Called, Commissioned, Covenanted 77 3.8.3 Gender Inclusivity 78 3.8.4 Opposition to Formalism 80 3.8.5 ‗Sacramental‘ Living 82 3.9 Works of Mercy – Grace in Life in the World 84 3.9.1 Challenge and Counter Challenge 90 3.9.2 Protest Documents 93 3.9.3 Labour and Sweating Practices 97 3.9.4 The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon 100 3.10 Summary 105 Chapter 4: Grounding of Twenty-First Century Practices 107 4.1 A Fragmented World 107 4.2 A Fragmented Army? 108 4.3 From Fragmented to Integrated 111 4.4 Twenty-first Century Considerations 113 4.5 Holy Worldliness 119 4.6 Grounded In Trinitarian Foundation 120 4.6.1 The Form: Jesus Christ – Embodiment 120 4.6.1.1 The Salvationist ‗ín‘ Christ 120 4.6.1.2 Christ ‗ín‘ the Salvationist 121 4.6.1.3 Christ ‗through‘ the Salvationist 124 4.6.2 The Means: The Holy Spirit – Empowerment 124 4.6.3 The Purpose: Freedom 127 4.6.3.1 Freedom from Self – Free for Others 127 4.6.3.2 Being and Becoming 130 4.7 Sanctified Imagination 131 4.8 A Radical Alternative 133 4.9 Summary 134 Chapter 5: Jesus: Disruptive Protestor 136 5.1 Faith that Protests 136 5.2 Shalom 139 5.3 Embodied Word 144 5 5.4 Declaration of Jubilee 146 5.4.1 Women 148 5.4.2 Children 151 5.4.3 Neighbour 152 5.4.4 Pure and Impure 152 5.5 Holiness Code 153 5.6 The Question of Protest as Civil Disobedience 155 5.7 Temple Protest 159 5.8 Kingdom Non-Negotiables 163 5.9 Resurrection 165 5.10 Spirit as Agent 166 5.11 Divine Disruption 168 5.12 Sovereignty, Exception, Power and Carl Schmitt 171 5.13 Summary 176 Chapter 6: Protest Grounded in Sacrifice 179 6.1 Sacrifice‘s Etymology 180 6.2 Authentic Christian Sacrifice – Holy and Acceptable 184 6.3 Culture and Identity 186 6.4 The Christ of Sacrifice and Sacrifice of Christ 189 6.4.1 Redemptive – the World Redeemed 190 6.4.1.1 Salvation – Then and Now 193 6.4.1.2 Hebrews 13 – Outside the Camp 195 6.4.2 Cosmic in Scope – the World Reclaimed 197 6.5 The Body and Presence 199 6.5.1 Site of Contestation and Transference of Modality 203 6.5.2 Embodiment and a Re-quantification of Space 204 6.5.3 Imago Dei 207 6.5.4 Question of Priesthood? 208 6.5.5 Visible 210 6.6 Free for Others – Holy and Available 211 6.7 Protest as Applied Particularity of Sacrifice 213 6.8 Summary 217 Chapter 7: Thy Kingdom Come – Thy Will Be Done 219 7.1 Ultimate and Penultimate Matters 220 7.2 Heaven is a Wonderful Place 221 7.3 Heaven on Earth 222 7.4 Freedom 224 7.5 Truth 225 6 7.6 Cosmic Battleground 226 7.7 Sacrifice 227 7.8 Sacramental Sensibilities 228 7.9 Place 229 7.10 Shared World 230 Chapter 8: Living Right While Righting Wrong 233 8.1 Marching on the Margins 236 8.2 The Way Forward 239 8.2.1 Reception of Work 240 8.2.2 Areas of Future Research 241 8.3 Like a Mighty Army Moves the Church of God 242 Bibliography 244 Appendices 268 1 The Doctrines of The Salvation Army 268 2 Call to Salvationists – International Spiritual Life Commission 270 3 Salvation Army Covenants 272 4 Historic Development of Salvation Army Protest 1858 to1899 275 5 The Lausanne Covenant ‗Christian Social Responsibility‘ 277 6 IPS – The Use of Power 278 7 IPS – Human Trafficking 281 8 IPS – The Salvation Army and the State 284 7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A project of this magnitude is possible only with the support of one‘s faith community and family. I am grateful to God for calling me to serve his world through The Salvation Army and acknowledge its sponsorship of these studies. I particularly thank Dr. Donald Burke and Commissioner William Francis for their support in the commencement of doctoral studies while serving as a full time program director at Booth University College, Canada. The past four years as a leader of the Hong Kong and Macau Command has brought particular challenge in finding adequate time for research and writing. My deep thanks are given to Lieut-Colonel Ian Swan for provision of a flexible work schedule in the final months leading to submission. Conducting research internationally is not without its frustrations. For the painstaking work of locating obscure sources a debt of thanks is owed to research staff at Booth University College (Canada), China Graduate School of Theology (Hong Kong) and The Salvation Army Heritage Centre (London). Gratitude is also due to colleagues of the International Theological Council for discussions regarding Salvationist DNA and social justice with particular appreciation to Major (Dr.) Geoff Webb. Deep thanks to ‗brother‘ Major David Botting for generous hospitality on numerous occasions. The Salvationist belief in prevenient grace affirms the gifting of people into one‘s life for specific times and purposes.