Part 174. Stay or leave?

I have been an Adherent member of The Salvation Army for almost a decade. My motivation for joining was my admiration for the work the Army undertakes with the marginalised in our society.  Often unsung, it is vital work necessitated by the failure of governments to provide sufficient resources to deal with existing issues as well as failure to take action to eliminate the causes of deprivation and marginisation.

I have seen at first hand, indeed been part of, the work being undertaken by The Salvation Army, other denominations and the wider voluntary sector. However I am shocked by the report Destitution in the UK 2023 published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. It paints an appalling picture.

So, the work being undertaken in vital and I continue to support it. I wish the Army would fund a greatly enhanced campaign for additional resources to assist the marginalised and also for changes to existing policies. As Desmond Tutu said, we must not just be pulling people out of the river, we should go upstream to find the causes and stop them falling in.

With regard to campaigning  I did seek to become a Social Justice Champion in The Salvation Army. What a disaster. The way it was handled reminded me of Fred Karno's Army.

In recent years I have become much more aware of the vicious discrimination often faced by LBGTQ communities. The Salvation Army welcomes all into its support work but the barriers shoot up when soldiership and officership are mentioned. It is dreadful. The theology behind this approach is literalist, fundamentalist and conservative evangelical. There are brave officers campaigning for full inclusion and I sense an increase in support for their position. But will this translate into action? Sadly, I very much doubt it, but I pray fervently that I am wrong. 

So, should I stay or leave?