Over the past few months, we have had an incredible journey through the eleven doctrines of The Salvation Army. It has been good to rehearse these statements, which make up the core beliefs of those of us who call ourselves Salvationists. The doctrines are foundational to our understanding of what we believe.

The progression in doctrine, what we believe, teach, and defend, is a crucial aspect of our faith. Belief plays a central role in the formation of doctrine. Our agreed-upon theology informs and guides it. For instance, our belief in the centrality of the Bible in our lives as believers is deeply rooted in our faith. Inspired scriptures are definitive for the practice of the Christian life. What we believe about God is captured in doctrines 1-4. Our understanding of humanity, particularly the fallen nature of humanity, is described in doctrine 5. We state our belief in what happens in the “dynamic interaction of God’s grace, our response, and God’s action in our lives,” as our Handbook of Doctrine puts it. 

Doctrines are fundamental to what we teach. We have handed down from generation to generation these 11 foundational beliefs or, as some have called them, statements of faith. Because the doctrines are deeply held beliefs, we must help others understand why we believe these statements to be factual. In the book of Titus, the early believers were admonished to teach what aligns with sound doctrine. (Titus 2:1). The Bible raises the importance of avoiding unsound, contrary, and flimsy doctrine that flies in on the wind. Positively stated, it encourages the teaching of excellent or sound doctrine.   

The third progression in our definition of doctrine is defending our beliefs. This is not to say that we must become apologists for the doctrines, but rather that what we believe and teach can withstand scrutiny. Paul tells the church in Thessalonica to test everything and hold onto to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Remember that our statements of faith are doctrine, not dogma.  There is a difference between the two concepts. Doctrines are declared and agreed to statements of faith that are adopted and taught. 

In contrast, dogma, in its most general understanding, is the creedal beliefs held to be impassive, authoritative, and revelatory. Dogma will overlap some areas of theology and doctrine. Dogma is the broad, irrefutable truth of the faith. If we can understand these differences, we can find the freedom to test and challenge our teachings. Rather than diminishing them, testing our beliefs strengthens our faith and practice. Doctrinal statements can also evolve over time. Sometimes, that is because of the testing that it undergoes. Sometimes, it is a maturation process. One example to consider related to this is the church doctrine regarding Scripture. What we believe today regarding the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament would not have been possible in the early church. The church had not established clear boundaries around which letters circulated among the individual churches would be accepted. Our Salvation Army doctrines have changed from their earliest version. We brought forward the doctrines of the Methodist New Connexion in the earliest days of the Army. It was not until 1878 that official doctrines we now adhere to were adopted.

Interestingly, our doctrines were nearly identical to what we had borrowed, with some modest edits. The previous New Connexion doctrines were tested. William Cooke, whom William Booth studied under, published a defense of the principles and polity of the Methodist New Connexion in 1859. It should be noted that the doctrines of The Salvation Army have stayed the same over the last nearly 160 years. 

Now that we know what they are, what do we do with them? In our tradition, we ask those seeking to become soldiers to study them and declare that they believe them true. The officer responsible for the soldiers’ enrollment often asks the recruits to affirm their faith by reciting the 11 doctrines. This formal enrollment ceremony is preceded by a period of study and instruction leading up to enrollment. Being enrolled as soldiers should only be seen as a launching point for Salvationists. Our interaction with the doctrines should not end with the enrollment ceremony. I want to suggest a few essential ways to engage with our doctrines as Salvationists. 

The Christian material that we interact with should be filtered through the doctrines. We are in an unprecedented age of information accessibility. What we have access to read, watch, and listen to is endless. There are many beneficial materials that we have access to. There is also quick access to materials that are incompatible with our doctrines. I am a proponent of hearing a broad range of thoughts and opinions. It helps to make us more well-rounded individuals and expands our horizons. However, we should be able to determine how these broad-ranging thoughts interact with our doctrine. 

What we teach in the context of The Salvation Army should always uphold our doctrines. It is essential that we carefully develop materials, lesson plans, and learning outcomes that are consistent with those established doctrines. It can be easy to sacrifice doctrine for form and functionality. I recently reviewed some materials that were incredibly well crafted and looked terrific. Someone put a massive amount of effort into the look and feel of the materials. However, there were some severe deltas between what we believe as Salvationists and what the material was attempting to teach. 

Both those who preach and those who receive the messages have a responsibility to weigh what is being preached by the standard of our doctrines. Preaching is a sacred duty. It should always be based on God’s Word first, and secondly, be guided by sound doctrine. We who hear the message are also responsible for weighing what we hear preached by sound doctrine. Messages should never be essays that convey opinions and unvetted thoughts. Sermons and devotionals are teachings and, as such, fall under the umbrella of doctrine (what we teach). To accomplish this responsibility, we should return to the doctrines and God’s word to help us give and receive sound doctrine. I am excited that we have these articles to help point us to what we believe, teach, and defend — our doctrines.

Image via Salvation Army Red Shield Toolkit