It would be interesting to know if the name 'Brindley Boon' means anything to young Salvationists today – especially those outside the UK and Canadian Territories? (Brindley is pictured with his wife Nina)In these days of contemporary worship songs, mentioning some of the songbook classics he penned still might not even raise a flicker of recognition: 'Spirit divine come as of old', 'For thy mission make me holy', 'Weaver divine, thy matchless skill', 'I would be thy holy temple,'.
In addition Brindley wrote many band pieces, a history of the ISB and two books on banding and singing 'Play the Music Play,' and 'Sing the Happy Song.' He was also the main organiser of the 1978 International Congress.
Colonel Brindley Boon was promoted to glory this year at the grand age of 95 and his autobiography has just been published 'The best of both worlds'.
The Amazon product description says of this book "In 'The Best of Both Worlds', Salvation Army officer Colonel Brindley Boon delves deep into memories covering nine decades to provide a record of an extraordinary life. His twin loves of music and journalism provide the framework for this fascinating autobiography. But, more than that, every experience he recollects seems to shine with his love for God and his desire to serve Him."
In the book, especially the earlier part, Brindley describes a Salvation Army I can only imagine yet one I would have loved to belong to!
Certainly it was an Army obsessed with music yet at the same time it was equally obsessed with soul winning. It wasn't music or evangelism it was both and evangelism always took precedence.
Reading the book was a cathartic experience for me and I feel refreshed and better able to focus on what really matters as a consequence of Brindley's memoirs.
My Dad was appointed to the Editorial Department on IHQ in 1963 at which time 'Uncle' Brindley was already an established and stalwart Army journalist.
Reading the book showed me just how much we have lost our way as a movement and the quicker we can get back to basics the better.
Deportment matters, professionalism matters, discipline matters, regulations matter, uniform matters, respect for leaders matters – all these things matter. They are not all that matters or even the most important things but we diminish their value at great cost to ourselves.
In those territories that are growing the above qualities are still valued and very visible.
Maybe they should put Brindley's book on the curriculum at Western Training Colleges J
Grace and peace, A
11 comments:
Might have to read that myself, sounds interesting. I wish I could have been part of that Army... I hope we get back there soon!
I think putting it on the curriculum in the Training College would be a good idea, but it's probably not liberal enough for that.
I think it was the use of the word 'liberal', meant as an insult, which has provoked me into the following response:
I have no idea why people want to drag the Salvation Army back 40 years. For me, that time churned out hard-hearted, self-seeking, self-indulgent, un-repentant, un-regenerated, ingracious, intolerant Salvationist by the thousand! Dealing with these people nearly killed my officer parents and did untold damage to others.
'Holiness meetings like we used to have', 'songs which meant something', 'we used the penitent form and holiness table in those days';'you never hear of sanctification these days'; blah blah blah. These people have a sense of peace and holiness which can be shattered instantly by playing a guitar - and we want to go back to those days? No thanks.
If the 'powers that be' want to return to Shiny Shoe Salvationism, fine. They can sack me now.
Actually, I'll say a bit more...
Do you know the biggest thing that the Salvation Army doesn't need now? Revival. Revival has become an excuse to wait on God to do something because we cannot be bothered to change.
Do you know the biggest thing that the Salvation Army does need now? Love. Our churches are full of people who couldn't give a toss about who and what is outside their doors. They would 'love them' to fill up the empty seats, play the piano for the songsters, take a sunday school class and tithe their income. But loving the outsider as Christ loved them?
We need to Love our officers, officers to love their congregations, everyone needs to love the outsider, we need to love those who use labels and love those you would like to label. Loving God without loving neighbour produces religious practices which generations want to perpetuate to the next generation, at which point we are worshipping ourselves. That is why I bailed-out much of the debate on holiness, certainly in the way so many people talk about it. It would be easier to build a time machine or wait for revival!
Love to all. Genuinely - love to all.
And apologies for any offence that I have dished out.
Ian
Woah... Ian
That's a bit harsh. Your comments are general in the extreme, "that time churned out hard-hearted, self-seeking, self-indulgent, un-repentant, un-regenerated, ingracious, intolerant Salvationist by the thousand"... It also turned out some real genuine godly people - like Brindley and Nina.
Brindley Boon, as National Secretary for Bands and Songsters, actually encouraged the use of guitars on the basis not of culture but of the spirituality of those who played them.
I think you need to pull your claws in and give a more balanced (dare I say less "un-regenerated, ingracious, intolerant") response.
As for songs that 'mean something', 'the penitent form', the 'holiness table' and sanctification (which we actually here quite a bit about at the moment) aren't they good things? Indeed is it a sin to have polished shoes?
I've met the cold legalistic Salvationists you refer to but rest assured the current system breeds them too. Contemporary culture within TSA has more than its fair share of 'self indulgent' uncaring people.
Our fight is not against 'flesh and blood' and the Salvationists of 2009 are no more or less holy, no more or less cold hearted than their hypocritical counterparts in 1939, 49 or 59. Good things will always be hijacked by the enemy. Surely our job is to snatch back those bits which are helpful.
I do believe that deportment, professionalism, regulations (or if you prefer accountability), uniform and respect for leaders do matter – and we have diminished their value at great cost to ourselves.
As for 'liberalism' the freedom it has given some within our movement has done untold damage - especially to our belief system and doctrines.
Now how about a more balanced response?
I for one would be very dissapointed if you got the sack:-)
Grace
Woah... Ian
That's a bit harsh. Your comments are general in the extreme, "that time churned out hard-hearted, self-seeking, self-indulgent, un-repentant, un-regenerated, ingracious, intolerant Salvationist by the thousand"... It also turned out some real genuine godly people - like Brindley and Nina.
Brindley Boon, as National Secretary for Bands and Songsters, actually encouraged the use of guitars on the basis not of culture but of the spirituality of those who played them.
I think you need to pull your claws in and give a more balanced (dare I say less "un-regenerated, ingracious, intolerant") response.
As for songs that 'mean something', 'the penitent form', the 'holiness table' and sanctification (which we actually here quite a bit about at the moment) aren't they good things? Indeed is it a sin to have polished shoes?
I've met the cold legalistic Salvationists you refer to but rest assured the current system breeds them too. Contemporary culture within TSA has more than its fair share of 'self indulgent' uncaring people.
Our fight is not against 'flesh and blood' and the Salvationists of 2009 are no more or less holy, no more or less cold hearted than their hypocritical counterparts in 1939, 49 or 59. Good things will always be hijacked by the enemy. Surely our job is to snatch back those bits which are helpful.
I do believe that deportment, professionalism, regulations (or if you prefer accountability), uniform and respect for leaders do matter – and we have diminished their value at great cost to ourselves.
As for 'liberalism' the freedom it has given some within our movement has done untold damage - especially to our belief system and doctrines.
Now how about a more balanced response?
I for one would be very dissapointed if you got the sack:-)
Grace
Hi Andrew, I am one non-UK person who remembers the hymns of Boon. Though at age 43 I perhaps don't qualify as young!
You and Ian have brought up an important point, the great irony of Salvationist life: somewhere along the way, evangelism (and the love that drives it) got lost. I remember open-air meetings in the 1970s (on one occasion a bandsman was doused by an angry listener with a bucket of water- but hey it was just water, not bullets)... the times when we'd walk into bars and hospitals to hand out candy & War Cry magazines and pray with people.. but then the 1980's came with Bible Bowl competitions, Star Search competitions, auditions for the latest Gowans & Larsson musical, and of course the requisite band and songster concerts. All good things that kept us teens off the streets, but perhaps we merely traded the street gangs for a church gang.
As you may recall, I left TSA & joined Church of the Nazarene a couple of years ago, and we have the same challenge there. My local church has the blessing of solid holiness preaching from the pastoral staff, and yet still suffers the open resistance of congregants (I'm sorry to say many of them aged 50 and over) who have gotten comfortable with their homes and cars and cable tv, and do not feel the urging to bring (as Boon appeals in "Spirit Divine") the healing, transforming power of the Spirit into our communities. We desperately need our people, both inside and outside the church, to manifest signs of the kingdom: love, healing, joy, and the righteousness that convicts people of sin & draws them to Jesus. In the meantime, though, they continue to argue with the ushers over which pew they want to sit in. God help us all.
Thanks to God for you and for Ian, you both have a passion for souls and God is not limited to "either/or": He can use tradition to draw men, and He can use innovation to draw men, as He sees fit. Can we say "Lord, I will work lovingly and joyfully in whatever section of the vineyard You place me, with whatever tools You provide"- and really mean it?
Blessings & peace,
Love,
Genise (Bronx, NY, USA)
Ian, I love your passion! When I said that I wanted to be in the Army "back then", it was exactly that passion I was thinking of!
You are exactly right, love in all and for all is one of the many things missing from the Army today. You're also right, these aren't new problems, unfortunately.
And yes, the word "Liberal" was inteded as a bit of an insult. The Army needs to be focussed on the Word, Salvation, Holiness, Discipleship and Service (probably roughly in that order of importance). Unfortunately other stuff is distracting the Army from it's Gog-given mission.
Praise God, though, He's having His way regardless of our faults!
3rd generation salvationist.Experience too much of the cold legalistic salvationist culture in the 1960s and 70s Seems ,if Chick yuill's fate is a pointer as if it is still present. Incidentally God wont bring about revival He always
does a new thing
I never give any credence whatsoever to anonymous comments. If you believe what you say add your name! Saying that God will not bring revival because he always does a new thing is a silly comment. That's like saying God will not save because he always does a new thing. God will do what he wants to do but the bible makes it unequivocal that revival will come when his people 'humble themselves'. God bless you whoever you are :-)
Andrew & Comrades,
Surely the most important factor in the life of the Church, or any denomination, is that everything it does comes from GOD and is driven by his power?
Whether we play trumpet or guitar, therefore, is really quite irrelevant.
Grace and Peace.
Abraham.
I am saddened to read the comments of IanH. There is no question in my mind that the Army is less attractive now than in the old days. There are no real standards, anything seems to be acceptable especially as far as music making is concerned. So much for "best for the highest" - what a joke! I see nothing wrong in making sure that music is a real contribution to worship rather than a distraction. This modern music is very poor in structure,repetitive and boring.
I often think of Norman Bearcroft's remark "Since we started to call ourselves a Church our numbers have dropped".
I have therefore come to the conclusion that the many modern Salvationists prefer an easy life with very little commitment and effort. This, by the way, is the reason why I have no desire to be part of this modern Army. Okay, if that's what the majority prefer, fine, but I for one do not wish to belong.
As a former bandmaster I am surprised that good quality music-making appears to be some kind of sin!
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