End It Movement

A LEGACY OF FREEDOM

Join us as we look at the multitude of ways the Booth family fought injustice when The Salvation Army began - and then see how we all can take up that legacy with the #enditmovement.

If you are reading this, you might already be a Salvationist - that is, a soldier in The Salvation Army. You might already be committed to the principles of freedom, truth and impelling of the Holy Spirit. Or, you might be someone associated closely with The Salvation Army, who agrees with the tenets laid down; the heart of the mission - the blood and fire purpose that pushes us forward in power.

Then again, you might be someone who watches The Salvation Army from afar - who has never engaged further than perhaps the odd sighting of a friend or stranger (or collector!) with a red shield on the street. You might not know a thing about us, or the hope we hold.

You might be any mixture of the descriptions listed above - or none. Either way - we implore you to continue reading to see for yourself this bizarre, mottled and oftentimes adversarial history that The Salvation Army has endured in bringing about change in its early days. We were born to be change-makers - and if this is something that resonates in your soul (even at the same time as a "How can I possibly contribute?" erupts!) - then come join the legacy.

It's open to anyone willing to fight.

“Real Christianity is known for its fruit … for the happiness, deliverance, and emancipation of the slaves of the earth, for the rescue of the downtrodden women of the world, for the care and consideration it instills for the poor and helpless children, for the idea of justice it brings wherever it goes." - Catherine Booth, in her final sermon ever delivered.

Information on the #enditmovement is at the bottom of the page - but The Salvation Army has some pretty incredible freedom-making history you won't wanna miss below!

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FREEDOM FROM SPIRITUAL ABUSE

Catherine Booth (nee Mumford) was born in 1829 – in the same year as the man she was to marry 26 years later, the co-founder of The Salvation Army, William Booth.

EQUALITY OF WOMEN: Catherine grew up in a period of time where poverty was rife, class separations were intense and women “had few civil rights, no place in the professions, and only rare ventures into the glare of publicity.”¹ Catherine became convinced through extensive reading of the Word of God and sound teachings by Christian authors that women and men had equal standing before God, equal anointing to minister before Him and to others and equal duty to carry His gospel to the ends of the earth.

WOMEN'S RIGHT TO MINISTRY: Catherine was heavily influenced by Methodist preacher Phoebe Palmer, and wrote a treatise of her own called Female Ministry in defense of women in the pulpit and minstering in general. With her grit and tenacity, she went on to shape not only William Booth’s thinking around the inherent right of women to minister equally – but the tenets and foundations of the emerging Salvation Army and various churches across the world. She went further than even Phoebe had gone before – her natural conclusion was that the ordination of women should never be prohibited.

 “Let your women keep silence in the Churches,” has resulted in more loss to the Church, evil to the world, and dishonour to God, than any of the errors we have already referred to.” – Catherine Booth, Female Ministry.

FREEDOM FROM DEGRADATION

PROSTITUTION: Poverty was rife, sexual abuse common and prostitution was sometimes the only option available for those with no other hope to survive in the era The Salvation Army was born. Women were coming to the mercy seat, finding salvation – but quickly found there was nowhere to return to but the brothel. In 1881, Mrs Elizabeth Cottrill from Whitechapel Corps - a staunch, kind, unflinching Salvationist - decided to open her home on the aptly named "Christian Street" - to any woman seeking to leave prostitution. There were already 3 families in residence - but she persisted. This marked the unofficial beginning of The Salvation Army’s rescue work.

"Under the direction of Florence Booth and her assistant Adelaide Cox, the Women’s Social Services earned a reputation as one of the largest, most effective, and, to some extent, most innovative rescue organizations in Britain."²

Florence Booth - Catherine's daughter-in-law - opened the first official rescue home Hanbury Street, Whitechapel, three years later under the banner of Women's Social Work (WSW). Florence continued on in this ministry for 29 years – and by her retirement in 1912, forty social work centres of similar sympathies had opened throughout the country.

ALCOHOLISM: Both William and Catherine Booth felt and wrote incredibly keenly that the effects of alcohol not only degraded men and women's bodies - but their minds, wills and ultimately their futures. They met this concern through compassionate ministering to drunkards throughout the city, preaching the Gospel and abstinence from alcohol, prescribing teetolaism from their soldiers and providing homes and centres for recovery for those who wanted to reform their lives away from the influence of drink.

"Explain to them that of the millions of drunkards who have found their way down to the bottom-less pit, not one of all the ghastly band ever intended to go on to drunkenness." - William Booth

FREEDOM FROM SEXUAL ABUSE

SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN: Despite near constant campaigning from other quarters, the age of consent - “the age up to which it shall be an offence to have or attempt to have carnal knowledge of, or to indecently assault a girl” was only raised from the age of 12 to the age of thirteen in 1875. Girls under the age of eight were not allowed to give evidence against those who had abused them, as it was thought that they were too young to understand the oath.

Through her ministry with WSW, Florence's horror compounded as she heard firsthand how many underage girls were continuing to be sold into prostitution by their own families; continuing to be abused and raped with no concern from the public or defence from the law.

Many “protested that these things happened on the Continent but not in England” – and even Florence’s husband (Catherine's son) Bramwell Booth - considered that these stories must be fabricated or at least “exaggerated” to some degree – but as he walked the streets of London, talked to Catherine Booth and his journalist and advocate friend William Stead, his eyes were opened.

THE MAIDEN TRIBUTE: Amidst myriad consultations, contacting bishops and even Charles Spurgeon, a plan began within The Salvation Army. Utilising an ex-brothel owner named Rebecca Jarrett, they arranged for the purchase of a 13 year old girl named Eliza Armstrong, then thirteen years of age, from her mother.

This transaction was to be meticulously detailed and published in William's paper the Pall Mall Gazette, in order to demonstrate to the public that “white slavery” was living and active within the English community.

Making use of a network of Salvationists and accountability to spirit Eliza away and ensure her safe passage to actual freedom, the transaction was complete. William Stead released his first of ten articles entitled “The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon” in the Pall Mall Gazette on Monday, July 6, 1885. The circulation rose over the course of the series from around 12,000 to over 1,000,000 – and when some outlets refused to sell the papers because of the controversial content, William Booth opened IHQ as a distribution centre, utilising cadets to hawk the paper to anyone who would take notice.

The resulting notoriety (especially through the trial and prosecution of William Stead and Rebecca Jarrett in 'the abduction of a child'), the relentless petitioning of governments and even letters to the Queen all resulted in a law reform, raising the age of consent to 16. They had bought Eliza for 5 pounds and purchased freedom for many girls' futures as a result.

“The Booths wrote a petition to the House, which, in the course of seventeen days, received 393,000 signatures. The petition was nearly two miles in length and was coiled up into an immense roll bound and draped with Salvation Army colors—yellow, red, and blue. The petition was then conveyed through London to Trafalgar Square, accompanied by an escort of mothers and the men cadets’ band.” - The War Cry 18 July 1885

FREEDOM FROM FINANCIAL OPPRESSION

Much of the financial oppression manifested in jobs being incredibly poorly paid, labour being cheap and work conditions being dangerous. From chimney sweeps to prostitutes to match makers, people were sacrificed time and again for the sake of commerce. Match making was incredibly profitable, and women were the main employ of the companies - working with white phosphorous for its flammable properties.

MATCH MAKERS: An incredibly dangerous and corrosive chemical, the phosphorous would cause severe jaw necrosis called ‘Phossy Jaw’ in those who worked with it. Tooth ache, jaw ache, chronic pain, weeping abcesses and the jaw glowing "green" were all horrific side effects that would eventually result in death should expensive surgery not be undertaken. 

So in 1891, William Booth bought a derelict factory and become a match maker. He employed people on better pay, better hours and only used red phosphorus - known to safer for the workers and having none of the side effects of white phosphorus. He campaigned throughout the country and sold his matches "Lights in Darkest England" with the slogan "for the sake of the workers" - until other match makers felt the moral. social and economic pressure from the customers who now bought elsewhere - and eventually the use of white phosphorus ceased entirely.

COUNTRY WIDE REFORM: William Booth himself grew up amdist great poverty and felt its gloom take the light out of the eyes of his family and neighbors. Seeing the way that lack of employment, finance and hope was dragging men and women to hell, he proposed a social reform vision he entitled Darkest England and the Way Out in October, 1890. Here, William proposed that self-sustaining farms, means of employment and opportunities for development and labour would see a transformation in the lives of the those most maligned by poverty and addiction.

“Now something must be done, and some body must do it. Thank God, The Salvation Army never sees an evil without asking the question, “Can anything be done to remove it?” – William Booth

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Salvationists, it's time to take up our legacy. #enditmovement

Did you know that 2 million children being trafficked in the global sex trade.  Did you know that there are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in human history?

No, we aren't the Booths. No, we aren't in the 19th Century and slavery sure doesn't look the same. But it's there, and it's lurking, and it's killing our brothers and sisters. And the Booths weren't superhuman - they were supernatural. And we are too. 

"The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you." - Romans 8:11

The Salvation Army has partnered with the #enditmovement - a coalition of forces from every sector who seek to shine the light on slavery. The Salvation Army as a whole is committed to mobilising - and the first part of mobilising (as anyone who knows who has had to get off a couch before) - is to engage the mind, engage the limbs, and then move. Get your mind working, get the body of Christ flexing - and see the movement of the Church respond.

February 23rd is #enditmovement worldwide day - and while there is the temptation to write this off as just another social justice war cry that we can't really respond to - we can.

Our only urge to you is to increase your proximity to these issues.

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Here are some ways you can do this on February 23rd:

• Google search a fact about slavery

• Go to the End It Movement website

• Click links we have provided in this article

• Find out more about who The Salvation Army began as to find out who you could be
• PRAY for your own country and for freedom for the captives within it
• PRAY for another country over the next year and for freedom for the captives within it
• Be open to what God does with that openess

Here are some ways to spread the word and contribute to freedom: 

(like a tug of war - we need you on our team!)

• ​Put a red x on your hand, so if someone asks - you can tell them what you have learned
• Take a photo of your red x, and use the hashtag  #enditmovement and #shinealightonslavery to demonstrate to others who mostly see you only through social media that you are going to stand with slaves
• Print out this poster to direct people to the #enditmovement Feb 23rd. Share our link on Facebook to get awareness or go straight to the #enditmovement Facebook site

It's like a virus - as we spread the information, the more people will become aware, pray and respond. It is not only our right as members of the body to be a voice for the voiceless - it is our duty.

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:8-9

“I felt as though I must go and walk the streets and besiege the dens where these hellish iniquities are going on. To keep quiet seemed like being a traitor to humanity.” - Catherine Booth

 

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Rosy Keane | On behalf of The Salvation Army Women's Ministries New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga

1. Major Christine Parkin, Christian History, Issue 26: William & Catherine Booth: Salvation Army Founders.

2.  Roger J. Green, Catherine Booth, The Salvation Army, and the Purity Crusade of 1885