Personally, I found it very structuring in my life to enter, from a young age, into a form of covenant with God in Jesus Christ, to train myself (knowledge of the Bible, doctrines, history of the Salvation Army and to be part of the life of a community) as a young person as a Corps Cadet, and to sign my Alliance as a young soldier, as a Soldier as a disciple of Jesus Christ and then as an Officer in the framework offered to me by the Salvation Army; as far as I am concerned: on a missionfield in Africa, in Social work and in pastoral work. What a wealth of encounters, human and spiritual experiences!
Covenant is a practical thing that soldiers and officers are expected to live out and to show commitment to it, it is sacred. It pains when covenant is broken.
It never pained Jesus, he could cope with it. In fact he died for us knowing full well we’d break his heart. He doesn’t give up on us when The Salvation Army covenant has far more regard than Jesus’. Too many officers have been lost because of rigid institutional abuse which weaponises the covenant. It’s not what Jesus modelled at all. He was gracious, kind, empathetic and emotionally intelligent.
Personally, I found it very structuring in my life to enter, from a young age, into a form of covenant with God in Jesus Christ, to train myself (knowledge of the Bible, doctrines, history of the Salvation Army and to be part of the life of a community) as a young person as a Corps Cadet, and to sign my Alliance as a young soldier, as a Soldier as a disciple of Jesus Christ and then as an Officer in the framework offered to me by the Salvation Army; as far as I am concerned: on a missionfield in Africa, in Social work and in pastoral work. What a wealth of encounters, human and spiritual experiences!
It was nice sharing from general elucidating the concept and fact of covenant in our Salvation army church, cheers..
Covenant is a practical thing that soldiers and officers are expected to live out and to show commitment to it, it is sacred.
It pains when covenant is broken.
It never pained Jesus, he could cope with it. In fact he died for us knowing full well we’d break his heart. He doesn’t give up on us when The Salvation Army covenant has far more regard than Jesus’. Too many officers have been lost because of rigid institutional abuse which weaponises the covenant. It’s not what Jesus modelled at all. He was gracious, kind, empathetic and emotionally intelligent.