THE INTERDENOMINATIONAL THEOLOGICAL CENTER

REACTION PAPER: PAUL SCOTT WILSON

CATHERINE MUMFORD BOOTH (1829-1890) SALVATION ARMY THE
AUTHORITY OF AGGRESSION
A CONCISE HISTORY OF PREACHING
NASHVILLE: ABINGDON PRESS, 1992

SUBMITTED TO DR. CLEOPATRICK LACY

IN PARTIAL COMPLETION OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR
CAM 848: HISTORY OF PREACHING

BY

ANTHONY D. CLINKSCALES

ATLANTA, GEORGIA
NOVEMBER 10, 2010

2
Catherine Mumford Booth is an example of successful women
ministry that was practiced in the 19th century. She and her husband
co-founded the Salvation Army in London, but she is remembered as
being a successful preacher in Great Britain and America. During a
time when women did not have the right to vote, neither were they
privy to the formal education of men, Booth was quite the intellectual.
She was a writer, orator, and fundraiser. Moreover, she raised money
for the Salvation Army Mission by preaching to the elite in the West
End of London in order to help the impoverished in the East End. She
was devoted to social activism early in life; she also fought for
womens equality. She is noted for writing to her future husband,
Never till she is valued and educated as mans equal will unions be
perfect and their consequence blissful.
In 1859, she published a ten-thousand-word pamphlet, Female
Ministry, to counter the attacks against a visiting female evangelist,
Phoebe Palmer. Booths pamphlet was in support of womens right to
minister in America, and she later began preaching and publishing her
sermons shortly after its publication. Her published sermons
functioned to defend the Salvation Army from persecution, considering
600 Army preachers had been imprisoned in 1884, and many members
were being assaulted because of their affiliation. She and her husband
had founded Christian Mission in 1865 in order to balance evangelistic
preaching and social welfare. They intended to compliment existing

3
churches, but became an entity of their own because the public
misunderstood their doctrines and methods. It should be noted that
Booth was involved in successful campaigns to amend criminal codes
to protect young girls from men and to end the white-slave trade.
Booth was inclined to subscribe to an aggressive gospel as a
counter to the pervasiveness of the subculture upon the churched.
She held that preaching should go beyond the dissemination of truth,
but that the preacher should be empowered by the Divine in order to
thrust the message upon the hearts and minds of the hearers. She
referred to the Armys practices as aggressive, suggesting witnessing
to Christ without fear of giving offense. She named the targets of her
ministry including the following: drunkards, wife-beaters, cut-throats,
burglars, and murderers. She likened their aggressiveness to an
adaptation or expediency to the social and spiritual condition that she
gleaned from New Testament Scripture.
Booth preached a repentance that went being conviction or
contrition. Her message suggested that persons also renounce
dancing, alcohol, tobacco, jewelry, fancy clothes, personal wealth, and
self-centered behavior. Her sermons focused on conversion and moral
behavior instead of doctrine. She was not a literalist, but sought for
the basic principle of biblical interpretation. She utilized personal
stories and stories about her encounters in order to move hearers to
define, redefine, or refine their social behaviors affecting individual and

4
collective wellbeing. She spoke adamantly about the rearing and
training of children.
Catherine Booth boldly faced the challenges of her day, at times
putting herself at risk of ridicule and physical danger. Nonetheless she
had the audacity to believe that she could make a significant change to
the religious and social culture, even as a woman. Her drive and faith
was galvanized by the plight of the people around her. She became
the surrogate mother for many who needed her. She became the
inspiration for a better life and helped people by cultivating the
spiritual discipline of giving. She envisioned change for people, and
articulated that change to masses of people. Furthermore, she had a
purpose-driven life and the Salvation Army still exists today as a result.
Booths tendency to use her own perception of truth may be
seen in a negative or positive light. Truthfully, most if not all,
successful leaders have to be clear about what they believe and
subscribe to. Seemingly, these subjective perceptions are accepted
and forced upon others. Sometimes it gives the least of these an
alternative because the new perceptions are imposed and thus people
are converted. Conversion is all about a change in the consciousness
of a person. This can be beneficial if persons are on the verge of killing
themselves and others. However, if leadership judges people for not
buying into their perception of truth, it could lead to self-righteousness
that is problematic and a sinful state of mind. I think it is important,

5
especially in postmodern times, to present people with your perception
and allow them to accept or reject it. This allows you to be effective
without being judgmental.
In addition, Booth raises our awareness to the effectiveness of
women in ministry. Many feminine gifts and vessels are being
marginalized and disenfranchised still today because of paternalism
and patriarchy in our churches. Booth is an example of the strength
and skill of women who are focused on change. Accordingly, ministries
should value the input of women and seek ways to level the playing
field of persons involved in ministry to include women. Women should
be recognized for their skill, strength, and contributions to our
individual and collective lives. Our ministries have survived because of
women, and we still need them today.