Self-denial - what's it about?
I really like The Salvation Army's Self-Denial appeal. I think it's an incredible valuable missional tool and spiritual discipline, but at times I wonder what we think it's about. I'd like to suggest that there's at least two components to the Self-Denial appeal. The first is the most popular amongst the average Salvationist, the most likely topic of a sermon, and certainly (in my Territory) the most common amongst the advertising material. I call this first part the "external injustices" that Self-Denial funds seek to address. The first part is addressing the social injustices that exist in the world . This has been clearly pushed in the past through the Self-Denial advertising. It is seeking to address the needs of the people who The Salvation Army ministers to throughout the world. The poor, the prostitute, the trafficked child, the unfair trade for impoverished farmers, the one stuck on the street who resorts to crime in order to survive. These are a