Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Non-Negotiables?

I was recently asked (again!) what I thought the "non-negotiables" of The Salvation Army were. I thought my reply might interest others and so I have included it below... I always find the discussion regarding "non-negotiables" somewhat amusing. It seems to be a perpetual one that has become more prevalent in the last ten years or so. I can remember the then Commissioner Shaw Clifton (now General) speaking at the Coutts Memorial Lecture when I was in college (2003) on this very topic. His talk from that occasion is now the first chapter of his book New Love. He shared his 8 "non-negotiables" on that occasion...
  1. Realism
  2. Idealism
  3. Acceptance (or Inclusiveness)
  4. Compassion
  5. Simplicity
  6. Internationalism
  7. Visibility
  8. Audibility

Sermon: Luke 24:13-35