The Salvation Army responded to accusations and articles regarding a woke philosophy being shared within The Salvation Army. Kenny Xu founder of Color Me United wrote numerous articles warning the public about a Woke philosophy being promoted by the Christian organization. Commissioner Kenneth Hodder, National Commander of the Salvation Army said the Salvation Army has never been about politics. “We are not on the left, and we are not on the right. We have always remained focused on one thing, to preach the gospel and serve people in the name of Christ.”
Kenny Xu Calls Out Salvation Army in WSJ
Xu wrote in the Wall Street Journal and questioned why the Salvation Army is having these types of discussions? Quoting from the document that has since been removed saying, “Why is it so difficult to acknowledge the sin of racism and the seeking of God’s forgiveness both individually as believers and corporately as the Church for our complicity in racism?” the document suggests as a conversation starter. The document also called on Salvationists to “stop trying to be ‘colorblind’ ” and to “lament, repent and apologize” for their biases against people of color in America.
Xu included a quote from the document in the WSJ, “We must stop denying the existence of individual and systemic/institutional racism,” the materials say. “They exist, and are still at work to keep White Americans in power.”
Hodder says people will always come first and always will at The Salvation Army. Hodder stated the document was meant only as an internal discussion prompt and was not intended to be distributed.
Salvation Army Says America is Not Racist, Stays Out of Politics
In a statement on their website, The Salvation Army made it clear, “Let us be clear. We have never said that America is a racist country. We have never said that our donors should apologize for the color of their skin, and we have never endorsed a political or social ideology other than that found in the Bible.”
