4
The War Cry | OCTOBER 2014
W
hen a neighbor spotted a young girl jumping like a jack
rabbit and cheering with gusto in front of a mailbox, he
smiled and asked her what she was doing. "Simple," said the
girl. "I'm trying out a few of the new cheers I just received in
my cheerleading correspondence course."
It might help some folks to take a refresher course in praise
with the same gusto. Indications of our need for remedial
work. If the ship of praise appears to have set sail and left us
behind, it might indicate a need for remedial work. Another
indication is if we detect a streak of Puritanism in our Yankee souls, the kind that
defi nes a Puritan as someone who fears that somewhere, someone is having a
good time.
David was a happy warrior on that great day in the life of his nation. The Ark of
the Covenant, the most sacred of all objects in Israelite worship, was moved to
Jerusalem. Jerusalem became not only the political, but the religious center of the
nation. In God Knows, a novel by Joseph Heller, David describes that day of singing
and praise: "Where the Ark was, there was God... you never heard so much music
or saw so much rejoicing as there was on the day we brought the Ark of the
Covenant up into the city... I was right out in front leading them all, dancing before
the Lord... with all my might, clothed in a robe of fi ne linen..."
Most of us are dominated by the left side of our brains--the side controlling hard
thinking. There is nothing wrong with this. What is lamentable is when we don't
allow the left side of our noggins to open up to the creativity calling us to praise
the Lord with music, song and the arts. Let us fi nd creative ways to worship the
Lord. Not in glum-faced, duty-bound obedience to some Puritan God, but in happy
praise of Him who is the Lord of all creation.
MESSAGE FROM THE NATIONAL COMMANDER
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
W
ILLIAM
B
OOTH
FOUNDER
A
NDR�
C
OX
GENERAL
D
AVID
J
EFFREY
NATIONAL COMMANDER
The Salvation Army Territorial Commanders
P
AUL
R. S
EILER
Central Territorial Commander
B
ARRY
S
WANSON
Eastern Territorial Commander
D
ONALD
B
ELL
Southern Territorial Commander
J
AMES
M. K
NAGGS
Western Territorial Commander
The Salvation Army National Publications Department
Allen Satterlee
Editor�in�Chief
Frank Duracher
Assistant Editor-in-Chief
Jeffrey McDonald
Editorial Director
Roger O. Selvage Jr. Art Director
Gloria A. Hull
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Ashley H. Clarke
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Andrea K. Ricker
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movement, is an evangelical part of
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Its ministry is motivated by the love of God.
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National Publication of
T H E S A L V A T I O N A R M Y
OCTOBER 2O14
Volume 134 | Number 11
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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken
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M
y early days in The Salvation Army included the
warning, "Don't go to movies." Movies were considered
worldly entertainment, something that godly people would
not be a part of.
Considering how much tamer movies were in those days, it
seems a bit surreal. Over time, broadcast and cable TV
brought the movies increasingly into homes. Going to the
theater didn't seem so bad, since waiting a few months
brought the same entertainment into our living room.
From the era when movies were considered evil simply because they were
movies, we note an about face, acknowledging that some movies, some big movies,
not only speak of matters of faith but are wonderful vehicles for presenting the
truths of the gospel. There still remains a cesspool of fi lms that represent the worst
of humanity, the most base instincts and evil intentions. But there are these other
pieces that in their admittedly sometimes imperfect presentations actually glorify
God and speak deeply into people's hearts. People who would not consider going
to a church service will pay $15 for a ticket, sit there for almost two hours with
popcorn in hand and hear about the difference God can make in a life. And lives
are changed, souls redeemed in the darkened caverns of the movie theater.
Hollywood is hardly a holy place, but in it there are faithful servants of God who
seek to weave the Christian message into story lines in a way it can be heard. Why
would we oppose that? When eternity rolls around and we compare how we met
the Savior, it will matter little whether it was in a proper church or while eating a
box of Milk Duds at the multiplex. What will matter is that we found Him.