Chris Button @chrisbutton88

Will The Salvation Army Ever Have Gender Equality? Yes, but only if it makes it happen. It will not happen naturally. The Salvation Army has a responsibility to do better with gender equality. Particularly for women in ministry. This is a theological imperative. The Army has made theological claims about the equality of people for ministry, asserting that sanctification is the only requirement and qualification for ministry. This is something I've known for years.

Will The Salvation Army Ever Have Gender Equality?

Yes, but only if it makes it happen. It will not happen naturally. The Salvation Army has a responsibility to do better with gender equality. Particularly for women in ministry. This is a theological imperative. The Army has made theological…

23.10.2025 15:46 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

The General’s Call to Action is a Call to Sanctification On the 14th of October 2025 General Lyndon Buckingham gave a call to action to the international Salvation Army. The link for it is directly below. I think we need to best understand this call as a call to sanctification. The General is calling Salvationists to rediscover their personal excitement, enthusiasm, and commitment to the mission of God and the ministry of The Salvation Army.

The General’s Call to Action is a Call to Sanctification

On the 14th of October 2025 General Lyndon Buckingham gave a call to action to the international Salvation Army. The link for it is directly below. I think we need to best understand this call as a call to sanctification. The General is…

16.10.2025 16:01 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Batman is the Problem with Church. The Church doesn't need people to be Batman. It requires everybody to live out who and what they have been called to be. The Church requires a full mobilisation of its members, not only a select few heroes. Batman is the problem with Gotham City. He is out there fighting crime, forcing criminals and super villains to become increasingly powerful and resourceful.

Batman is the Problem with Church.

The Church doesn't need people to be Batman. It requires everybody to live out who and what they have been called to be. The Church requires a full mobilisation of its members, not only a select few heroes. Batman is the problem with Gotham City. He is out there…

10.10.2025 16:45 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Crucifying my Shame To be who God wants me to be means I have had to learn to keep putting myself to death so that I can find new life. Which feels absolutely rubbish! Because the process of being made new means confronting all the things we wish we could forget or try and justify. Part of the reason why real Christianity, (that is Christianity that rooted in the Bible and in holiness rather than in emotionalism and reward), is so difficult to actually follow is because it means we have to die to self.

Crucifying my Shame

To be who God wants me to be means I have had to learn to keep putting myself to death so that I can find new life. Which feels absolutely rubbish! Because the process of being made new means confronting all the things we wish we could forget or try and justify. Part of the…

02.10.2025 16:00 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

The Rapture Isn’t Biblical The rapture has once again reared its head with people on social media claiming the rapture was coming which led to some more...gullible...people selling their belongings off cheap. Things like this aren't new. There have been loads of end-times cults over the millennia. But now TikTok is a thing, its ended up in the popular domain. In this blog I'm going be explaining why no one needs to worry about being raptured.

The Rapture Isn’t Biblical

The rapture has once again reared its head with people on social media claiming the rapture was coming which led to some more...gullible...people selling their belongings off cheap. Things like this aren't new. There have been loads of end-times cults over the millennia.…

25.09.2025 16:40 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Christians Can’t Be Patriots Christians can't be patriots, and certainly can't be nationalists, because they always have a negotiated relationship with their state, country, and nation. They owe a higher allegiance to the Kingdom of God and the Lordship of Christ. This higher allegiance takes precedence over any other allegiance. Today, there are States, Countries, and Nations, which are not equivalent, even though we often use the terms interchangeably.

Christians Can’t Be Patriots

Christians can't be patriots, and certainly can't be nationalists, because they always have a negotiated relationship with their state, country, and nation. They owe a higher allegiance to the Kingdom of God and the Lordship of Christ. This higher allegiance takes…

18.09.2025 16:01 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

We don’t have souls The way that people commonly think about the 'soul' - an immortal spirit which is who we really are that dwells in some way 'within' us - is not actually Biblical. We do not have souls in the way people frequently use the word. In this blog, I'm going to set out what a biblical understanding of the soul looks like.

We don’t have souls

The way that people commonly think about the 'soul' - an immortal spirit which is who we really are that dwells in some way 'within' us - is not actually Biblical. We do not have souls in the way people frequently use the word. In this blog, I'm going to set out what a biblical…

11.09.2025 15:56 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Brass Bands Were Urban Street Music The use of brass bands by the early Salvation Army became an iconic part of its identity and public image. It is commonly known that the use of brass bands slowly developed in the Army in response to its need to have sufficient volume of music to be able to draw attention and cut through the noise of the busy streets in Late Victorian British cities.

Brass Bands Were Urban Street Music

The use of brass bands by the early Salvation Army became an iconic part of its identity and public image. It is commonly known that the use of brass bands slowly developed in the Army in response to its need to have sufficient volume of music to be able to draw…

04.09.2025 15:48 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Everyone has a Vocation Every human has a divine vocation. In fact, they have often have several. Part of being human means working out what our vocation is. The most important thing to remember is that our vocation, whether general or specific, is part of what creates meaning in our life. Without understanding our vocation, we will fail to understand ourselves. The Vocation of Humanity…

Everyone has a Vocation

Every human has a divine vocation. In fact, they have often have several. Part of being human means working out what our vocation is. The most important thing to remember is that our vocation, whether general or specific, is part of what creates meaning in our life. Without…

28.08.2025 17:07 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Grief, Loss, and Absence Over time, the initial pain of grief gives way to the dull ache of absence. People think this is because grief shrinks over time. I think it is more that we grow used to it, and the sharpness of its edges is changed into something else. I think that grief over times ends up being experienced as absence. You might think that this is pretty obvious.

Grief, Loss, and Absence

Over time, the initial pain of grief gives way to the dull ache of absence. People think this is because grief shrinks over time. I think it is more that we grow used to it, and the sharpness of its edges is changed into something else. I think that grief over times ends…

21.08.2025 17:03 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Depression, Faith, and Me I'm not ok today. My particular brand of neurospicyness means that I occasionally go through periods of depression. Sometimes these last for a day, sometimes for a few weeks. Sometimes it's just a general feeling of melancholy and anxiety; other times it feels like a big pit of icy darkness waiting to swallow everything good until all of life feels meaningless and pointless.

Depression, Faith, and Me

I'm not ok today. My particular brand of neurospicyness means that I occasionally go through periods of depression. Sometimes these last for a day, sometimes for a few weeks. Sometimes it's just a general feeling of melancholy and anxiety; other times it feels like a big…

14.08.2025 17:53 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Trauma and Fragmented Discipleship We make a mistake when we think of discipleship as something which develops in a straight line from A to B. Instead, when working with survivors of, or people experiencing, trauma, we need to recognise the fragmental nature of human reality and so also avoid faith-tropes such as holism, wholeness, and flourishing. We need to develop our language of trauma-informed discipleship.

Trauma and Fragmented Discipleship

We make a mistake when we think of discipleship as something which develops in a straight line from A to B. Instead, when working with survivors of, or people experiencing, trauma, we need to recognise the fragmental nature of human reality and so also avoid…

07.08.2025 16:01 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

The Cross and The Traumatised God If we take seriously the claim that God experienced the fullness of human experience, particularly in the crucifixion of Jesus, then we can speak about God having traumatic experiences. This changes not only how we see God, but how we can relate to God in our suffering. A God who experiences trauma is a God who can stand with the abused and the suffering, not as a distant observer, but as one who is in solidarity through shared suffering.

The Cross and The Traumatised God

If we take seriously the claim that God experienced the fullness of human experience, particularly in the crucifixion of Jesus, then we can speak about God having traumatic experiences. This changes not only how we see God, but how we can relate to God in our…

31.07.2025 19:17 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

The Vocation of salvation army Soldiership Being a soldier is more than a form of membership or a way to belong. It is a vocation. It is not the only vocation that God calls people to, nor is it a higher or more important vocation than any other vocation. However, it is a distinct vocation. What do I mean by vocation? Vocation is how God has called a person to be holy in their particular context.

The Vocation of salvation army Soldiership

Being a soldier is more than a form of membership or a way to belong. It is a vocation. It is not the only vocation that God calls people to, nor is it a higher or more important vocation than any other vocation. However, it is a distinct vocation. What…

24.07.2025 15:50 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Covenant Unto Death *Disclaimer - this is a personal reflection and presents my own opinions and beliefs, not anyone else's.* The call to follow Jesus is not one that we can put down when the going gets difficult or when life becomes complicated. When Jesus commands us to come and follow him, it is a demand which transforms every other element of our life.

Covenant Unto Death

*Disclaimer - this is a personal reflection and presents my own opinions and beliefs, not anyone else's.* The call to follow Jesus is not one that we can put down when the going gets difficult or when life becomes complicated. When Jesus commands us to come and follow him, it…

17.07.2025 15:39 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Who Am I? Unknowing Myself in a Poem from Prison We often feel pressure to know ourselves. We are told that one of the most important parts of our journey is discovering who we are, to find ourselves, to know our authentic self. I think this is by and large a waste of time. Instead of trying to find out our so-called authentic self, we must learn to know ourselves in relation to God.

Who Am I? Unknowing Myself in a Poem from Prison

We often feel pressure to know ourselves. We are told that one of the most important parts of our journey is discovering who we are, to find ourselves, to know our authentic self. I think this is by and large a waste of time. Instead of trying to…

10.07.2025 15:37 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Judge Only Yourself The more we are aware of our own mistakes, sins, and failings, the more we are assured of our dependence on grace. As such, we learn not to judge others. For the first monks, those Christians who went to live in the deserts of North Africa during the 3rd to 6th centuries, the first principle of living a holy life was not judging others.

Judge Only Yourself

The more we are aware of our own mistakes, sins, and failings, the more we are assured of our dependence on grace. As such, we learn not to judge others. For the first monks, those Christians who went to live in the deserts of North Africa during the 3rd to 6th centuries, the…

03.07.2025 15:25 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders are Cosplaying the Virgin Mary I believe that the attractive power of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders can best be understood through the lens of the cult of the Virgin Mary. When understood as a form of modern sacred virgin-mothers, the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders (DCC) reveal the continuing power of the courtly ideal of love to unite lust with the sacred. Considering the degree to which the union of various forms of idolatry come together in the idealisation of the DCC, it is perhaps troubling that The Salvation Army has a very public and long-standing relationship with the DCC.

The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders are Cosplaying the Virgin Mary

I believe that the attractive power of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders can best be understood through the lens of the cult of the Virgin Mary. When understood as a form of modern sacred virgin-mothers, the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders…

26.06.2025 15:59 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

The Idolatry of God It is possible to make God into an idol when we worship our ideas of God rather than committing ourselves to an active relationship with the living Jesus. Idolatry is the first sin. It is the sin that begins every other sin. Idolatry means we treat something, or someone, that isn't God as if it or they are God. This is the sin of Adam and Eve when they decided to ignore the command of God and eat the forbidden fruit.

The Idolatry of God

It is possible to make God into an idol when we worship our ideas of God rather than committing ourselves to an active relationship with the living Jesus. Idolatry is the first sin. It is the sin that begins every other sin. Idolatry means we treat something, or someone, that…

19.06.2025 15:34 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I Delight In Your Delight The Love of God that Christians are called to demonstrate is a love that delights in the other person's joy and wellbeing. We use the word 'love' in all kinds of different ways. Saying "I love you" to my friend, my Mum, and my partner, all means slightly different things. If I say "I love my dog" and "I love my favourite pen" I do not mean exactly the same thing.

I Delight In Your Delight

The Love of God that Christians are called to demonstrate is a love that delights in the other person's joy and wellbeing. We use the word 'love' in all kinds of different ways. Saying "I love you" to my friend, my Mum, and my partner, all means slightly different things.…

12.06.2025 15:24 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Understanding Spiritual Warfare Spiritual warfare isn't a cosmic battle between good and evil. Spiritual warfare is an overarching term for the way that the Kingdom of God is established. This may not be a way of looking at spiritual warfare that you are used to or that even seems to make sense. However, there is a serious mistake at the heart of the way in which many people approach spiritual warfare.

Understanding Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual warfare isn't a cosmic battle between good and evil. Spiritual warfare is an overarching term for the way that the Kingdom of God is established. This may not be a way of looking at spiritual warfare that you are used to or that even seems to make sense.…

05.06.2025 15:48 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Take This Sabbath Day We are more than what we do. This might seem obvious, but it so often ignored or forgotten. The Sabbath reminds us of the fundamental fact that we are created in the image of God, invested with inherent dignity, and our value is not dependent on what we do but simply on our existence. I am as guilty as anyone else of thinking that my worth, my value, is dependent upon my busyness, on how many people are asking me to do things, and on how successful I am.

Take This Sabbath Day

We are more than what we do. This might seem obvious, but it so often ignored or forgotten. The Sabbath reminds us of the fundamental fact that we are created in the image of God, invested with inherent dignity, and our value is not dependent on what we do but simply on our…

29.05.2025 18:59 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I Trust Your Faith I was speaking to a friend the other day about planning a project at our corps. I generally tend not to believe that God has a plan for us, or that things happen because God wants them to. I believe God is involved in all things and is present at all times, but I struggle with the idea that everything happens for a reason.

I Trust Your Faith

I was speaking to a friend the other day about planning a project at our corps. I generally tend not to believe that God has a plan for us, or that things happen because God wants them to. I believe God is involved in all things and is present at all times, but I struggle with…

22.05.2025 15:42 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Should a Christian Be Rich? The short answer: probably not. The longer answer... Christianity has had a complicated relationship with money and wealth throughout its existence. In its early period, Christians were almost universally poor, oppressed, and at risk of their lives. They were frequently enslaved people, from ethnic minorities, and women. The Bible teaches us that the first Christian communities held their money and property in common and used it for the benefit of the most needy.

Should a Christian Be Rich?

The short answer: probably not. The longer answer... Christianity has had a complicated relationship with money and wealth throughout its existence. In its early period, Christians were almost universally poor, oppressed, and at risk of their lives. They were frequently…

15.05.2025 20:48 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

That’s Not Fair! … But That’s Grace Baby! My almost-five year old (who currently thinks she is 15) has got to the stage of saying that things are "unfair" if she doesn't like them. "No, you can't have any chocolate tonight. Treats are for the weekend." "But that's not fair!" "Can you tidy your toys away please?" "That's not fair!" You get the general theme in our house at the moment.

That’s Not Fair! … But That’s Grace Baby!

My almost-five year old (who currently thinks she is 15) has got to the stage of saying that things are "unfair" if she doesn't like them. "No, you can't have any chocolate tonight. Treats are for the weekend." "But that's not fair!" "Can you tidy your…

08.05.2025 17:46 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Relax and Let God be God I think we sometimes understand our Christian faith as a battle rather than a relationship. Our language and songs often emphasise our ongoing battle against temptation, to overcome sin, and to fight onwards to reach our destination. But sometimes, we emphasise the combative elements of our faith at the expense of the roots of our relationship with God. John 15 tells us that we need to abide in God.

Relax and Let God be God

I think we sometimes understand our Christian faith as a battle rather than a relationship. Our language and songs often emphasise our ongoing battle against temptation, to overcome sin, and to fight onwards to reach our destination. But sometimes, we emphasise the…

01.05.2025 15:57 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Why Moses Wasn’t Called Moses – Reading The Exodus As Divine Conflict What happens if we read the Exodus as a story of divine conflict? By reading the Exodus with an explicitly mythological lens, we can gain a new level of meaning. I'm going to briefly outline what that could look like. But it will only be an overview of a very complicated subject with lots of disagreement over how it should be read and understood within its socio-historical and literary contexts.

Why Moses Wasn’t Called Moses – Reading The Exodus As Divine Conflict

What happens if we read the Exodus as a story of divine conflict? By reading the Exodus with an explicitly mythological lens, we can gain a new level of meaning. I'm going to briefly outline what that could look like. But it…

25.04.2025 08:04 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Hell Will Be Empty The eleventh doctrine of The Salvation Army includes a belief that the wicked will receive eternal punishment in hell. Is it possible to hold to this doctrine while also believing that all people will be saved? I think so. I happily and confidently affirm the Army's doctrines. But I also believe that in the end all people will be saved. How can those two things go together if the doctrines include a belief in hell and the punishment of the wicked?

Hell Will Be Empty

The eleventh doctrine of The Salvation Army includes a belief that the wicked will receive eternal punishment in hell. Is it possible to hold to this doctrine while also believing that all people will be saved? I think so. I happily and confidently affirm the Army's doctrines.…

20.04.2025 06:02 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Living With God’s Silence What happens when it feels like God is silent? On Easter Saturday there is the space between death and life, between crucifixion and resurrection. We often pass over the day quite quickly. Few people spend time mourning on Holy Saturday. Sometimes we might try and enter into the reality that the first disciples experienced. But most of us I imagine just get on with life while we wait for Easter Sunday to come along.

Living With God’s Silence

What happens when it feels like God is silent? On Easter Saturday there is the space between death and life, between crucifixion and resurrection. We often pass over the day quite quickly. Few people spend time mourning on Holy Saturday. Sometimes we might try and enter…

19.04.2025 15:54 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

The Crucified God We have often got our understanding of God wrong. All too often, we begin with an idea of who or what God is. God is all powerful, God is all knowing, God can do anything, God is spirit, God is just. We have these ideas about God, or these attributes that we think God possesses, and we say "yes, this is what God is." But the problem is, these are only our ideas about God, they are not who God is.

The Crucified God

We have often got our understanding of God wrong. All too often, we begin with an idea of who or what God is. God is all powerful, God is all knowing, God can do anything, God is spirit, God is just. We have these ideas about God, or these attributes that we think God possesses,…

18.04.2025 07:18 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Chris Button

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