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When
revival fires continue to burn in the lives of God's saints, they will have a
powerful effect upon the next generation. We see this so clearly in two New
Testament examples. The house of Stephanas, whose whole house "addicted
themselves to the ministry of the saints," 1 Corinthians 16:15. Then we also
have the house of Philip the evangelist, who "had four daughters, virgins, which
did prophesy." Acts 21:8, 9. The fruit of continuous revival is a
many-generation foundation in the home. The house of William Booth is a
challenging example of a dedicated man and his wife. In the past, our Home
Histories have focused on the homes that produced some of the choice servants of
Christ. We have done this so that you could see what was happening behind the
scenes, to see the principles that were at work to raise up a servant. In this
Home History, the focus will be different. Even though we could reach back into
the history of both William and Catherine Booth, and we may do this in a later
article, I feel we can all benefit more by looking into their home. It was
truly a house on fire with the love and zeal of God.
A Balanced View of the Kingdom
William Booth's home was a
godly home at its best. There are so many areas that we could cover, but space
will not allow it. The far reaching effects of this home would take scores of
hours to investigate. As I have been studying the Booth home it has become very
clear to me that they had a beautiful balance of two major commands in the Word
of God. They were to win souls, and to raise your children. god's kingdom is
built in these two ways. We are commanded to train up a generation of children
who love God with all their heart, mind, and soul. We are also commanded to
preach the Gospel and make disciples in the world around us and in all the
world. These two major commands can easily get out of balance. History is full
of examples of men who won the world and lost their children. On the other hand
there are innumerable cases where parents focused on the children, and did
nothing to win a lost world around them. This type of parent tends to raise a
generation of separatists who quickly become ingrown, legalistic, and
unconcerned for their neighbors' lost condition. William and Catherine had a
beautiful, balanced vision of both of these commandments. We will study how
they blended the two together later on in the article.
The United Vision of Husband and Wife
In my studies of home
histories, I often find that one parent is very dedicated to the cause of the
children, and the other is not. This can be an encouragement, because it is
often the case with many of us. There is hope for your children even if you
feel very alone at times. God will bless your efforts, sanctify your children,
and use them for his glory. However, when we look at the house of William
Booth, it was united with a zeal to raise the family for god. I have often
said, "If we can get the father and mother to join forces and with a unified
front preserve a godly seed, who knows what could happen." This home is one of
those rare examples of husband and wife working together for the common goal of
raising the children. According to the history books, a godly, unified,
sanctifying home was one of the foundation stones of the entire Salvation Army.
In other words, they had a vision of the responsibility and the outcome of such
an approach to family life. And both of them pursued it with all of their
hearts. May our dear heavenly Father grant to us parents such a united vision
for the same.
The Foundation of an Army
Through the years of
Christian history, there have been many movements that arose to further the
kingdom. Many of them have centered on the zeal of youth for the labor force
behind them. The Salvation Army was no exception. There is, however, one area
where they differed from many of the others. William Booth was burdened for
godly homes, and believed that the members of God's Army should get married and
raise a family for the glory of God. He believed that the most effective
soldiers are trained in the home Here again we can see that his vision for the
home was well defined in his theology, and filled with meaning and purpose. He
and his wife Catherine were inflamed with the potential of what homes could do
in the building of the kingdom. I believe this flowed out of what they were
seeing and experiencing in their own home. This vision overflowed into the main
teachings of the Salvation Army. My heart unites with the burden this couple
had as I study some of the history and teachings of the movement.
Wisdom is Justified of Her Children
These words come from the
mouth of the Lord Jesus in Matt. 11:19b. our Lord spoke these words referring
to the ministry of John the Baptist and his own ministry as well. Many were
speaking critically of them both, and Jesus simply said, "Wisdom is justified of
her children." We have an American proverb that is often used which says the
same thing; "The proof is in the pudding." This principle was clearly fulfilled
in the home of William and Catherine Booth. God gave them eight precious
children through their union. all of them rose up and said, "I am the Lord's."
All of them loved God with all their hearts, and spend their days in sacrificial
service in various aspects of the Salvation Army and other organizations.
France, India, Switzerland, and American were some of the places of service.
Writers, organizers, administrators, teachers, preachers, trainers, and godly
fathers and mothers were their occupations all the days of their lives. From
these eight children came forty-five grandchildren. All of them grew u and
chose to serve the God of their grandfather and grandmother. Many of them
enlisted in the Salvation Army, spending their lives to reach the
down-and-outers with the gospel. We should also note, without much surprise,
that may of the great-grandchildren gave themselves to God and are serving him
to this day. By 1960, the Army had grown to number four million, with works in
eighty-six countries, among more than one hundred languages.
We would not agree with
everything that the Salvation Army stood for. Neither could we agree with all
the methods in which they carried out their vision. However, it was a force for
the salvation of souls for nearly one hundred years. In this I do agree, and
God agrees, and God the Holy Ghost also agreed by bearing witness to the work.
Can we look past some issues so that we can glean from the example of how they
raised their children? Their house was on fire continually, burning with an
atmosphere of the spirit, and functioning as a training camp for soldiers. What
can we learn from them?
Divine Purpose
William and Catherine
Booth were filled with a desire to serve God. To reach the poor whom others had
neglected was their greatest longing. Only the Good News of salvation can
change them and give them a hope for a better life. These kind of goals
consumed them from the beginning. We all know that with goals like these, they
could have easily viewed the coming of children they had no time for. This was
not the case. Because of the love they had for God, they saw each child as a
potential servant of the most high God. The vision was clear to them. God gave
the children with a purpose, and they belong to Him. There is much more
material written about their methods of training children than can be covered in
this article. It is very clear to me that what they did in the home was done
with purpose, and a good grasp on the promises hidden in the commands. Father
and Mother knew where they were going with each child. Multitudes of methods
were carried out on purpose, with vision, and in faith. The end of all these
activities was a soldier of Jesus Christ.
Start When They are Young
At the Booth home,
teaching and training began at a very early age. The first four or five years
were the most important ones. Extra time and care was given to the children
these early years.
Whom shall he teach
knowledge? Whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Then that are weaned
from the milk, and drawn from the breast. Is. 28:9
Awesome texts and Bible
stories were given to the children, while they sat on a knee in the nursery.
Truth was simplified and brought down to the level of the child's
understanding. "Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, and
there a little. Isaiah 29:10. Many times they grieved they grieved over
the general lack of understanding among God's people in this area. It is still
true today. Most parents have very little understanding about the holy
impressions that can be made on our children when they are very young.
Catherine said to her husband in a letter, "I believe in training children to be
Christians from babyhood." Please note that she also believed that every child
must come to a personal saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
A Decisive Dedication
William Booth believed
that every child given to us by God belongs to God. A very high value was
placed on every one. With that high value came high responsibilities.
They consecrated each child to God in a most meaningful way. Promises were made
to Him, promises to raise, nurture, discipline, and love the child into a
personal choice of salvation and dedication. I like this practice, and we have
always given our children to the Lord at their birth, followed by similar
promises. The Salvation Army had a baby dedication service when a child was
born to a couple. They didn't believe in infant baptism, but they did press the
burden and charge upon the parents through this service. I personally think
that this should be done by the parents at birth, however, it seems that so many
do not have such a vision. So many fathers and mothers are greatly lacking in
the commitment it takes to carry out such a lofty task. Below is a list of the
promises made in their dedication service.
*
I promise to give the child
to God all of its days.
* I promise to train,
nurture, and strengthen the child in Christ's way.
* I promise to guide my
child to always be engaged in the Salvation War.
* I promise to raise the
child to be a servant of the living God.
*
I promise to keep from my
child strong drink, tobacco, finery, wealth, hurtful reading, dangerous
acquaintances, and everything that would hinder the child from being a soldier.
* I promise to allow my
child to go wherever God should send him, and willing that he or she should be
despised, hated, cursed, beaten, imprisoned, and killed for Christ's sake.
* Finally, all the
present children in the family promise to do their part to help reach these
goals for the new baby.
Can you catch the vision
that is clearly laid out in these promises? You may react to this kind of
dedication service, but let us not be too critical when we fall so short of such
high goals for our children. Let us bring our children unto Jesus and give them
to Him, that He might lay His hands on them and bless them and use them for His
eternal purpose
Obedience and Discipline
Catherine expressed the
proper balance of these two in a very clear way. She said, "We must wage will
with the child's self-will and subdue it." It seems to me that she must have
read the words of Susannah Wesley, who also expressed herself in clear tones
about the will of the child. William wrote a book on child training in 1884. I
love this title, How to Make the Children into Saints and Soldiers of Jesus
Christ. He was fifty-two at the time. The children were all solidly
grounded in the faith, and busy about the Master's business. He had earned the
right to address the issue. The whole book is worthy of careful reading. The
section on obedience and discipline reads like the book of Proverbs. "Chastise
your children, " he would say," not out of vengeance, but for their profit."
The book was reprinted by Schmul Publishers under the title, The Training of
Children.
School at Home
William and Catherine were
both very concerned about the poor condition of private and public education in
their day. The cities were filling up with people, and with that came many evil
influences. Catherine's mother schooled her at home out of the same burden. "A
companion of fools will be destroyed" and the schools were full of them. The
evil potential was one motivation, but the other was simply out of a desire to
train the children for God. In his book on child training, William encourages
parents to teach them at home. This was no little task for the other of the
home, and she did enlist some help doing it, but let us remember, she was also
the mother of the Salvation Army. William helped by engaging the family in
meaningful and educational dialogue at the family dinner table. Many were the
lively conversations about the latest political debate, or some new mission
field abroad.
The Work of God
Here we have one of their
main secrets that assured them of the next generation. The salvation of souls,
and the building of God's kingdom, were the center of life and activity at the
Booth home. can you imagine what it was like to grow up in a home where
something divine was happening all the time? The children literally grew up on
the edge of their seat, as they listened day by day to the stories of God's
present work. This created a longing in each one of them from an early age.
But stories were not enough for the children. They were going to be servants of
God, every one of them, so they were taken along on the many exploits of father
and mother as soon as it was possible. They were carefully guided into the
work, on levels which they could handle for their age. We all know what
happened. The children caught the fire, and nothing else but the Salvation War
would satisfy them. As I study honestly the activities of this couple, I feel
they were too busy, and should have taken even more time with the children.
Even though this was the case, because they involved the family in the work,
this more than made up for the lack.
Blessed Poverty
As we look through the
early writings of the Salvation Army, it is clear that they viewed wealth as a
very dangerous influence. The children were in the training stages of life
during the beginning days of the organization. These were days of poverty. The
Booths lived by faith, trusting God to provide for the family, as well as for
the Army. In those days many of God's people looked on like Pharisees at these
bold and noisy soul winners. This brought many disciplines and much self-denial
into the daily experience of the whole family. The clothes had to last longer,
the girls had to learn to sew from Mother, and the children learned to keep a
garden and tend to animals out of necessity. Foods were wholesome but simple.
Rice pudding was a treat at the Booth home, not a candy bar or a soda. These
deprivations were not seen as a burden, but rather as positive principles of
self-denial. As I continue to study different biographies, I have noted that
all of them had blessed experiences of poverty that formed their character. We
who live in America, the land of plenty, beware of the dangers of all our
wealth. We can easily spoil a generation of potential soldiers by simply going
with the flow of our present day society.
Prevailing Atmosphere
What happens to the silent
atmosphere of the home where two people love their God with all their heart, and
with all their soul, and with all their mind? What are the mysterious effects
of a couple who walk with God, and live under the anointing of His Spirit all
the day long? We all know the answers to these questions. It was said of Papa
that his enthusiasm was contagious, and Mother's personality was like a magnet,
drawing the children into her heart. The home was a place of overflowing joy.
William sang continually in his house as he was about his daily duties. An
atmosphere e of love prevailed in the Booth home and graced the more difficult
parts of training. This holy fragrance is so important in a Christian home.
There are many strict do's and don'ts in the training of godly children. If the
sweet spirit of love and zeal are missing, then the rules can have a negative
affect. A parent's love for God and for the children falls like mercy drops
upon them all day long. I know of no other way to allow God to be an active
laborer in the building of your house. Dear fathers and mothers, let us be
continually filled with the Spirit in our homes.
Family Fun
At first glance one might
be tempted to think that this home was too strict and full of heavy demands on
the little ones. This was not the case. Life was grand, filled with joy, and
every little part was enjoyed to the fullest. William and Catherine had a very
healthy, happy view of every part of life. They loved nature, and all the
animals that God created. Every house they lived in (and they lived in many,
because of Papa's ministry), had a playroom. This was the room where the
children could romp and play to their hearts' content. Toys were bought at
great sacrifice, and used as tools for training the children. Because of the
nature of their father's work, there was always an open-air service going on in
the playroom. A family party on Friday night was something the children
anticipated with joy. A snack of nuts and fruits, a game to play, and lots of
laughter, was the order of these parties. Then there were those family days,
when they would all load up in the wagon. A Bible, a songbook, some toys, and a
picnic lunch, were the provisions of the day. It was said of William, that he
was like a school-boy, laughing, and singing, and joking, as they left the city
for a day of family fun in the forest. To me, this is beautiful. The General
was a very serious man as he guided the growing organization, but when he came
home to his children, he could be their friend and buddy. I should hasten to
say at the close of this point that his definition of fun had nothing to do with
worldy amusements.
The Power of Marital Love
This is one of the most
important aspects of their godly home, and carried more influence than most
could imagine. They loved each other deeply, extravagantly, and at times
fanatically. Their marital love began with a good foundation of godly
courtship. The engagement was long, because the provider of the home was very
poor. This made many inner struggles for William as you men can imagine. He
felt he was not fit to take a wife. In their courtship days, they didn't see
each other a lot as he was always away preaching somewhere. These separations
only increased their love and devotion to each other. With this foundation,
love continued to mature after marriage. It was clear to all who knew them that
they loved and respected each other. The effects of this wonderful oneness upon
the next generation can only be measured in eternity. The opposite is also
true. Nothing hurts the next generation like a troubled marriage. When there
is love at home it breeds security and trust in the children.
When there is love at
home, it makes obedience so much easier for the child. Malachi 2 says "And
wherefore made he them one? That he might seek a godly seed." If our marriages
are hurting, let us heal them at all cost.
There is much more that
could be written about this Salvation Army home. Catherine's biographers
recorded much about how she guided her home, and even their daughter Catherine
wrote a book on the home. All of this material is excellent reading, although I
don't know how much of it is still in print. We have found an unusual home
here, and I pray God to raise up so many like it that it becomes the norm, and
not something special. William and Catherine had a great burden for Christian
homes. Their whole life and ministry was filled with this foundation stone. It
was in their heart, and they taught it to their children, who arose and taught
to their children, that the generation to come might know the mighty works of
God. Brethren, let us do likewise. May God grant us a house that is on
Fire.
Taken from
the magazine, The Heartbeat of the Remnant
note: This article is not meant to be an
endorsement of the modern-day Salvation Army, which sadly, is falling into
ecumenism. It is an article about the founders of the Salvation
Army and their wonderful Christian home. This article is also not to be
considered an unqualified endorsement of Charity Christian Fellowship. |