The Salvation Army (and is it a church)

[Contarini]

And here is a conundrum because for all intents and purposes your grandmother was (is still) a Christian. Christ knows His own and we hope and pray that she is with Him now.

Funny you should say that, it wouldn’t happen to be the Primitive Salvationist movement was it?

No, but we would definitely have had sympathy with those guys.

The church she grew up in was called the “Metropolitan Church Association,” usually known as the “Burning Bush” from the name of their magazine. It was founded by a group of wealthy lay Methodists (including my great-great-uncle and my great-grandfather–my grandmother’s parents were German immigrants who joined a bit later) around the turn of the 20th century. This book tells the story of how the movement got started. This one contains an essay by me about my grandparents.

The group my grandparents founded in Britain (after leaving the MCA) was called “Message of Victory Evangelism.” They had uniforms much like the Salvation Army (my parents were married in uniform) but focused on evangelism rather than on social work (much as Mr. Akin apparently wishes the SA would do). I actually think that in my experience the SA gets the balance more or less right.

Edwin

 

[porthos11]

Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses both practice baptism. You can argue about its validity, but IMO your post is very misleading.

We are Catholics answering a Catholic talking about the Catholic position.

JW’s and Mormons have INVALID baptism (okay fine, according to Catholicism). They are therefore not Christian (according to Catholicism).

Clear enough?