Did donations dry up? Salvation Army pulls U-turn on 'guidance' for whites

Just as the famous red kettles of the Salvation Army are appearing nationwide for the international charitable organization's major fundraising effort, the organization abruptly has withdrawn a controversial "guidance" that warned white Americans racism is "systemic" and Christians would "evaluate" their racist practices.

Fox Business reported over the weekend that the guidance apparently was intended to ask "white Americans" to "stop trying to be 'colorblind.'"

The "Let's Talk About Racism" agenda appeared in April and was from the Salvation Army International Social Justice Commission to provide "internal dialogue" on the issue of racism among members of the Salvation Army.

"While many Salvationists have acted firmly and courageously against racism, The Salvation Army acknowledges with regret, that Salvationists have sometimes shared in the sins of racism and conformed to economic, organizational and social pressures that perpetuate racism," the guide states.

But now it's been pulled for further evaluation.

The organization said in a statement, "In this case, the guide 'Let’s Talk About Racism,' was issued as a voluntary resource, but it has since become a focus of controversy. We have done our best to provide accurate information, but unfortunately, some have chosen to ignore those efforts. At the same time, International Headquarters realized that certain aspects of the guide may need to be clarified.

"Consequently, for both reasons, the International Social Justice Commission has now withdrawn the guide for appropriate review," the group said.

It explained, "The holidays are a welcome reminder of the things we are grateful for—and for the power of service on behalf of those who are less fortunate. The Salvation Army mission statement clearly outlines the nature of our service: to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human needs in His name without discrimination. The beliefs that motivate our service are based solely on the Bible, and that will never change."

Did the Salvation Army withdraw racial 'guidance' because donations evaporated?

The group charged that "some individuals and groups" tried to "mislabel our organization to serve their own agendas. They have claimed that we believe our donors should apologize for their skin color, that The Salvation Army believes America is an inherently racist society, and that we have abandoned our Christian faith for one ideology or another."

The group said, "Those claims are simply false, and they distort the very goal of our work."

It said its beliefs include that "racism is fundamentally incompatible with Christianity, and that we are called by God to work toward a world where all people are loved, accepted, and valued. Our positional statement on racism makes this clear. These beliefs and goals are critically important because we know that racism exists, and we are determined to do everything the Bible asks of us to overcome it."

The Colorado Springs Gazette explained the organization initially defended the guide.

"The Salvation Army argued the new guide was meant to encourage discussion about racism among members of the Salvation Army. The organization denied attempting to indoctrinate or tell its donors what to think, reminding people that the guide was meant for internal use," the report said.

The report said the guide "recommended white people within the charitable organization 'lament, repent and apologize for biases or racist ideologies held and actions committed.' It also told people to stop being 'color blind' because it would allegedly ignore the things that God intended to be different among cultures."

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