The flag represents the Salvation Army.
It is rectangular in shape with a blue border and red centre. In the centre of
the red part is an eight sided star in gold and in the centre of the star is the
wording "Blood & Fire".
The Canadian
Salvation Army website describes the flag:
"The Salvation Army flag, like all
flags has significance. While it is true that the flag
represents The
Salvation Army, the symbolism is deeper than that and actually portrays that we
are a
mainstream Christian Church accepting the doctrine of the Trinity of
God.
God the Father is represented by the
blue border which symbolises the Holiness and Purity of God.
God the Son is represented by the
red, symbolising the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross.
God the Holy Spirit is represented
by the yellow star, symbolising the fire of the Holy Spirit.
The phrase "Blood and Fire" also
represents the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross (blood),
and
the infilling of the Holy Spirit (fire)."
The Salvation Army website gives an history
of the movement:
"William Booth embarked upon his
ministerial career in 1852, desiring to win the lost multitudes of England to
Christ. He walked the streets of London to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to
the poor, the homeless, the hungry, and the destitute.
Booth abandoned the conventional
concept of a church and a pulpit, instead taking his message to the people. His
fervour led to disagreement with church leaders in London, who preferred
traditional methods. As a result, he withdrew from the church and travelled
throughout England, conducting evangelistic meetings. His wife, Catherine, could
accurately be called a co-founder of The Salvation Army.
In 1865, William Booth was invited
to hold a series of evangelistic meetings in the East End of London. He set up a
tent in a Quaker graveyard, and his services became an instant success. This
proved to be the end of his wanderings as an independent travelling evangelist.
His renown as a religious leader spread throughout London, and he attracted
followers who were dedicated to fight for the souls of men and
women.
Thieves, prostitutes, gamblers, and
drunkards were among Booth's first converts to Christianity. To congregations
who were desperately poor, he preached hope and salvation. His aim was to lead
people to Christ and link them to a church for further spiritual
guidance.
Early Salvationists were subjected to violence and ridicule.
Publications of the day, such as this 1885 issue of Puck, poked fun at their
uniforms and methods.
Many churches, however, did not
accept Booth's followers because of their past. So Booth continued giving his
new converts spiritual direction, challenging them to save others like
themselves. Soon, they too were preaching and singing in the streets as a living
testimony to the power of God.
In 1867, Booth had only 10 full-time
workers, but by 1874, the number had grown to 1,000 volunteers and 42
evangelists, all serving under the name "The Christian Mission." Booth assumed
the title of general superintendent, with his followers calling him "General."
Known as the "Hallelujah Army," the converts spread out of the East End of
London into neighbouring areas and then to other cities.
Booth was reading a printer's proof
of the 1878 annual report when he noticed the statement "The Christian Mission
is a volunteer army." Crossing out the words "volunteer army," he penned in
"Salvation Army." From those words came the basis of the foundation deed of The
Salvation Army.
From that point, converts became
soldiers of Christ and were known then, as now, as Salvationists. They launched
an offensive throughout the British Isles, in some cases facing real battles as
organized gangs mocked and attacked them. In spite of violence and persecution,
some 250,000 people were converted under the ministry of The Salvation Army
between 1881 and 1885.
Meanwhile, the Army was gaining a
foothold in the United States. Lieutenant Eliza Shirley had left England to join
her parents, who had migrated to America earlier in search for work. In 1879,
she held the first meeting of The Salvation Army in America, in Philadelphia.
The Salvationists were received enthusiastically. Shirley wrote to General
Booth, begging for reinforcements. None were available at first. Glowing reports
of the work in Philadelphia, however, eventually convinced Booth, in 1880, to
send an official group to pioneer the work in America.
On March 10,
1880, Commissioner George Scott Raiton and seven women officers knelt on the
dockside at Battery Park in New York City to give thanks for their safe arrival.
At their first official street meeting, these pioneers were met with unfriendly
actions, as had happened in Great Britain. They were ridiculed, arrested, and
attacked. Several officers and soldiers even gave their lives.Three years later,
Railton and other Salvationists had expanded their operation into California,
Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New
Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. President Grover Cleveland received a
delegation of Salvation Army officers in 1886 and gave the organization a warm
personal endorsement. This was the first recognition from the White House and
would be followed by similar receptions from succeeding
presidents.
The Salvation Army movement expanded
rapidly to Canada, Australia, France, Switzerland, India, South Africa, Iceland,
and local neighbourhood units. The Salvation Army is active in virtually every
corner of the world.
General Booth's death in 1912 was a
great loss to The Salvation Army. However, he had laid a firm foundation' even
his death could not deter the ministry's onward march. His eldest son, Bramwell
Booth, succeeded him.
Edward J. Higgins served as the
first elected general, beginning in 1929. The first female general was Booth's
daughter, the dynamic Evangeline Booth, serving from 1934 to 1939. The Army's
fifth general was George Carpenter, succeeded in 1946 by Albert Orsborn. General
Wilfred Kitching was elected in 1954, succeeded by Frederick Coutts in 1963.
Erik Wickberg followed in 1969; Clarence Wiseman in 1974; Arnold Brown in 1977;
Jarl Wahlstrom in 1981; and Eva Burrows, the second female general, in 1986.
General Bramwell Tillsley was elected in 1993 and was succeeded by General Paul
Rader in 1994, followed by General John Gowans in 1999, General John Larsson in
2002, and General Shaw Clifton in 2006. General Linda Bond was elected the 19th
General of The Salvation Army in January 2011, the third female to serve in this
capacity. She currently commands the Army from International Headquarters in
London, England."