An anonymous survey was conducted in July and August 2013 among Salvation Army officers and soldiers (18 years and over) within the Melbourne metropolitan area. While the Australia Southern Territory incorporates a large geographical area the reason Melbourne was chosen as the target audience for the research was twofold: it contained the data to one specific city, keeping the focus of the survey narrowly defined; and because Melbourne represents a significant proportion of soldiers and officers within the Territory.
As suffering is a fairly emotive subject, it was felt that the data collection could be jeopardised by group activities. This was especially important since a participant may feel vulnerable answering questions that might prove painful for them. It would also have been inappropriate to have a workshop or focus groups where people may have considered their responses together. Each participant needed an opportunity to express personal opinions without being persuaded by other peoples’ responses. An online survey was chosen so that participants could feel more comfortable answering questions privately. This may have limited the participation of some soldiers and officers
56 especially those in the older age bracket if they did not have access to a computer, but this was considered the most effective way the data could be collected across
Melbourne within the timeframe.
The aim of the survey was to discover participants’ understanding of suffering; where they believe God is within that suffering; and how they view the role of an all-powerful, sovereign God in the face of evil. This not only provides statistical data concerning the extent to which Salvationists understand the received theology of their denomination, but also reveals how much of their understanding of suffering has been shaped by other factors, including their own personal experiences.
This chapter will explore the “theological knapsack” by outlining the results of the survey and provide a snapshot of the views expressed. At times it appeared that some of the results highlighted a minimally articulated theology among participants, stressing the need for further expansion of the received theology of The Salvation Army.
At the commencement of the survey, participants were invited to answer two key
questions to assist in analysing the remaining data. The first question placed participants in one of two categories: 1) a Salvation Army officer or 2) an adult soldier. This would prove a useful distinction between the two groups, since commissioned and ordained officers have gone through a process of theological training. It could be expected, therefore, that an officer would have a greater awareness of The Salvation Army’s theological position and the skills to reflect theologically. Additionally, officers would
57 be more likely to continue with theological study after their initial training had
concluded, giving them perhaps a greater depth of theological insight.
Only adult soldiers (as opposed to adherent members) were invited to participate in the survey because soldiers complete at least a 4-6 week course of preparatory classes (which includes some basic theology) in order to be enrolled.1 Adherent members were not invited to participate as they are not required to fulfil the same prerequisite. Prior to the survey results being collected and analysed, I believed that there would be a
statistical difference between the responses made by officers, compared to soldiers; however, the results did not bear this out.
Each participant was categorised according to their age bracket in terms of broad generational groupings: born before 1947 (“pre boomers”); born between 1947 and 1964 (“boomers”); born between 1965 and 1982 (“Generation X”); and born between 1982 and 1994 (“Generation Y”).2 By assessing the results within this generational framework there would be provision to determine whether patterns emerged from one generation to another. While these two questions formed the basis of categorisation, the ranges in age also allowed for greater anonymity.
1
Salvationists in this sense are soldiers rather than adherents. See Glossary, viii.
2
The generational groupings used are somewhat arbitrary and open to speculation concerning the start and end dates – especially the so-called “Generation X”. A common dating for the commencement of the Baby-Boomer generation is 1947. Here, the dating for Generation X (1965-1982) is based on the dates used by the Population Reference Bureau (a Washington-based demographic research
organization). Generation Y (often referred to as Millennials) continues beyond 1994, but this end date was chosen to ensure that the youngest participants were at least 18 years old. This research will not consider other aspects of generational theory (such as the possible cyclical pattern of generations suggested by Strauss and Howe. See especially, Neil Howe, and William Strauss, Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069 (New York: William Morrow and Co, 1991).
58 The survey contained twenty-seven questions which ranged from specific Salvation Army doctrinal questions through to secular song lyrics. Once the two key questions were asked, the remaining questions usually provided a multiple choice option: strongly
agree; agree; neutral; disagree; strongly disagree; I don’t know; and none of the above.
A small number of other questions were designed to elicit a narrative response.
By the end of August 2013, 176 participants had completed the survey. Out of a possible 200 officers living in Melbourne, 63 had completed the survey. This is approximately 40% of the officer strength in Melbourne.3 The remaining 113 participants were adult soldiers. There are approximately 2,000 soldiers and officers across Melbourne and therefore between 5-10% of the available cohort completed the survey.4 While the actual number of participants may seem low, the percentage response rate of the available cohort was actually comparatively high. Accordingly, there would appear to have been sufficient statistical data to discern certain patterns in how soldiers and officers view suffering.5
What became immediately apparent was that more soldiers completed the survey than officers and they predominantly came from within the Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y age brackets. The greatest level of participation across the survey
3 Based on The Salvation Army, Disposition of Forces (Melbourne: Salvation Army Australia Southern
Territory, 2013).
4
This cohort represents 27% of the 7,404 Salvationists (including officers) across the territory. See The General, The Salvation Army Year Book 2014 (London: Salvation Army, 2013) – which records statistics for the year 2013. The number of Salvationists excluding officers and cadets (officers-in- training) is 6477, making the Melbourne-based cohort to be 30% of all Salvationists across Australia Southern Territory.
5 For the purposes of this study, the statistical analysis will involve the presentation of the data collated
from the survey. These tables have been cross-referenced to the officer/soldier criterion, and also to the generational groupings. The survey instrument itself provided these tables descriptively without the need for other statistical analysis.
59 from both the officer and soldier categories came from Generation X with a combined total of 63 participants. They were followed by Baby Boomers with 59 participants and Generation Y with 26 participants.
Officer-participants born in the Generation Y age bracket may seem a small sample with only nine people, however, this reflects the normal practice that most newly ordained and commissioned Salvation Army officers do not usually remain in the Melbourne metropolitan area.6 Consequently, nine officer-participants is a reasonably high response from this age bracket. It could be argued that restricting the study to Melbourne does not provide for a truly representative sample of Generation Y officers. While that may be so, the determination had already been made that the survey needed to be concentrated in the Melbourne metropolitan area. Additionally there would not be any Generation Y officer participant born in the lower end of that generational age group – especially not born in 1994.
Research was conducted based on the 2013 Disposition of Forces for the Australia Southern Territory.7 Manual examination of all Melbourne-based appointments, and noting the individuals who fall within that age bracket, gave a “raw score” of officers within each generational band who may have responded to the survey. Since the survey indicates the actual number of participants within the age bracket, it is possible to
6
As The Salvation Army Australia Southern Territory incorporates every state and territory in the country (excluding New South Wales and Queensland), officers can be appointed anywhere in the territory once they are commissioned. These younger officers (if married) usually either do not have children or they have younger children and do not necessarily need to stay in Melbourne for personal reasons such as schooling; and so they are mostly sent out of the state.
60 calculate the percentage participation rate of each age group of officers in Melbourne- based appointments.
The results also include participants in the Pre-Boomers age bracket who have retired either from secular employment (as soldiers) or who are retired officers. The number of participants might be lower in this category given the number of people less likely to access an online survey.
When analysing each of the twenty-seven questions, a fluctuating non-sequential pattern emerged of the number of participants answering any given question. This therefore tends to confirm the hypothesis that while some questions were skipped by some participants most people returned to answer subsequent questions. Even so, by the end of the survey some participants appear to have chosen not to finish.8
Most of the questions that were answered by a smaller number of participants tended to be those that required a written response. While there is a variation in the number of participants who responded to each question, it was considered important to include all data captured from the survey results, thereby validating all responses provided.
The analysis of the data will not proceed in the order the questions were originally asked.9 Instead, the results have been grouped together under several thematic headings. The first major theme explores the influences and factors that shape participants’
theology. This will also involve discussion of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral and how it may provide a framework for theological reflection.
8
See appendix 5, 203.
61 The second theme focuses on the awareness of God’s sovereignty in the midst of
suffering. The correlation between God’s sovereign control and how it is perceived, and the way God’s transcendence and immanence are understood, needs to be examined. For instance when natural disasters occur how does God’s control over the world – or God’s relative “silence”– connect with participants’ perception of God?
Another theme explores how the nature and understanding of suffering affects and connects with participants’ views of life and faith. The final theme then focusses on the understanding of doubtin suffering. Doubt could either be seen as a stumbling block or a chance for personal growth in faith: as a movement nearer or further away from God.
The results will show that sometimes the questions have produced contradictory responses from the participants, especially those concerning the sovereignty of God. These themes establish a strong base from which soldiers and officers can assess, explore, and discover how their expressed theology connects with the received theology of The Salvation Army.