The letter also came with a resource that is ostensibly “designed to foster conversations about racism and race so that we can join together to fight the evil of racism and create a more just and equitable society.”

The document explains that “Salvationists” need to discuss racism because “we cannot truly serve our brothers and sisters if we allow discrimination and racism to happen around them or even within the Salvation Army.”

The organization argues that “there is an urgent need for Christians to evaluate racist attitudes and practices in light of our faith, and to live faithfully in today’s world.”

The resource includes five different sessions to “help delve into the topic of racism and the Church.”

The organization also emphasizes the importance of repentance when it comes to espousing racist views or acting in a racially discriminatory manner. It states that “we must keep in mind that sincere repentance and apologies are necessary if we want to move towards racial reconciliation” and encourages the reader to “take time to write out or think about how you can repent and apologize.”

The document also includes teachings about racist policy, structural and systemic racism, intimating that these systems are built to oppress black and brown people to the point that they cannot achieve the same level of success as whites.

Racism is portrayed as an overarching facet of American society. The author writes:

Many have come to believe that we live in a post-racial society, but racism is very real for our brothers and sisters who are refused jobs and housing, denied basic rights and brutalized and oppressed simply because of the color of their skin,” one lesson in the resource says. “There is an urgent need for Christians to evaluate racist attitudes and practices in light of our faith, and to live faithfully in today’s world.

The author also explains:

And as we engage in conversations about race and racism, we must keep in mind that sincere repentance and apologies are necessary if we want to move towards racial reconciliation. We recognize that it is a profound challenge to sit on the hot seat and listen with an open heart to the hurt and anger of the wounded. Yet, we are all hardwired to desire justice and fairness, so the need to receive a sincere apology is necessary.

In the accompanying resource, which is a “study guide” on racism, the author writes:

The subtle nature of racism is such that people who are not consciously racist easily function with the privileges, empowerment and benefits of the dominant ethnicity, thus unintentionally perpetuating injustice.

The guide also explained that “[r]acism can be so entrenched in institutions and culture that people can unintentionally and unwittingly perpetuate racial division.” It gave as an example “devout Christians who naively use racial epithets” or a “well-intentioned Sunday School curriculum that only uses white photography and imagery.”

The documentation continues in this vein, outlining how the organization believes that racism is an integral part of American society.

I wanted to give this the benefit of the doubt because I do believe that Christians should be at the forefront of addressing racism and promoting unity among Americans from different backgrounds. Believers should seek to annihilate division based on race as much as possible so people of various races, ethnicities, and cultures will see themselves as children of Christ.

But even after skimming through the material, it was evident to me that much of the content is more divisive than unitary. It could easily have been written by Robin DiAngelo or Ibram X Kendi.

By promoting a message of victimhood in this way, they are encouraging the white savior trope that causes many white-guilt suffering Americans to adopt a paternalistic attitude towards black and brown individuals. The resources were rife with ideas that stem from Critical Race Theory and other forms of wokeist liturgy.

It seems the Salvation Army has pulled away from Christianity and is gradually turning into another Temple of the Woke™. If the organization actually wishes to minimize the impact of racism, this ain’t it. Proponents of the Wokeism religion are not truly concerned with healing racial rifts. Indeed, they do more to widen the divide than anything else. These people are more concerned with demonizing white Americans and casting them as irredeemably racist.

Unfortunately, the Salvation Army, like many other organizations, seems to be drinking the Kool-Aid. Hopefully, someone in that group will have sense enough to pull them back from the brink.