Red-Hot and Righteous: The Urban Religion of The Salvation Army

The first Salvation Army kettle, complete with attendant bell-ringer, appeared on the streets of San Francisco in 1891. The slogan, "Fill the Pot for the Poor--Free Dinner on Christmas Day," has changed, but the practice hasn't. Starting with the Army's arrival in the United States in 1880 and describing its activities through World War II, Diane Winston's Red-Hot and Righteous follows the Army's missions, methods, and spectacular growth.

William Booth, who founded the Army in Britain in 1878, believed he needed to take religion to the people and urged his followers to imagine a "cathedral of the open air." Salvation Army preachers became a common sight in the streets of New York. Conservative Christians were upset by the public spectacle; the Army, however, happily banged cymbals, beat drums, and sang--their goal was to attract attention. Using contemporary advertising techniques, pageants, and parades, the Salvation Army made a vibrant mark on the urban scene and the American consciousness. Over time the Army's focus shifted from proselytizing to practical religion: gaining converts through religiously motivated social programs. Soup kitchens, homeless shelters, coal in winter--the Army offered relief to all, regardless of race, religion, or creed. Its greatest success, however, came when it sent 250 workers, including a few dozen women, to Europe to provide a little bit of home to the boys fighting in the Great War. With their trays of doughnuts and pitchers of coffee, the "Sallies" boosted morale and earned the Salvation Army a tremendous amount of respect. Winston's book reveals that she, too, respects both the Army's mission and its theology, and she tells its story with graceful prose. Red-Hot and Righteous will interest scholars of religious movements and 19th-century urban life alike. --C.B. Delaney