Chicago City Wire

The Illinois chapter of The Salvation Army is promoting a May 21 event with Dominique Dubois Gilliard, director of racial righteousness and reconciliation at the Love Mercy Do Justice (LMDJ) initiative of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). The event is being promoted as part of so-called leadership sessions and contradicts The Salvation Army's claims that they have discontinued their controversial race-based programming.

Gilliard said the privileged are "called to relinquish privileges that can be divested as an act of loving obedience to God in sacrificial fellowship," in his book "Subversive Witness: Scripture's Call to Leverage Privilege."

"Subversive Witness" pushes Gillard's perspective on race relations and privilege. 

"Privilege is largely a social consequence of our unwillingness to reckon with and turn from sin," Gilliard said on his website. "In keeping with repentance for the sin of patriarchy, which I did not create but I do benefit from, I can bear kingdom fruit by discipling other men to dismantle patriarchy, leverage male privilege and discern how they, too, can produce fruit in keeping with repentance."

Leaked documents in 2021 showed the Army using the controversial race-based training of its staff and affiliates, asking white staff to consider repenting of the "sin" of racism, according to The Wall Street Journal. The diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts caused wide-spread criticism.

Kenny Xu, president of Color Us United, released a statement criticizing The Salvation Army for holding the event.

"We are seeing The Salvation Army put politics ahead of purpose and continuing to push their race-based programming that is divisive and counter-productive to uniting Americans behind charity," Xu said in his statement. "Despite the controversy ignited last year by The Salvation Army's controversial training, they appear to be doubling down on racial programming. Once again, we call on The Salvation Army to cease these policies."

Even ministers were concerned by the Army's controversial stance last Christmas season, Springfield Standard reported.

"It appears that the general public is losing confidence in them," Charles Arsenault, a retired senior pastor from Springfield, Missouri's Evangel Temple Christian Center told Springfield Standard. "Thus, they must revert back to their roots and reject the forces advocating racist, divisive materials and recommit to Christ centered theology."

A Rasmussen poll last December showed the public's negative view of The Salvation Army increased from 11% to 41% after being told of the organization's so-called "diversity, equity and inclusion" programs, according to the Washington Examiner. Among those who already had a favorable opinion of the organization, that number dropped by almost half from 81% to 41%.