Salvation Army drops racial content from website amid public pressure

The Salvation Army has dropped contentious racial material from its website following inquiry from a conservative activist group.

Last year, reports emerged that the religious organization had asked its white members to seek forgiveness for racism. Following public controversy the group backed off of that stance and claimed to have removed racial materials from its training manuals.

That material, however, remained on the website for up to ten months following that incident, before being taken down after an inquiry from Color Us United as to whether the group still adhered to that material, per North Carolina Business Daily. The Salvation Army then removed the remaining racial materials from its website.

"The Salvation Army left their racial content up on their website for ten months after last year's controversy — despite claims to have removed it from their curriculum. And only now it was removed in response to our public campaign. TSA (The Salvation Army) should be committed to become a race-blind organization that denounces the racist DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) program, not just hide web pages as a result of public exposure," Color Us United President Kenny Xu told the outlet.

Following the controversy, the Salvation Army saw its public image take a nosedive and it struggled to find volunteers for its Red Kettle campaign, known for its bell ringing representatives soliciting donations during the Christmas season.

The Salvation Army claims its materials and position was misrepresented, asserting that "[e]lements of the recently issued 'Let's Talk About Racism' guide led some to believe we think they should apologize for the color of their skin, or that The Salvation Army may have abandoned its Biblical beliefs for another philosophy or ideology. That was never our intention, so the guide has been withdrawn."

"The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church," the organization's website reads. "Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination."