The Salvation Army pushes back against criticism over allegations

The Salvation Army recently came under criticism for appearing to embrace certain tenets of critical race theory.

In response, Kenneth Hodder, national commander of the organization, posted a video accompanied by the caption “Kenny Xu’s War on Christmas and the Poor” on his Twitter account. The video features Hodder addressing the controversy surrounding a document titled “Let’s Talk About Racism.”

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Hodder began the video by elaborating on his interactions with Xu, president of Color Us United.

Kenny Xu’s War on Christmas and the Poor – A Response from Commissioner Kenneth Hodder, National Commander of The @SalvationArmyUS. pic.twitter.com/D4EhP4Tb3d

— Commissioner Kenneth G. Hodder (@natlcommander) December 19, 2021

“A couple of months ago, my wife and I hosted Kenny Xu and one of his colleagues from Color Us United at our national headquarters for lunch,” he said. “We knew they had questions about the Salvation Army, and we were happy to answer them. We shared some history outlining the Army’s beliefs, described its commitment to service and even talked a bit about the deep personal satisfaction that my wife and I have found in our 33 years of ministry. Above all, we made it clear that the Salvation Army has never been about politics; we are not on the left, and we are not on the right.”

Hodder lamented that Xu alleged in a “Wall Street Journal” op-ed that “an internal coalition of woke ideologues now endangers the organization’s representation.” Hodder defended “the work of ensuring equal opportunity and treatment within the Salvation Army” as “far too important not to be intentional about.”

“Color Us United has misrepresented a short-lived discussion guide in order to fabricate political claims and further its own agenda,” he said. “It’s wrong, and it’s reckless. We have never said that America is a racist country. We have never said that our donors should apologize for the color of their skin, and we have never endorsed a political or social ideology other than that found in the Bible.”

In addition, the ministry is also advertising on Christian radio, including Kansas City-based Bott Radio Network. In the ad, he says they do not endorse any social theory.

A poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports and RMG Research on behalf of Color Us United earlier this month revealed that the embrace of critical race theory has had a negative impact on the view of The Salvation Army among donors and members of the general public.

Specifically, the survey found that the charity’s favorability ratings dropped from 81 percent to 41 percent when respondents were informed about the “Let’s Talk About Racism” campaign. Thirty-two percent of those surveyed said the charity’s embrace of “Let’s Talk About Racism” made them less likely to donate.

–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice