The Language of Salvation in William Booth's In Darkest England

In many of his early writings and sermons William Booth employed similar language to John Wesley when teaching about Christian perfection. However, in In Darkest England and the Way Out, he changed this language. He bifurcated God's blessings for this world and the next, using the terms ‘Social Salvation’ and ‘Eternal Salvation’, and explained that Social Salvation did not require an internal transformation by the Holy Spirit. This article surveys the three primary reasons posited for this change and offers a fourth: Booth modified the language he used for salvation to elicit the best response from his intended audience.