The Salvation Army  Lehigh Valley, PA

The symbolism of The Salvation Army Crest is:

--The round figure 'the sun' represents the light and fire of the Holy Spirit

--The cross in the center represents the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ

--The letter 'S' stands for Salvation

--The swords represent the warfare of salvation

--The shots represent the truths of the Gospel

--The crown represents the thorn of glory, which God will give to all his soldiers who are faithful to the end

These explanations go back to the 1900 editions of The Salvation Army's Orders And Regulations for Field Officers, which is the earliest description of the crest found. Although the explanations have not changed, the details of the design have varied considerably through the years, and from country to country.

The number of shots varies from five in the earliest examples, up to ten or more. Seven did not become standard until around 1910. From all research it is concluded that the number of shots is not significant, any more than the number of rays on the sun, or whether the stars on the crown have three, four or five points.