2 COMMENT AND CONTENTS • WAR CRY • 6 April 2019
What is The Salvation Army? The Salvation Army is a church and charity providing services in the community, particularly to those who are vulnerable and marginalised. Motivated by our Christian faith, we offer practical support and services in over 700 centres throughout the UK to all who need them, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. To find your nearest centre visit salvationarmy.org.uk/find-a-church
From the editor’s desk TV VICARS are comedy gold. Sitcom and screenplay writers have found that members of the clergy make great comic characters and can even provide the lead role, as demonstrated by programmes such as The Vicar of Dibley, Father Ted and Rev. Last month, Rowan Atkinson reprised his role as the bumbling, tongue-tied cleric in the Comic Relief sequel to Four Weddings and a Funeral, while in BBC Three’s sitcom Fleabag the main character, Phoebe, became comically entangled with a Roman Catholic priest. While certainly managing to raise plenty of laughs – and, in Rowan Atkinson’s case, several million pounds for charity – these characterisations do not accurately depict the experiences of clergy, who are often found at the sharp end of life, helping people in the grip of poverty, addiction and grief. Sean Bean’s Father Michael Kerrigan in the 2017 BBC One drama Broken gave a better depiction of the issues ministers of religion regularly face. Captain Annemarie Gifford is far from the comedic stereotype. In this week’s War Cry, the affable Annemarie speaks candidly about her ministry to individuals within the sex industry. In her interview she describes how she has offered care to people who are often looked down on and written off by wider society. Annemarie is inspired by her Christian faith. ‘We are no better than the people we serve,’ she says. ‘Jesus Christ sees every person … as a brother or a sister to him … We want to offer people a space in which they can meet their potential in God.’ Whatever our perception of a person may be – whether bungling vicar, shady individual in the sex industry or some other negative stereotype – everyone is of worth and has potential. We need more people like Annemarie who are willing to act on that truth to help others realise how valuable and precious they are. And that’s no joke.
What is the War Cry? The Salvation Army first published a newspaper called the War Cry in London in December 1879, and we have continued to appear every week since then. Our name refers to our battle for people’s hearts and souls as we promote the positive impact of the Christian faith and The Salvation Army’s fight for greater social justice.
WAR CRY Issue No 7417
Editor: Andrew Stone, Major Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow Production Editor: Stephen Pearson Assistant Editor: Claire Brine Assistant Editor: Sarah Olowofoyeku Staff Writer: Emily Bright Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk Graphic Designer: Rodney Kingston Graphic Designer: Mark Knight War Cry office: 020 7367 4900 Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army UK Territory with the Republic of Ireland 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN Tel: 0845 634 0101
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Helpline: 020 7367 4888 Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@sp-s.co.uk Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill
Published weekly by The Salvation Army ©The Salvation Army United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland ISSN 0043-0226 The Salvation Army Trust is a registered charity. The charity number in England and Wales is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399. Printed by Walstead Grange Ltd, Southwick, on sustainably sourced paper
Your local Salvation Army centre
FEATURES 3
Power play Film introduces new superhero
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Stepping out in the red-light district Team cares for the people society does not love
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8 Faith-full thinking Neuropsychologist on the brain’s spiritual networks REGULARS 4
News and media
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Browsing the Bible
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Now, there’s a thought!
14 Puzzles 15
What’s cooking? Front-page picture: STEVE WILKIE/DC Comics
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