War Cry 6 March 2021

‘Mould-breakers’ for International Women’s Day

WAR CRY

6 March 2021 20p/25c

Rebel with a cause High-school student campaigns against sexism in Netflix film

Seeking solutions for a painful condition

The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered 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 more than 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

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 7515

Editor: Andrew Stone, Major Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow Production Editor: Ivan Radford Assistant Editor: Sarah Olowofoyeku Staff Writer: Emily Bright Staff Writer: Claire Brine Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk Graphic Designer: Rodney Kingston Graphic Designer: Mark Knight 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 Helpline: 020 7367 4888 Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Editor-in-Chief: Major Mal Davies 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, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399.

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Your local Salvation Army centre

INFO 2 • WAR CRY • 6 March 2021

EDITOR From the editor’s desk

ON 19 March 1911, more than a million people took part in rallies in various countries, calling for women’s right to work, vote and receive training. A lot has changed around the world since the first International Women’s Day. In the UK, for example, suffrage arrived – for some – in 1918, and today women are entering higher education in greater numbers than men.

Even more has changed since the times described by Elaine Storkey in Women in a Patriarchal World, one of two books featured in this week’s War Cry that highlight contributions made to the world by women, famous or anonymous.

In an interview to mark International Women’s Day on Monday (8 March), Elaine talks about her study of ‘women in the Bible who faced particular challenges because of the male-dominant societies that they lived in’. She says: ‘On the whole, women were expected to be subordinate. I wanted to find women who broke the mould.’

She points out how women confronted rulers and showed that they were intellectually engaged. She thinks it significant that, at a time when women’s testimony did not always carry independent weight in court, the Bible candidly says that women were the first witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection.

Women heralded that world-changing event, and women inspired by it have continued to bring about change. Biographer Jane Robinson tells us how one such figure, Victorian social reformer Josephine Butler, drew on her Christian faith as she campaigned to stop human trafficking and to give girls access to higher education. Josephine’s faith, says Jane, ‘gave her a lot of confidence and kept her going. As she went forwards and broke new ground, she felt God was there, beckoning her.’

The world still needs to change. Famous or anonymous, we are all invited to play a part in making the world better for people of all genders and nationalities – but also to discover that, if we put our trust in God as we move into our future, he will give us the confidence and strength to keep going.

CONTENTS

What is The Salvation Army?

FEATURES 3

Class struggle High-school movie tells anti-sexism story

4

‘We need to talk about it’ Challenging the taboo around endometriosis

7

Not just a man’s world Theologian explores God’s ‘gutsy women’

10 Victorian’s values

Biographer on the life of Josephine Butler REGULARS 12

Team Talk

13

Keys of the Kingdom

14 Puzzles 15

4

War Cry Kitchen

7

Front-page picture: COLLEEN HAYES/NETFLIX ©2020

10

FILM Vivian produces a publication to get her views across

Emily Bright sees a student campaign for change in high-school drama

NETFLIX ©2020

a r d h e d e a i n n Z S

CHOOL’S back. But in the movie Moxie, now available on Netflix, it won’t be back to normal for long.

When 16-year-old Vivian Carter (Hadley Robinson) returns to Rockport High after the summer, she hears that rankings have already started for the awards list, compiled by students, which grades girls according to their sex appeal. She also looks on as female students cringe at the crass attentions of sporty male peers. But sexism is just something that girls have to tolerate, right? Wrong.

The arrival of new student Lucy Hernandez (Alycia Pascual-Peña) is set to shake everything up. When she rejects the advances of American football team captain Mitchell Wilson (Patrick Schwarzenegger), he harasses and intimidates her. She takes her concerns to the principal, but her complaints are swiftly dismissed.

Vivian tries to help Lucy, telling her just to ignore Mitchell. But Lucy shoots back: ‘Why should I have to ignore him? He’s dangerous.’ She instead vows to ‘keep hear head up high’.

Vivian is surprised by Lucy’s reaction.

But when the notorious student awards list is published once again, Vivian feels sick. She rushes home, determined to challenge the sexist status quo. She seeks inspiration from the feminist memorabilia of her mum, Lisa (Amy Poehler), who was an activist in her younger days.

As Vivian unpacks photo albums and other belongings from that time, she decides to create her own feminist zine for the school, giving it a name that means ‘energy’ and ‘spirit’: Moxie.

She prints 50 copies and deposits

them anonymously around the school. It quickly makes waves.

Her campaign gains momentum, causing students to re-evaluate their dress code, the school’s emphasis on male rather than female sporting achievement and the everyday sexism they encounter. Importantly, the movement empowers the students and gives them a voice.

Audiences may recognise in the film the kinds of issues that affect their own lives or those of their children – the kinds of issues that have been challenged in many ways over the years.

And any student of history knows that movements for social change in the real world have often made strides because of the activities of people who take to heart the words of one life-changing piece of literature. Working to end the

She challenges the sexist status quo

oppression of people, struggling for civil rights and pushing for everyone to be treated with respect, Christians have tried to live out the instruction of God in the Bible: ‘Learn to do good.

Seek justice. Help the oppressed’ (Isaiah 1:17 New Living Translation).

Those words have caused them to re-evaluate their own attitudes and actions. They have come to recognise that God wants all people everywhere to live full lives. They see that they should try to love others with the same enduring love that he has for humankind. They also know that he is willing to forgive them when they get things very wrong.

God wants the world to be marked by peace rather than discord, respect rather than cold self-centredness and love rather than hatred. His Spirit is still inspiring people to work to change things for the better.

It’s a truth definitely worthy of further study.

COLLEEN HAYES/NETFLIX ©2020

Vivian with mum Lisa, who inspires her to take action 6 March 2021 • WAR CRY • 3

Breaking the cycle of suffering To mark Endometriosis Awareness Month, Sarah Olowofoyeku speaks with YASMIN HENLON and FIFE COKER to learn about the gynaecological condition

Yasmin Henlon

E

VERYONE knows somebody who has them. Some 800 million people worldwide experience them every month, and they’re part of human nature.

But people don’t often talk about periods, which means that one condition, usually associated with a woman’s monthly cycle, can seem to be taboo – endometriosis.

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month. The campaign seeks to raise the profile of the condition, which affects 1 in 10 women of reproductive age in the UK. Yasmin Henlon is studying for her PhD in endometriosis at the University of Warwick.

She explains the biology behind the disorder.

‘It’s a gynaecological condition, where the cells in a woman’s body that would normally be growing on the uterine lining find themselves on the outside of that lining.

They are called lesions, and they cause a lot

4 • WAR CRY • 6 March 2021

Fife Coker of pain and discomfort.’

Because endometriosis is often regarded as a taboo subject, many women with it are not able to vocalise their pain. Yasmin says one of the main reasons they cannot is that the condition is a ‘women’s issue and there’s the idea that we shouldn’t be talking about it openly’.

She says: ‘Women often suffer in silence.

And even when they do speak up, quite often it’s dismissed as normal period pain.

That’s why it takes so long for endometriosis to get diagnosed – around 6 to 11 years.’

Another reason for slow diagnosis is that the pain a woman experiences can be attributed to a number of gynaecological issues.

‘It can take a while to rule out other conditions,’ Yasmin says. ‘Also, for some women, the pain isn’t experienced when they’re on their period, but comes on when

INTERVIEW

LIBRARY PICTURE POSED BY MODEL

I’ve had bad periods since I started at the age of 13 they go to the toilet or during sex. It differs from patient to patient. Then the only way to diagnose endometriosis is to carry out an invasive surgical procedure called a laparoscopy, which will enable the surgeons to see the lesions.’

As part of her research, Yasmin is trying to find an alternative method of diagnosis.

‘Our immune systems clear away pathogens, cells and dying tissues. So I’m looking at how the immune system might not be working properly in people who have endometriosis, which would allow the lesions to grow. I’m looking at a specific cell, and using a technology called RNA frequencing to find out what’s going wrong with it.’

When Yasmin looks at the cell, she is searching for a possible biomarker – an indicator of disease – and seeing if a simple blood test can show decreased

or increased levels of that marker, which could indicate the presence of endometriosis.

E

ven though there is no curative treatment for the condition, a diagnosis can be a positive for women who have gone through years of pain. It was a relief for Fife Coker from London, when, 12 years after her first period, she was told that she had endometriosis.

‘I’ve always had bad periods,’ she tells me, ‘literally since the first day I started at the age of 13. I went to the doctors, and they offered me medicine, but my mum, who worked in healthcare, said I shouldn’t take it, because it was medication for people with fibroids, and she was worried about what taking it every month from that age could do to me. So I managed

the pain with ibuprofen. I used to throw up and have really bad cramps. My flow would be heavy and the period would last a week. In secondary school, I would always have to take the day off on the first day of my period.’

Fife went years managing her period with painkillers.

‘I got used to it,’ she says. ‘I just thought that was how it was. I was vocal.

My friends and family all knew I had bad period pains, but I didn’t think to explore further why it was happening.’

When she was struggling with pain, her Christian faith helped her.

‘I was always prayerful,’ she says. ‘I would also lament a bit, asking “why me?”

But I was comforted by the fact that my experience wasn’t a surprise to God. It

Turn to page 6

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6 March 2021 • WAR CRY • 5

INTERVIEW From page 5 was unfortunate, but I knew that God was present and I could speak to him about it.’

When Fife was 25, however, she discovered another symptom and felt she needed to seek help.

‘I got married and I realised that sex was painful,’ she says. ‘Initially I thought it was because I was a virgin, but after a few months I went to the doctor’s. That was one of the larger trials in life for me.

Whereas my period had been only affecting me, the symptoms were now affecting my husband and my marriage. My husband was really understanding, but it was still difficult. I did feel angry with God then, but I knew he wasn’t blind to my suffering.’

Fife was told that, as she had always had bad periods, this additional symptom meant she most likely had endometriosis.

‘To be 100 per cent sure, they said they needed to do surgery,’ she says, ‘but I didn’t want to have that. They said they were 95 per cent sure, so I accepted that.

‘Part of me felt relief. It was like, “OK, I wasn’t crazy this whole time.”

Even though there is no cure, getting confirmation was helpful because I was sure of what it was and then I could look for ways to manage it.’

After her diagnosis, Fife did further research and made some changes to her lifestyle.

‘I’ve found that eating a lot more plant-based food and cutting out meat and dairy has helped me,’ she says. ‘My periods are shorter, the flow is lighter and I don’t need to take ibuprofen. I also use organic pads now. So, although there is still some endometriosis, the symptoms have decreased.’

Fife advises women who are experiencing pain to visit their GP. ‘People see bad period pains as common, but there aren’t many issues where someone is in pain once a month and we just carry on as normal.

It’s important to push the GP to investigate further.

‘Though I didn’t go through the conventional medicine route, it might work for others. They might want surgery to remove the lining, or to go on the pill but, unless you get

the diagnosis, neither will be offered to you.’

Yasmin says that awareness is important because ‘everyone will know someone – whether we’re aware of it or not – who is suffering from endometriosis.

For women who have the condition, it makes a difference when they are believed and validated in what they’re feeling. It’s helpful to have an understanding of the condition so that we can be empathetic to those who are suffering.

‘Women are having to take time off work or school because of their symptoms, so employers and teachers need to be aware. The more we talk about it and educate people, the less of a taboo subject it will become.’

I knew I could speak to God about it

6 • WAR CRY • 6 March 2021

INTERVIEW

‘THEY SHOWED ’ BRAVERY

Ahead of International Women’s Day on Monday (8 March), ELAINE STORKEY tells Emily Bright about women in the Bible who were empowered by faith

P

REVENTING the mass murder of babies, witnessing the resurrection of Jesus and speaking truth to power are just some of the ways in which women play a pivotal role in the Bible, according to Elaine Storkey, who explores 25 such figures in her book Women in a Patriarchal World.

‘My theme was women in the Bible who faced particular challenges because of the male-dominant societies that they lived in,’ the theologian tells me.

‘On the whole, women were expected to be subordinate. I wanted to find women who broke the mould and came out triumphant.

‘There’s an idea that the Bible only ever interprets things through male eyes and, therefore, speaks for God in saying that women should be, and are, inferior and subordinate. I think that’s untrue. Although it was written in a male-dominant society, and some of that is reflected in it, the Bible gives a different vision for women.’

The Bible tells the story of ‘ordinary, gutsy women’, says Elaine.

‘They showed significant bravery,

courage and independence and made a huge difference. We forget that there were women leaders throughout the Bible, including some in the military. Clearly women did have some clout. They had authority, and people listened and did what they said.’

As examples of bravery, Elaine points to midwives Shiphrah and Puah. The Book of Exodus tells how they helped stop the killing of Hebrew baby boys in Egypt that had been ordered by the pharaoh.

‘Standing up to an Egyptian pharaoh took some doing,’ Elaine explains. ‘But they were intelligent and cunning. They told the pharaoh that they could not kill the babies, because Hebrew women gave birth too quickly. It was totally ridiculous, but it got them off the hook.’

Elaine notes that the source of such stories is important.

‘Although the Bible was written by men, it’s a woman’s story too. That’s especially the case in the New Testament, because in some stories there’s only Jesus and a

Although the Bible was written by men, it’s a woman’s story too

Elaine Storkey

woman present. That in itself is significant.’

Elaine describes how, in such New Testament stories, Jesus displayed great kindness towards women, including outcasts and the most vulnerable.

‘Jesus was at the Temple, watching the offering being given,’ she says. ‘There was a widow who had almost nothing to give, but she gave whatever she could. And Jesus used her gift to show up the hypocrisy of the Temple system, which was not looking

Turn to page 8

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6 March 2021 • WAR CRY • 7

From page 7 after the poor, the needy and the widows.

Compassion swept over him. Jesus often saw to the very heart of what was going on.

‘Also, when Jesus encountered a woman with menstrual problems, he didn’t kick her away for making him unclean – which she was, according to religious laws. He just said, “Go in peace” and affirmed her for breaking the law, saying: “Your faith has made you whole.” That’s remarkable. He is so empathetic and compassionate towards women.’

Jesus also tackled other taboos, such as meeting a woman who was shamed by her community for being divorced many times and living with a man outside of marriage.

‘I love that encounter of Jesus with the woman at the well,’ remarks Elaine.

‘We often read it quite wrongly, thinking that she was a sex-crazed woman who had had five husbands, and was living in sin with somebody else. But, in fact, women couldn’t divorce their husbands in those days; they were the ones who were divorced.

‘The whole conversation is interesting, because Jesus doesn’t treat her as a discarded woman who is now living in

8 • WAR CRY • 6 March 2021

sin. He treats her as somebody who has an intelligent and inquiring mind and who wants to have a relationship with God. ‘She recognises who Jesus is and becomes one of the first evangelists.’

Elaine explains that perhaps the most remarkable example of God’s empowerment of women is that they were the first witnesses to the Resurrection.

‘The way in which Jesus breaks all the legal rules about women’s testimonies is wonderful,’ she says. ‘In that culture, a woman’s word wasn’t always accepted in court unless it was supported by another source. God takes the huge risk of allowing women to be the first witnesses to the Resurrection.’

These biblical stories are personally significant for Elaine, who is herself a woman of faith.

‘I’d always been a churchgoer,’ she recalls. ‘But it wasn’t until my mid-teens that I heard the gospel about repentance and forgiveness clearly for the first time. At the age of 16, I became a Christian.

‘When I went to university, I studied some of the best philosophical thinkers in history while trying to retain my faith. I had a very long period of doubt which was, looking back on it, important for me.

‘God brought me through it, and my faith was much stronger and richer at the other end. I was far more aware of his love, but also far more aware of his truth, than I had been before.’

She reflects on the key characteristics of the God she believes in.

‘I’ve wrestled with the Scriptures all my life, and the God I’ve got to know is one of overwhelming compassion and love.

That comes out through the women’s stories, where you see that God hears their distress and intervenes, but also empowers them.

‘Throughout the Scriptures, God has compassion on those who are suffering injustice, and Jesus suffers injustice with phoney trials and going to the cross. God submits himself to the process of injustice to show us that there is victory at the other end, that Christ comes out triumphant.’

Elaine hopes that her book will provide an insight into what the Christian faith represents, and that readers will take away the notion that the Bible is a good read.

‘I want them to realise that you can soak yourself in the Gospels and get an awful lot out of them,’ she says. ‘It’s easier to read the Gospels, the narratives of Jesus and his encounters, than almost any other

INTERVIEW

These are very ordinary people that we might meet ourselves part of the Bible. The Bible is talking about real people. These aren’t myths. These are very ordinary people that we might meet ourselves.

‘These people existed, and they were all empowered by God. Their lives only made sense in the context that God is real, here and with us.

Our lives can make more sense when we realise that God exists.’ l Women in a Patriarchal World is published

by SPCK

6 March 2021 • WAR CRY • 9

Victorian social re faith in feminism RICHARD JAMES

In a new biography, JANE ROBINSON has described how Christianity inspired Josephine Butler to stand up for women. She talks to Claire Brine about the social reformer who ‘wanted women to have a voice and be respected’

‘W

HEREVER she was, Josephine Butler dedicated her life to the wellbeing of women less fortunate than her,’ says Jane Robinson, a social historian and author of Josephine Butler: A Very Brief History. ‘As a social reformer living in Victorian England, she was appalled by the sexual double standards that she saw in society and wanted to change attitudes. She wanted women to have a voice and be respected. In a world where she couldn’t understand the injustice around her, she felt it was her Christian duty to be a conduit of God’s love.’

Born in Northumberland in 1828, Josephine grew up in a middle-class family that expressed a strong interest in social welfare. After being encouraged by her parents to read extensively and discuss political topics, Josephine developed a passion for challenging injustice.

She began campaigning for women’s reforms were distasteful to many higher education and supported Victorians,’ says Jane. ‘For a woman to the Married Women’s Property Act, speak in public was scandalous. But for which allowed a wife to hold her own a woman to campaign for better rights investments independently of her for prostitutes went beyond the pale. The husband. She befriended prostitutes, newspapers at the time called Josephine taking them into her home and opening a “pedlar of filth” and morally corrupt. hostels for them. She signed the first ‘One of Josephine’s major campaigns petition that sought to give women the was to repeal the Contagious Diseases right to vote. She campaigned to end the Acts. In 1864, parliament had passed a bill trafficking of girls. which attempted to contain the spreading ‘Often the subjects of Josephine’s of sexually transmitted diseases. It meant

Josephine invited the public to meetings about the Contagious Diseases Acts 10 • WAR CRY • 6 March 2021

Jane Robinson that women who were believed to be working as prostitutes in specified army camps and naval bases could be forcibly apprehended and internally examined.

Josephine called the examination “steel rape”. It was barbaric. If women were found to have a sexual disease, they could be incarcerated for up to three months in a lock hospital, which was no better than prison.

‘Josephine felt horrified at the hypocrisy of this act, because men who had STDs were not sanctioned in any way. Also, some of the women who were apprehended were completely innocent.

But because women had no rights, they couldn’t appeal or go to trial by jury. They were victims.’

Once Josephine began campaigning to bring an end to the Contagious Diseases Acts, her listeners discovered that she was a great public speaker. She was also a gifted writer, publishing books, pamphlets and papers that set out her points of view.

‘Josephine used persuasion, her femininity and personal charm to gain publicity and win people over,’ says Jane. ‘Her Christian faith gave her a lot of confidence and kept her going. As she went forwards and broke new ground, she felt God was there, beckoning her in the distance.’

While Josephine’s activism was inspired by the faith she had developed in childhood, her relationship with God was not easy. After her young daughter died in

eformer showed

INTERVIEW

ALAMY

Josephine Butler

a tragic accident, she struggled to cope.

‘In the end, Josephine’s unhappiness was what fired up her desire to help other unhappy women,’ says Jane.

‘She wanted to find people even more miserable than she was, so she could stand with them in solidarity. She also knew that the oppression of women was at the heart of a lot of other kinds of oppression, and so campaigning screamed at her as being the right thing to do.’

As Josephine befriended and helped vulnerable women, she told them about the love of God. ‘She wasn’t trying to collect converts,’ explains Jane, ‘but she wanted to spread

the joy that she knew was possible from having a personal relationship with God. She told the women she met that he knew their troubles and could change their lives.’

Jane assesses Josephine’s own relationship with God as complex.

‘She wrote about him as a loving Father and the font of forgiveness, but sometimes she felt angry and frustrated. I think she was challenged by God as well as supported and succoured by him.’

Nearly 200 years have passed since Josephine’s birth – and in some parts of the world, a great deal of progress has been made when it comes to establishing gender equality. But, says Jane, there are

Her unhappiness fired her up

still ‘dark corners of society’ which many people avoid.

‘Josephine was brave enough to go to those places and shine a light on them.

She leaves a legacy for us to stand up for our beliefs – not by shaking our fists and shouting, but by doing something practical.’

l Josephine Butler: A Very Brief History is published

by SPCK

6 March 2021 • WAR CRY • 11

EXPLORE

Prayerlink YOUR prayers are requested for Joyce, who lives on her own and is suffering from anxiety.

The War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the first names of individuals and details of their ­circumstances, for publication. Send your Prayerlink requests to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk or to War Cry, 101 Newington Causeway, Lon­don SE1 6BN. Mark your correspondence ‘Confidential’.

j

Becoming a Christian

There is no set formula to becoming a Christian, but many people have found saying this prayer to be a helpful first step to a relationship with God

Lord Jesus Christ, I am truly sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Please forgive me. I now turn from everything that I know is wrong.

Thank you that you died on the cross for me so that I could be forgiven and set free.

talk ‘ ’ Team talk TEAM TALK This is a teaching moment

Claire Brine gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters

‘ALL the evidence shows that classrooms are the best places for our young people to be,’ said Boris Johnson, as he announced in the House of Commons that schools in England would be reopening on 8 March. As some children in England and in Northern Ireland prepare to dust off their school bags ready for Monday morning, many teachers in Scotland and Wales have already welcomed children back. So is the subject of ‘home learning in a global pandemic’ about to be consigned to the history books?

In an article in teachers’ magazine Tes, James Williams, senior lecturer in education at the University of Sussex, reflected on the months of school closures, saying he’d noticed that the media were presenting a ‘worrying narrative’ of ‘lost learning’. He suggested: ‘Rather than running around like headless chickens, bemoaning what’s been lost this past year, let’s plan to find out what learning has taken place.’

He makes a strong point. Yes, home learning has had its difficulties. Yes, children may be returning to school with some gaps in their curriculum-based education. But, says James, being at home gave many children ‘more free time to explore arts and crafts, music and any number of life skills, from baking to improving their IT abilities.

We need to talk about all these things they have gained, and not just focus on what’s been “lost”.’

I suppose it’s all too easy to list the many things we have lost or lacked over the past year. We have lived through painful experiences and uncontrollable situations. None of that should be dismissed.

But, alongside our losses, is it possible that we have gained something? My friends believe so. One tells me she has cultivated stronger relationships with her family. Another has discovered that being alone can be enjoyable rather than lonely. Others add that they are grateful for more time for hobbies and better sleep.

As the UK embarks on following its road maps out of lockdown, I hope we don’t feel as if we have lost everything somewhere along the way. If we also look for what we have gained, we may learn something.

Is it possible that we have gained something?

Thank you that you offer me forgiveness and the gift of your Holy Spirit.

Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit to be with me for ever.

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Amen

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a

War Cry 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN

Basic reading about Christianity Information about The Salvation Army

Looking for help?

Contact details of a Salvation Army minister Name Address Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International

Or email your details and request to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk 12 • WAR CRY • 6 March 2021

EXPRESSIONS

Q

QUICK QUIZ 1

2

Which artist is featured on the back of the Bank of England £20 note?

What colour is the dragon on the Welsh flag?

A 4

5

6

Which children’s author created Paddington Bear?

‘Love Story’ and ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ have been hits for which American singer?

Which celebrity won the TV competition Strictly Come Dancing last year?

In English usage, which French term, literally translated as ‘false step’, means an embarrassing remark or action made in a social situation?

ANSWERS

1. JMW Turner. 2. Red. 3. Michael Bond.

4. Taylor Swift. 5. Bill Bailey. 6. Faux pas.

3

In this occasional series, Nigel Bovey unlocks the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven, which Jesus speaks to his disciples about in Matthew’s Gospel

Parables throw light on mysteries M

UCH of Jesus’ teaching focuses on the Kingdom of Heaven, a realm which, he said, was not only near in place and time – about the here and now – but also spiritual and eternal. To explain this ‘other world’ to his hearers, Jesus frequently used parables, according to Gospel writer Matthew.

In the general sense, a parable is a story, which is set in the everyday world and illustrates a moral or spiritual lesson.

Translated from the Greek word parabole, which literally means ‘beside throw’, a parable places ideas together and then invites the reader or listener to work out the spiritual significance. Not every detail of a parable has spiritual meaning; it is the overall narrative that reveals the truth.

Jesus links ‘parables’ with ‘mysteries’, saying: ‘It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven’ (Matthew 13:11 King James Bible).

The Greek word used, musterion, does not mean ‘mystery’ as in a bewildering ‘complete and utter mystery’ or a whodunnit.

The mysteries of the Kingdom are not an enigmatic code embedded within ancient The story biblical manuscripts. Nor are they a case of is set in the God withholding information.

The ‘mysteries of the Kingdom’ are everyday knowledge and insights that God reveals. world They are the truth about spiritual realities which, living in a material and materialistic world, humankind is often too self-centred to consider.

The mysteries are open secrets that God is willing to reveal to those who, in the words of Jesus, ‘ask … seek and … knock’ (Matthew 7:7 New International Version).

Jesus mentions ‘mysteries’ after the disciples ask him why he is teaching the crowds in parables. Although the disciples do not know everything about the Kingdom, God has revealed enough about Jesus to them that they have left their jobs to follow him.

In his reply, Jesus explains that, whereas God has revealed some of the mysteries of the Kingdom to them, the crowds need help in reaching that stage – hence the parables.

6 March 2021 • WAR CRY • 13

CROSSWORD CROSSWORD

PUZZLES

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Pitcher (4) 3. Donkey (3) 5. Platform (4) 7. Partner (9) 9. Vow (4) 10. Spindle (4) 11. Drain (5) 14. Blossom (5) 15. Scent (5) 17. Inactive (5) 18. Stain (5) 19. Elected (5) 20. Rambler (5) 23. Intellect (4) 25. Froth (4)

27. Privacy (9) 28. Standard (4) 29. Aged (3) 30. Silent (4)

DOWN 1. Resound (4) 2. Dash (4) 3. Over (5) 4. Grin (5) 5. Information (4) 6. Rational (4) 7. Very cruel (9)

8. Act of obtaining by force (9) 11. Metalworker (5) 12. Ruin (5) 13. Helicopter part (5) 14. Nevertheless (3) 16. Metal bar (3) 21. Snow-hut (5) 22. Assuaged (5) 23. Midday (4) 24. Appear (4) 25. Shape (4) 26. Female horse (4)

SUDOKU

Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9

HONEYCOMB HONEYCOMB

6 2 4 2 9 8 6 5 1 2 9 4 7 1 9 1 1 6 2 4 9 7 4 3 2 1 5 7 7 8 3

Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number

ANSWERS QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. Ewer. 3. Ass. 5. Dais. 7. Associate. 9. Oath.

10. Axle. 11. Sewer. 14. Bloom.

15. Odour. 17. Inert. 18. Taint.

19. Opted. 20. Hiker. 23. Nous.

25. Foam. 27. Seclusion.

28. Norm. 29. Old. 30. Mute.

DOWN: 1. Echo. 2. Rush. 3. Above.

4. Smile. 5. Data. 6. Sane. 7. Atrocious.

8. Extortion. 11. Smith. 12. Wreck.

13. Rotor. 14. But. 16. Rod. 21. Igloo.

22. Eased. 23. Noon. 24. Seem.

25. Form. 26. Mare.

HONEYCOMB 1. Uplift. 2. Window. 3. Awaken.

4. Quench. 5. Avenue. 6. Battle.

1 7 6 2 5 8 9 3 4

8 2 4 3 9 1 5 6 7

5 9 3 4 7 6 1 2 8

7 8 1 5 4 2 6 9 3

9 4 2 6 1 3 7 8 5

6 3 5 7 8 9 4 1 2

2 6 7 1 3 4 8 5 9

4 1 8 9 2 5 3 7 6

3 5 9 8 6 7 2 4 1

SUDOKU SOLUTION

WORDSEARCH CALL THE MIDWIFE DOC MARTIN

DOWNTON ABBEY ENDEAVOUR

FOYLE’S WAR

GRANTCHESTER KILLING EVE

LINE OF DUTY MARCELLA

NOUGHTS AND CROSSES

PEAKY BLINDERS POLDARK VERA

VICTORIA

YEARS AND YEARS

9 3

2 7 8 3

14 • WAR CRY • 6 March 2021

ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH

1. Raise 2. Glass opening 3. Stop sleeping 4. Satisfy thirst 5. Broad path 6. Lengthy fight

1 Look 8 up, 5 down, 7 9forwards, 6 2 backwards 4 3 and diagonally on the grid to find 7 these 2 9 8 4 3 6 1 5 TV dramas 6 4 3 1 2 5 7 8 9 W P B U V 2J E B Q U N U Q T 3 4 5 6 7 1 Y Q X D 9 8 Q Q N Q Z I C N K M I K Y R P H Y C 5 9 7 4 1 8 3 2 6 D P D A K O D D D K T Z R V G Y Y N Q B D V Q T U Z V E R G L A T C V X 8 1 6 2 3 9 4 5 7 D D W H G N N I A D A O D U D A Q N 9 5 L B P M V D P Y L Y F 1 6 7 4 8 3 2 E D Y W S G L V K O S G R G A U B C F O Y E 3 6 2 9 8 1 5 7L O Z 4 E E W W G A E N J T O X J U A T X P 4 7 8 3 5 2 9 6 1 G L O N N N Z D M E D L M F R H Y Z

N O U G H T S A N D C R O S S E S B I P M A J C O I Z I G Y R H A M G L L L G I R H L N M R L C V G N I Z O L M A R C E L L A E E B Z N D D P Q I C Q O A S V P S B D Z Y D Y W G P K P P T R T V W Z Y B E U K E I J K H D N C C E A J D S N E C I A F F Q M X T I Z R A T H J L Z Y Y R E C W H C A V C Z L L R Z P A F J S Q P H

1 6 2 4 7 4 1 5 7

D Ham hock and kale hash Ingredients

Method

1tsp grainy mustard

To make the sauce, mix the mustards and water in a small bowl. Set aside.

1tsp Dijon mustard 1tbsp water 400g Charlotte salad potatoes, halved Salt and black pepper ½ onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, chopped 1 sprig rosemary, needles removed and finely chopped 80g kale, stalks removed and shredded SERVES

2

100g cooked ham hock, shredded 50g medium hard cheese, grated

Tuscan potatoes with pork loin steaks and pancetta Ingredients

Method

2 medium Desiree potatoes

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5.

4 pancetta slices 2 pork loin steaks 1 lemon, zest 1tsp dried sage Salt and milled pepper 1tbsp olive oil 5 baby plum tomatoes, halved

Cook the potatoes in boiled salted water. Allow to cool, then cut into cubes. Season well.

Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. Slide in the potatoes, spread them across the pan and leave for 5 minutes until crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Reduce to a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and rosemary.

Cook for 4 minutes until softened. Mix in the kale and continue cooking for a further 5 minutes. Add the ham and return the potatoes to the pan.

Raise the temperature back up to high. When the pan is hot, pour in the mustard sauce and add the cheese. Toss to coat everything. As soon as the liquid has evaporated, turn the heat off and serve.

Slice the potatoes into 1cm pieces. Place in a pan of salted boiling water. Cook for 3 minutes, drain and leave to cool.

Take 2 slices of the pancetta and lay them side by side. Place one of the pork steaks in the middle and wrap the pancetta round it. Repeat with the remaining pancetta and pork steak.

Lay the potatoes on a non-stick baking tray, sprinkle with the lemon zest and scatter over the sage. Season well. Place the steaks on top, drizzle with the olive oil and add the tomatoes. Bake for 20 minutes, until the pork is cooked through and the potatoes have slightly crisped round the edges.

Serve with vegetables of your choice.

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board website lovepotatoes.co.uk

SERVES

2

6 March 2021 • WAR CRY • 15

Our goodness derives

not from our capacity to think but to love Teresa of Ávila

WAR CRY