War Cry 9 November

9 November 2019 20p/25c

AN EYE FOR AN EYE? Examining the violence in the Bible

A DIFFERENT KIND OF DAY A date to show kindness

‘An anthem for peace’ AUTHOR MICHAEL MORPURGO ON THE LEGACY OF WAR HORSE

What is The Salvation Army?

2 COMMENT AND CONTENTS • WAR CRY • 9 November 2019

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

From the editor’s desk MOST schoolchildren who have studied 20th-century history will know that it was at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when the First World War came to an end. It is why much of the nation will pause for two minutes at 11 am on Monday in remembrance of men and women who have served in the armed forces, particularly those who have lost their lives.

This year is the 100th anniversary of the first Armistice Day. Much has changed within our society over that century. For example, those who stood silently in 1919 could not have imagined a world where most adults have a mobile phone and, through its internet connection, access to the wider world.

This year the Royal British Legion is urging people to take a ‘digital pause to remember’ on Monday. Its campaign encourages everyone to take a two-minute break from their mobile devices to reflect on what the day means.

In this week’s War Cry, we turn the clock back more than 100 years via an interview with Michael Morpurgo, author of War Horse. Michael describes how his novel, which is set in the First World War, was inspired by the experiences of a Great War veteran he met in his village pub.

‘I thought it was important that I shared his story, so people would know what had happened,’ he tells us.

Michael also reveals that his Second World War book In the Mouth of the Wolf was based on the tragic experiences of his own uncles in that conflict.

‘There are some stories which last and echo down the generations,’ he reflects.

Michael is right. There are stories of events that merit being told and remembered – particularly when they include acts of selflessness and sacrifice.

It is why in the coming days, we should all be pausing and reflecting on those who have risked and given their lives for us.

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.

SINCE 1879

140 YEARS

OF THE WAR CRY Issue No 7448

Editor: Andrew Stone, Major Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow Production Editor: Ivan Radford 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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The charity number in England and Wales is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399.

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FEATURES 3

Digital warriors Web users discover what their wartime role may have been

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Kind regards A day for generous acts

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A force for good How should we view violence in the Bible?

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Maximum horse power Author talks about the impact of War Horse

REGULARS 4

News and Media

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Browsing the Bible

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Book Review

14 Puzzles 15

War Cry Kitchen Front-page picture: Brinkhoff & Mogenburg

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MARK KNIGHT

9 November 2019 • WAR CRY • FEATURE 3

Logging on to the past W

HAT might you have done during the First World War? BBC Rewind – the corporation’s archive project – has relaunched its digital experience, which takes users on ‘an interactive personalised journey through World War One’.

The Armistice Day pages ask a series of questions and, with each click, people can learn more about various aspects of the war. They are brought to life through clips from the BBC archive that feature soldiers who served in the war and their loved ones.

The first question is geographical. After selecting the region of the UK that they were most likely to serve in, users can learn information specific to it.

Those who may have served in the Midlands will be able to hear the story of the egg collectors, who were under pressure to collect eggs locally that would be sent to feed the wounded soldiers at the front. One million eggs were needed each week.

Anyone who selects the Scotland, Northern Isles and Hebrides region will learn about the ‘Gretna girls’ or the ‘munitionettes’, the female workforce that produced munitions. They worked at HM Factory Gretna. At the time, it was the world’s biggest munitions factory, with its own independent transport network, power source and water supply.

The next question asks whether the user would have served at home or away. Service away included caring for the wounded as a nurse, maid or cook, or serving in the British Army, the Royal Navy or the Royal Air Force.

At home, contributions to the war effort could have been producing munitions or working the land. But there were also conscientious objectors who refused to fight because

Sarah Olowofoyeku reports on the interactive website that takes users back in time of their pacifist, political or religious beliefs. They were often mocked and shamed, and almost 6,000 of them were sent to prison.

Whatever a person did in the war, the clips and information from the BBC archive make it clear that it was tough for everyone. Families at home grieved as thousands died in the fighting. Many sacrifices had to be made.

Men and boys from Britain and its empire left the lives that they knew to go into the unknown. But, despite the harsh conditions, men continued to fight. And In the war, many many of those on the front lines ended up sacrifices had to making the ultimate be made sacrifice by giving up their lives in the conflict.

Historian Vanda Wilcox suggests what may have been behind the soldiers’ resilience and willingness to continue fighting, writing that ‘men were motivated above all by comradeship as they fought alongside friends and companions’.

Willingly putting oneself in danger or making a sacrifice is never easy, but a motivation can be powerful. Before giving up his own life for the sake of humanity, Jesus said: ‘Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends’ (John 15:13 New International Version).

Jesus’ sacrifice made a way for us all to experience a friendship with him. His resurrection has given hope to many people in the past – and can assure us that, whatever battles we feel we are fighting, there is someone who will stand by us.

4 NEWS AND MEDIA • WAR CRY • 9 November 2019

NICK FREY/MAF

Archbishop flies in to see ebola treatment and screening facilities

Justin Welby with MAF pilot Nick Frey

THE Archbishop of Canterbury flew into an ebola-affected region to witness efforts to combat the disease.

The Most Rev Justin Welby took the co-pilot seat of an aircraft with the Christian organisation Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), landing in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In Beni and Butembo he toured hospitals that have been transformed into ebola treatment facilities. The sites have quarantine units, screening centres and bloodtesting tents that have been set up to fight the disease.

Throughout the ebola crisis, MAF has transported thousands of vaccines and flown boxes of scrubs, gloves and oxygen tanks into remote areas.

© Historic England/Double Take Projections

Peace and reconciliation light up cathedral THE ruins of Coventry’s medieval cathedral, which was destroyed in the Blitz, will be illuminated next week to mark the courage of the people who tried to save it.

Historic England and the Poetry Society have worked with Double Take Projections to stage the event Where Light Falls from Thursday (14 November).

For three evenings, the ruins and the walls of the new cathedral will be lit with the words of a poem written by Jane Commane in collaboration with residents and schoolchildren. The poem, which tells of the cathedral’s destruction and finishes with messages of peace and reconciliation, will also be narrated as other lighting effects and images are projected around the site.

A similar event was staged at St Paul’s Cathedral in London last month.

BANNED books made an n appearance during Durham Book Festival, according to the

Church Times. The historic books, which are housed in the refectory library at Durham Cathedral, were put on display as part of the literary event.

Usually available only to academics and clergy, the books, which were once banned for their provocative concepts and ideas, include a 14thcentury Durham Priory manuscript of the works of Aristotle, and works

by Dante, Milton, Galileo, Diderot, Hobbes and Defoe.

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COMPLETE translations of the New Testament are now available in 2,246 languages, according to the latest figures from Wycliffe Bible Translators.

Portions of the Bible have been translated into a further 1,138 languages.

James Poole, executive director of Wycliffe, said: ‘We have seen that when people get the New Testament or Bible in their language, it makes such a difference. As people read the word of God with full understanding, they are transformed in a far deeper way.’

While 3,384 languages have some portions of the Bible, the number of active languages in the world is 7,353. ‘Nearly 1.5 billion people do not have the Bible in the language they understand best,’ said James. ‘That’s why Wycliffe continues to work with urgency to translate God’s word.’

West End play notes gospel’s role for Windrush generation

Indicative image of Where Light Falls

A GOSPEL musical is appearing on the West End stage for one night only on Monday (11 November). Take Me Back explores the black Christian experience through a story of Andrea and Patricia, who attend black Pentecostal churches founded by members of the Windrush generation.

Though they left their strict places of worship as young adults, the two women find themselves looking for the love and acceptance that they experienced in the church.

The production features gospel music from the 1970s.

It has been staged across the UK, but is being brought to the West End for the first time at the Criterion Theatre.

Director and playwright Angie Le Mar said: ‘The play gives audiences an opportunity to understand the role of faith in the lives of the Windrush generation and how it helped them overcome seemingly unsurmountable problems.’

9 November 2019 • WAR CRY • FEATURE 5

Handmade petition highlights persecution

g n i h t e Som of the kind

THOUSANDS of hands will be displayed at Westminster Abbey this month in an art installation organised by charity Open Doors, which supports persecuted Christians around the world.

The handmade petition, made up of pieces of fabric, will highlight the double vulnerability of women who are persecuted for their faith and their gender. Thousands of supporters of Open Doors have written, painted, drawn or embroidered their names in the petition, alongside more than 250 Christian women from across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America who have experienced the double persecution.

The 10,784 squares of fabric will be sewn together into a series of two-metre banners in Westminster Abbey’s Chapter House. The installation, The Handmade Petition: I See You, is open to the public from 17 to 24 November during the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative conference being organised by the Foreign Office.

Open Doors CEO Henrietta Blyth said: ‘It is vital that the stories of persecuted women are heard and that the UK government recognises that, in order to address sexual violence in conflict, faith must be recognised as a specific vulnerability alongside others such as age and gender.’

Annual day promotes positive actions, writes Emily Bright T’S a day that aims to put the ‘kind’ into ‘humankind’. Individuals, IKindness schools and businesses are pledging to carry out thoughtful acts on Day UK (13 November).

Black Inks Photography

A heated discussion takes place during a prayer meeting in ‘Take Me Back’

The annual day was founded in 2010 by entrepreneur David Jamilly to ‘celebrate and promote kindness’. In previous years, David’s non-profit organisation Kindness UK has marked the day by handing out chocolate at train stations and co-ordinating a ‘text wave’ in which people sent encouraging messages to others.

‘People do kind things all the time,’ David tells the War Cry, ‘but on Kindness Day we want them to do something slightly out of the ordinary – for instance, hanging around when they’ve arrived at their train station to help somebody with their bags or randomly someone a coffee.’

Kind acts can say a buying David believes that kindness is important lot. They strengthen because ‘we’re living in a time when people lead more solitary lives’. He says: relationships ‘Family traditions and community are dwindling. But kindness implies interaction with at least one other person. One act of kindness goes a long way to helping our society become a better place.’

Kind acts can say a lot. They strengthen relationships among family members and friends. And kindness that is not merely random but undeserved can be so powerful that it changes lives.

Around the world, millions of people have recognised that they have been shown an unparalleled kindness seemingly out of the blue – one that has changed their whole perspective.

They can relate to the words of an early follower of Jesus: ‘God our Saviour showed us how good and kind he is. He saved us because of his mercy, and not because of any good things that we have done’ (Titus 3:4 and 5 Contemporary English Version).

The Bible’s positive message is that God shows his kindness to us regardless of what we have done in our lives. He offers forgiveness for the times we act as if we’re the only people who matter, and he assures us of his care when we feel isolated.

If we put our trust in him, we’ll discover that his love is one of a kind.

AN EYE FO

6 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 9 November 2019

HELEN PAYNTER, author of a new book about violence in the Bible, tells Emily Bright that the Scriptures need to be interpreted carefully

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not to be messed with.’

She says that God’s judgment as a whole is a positive phenomenon. ‘It’s good news because it’s an end to evil, and I’m up for that. If you read the Book of Revelation at the end of the New Testament, it’s about the judgment on Satan and his structures of oppression, abuse and evil. Without judgment, evil just runs rampant.’

Another frequently invoked example of violence within the Bible is the ‘eye for an eye’ law in the Old Testament. Helen says that, rather than advocating violence, the law encourages a restrained and fair response. ‘It’s actually saying that the punishment will fit

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HE Bible says that ‘God is love’ (1 John 4:8 New International Version) but it also contains references to God ordering the annihilation of entire nations (eg Deuteronomy 20:17). Christians claim that their religion is one of love and peace, but the Book of Exodus describes God overseeing the death of the firstborn sons of Egyptian families.

For generations, this apparent contradiction has puzzled Bible readers. It has been the topic of much debate as people have struggled to know how the violent passages of the Bible should be understood.

‘We find a lot of accounts of local skirmishes, individual or community-based violence and nation state violence in the Bible,’ says Helen Paynter, director of the centre for the study of Bible and violence at Bristol Baptist College. Helen, who has investigated the issue for her book God of Violence Yesterday, God of Love Today? explains to me that, like any text, the Bible should be interpreted within the context that it was written.

‘The stories are being told within a particular social setting. So if we just lift that text up and drop it on to our iPads as if it were written yesterday in Birmingham, we will completely misunderstand what it is saying.’

One of the first key questions is why acts of violence are featured in the Bible at all. Helen says that in the case of the Book of Judges, which includes the rape of women, the writers wanted to show wrongdoing.

‘These incidences of violence are there to say that such things happened, this is a measure of how low the nation had become, and they are utterly, utterly deplorable,’ says Helen. ‘The descriptions are a condemnation of them and of the society that permitted them.

‘There’s also the violence of judgment, which shows that God is Helen Paynter

OLDN Helen cautions against the misconception that the God of the Old Testament is wrathful while the God of the New is peaceable

OR AN EYE

9 November 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 7

the crime,’ she says. ‘Quite often, it was translated into a system of graded fines, rather than a physical punishment.

‘The law states that punishment should be administered upon the person who committed the offence, not on the third party, so in that way, it is a significant move forward from the blood feud, which can be waged against an entire family.’

This more restrained approach to retaliation is furthered in the

God’s judgment is good news because it’s an end to evil New Testament, with Jesus’ teaching on non-violence. He says: ‘You have heard that it was said, “Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.”

But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also’ (Matthew 5:38 and 39).

Helen clarifies: ‘Jesus doesn’t overturn the Old Testament teaching, but advances it. He extends the ethic to “Love your

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enemy”. People already know they can’t take vengeance, but now they’ve got to learn to forgive and to love rather than just grit their teeth and watch the punishment being limited by law.’

As a consequence of such passages, many people interpret the New Testament God as peaceable while viewing the Old Testament God as wrathful. But Helen cautions that this is a misconception – God’s character remains consistent throughout the Bible.

‘The God who is revealed in the Old Testament is also the God of love, compassion, mercy and forbearance,’ she says. ‘The God who is revealed in the New Testament is also the God of judgment and anger.

‘Jesus is the fullest revelation of the character of God, but we already see God when he reveals himself to Moses, and the Old Testament prophets repeat God’s longing for people to repent, his forbearing of them, his forgiving them, and his mercy towards them.

‘Notwithstanding the passages that we still wrestle with, the overall trajectory has revealed God’s heart for peace, for reconciliation, for a restored society where everyone co-exists peacefully with their neighbour and with their God.’ Helen is upfront about the questions that remain, but states that we should continue to seek answers and expand our understanding of the Scriptures.

‘I believe that God is big enough for my biggest questions,’ she says. ‘He invites me to wrestle with them. We’re not asked to blandly submit with our brains switched off; we’re invited to ask hard questions.

‘It’s exhilarating, it’s tough, it’s challenging, it’s thrilling, it’s exasperating! I love the God I serve.

I believe that he is all-loving, he is utterly just. He is worthy of my life’s work and my eternal praise.’ l God of Violence Yesterday, God of Love Today? is published by the Bible Reading Fellowship

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8 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 9 November 2019

‘Someone said it was the greatest anthem for peace they’d ever seen’ © Phil Crow

Author MICHAEL MORPURGO tells Emily Bright about the legacy of War Horse

‘W

Brinkhoff & Mogenburg

AR horse … what a strange beast you’ve become,’ remarks a First World War soldier in a thick Liverpudlian accent. He is trying to untangle the anguished animal, which has been ensnared in barbed wire in no man’s land. But he is not alone: he teams up with a German soldier, and they work carefully with wire cutters to free the horse. Joking and chatting during their task, they savour the temporary truce in fighting.

Directed by Steven Spielberg, the 2011 film War Horse used creative licence in reimagining the emotive scene in Michael Morpurgo’s novel of the same name. Michael tells me that, although he has mixed feelings about the film adaptation, he views that no man’s land scene as a masterpiece. to the cavalry without Albert’s permission, ‘One of the great moments in cinema, without Joey is dragged from a peaceful farming life question, was the meeting in the middle between and thrust into a war zone to face artillery shells and pull guns. Distraught, Albert signs two soldiers,’ he enthuses. ‘That was done up as a soldier in a bid to be reunited with Joey. beautifully and it was funny.’

The novel, which was published in 1982, War Horse chronicles the friendship between Devon farm boy Albert and his horse, Joey. Sold charts the horse’s journey through trench warfare under the care of French, and British riders.

‘War Horse’ came from the story German Although the characters are of an old man I met in my village fictional, the experiences that

‘War Horse’ has been presented as a play since 2007

Michael Morpurgo inspired them were real. Michael was moved to write the book after speaking to a war veteran.

‘War Horse came from the story of an old man I met in a pub in my village in Devon,’ explains Michael. ‘He told me all about his experiences of the First World War, and I was conscious that this was probably the last time that this man was going to tell his story.

I thought it was important that I shared his story, so people would know what had happened to him.’

The book has now sold more than a million copies.

War Horse’s popularity led the National Theatre to turn the story into a play in 2007. Using state-of-the-art puppetry, the play has now toured 11 countries and enthralled more than seven million theatregoers. It is currently running at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre until 23 November.

But when Michael first watched a preview of the play, there was still lot of work left to do, just a matter of weeks before the press night.

‘There were things that were completely wonderful about it, such as the design, the music and the puppetry. But it was too long by 20 minutes, and everyone thought it wasn’t going to last more than two or three weeks,’ he remembers.

‘Yet two weeks later, at the

Turn to page 10

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9 November 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 9

Scott Miller plays Albert in the current tour

10 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 9 November 2019

From page 8 press night, they had made this extraordinary show. I was overwhelmed by how moving it was. I loved it. Someone said to me that it was the greatest anthem for peace they’d ever seen on a stage.

‘When you write a book, you have no idea how people feel reading it. You can’t see them.

And here I was in the theatre with a thousand people in floods of tears at the end, and I knew the story touched hearts.’

Michael says that storytelling provides him with a platform to share his views on the topics that matter most to him.

‘I find the best way that I can communicate what I feel about the world around me is by telling a tale,’ he says. ‘But every story I write has to be really important to me. I have to care about it before I feel it’s worth writing about.’

To draw in his readers and make them care about the story as much as he does, Michael takes a personal perspective.

‘What I try to do is take history and focus on the individual. The reader loses themselves in the story of the individual, and through that, they care about what happens at times of

terrible stress or war or famine or whatever the story is set in.’

He also takes inspiration from his own family stories. For instance, he chronicled his two uncles’ experiences of the Second World War in a book published last year, In the Mouth of the Wolf.

Michael’s uncle Pieter was an actor, but when the conflict commenced, he immediately

‘That was the most extraordinary story,’ says Michael. ‘My book is really about both of them, two brothers who take different paths and choices in life, and what happens to them.

‘Everyone has family stories like that, some of them wonderful, sad, fascinating, funny or strange. But some stories last and echo down the generations.’

Every story I write has to be really important to me

o write stories that can be enjoyed by T all generations, Michael is also open to reinventing fictional classics. His latest book,

joined up as an RAF pilot. He was killed a year later, aged 21.

Francis, Pieter’s brother, was a peaceable teacher when war began. But when he heard that Pieter had been killed, he felt he could no longer stand by. He left his wife and newborn child to become a secret agent in France.

Boy Giant, is based on Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift.

Published in 1726, Gulliver’s Travels charts the life of Lemuel Gulliver, an English surgeon who is shipwrecked on the mythical island of Lilliput. He wakes up to find that he has been taken captive by hundreds of little people called Lilliputians. Lemuel charms his way into their affections,

9 November 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 11

Brinkhoff & Mogenburg

until he is caught up in a war between the Lilliputians and the neighbouring people of Blefuscu over the proper way to crack eggs.

‘The original story is generally talked about as being for small children,’ says Michael. ‘In fact, it was about power, corruption, war and all the things that were wrong with 18th-century society.’

Although Michael has written more than 130 children’s books, he retains a boyish enthusiasm about his latest project. He says: ‘I was asked to write a retelling of Gulliver’s Travels, which I’ve always wanted to do.’

Michael felt that it was time to modernise the tale and reimagine it for a new audience.

‘I decided not to just do a retelling but to bring it up to date. So I made Gulliver an Afghan refugee washed up on a beach.

‘He’s this young lad of about 12, everyone else in his rubber dinghy has died, and he’s parted from his mother. He finds himself in Lilliput, full of these little people.

‘Something extraordinary has happened over the last 300 years, and that is that Lilliput has become a society where everyone is kind. But then suddenly there’s a recurrence of war with this young Gulliver.’

Michael says that his new book brings significant issues and values to the fore. ‘I’ve been able to tell an old and beautiful story in a way that is so important, not just to the whole question of migrants and asylum seekers, but also the way we seem to leave kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity behind as we try to get richer.’

As a former teacher, he sees his authorship as a way to pass on positive values and prepare young people for the realities of adulthood.

‘When a child leaves school, his or her self-worth and understanding of the world have to be as strong as you can get them,’ he reflects.

‘The more children can think for themselves and know what has happened before, the better chance they’ve got of growing into that

True religion is going out there and helping the needy every single day, lifting their spirits and giving people a roof over their heads world and playing their part in it.

‘While it’s important that children have a really good laugh, they need to know that when they read a book, they’re learning something.

So you send a child away not offering them simple solutions, because there are none, but instead the opportunity to think deeper and to work out stuff for themselves.’

Casting his mind back to his own childhood, Michael remembers that the first book he truly loved was Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. It remains his favourite to this day.

‘He was one of those wonderful writers who could write stories for kids, dark stories like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde for grown-ups, travel books and poetry. The man was a genius. He’s the writer I’d most want to be.’

Also among his list of treasured stories as a child was the Christian nativity. He says: ‘I loved the story, the music and the imagery that surrounded it.

‘It tells of an extraordinary birth of a man, who changed the world in a remarkable way.

It’s the best story ever created about goodwill, and it stays with you.’

Michael reflects that his upbringing in the Christian faith has also stayed with him, and may well have shaped his writing.

‘I went to school under the shadow of Canterbury Cathedral. I was in the choir there, and I was confirmed there. I’m very connected to the Christian philosophy.’

He attends a small church in his home town in Devon.

‘There are about 80 people in the congregation,’ he says. ‘It’s a 14th-century

church with a devoted vicar, who is just terrific.

‘The church is the centre, without any doubt, of the community in this tiny little village. And that’s what churches should be – the centre of a community, which keeps people together.’

Although he has reservations about elements of organised religion, Michael thinks Christians can play a vital role in meeting the needs of vulnerable people within their communities.

‘True religion is going out there and helping the needy every single day, lifting their spirits and giving people a roof over their heads when we can.

‘Jesus Christ taught us to love our neighbour, and was connected to and helped the lives of those most in need. He taught us there was another way, which was loving kindness.’

l Boy Giant is published

by Harper Collins

12 INNER LIFE • WAR CRY • 9 November 2019

Prayerlink YOUR prayers are requested for Joshua, who recently lost his grandmother, Sheila; for Raymond, who is concerned about the future; for Nicky, who is not well; and for Clare, that she will find strength.

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

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.

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 Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International

Nigel Bovey gives chapter and verse on each book in the Scriptures

Matthew

HE Gospel According to Matthew is T primarily addressed to a Jewish readership. The author’s aim is to explain how

Jesus is the fulfilment of the longed-for kingly Messiah. To do so, he uses many supportive Old Testament texts, sometimes along with the phrase ‘this was to fulfil’. He also portrays Jesus as making references to the leading patriarchs and prophets in Judaism. The genealogy in chapter 1 traces Jesus’ roots back to Judaism’s founding father, Abraham.

Matthew’s gospel majors on what Jesus said. It covers three main areas: the practicalities of faith, parables and prophecy.

In the Sermon on the Mount, which begins with the Beatitudes (chapter 5) and includes the Lord’s Prayer (chapter 6), Jesus sets out the spiritual priorities for any would-be followers. A spiritual relationship, he says, is not only about belief in God but also includes right behaviour and attitudes towards other people. Jesus offers moral insight on personal relationships (5:21–48; 7:1–5 and 12), religious observance (6:1–18) and materialism (6:19–24).

The sermon also contains the first of Jesus’ many parables (7:24–27), which are simple

stories set in the every day that tell a spiritual truth.

Chapter 13 bursts with such stories. Jesus uses a sower, a mustard seed, hidden treasure, yeast, a priceless pearl and a fishing net to illustrate and explain his spiritual points.

In later parables, Jesus identifies those who

Jesus offers moral insight on personal relationships, religious observance and materialism

will be eligible for a place in the Kingdom of Heaven. They are people considered by society to be at the bottom of the pile (20:1–16), those who repent (21:28–32) and those who are ready (21:33–44; 22:1–14; 25:1–30).

As well as predicting his own death and resurrection (17:22 and 23), Jesus prophesies about the end of the world. In a similar vein to the apocalyptic Old Testament prophets, he describes cataclysmic political and environmental conditions, tribulation for believers and astronomical disruption as precursors to his return (chapter 24), following which there will be the Last Judgment (25:31–46).

To enable those who put their faith in him to be ready to meet their Maker, Jesus submits to the ignominy of crucifixion ur will be done, ‘Your Kingdom come, yo 0 6:1 w (chapters 26 and 27) before the glory of he att (M ’ en on Earth as it is in Heav his resurrection (chapter 28). ) on New International Versi

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9 November 2019 • WAR CRY • EXPRESSIONS 13

BOOK REVIEW A Century of Remembrance Laura Clouting Imperial War Museums

QUICK QUIZ 1. What type of blood cell contains haemoglobin?

2. In what decade was the computer operating system MS-DOS first released?

3. How many whole days does it take for the Earth to orbit the Sun once?

4. What names were given to the Queen at her christening?

5. Who played astronaut Roy McBride in the film Ad Astra?

6. What girl group had hits with the songs ‘Survivor’ and ‘Say My Name’?

ANSWERS 1. Red blood cell. 2. The 1980s.

3. 365 days. 4. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary.

5. Brad Pitt. 6. Destiny’s Child.

CBAD a warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk

RELEASED last year to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War, A Century of Remembrance by Laura Clouting, a curator at Imperial War Museums, explores remembrance over the past 100 years, using artefacts at the museums as illustrations.

Beginning at the declaration of war in August 1914, the book reminds readers that most people had believed the war would be over by Christmas. It then explains the effects of four years of conflict on the soldiers and those they left behind.

Through the text and numerous images, A Century of Remembrance is successful in creating a picture of the tragedy of war, and the fact that its harshest outcome was the sheer loss of life.

Particularly harrowing are the stories of mothers and wives who lost loved ones and were unable to say goodbye.

Because of the number of soldiers who died in the fighting on mainland Europe, bodies were not sent back to Britain. The book highlights the efforts of officials from the Imperial War Graves Commission to treat the men with dignity in death and honour each one for the ultimate sacrifice they made.

After the war, Britain was committed The symbolic to remembering and honouring those unknown warrior who gave their lives for their country. gives in-depth insights into the was to represent Laura discussions that took place on how best to do so, which included some all those who differences of opinion and a backlash had fallen from the grieving public.

Most notable was the funeral of the unknown warrior in 1920. Chosen at random from some unidentified bodies, the symbolic unknown warrior was to represent all those from Britain and its empire who had fallen. The burial of his body was intended to comfort grieving families of all classes, races and religions, the vast majority of whom never got to bury their loved ones.

Laura explains: ‘In life, the unknown warrior could have come from any social class or army rank. The funeral afforded to him, and to all those he represented, was carried out with the highest military honours. His coffin was laid to rest among royalty in [Westminster] Abbey.’

In subsequent years, headstones, tattoos and bookmarks were made in memoriam; letters and photographs were kept and treasured, and the poppy was sold. Laura also explores the way that the war is remembered culturally, through poetry, works of art and museum collections.

A Century of Remembrance is a rich and detailed history of the way Britain’s First World War dead have been remembered. Reading about the origins of traditions which have become commonplace is a sobering and helpful reminder of their importance and value.

Twitter: @TheWarCryUK Facebook.com/TheWarCryUK

B www.salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry

Sarah Olowofoyeku

14 PUZZLES • WAR CRY • 9 November 2019

QUICK CROSSWORD

by Chris Horne

ACROSS

DOWN

1.

5.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

15.

17.

18.

20.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

1. Rot (6) 2. Refer (6) 3. Appears (5) 4. Wedding announcement (5) 5. Michael ______ , 19th-century scientist (7) 6. Mythological Greek who flew too near the sun (6) 7. Cavort (6)

Delicate (5) Hurl (5) Japanese city (5) Artillery fire (5) Kingdom (5) Obsession (5) Atoll (4) Knotted threads (6) Cheerful (5) Mendicant (6) Patella (4) Garret (5) Ate (5) Prestige (5) Speak publicly (5) Teacher (5) Sped (5)

HONEYCOMB

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

21.

22.

23.

24.

Watch (3) For each (3) Endeavour (3) Sheep (3) Bullfighter (7) Brigand (6) Seabird (6) Scandinavian (6) Deleted (6) Vapour (5) ______ Bilk, bandleader (5)

SUDOKU

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

6

3

4

2

5

1

8

7

9

2

9

1

8

7

4

3

6

5

7

8

5

9

6

3

4

1

2

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

4

5

3

7

2

8

6

9

1

8

2

6

1

3

9

7

5

4

1. Quick look 2. Used to boil water 3. To supply a forgotten word 4. Lives in solitude 5. Writing desk 6. Population survey

9

1

7

5

4

6

2

8

3

3

4

9

6

8

5

1

2

7

1

7

8

3

9

2

5

4

6

5

6

2

4

1

7

9

3

8

WORDSEARCH

ANSWERS

BORN TO RUN COMING HOME DOLPHIN BOY GRANDPA CHRISTMAS LITTLE FOXES LUCKY BUTTON MR SKIP MUCK AND MAGIC OUR JACKO PIGS MIGHT FLY!

HONEYCOMB 1. Glance. 2. Kettle. 3. Prompt.

4. Hermit. 5. Bureau. 6. Census.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. Frail. 5. Fling. 8. Osaka.

9. Salvo. 10. Realm. 11. Mania. 12. Reef.

15. Tassel. 17. Merry. 18. Beggar.

20. Knee. 25. Attic. 26. Dined.

27. Kudos. 28. Orate. 29. Tutor. 30. Raced.

DOWN: 1. Fester. 2. Allude. 3. Looms.

4. Banns. 5. Faraday. 6. Icarus.

7. Gambol. 13. Eye. 14. Per. 15. Try. 16. Ewe. 17. Matador. 18. Bandit.

19. Gannet. 21. Nordic. 22. Erased.

23. Steam. 24. Acker.

6

5

7

1

4

3

1

9

POPPY FIELD

2

8

5

4

PRIVATE PEACEFUL

8

7

THE DANCING BEAR

9

2

3

6

THE SNOWMAN

6

5

7

1

WAR HORSE

Look up, down, forwards, backwards and diagonally 6 3 4 2 5 1 8 7 9 on the grid to find these Michael Morpurgo book titles

2 9 1 8 7 4 3 6 5 M W A I V Q Q L L M 7 8 T 5 L H T N D H L 9 6 3 4 1 2 S B A Z V W Z M N S V H F Y U B D T 4 5 3 7 2 8 6 F 9V 1 H O S R B E Z R U R M G O Y L D N R A Z H P P Z A U U B W N F E I 8 2 6 1 3 9 7 5I 4 J N M X I O F T E Z N U A O T I I Y 9 1 7 5 4 6 2 8 3 E T T K O Z R A F I E Z O T F J F B 3 4 9 6 8 5 T M T Y H 1 2 7 J O S Y K A X S H K U K L P R I V A T E P E A C E F U L B P B 1 7 8 3 9 2 5 4 6 M U R S Y G L N F A F I C B I F P S 5 6 2 4 1 7 9 S U O N 3 8 G N H J H O X J J O O K B Y V F C L D F Z R X J A S B K Z B P F I T A Z Q Z U E K N Y R P C T Z A A Y M P Q C O S G D K P B R U A J Y L D C D P I G S M I G H T F L Y S Z H A X N M Q N A M W O N S E H T G X R Z R A E B G N I C N A D E H T O K Y P M R Z I D C B J P S M I S Z H G A J Y G C O M I N G H O M E E Q A E C

2 8 9 7 6 3 5 1 4

4 3 6 5 1 7 9 8 2

1 9 8 4 3 2 6 7 5

7 2 5 6 9 8 3 4 1

9 5 1 2 7 6 4 3 8

3 4 2 8 5 9 1 6 7

8 6 7 3 4 1 2 5 9

SUDOKU SOLUTION 2 8

4 3

1 9

7 2

9 5

3 4

8 6

9 November 2019 • WAR CRY • WHAT’S COOKING? 15

Big breakfast pancakes

SERVES

4

2 large British Lion eggs, separated 75ml milk 100g self-raising flour 2tbsp caster sugar Pinch salt 1tbsp vegetable oil 12 rashers streaky bacon 6 large British Lion eggs 2 tbsp milk Salt and ground black pepper Butter

Boiled egg with cheesy dips 1 large British Lion egg Butter, for spreading 1 slice multiseed bread 25g mature cheddar cheese, grated 1tsp chopped chives

Heat a small saucepan of water on low heat.

Place the egg into it and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove and place into an egg cup.

SERVES

1

Spread a little butter on the bread and sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Heat a small frying pan over a medium heat and place the bread in it. Cover with a lid and leave for 3 minutes, until the cheese has melted

To make the pancake batter, place the egg yolks and milk in a large bowl. Sift the flour into the bowl, add the caster sugar and salt and mix well.

Whisk the egg whites in a separate grease-free bowl until they form soft peaks. Fold into the flour mixture.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add large ladles of batter to the hot pan and cook for 2 minutes until crisp and golden. Turn over the pancakes and cook for a further minute until golden.

Transfer to a clean tea towel to keep warm. Cook the remaining batter in the same way to make 12 pancakes in total.

Cook the bacon under a hot grill for 3 minutes, turning once, until crisp. Beat the eggs and milk together with plenty of seasoning in a bowl.

Melt a knob of butter in a separate non-stick pan and add the eggs. Cook over a low heat for 2 minutes, stirring until the eggs are scrambled and cooked. Put 3 pancakes on each plate and add the bacon and scrambled eggs. and the bottom of the bread is golden.

Slice into thin pieces, then scatter the chopped chives over. Slice off the top of the egg and serve on a plate with the dips.

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the British Egg Information Service website eggrecipes.co.uk

GOD IS PRESENT IN THE MIDST OF ALL THE CHAOS THAT SURROUNDS US Henri Nouwen