War Cry 13 July 2019

SINCE

1879

13 July 2019 20p/25c

S YEAARRCRY 140 W THE OF

WHAT’S SO FUNNY? TV comedy writer looks at humour

BLANKET COMMENDATION Why people like to picnic

Feeling emojional DAY CELEBRATES THE LITTLE IMAGES THAT HAVE GONE GLOBAL

What is The Salvation Army?

2 COMMENT AND CONTENTS • WAR CRY • 13 July 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 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 NO one needs an ‘ology’ to work out that communications have changed since British Telecom was suggesting that ‘a phone call says a lot’ and Royal Mail was claiming that ‘nothing gets through like a letter’.

Countless communications now take place via SMS and social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. And many of those communications feature emojis. The little images are used so widely that in 2015 an emoji became the first pictograph to be declared Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year. Next Wednesday – 17 July – people will be celebrating the symbols on World Emoji Day. This issue of the War Cry notes the smiley side of digital communications but also contains hints that they can go wrong.

We report how the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, has launched some social media guidelines, which ask people who engage with the Church of England’s social media accounts to be respectful, kind and honest.

Alongside the guidelines, the church is inviting Christians to sign up to a digital charter and commit themselves to safeguarding vulnerable people, showing kindness and posting the truth, ensuring it is ‘fair and factual’.

Online or offline, the truth is not always easy to hear. Sometimes it can make us feel uncomfortable. It can also, as TV comedy writer James Cary says in this week’s issue, make us laugh. And sometimes it can do both. He says: ‘People tend to be upset by what comedians have said, not because it is false … Comedians are funny about things that are actually true.’

Sometimes we need to convey or hear the truth – about others or ourselves – even when it hurts. But at such times, whatever the means of communication, we should keep in mind a truth that goes back way before emojis. Translating a saying of Jesus, the church’s digital charter advises, ‘Treat others how you wish to be treated’ – to which perhaps it could be added that we should tweet others how we wish to be tweeted.

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 7431

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

Contents

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 Secretary for Communications: Lieut-Colonel Dean Pallant

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 Roche Ltd, St Austell, on sustainably sourced paper

Your local Salvation Army centre

FEATURES 3 Image-conscious

World Emoji Day celebrates symbols 5

Going out for a meal The appeal of picnics

6

‘I forgave my serial killer father’ Kerri Rawson tells her story

8

Save the Children’s Christian beginnings Playwright on charity pioneer’s life

10

James Cary TV comedy writer on humour and truth

REGULARS 4

News and media

12

Browsing the Bible

13

Expressions and Quick Quiz

14 Puzzles 15

What’s cooking?

Front-page picture: Shutterstock.com

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10

15

13 July 2019 • WAR CRY • FEATURE 3

An emoji is worth a thousand words T

HEY have their own musical, their own film and their own international day: next Wednesday (17 July) is World Emoji Day – a celebration of the small digital images shared across technology platforms in their millions.

The day was created in 2014 by London-based Jeremy Burge, the founder of Emojipedia, a catalogue of emojis and their meanings. The organisers of the day encourage emoji-lovers to mark 17 July – which was chosen because it is the date that appears on the calendar emoji – by tweeting their favourite emoji and they were saying in lengthy letters, writing emails consisting only of emojis. they were struggling to do so in digital In a sign of the times, last year, an communications, where messages were entire convention was dedicated to the shorter. symbols, of which there are now nearly He decided to create small images to 3,000. Emojicon, which took place in help people express themselves within a New York, featured serious talks on limited number of words or characters. language, politics and more, including The images, inspired by elements of his ‘Emoji and Mental Health’ and ‘Let’s childhood including Japanese comics, Talk about the Gun Emoji’. But they quickly became popular and were taken were followed by a more light-hearted up by other Japanese companies, and spelling bee and a party where guests then global ones. had to dress up as an emoji.

They are now used by people The development everywhere. of emojis is surely When talking to technology website beyond what the the Verge about how emojis had gone man who is global, Kurita said: ‘I’d really like to credited with know to what degree they’re used in the their creation same way, and to what degree there’s a could have local nuance.’ imagined.

There was, however, one emoji he In 1999, could guess was universal. ‘The heart Japanese artist symbol is probably used the same way Shigetaka Kurita, by everyone,’ he said. who worked for According to Facebook, the red a mobile internet love heart is one of the top emojis. company, recognised Emojipedia defines it as ‘a classic love that communication was heart emoji, used for expressions of changing. He saw that whereas people love’. had easily been able to explain what It is used to communicate many

Emojis are used by people everywhere

A day is celebratin g the little imag es that help peop le t communic o ate, writes Sar ah Olowofoye ku

types of love. Plenty of people were including it in their responses to Stevie Wonder and Barbra Streisand’s sets at the British Summer Time festival last weekend. Many use it to show their affection for friends. And people also use it to highlight the love that they have for God. For instance, Twitter user Nicole announced: ‘I love the Lord with all my heart ’.

Countless people believe that their love for God is simply a response to his love for them. They recognise that God revealed that love for them through Jesus.

One of the top verses in the Bible says: ‘God expressed his love for the world in this way: he gave his only Son so that whoever believes in him will … have everlasting life’ (John 3:16 The Voice).

The message has gone global: God cares for us, offers us forgiveness for when we go wrong and invites us to put our trust in him.

Will we accept the invitation?

4 NEWS AND MEDIA • WAR CRY • 13 July 2019 The Archbishop speaks to Facebook regional vice-president Nicola Mendelsohn

Archbishop shares social media guidelines

Church of England

VIDEO streaming service Facebook Live hosted a Q&A with the Archbishop of Canterbury, during which he unveiled the Church of England’s first social media guidelines.

Speaking at Facebook UK’s headquarters in London, the Most Rev Justin Welby told Nicola Mendelsohn, the company’s vice-president for Europe, that the measures were designed to promote ‘truth, kindness and welcome’.

People who engage with Church of England social media accounts are requested to be respectful, kind and honest in their posts and to consider the safety of children and vulnerable adults.

The guidelines advise social media users to ‘treat others how you would wish to be treated’, and recommend: ‘If you have a criticism or critique to make, consider not just whether you would say it in person, but the tone you would use.’

Christians can also sign a digital charter as part of a pledge to abide by the guidelines.

During the Q&A, the Archbishop urged: ‘When you’re putting something out on social media, put the truth out. When you’re expressing an opinion, show kindness. Don’t go for the person rather than for the issue. And be welcoming to other people.’

n

BBC RADIO Wales highlighted the work of The Salvation Army’s modern slavery team as part of a documentary series.

All Things Considered: Modern Slavery featured an interview with The Salvation Army’s director of anti-trafficking and modern slavery Major Kathy Betteridge.

She revealed that the church and charity has received nearly 2,000 reports about victims this year alone, and she outlined the services that the

team provides to victims.

Kathy explained: ‘We offer medical care, translation and legal advice. They have a weekly monetary allowance that they’re given. If the women in particular have any children that come into our care, then they are offered education and counselling support as well.’

In July 2011, The Salvation Army was awarded a government contract as the official provider of antitrafficking support in England and Wales.

Christian Aid/INNOCENT BARAKA

Charity boosts aid as ebola outbreak intensifies

People in Nord-Kivu line up to receive food rations and wash their hands

CHRISTIAN Aid is stepping up its emergency response in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the ebola crisis worsens.

Working in conjunction with local partner BOAD, the charity is distributing hygiene kits containing soap, disinfectant and chlorine tablets to 8,000 households in Nord-Kivu.

In addition, BOAD is installing a dozen water points across schools, health centres, churches and marketplaces.

There will be community therapy sessions available, and ebola survivors, healthcare workers and their immediate family can receive counselling.

Hygiene promotion campaigns are also set to encourage communities to adopt behaviour that prevents the spread of the virus.

More than 1,400 people have died in the latest outbreak, which began in August.

Secure school to ‘resettle’ offenders A YOUNG offender institution will be transformed into the UK’s first ‘secure school’ as part of a joint initiative by a Christian non-profit organisation and the Ministry of Justice.

Community-focused charity Oasis will refurbish classrooms and residential services at Medway Secure Training Centre in Kent before reopening it in 2020.

Oasis founder and leader the Rev Steve Chalke said: ‘Our emphasis will be wholly on rehabilitation and restoration rather than retribution. From the very beginning of their stay with us, we will work with the young offenders to prepare for their resettlement back into community.’

Oasis runs 52 academies and looks after 30,000 students across England.

n

CELEBRITIES discuss singleness in later life on Radio 2’s Good Morning Sunday tomorrow (14 July 6 am). Former TV presenter Simon Thomas, a Christian, shares his experiences of bereavement after losing his wife Gemma in 2017. Also, journalist Minreet Kaur talks about being single in the Sikh community after her divorce, and Steven K. Amos recounts his experience of meeting the Pope and hearing his views on sexuality.

13 July 2019 • WAR CRY • FEATURE 5 PARLIAMENTARY chaplain n the Rev Dr Rose HudsonWilkin has become the first black

female bishop to be appointed by the Church of England.

Her selection as Bishop of Dover was announced by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, at a visit to St George’s School in Broadstairs, Kent.

She will leave her post as chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons to take up the role in November.

Shutterstock

Gone for lunch

People are heading out for picnics, writes Linda McTurk

picnic time – and not IisT’S just for teddy bears. July National Picnic Month,

ENGLAND and Manchester n City footballer Raheem Sterling has spoken of how his Christian faith is of ‘massive’ importance to him.

He told GQ magazine that while he was transferring to Liverpool, he turned to prayer, which ‘opened [his] eyes even more to have faith’.

He added: ‘I always give thanks for my life, always give thanks for my family’s life and I’m just really grateful for the position I’m in.’

When asked by the interviewer, former political spin doctor Alastair Campbell, if he was sure God existed, he responded: ‘I’ve got no doubt …

Every day you wake up, you just look around and you don’t need to look any further than what you see.’

PA

when people of all ages are encouraged to enjoy a packed meal outdoors.

People have been picnicking for generations and in all kinds of scenery.

Film fans may remember Julie Andrews taking the Von Trapp children into the Alps for food and a rendition of ‘Do-Re-Mi’. In Kenneth Grahame’s tale The Wind in the Willows, Mole and Ratty choose a riverbank for their picnic. In the 19th-century painting Luncheon on the Grass,

by French impressionist Claude Monet, the figures appear to be savouring a meal in the woods.

Woods continue to be a favoured spot. The Woodland Trust, which manages more than 1,000 sites in the UK, encourages people to picnic on its land.

Andy Bond of the trust says: ‘Picnicking is a great way for people to value the woods by enjoying the environment. From diverse wildlife to wildflowers, there is a lot Woods have some of beauty.’ natural advantages He points out that woods have some natural advantages as picnic spots. as picnic spots ‘On a hot day, picnickers can relax under the shade of trees. And when it rains, the beauty of trees is that they give people the chance to find a spot that is sheltered. But obviously, a picnic is more pleasurable on a sunny day.’

Most people would agree that picnics are best in pleasant conditions. But the weather is not always going to be perfect.

The truth is that our days are not always idyllic in many ways. We may go through experiences such as unemployment, grief or illness. And we can’t help thinking that the outlook seems bleak.

But, through the generations, people have found a cause for hope. In the Bible, one writer says: ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble’ (Psalm 46:1 New International Version).

If we put our trust in God, we will find that he can calm our fears and help us weather any storm.

God cares for us with a love that nothing can overcome. It’s a truth we can hold on to – even when life is no picnic.

6 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 13 July 2019

Family pictures courtesy of Kerri Rawson

‘I had to forgive my O

DARIAN RAWSON

NE Friday in February 2005, the FBI knocked on Kerri Rawson’s door. Her heart pounding, she reluctantly let in the agent. Nothing could have prepared her for what he would tell her. She remembers: ‘He was pretty sure that my dad was a serial killer who had been wanted in Wichita for 30 years.

‘The whole world was falling from under my feet at that moment, and I went into physical shock.’

Kerri scrambled to make sense of it all, thinking that the bureau had made a mistake. ‘I tried to alibi my father. I found myself saying that Dad was a good man, a boy scout leader, a church president, a good father and a good husband.’ She then learnt that her father, Dennis, had been arrested.

Kansasbased serial killer Dennis Rader became known as BTK for his sadistic methods: bind, Kerri Rawson torture and kill.

He was later convicted for ten murders spanning 17 years and is currently serving 175 years of consecutive life sentences.

Since she discovered the truth about her dad, Kerri has struggled to reconcile the father she knew with the secret criminal life he led.

‘I grew up with a pretty normal dad who occasionally had flashes of anger,’ she explains. ‘I had to go back in time to find my father that I was hiking with in the Grand Canyon, and camping and fishing with, the man who meant everything to me and that I loved.’

It was about getting rid of the rot and anger in me that was killing me slowly Dennis Rader’s convictions for crimes, including the killing of a neighbour, have forever darkened Kerri’s memories.

‘In 1985, when I was six,’ she says, ‘our neighbour Mrs Hedges was murdered.

I was scared and started having night

13 July 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 7

serial killer FATHER’ KERRI RAWSON tells Emily Bright how she came to terms with the shock of discovering her father was a murderer terrors. My dad knew I was waking up screaming, and he told me: “Kerri, you’re safe.”’

She says that in the aftermath of her father’s arrest, she turned to her Christian faith for strength, despite her anger about what had happened.

‘Of course, you think “Why me, God? Why is this happening? Why did you allow this?” But I feel like the only thing I had left was faith.’

Despite being buoyed by her belief in God, some Christian principles were particularly tough to accept. Her heart hardened whenever the topic of clemency was raised.

‘I knew it was important as a Christian to forgive my dad,’ she recalls. ‘But I didn’t want to do it. I was so angry and so against forgiving my father that I wouldn’t even go to church if I knew my pastor was talking on forgiveness.’

But reading about relatable figures in the Bible helped her see her pain in a new light.

‘I had been studying Joseph’s life as

Kerri and her father catch a carp at a lake in Oklahoma

I needed to show that the dark doesn’t beat the light told in Genesis. His family sells him into slavery and tries to kill him. But he rises to power and comes back and says: “You intended to harm me but God intended it for good, for the saving of many lives.” I latched on to that verse.’

Kerri remembers how one Kerri and her father at her university graduation day she was unexpectedly overwhelmed with a sense of forgiveness. ‘I was driving home from a people about her experiences, first within movie and I stopped at a red light. her church community and then more ‘Suddenly it was as if a white light widely in the media. She received an rushed through my soul and removed that overwhelming response. anger and hardness.

‘Strangers were telling me I was I sobbed. I knew helping them with their past trauma. right then that I had Something in my story was resonating forgiven my dad.’ with them,’ she recalls.

She believes that Heartened by the reaction, she wrote a her act of forgiveness memoir, A Serial Killer’s Daughter, which was as much for was published earlier this year. herself as for her ‘Sharing my story was helping other father. ‘It was about people, but it was also healing me in a getting rid of the rot way nothing else could,’ she explains. and anger in me that ‘I needed to show the light, and that the was killing me slowly. dark doesn’t beat the light.

‘I was forgiving ‘It wasn’t until I sat and wrote the book my dad for what he that I realised God had been with me did to my family, through all of it, by my side, and hadn’t the betrayal, the left. lies and everything ‘My favourite Bible verse is Psalm 27:1, he put us through.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation I was not forgiving – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the him for his crimes, stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be because those aren’t afraid?” Those words have carried me mine to forgive. That through.’ right belongs to the families.’

In 2012, Kerri felt l A Serial Killer’s Daughter is compelled to tell published by Thomas Nelson

8 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 13 July 2019

The woman who wanted to

save the children Since 1919, Save the Children has supported millions of children trapped by war, famine and illness. In its centenary year, ANNE CHAMBERLAIN, who has written a play about the charity’s origins, tells Linda McTurk about the British woman who, with her sister, sought to feed starving children in postwar Europe

A

Playwright and actress Anne Chamberlain who wrote and appeared in a play about Eglantyne Jebb 2001 Snowbound, All Rights Reserved

FTER the First World War ended in 1918, Britain blockaded Germany until the signing of the peace treaty of Versailles in June 1919. It meant that staple foods such as grains, potatoes, meat and dairy products continued to be scarce, and many people in Europe went hungry even though the war was over.

Horrified by the consequences of the blockade, one British woman decided to shock the public into action. Eglantyne Jebb went to Trafalgar Square and handed out leaflets which carried photographic imagery highlighting the plight of malnourished children in Europe and which called for compassion. Her provocative actions caught the attention of the police, who arrested her and sent her to court, where she was fined.

On Eglantyne’s release, she and her sister, Dorothy Buxton, founded Save the Children. At a time when women were expected to marry and bear children, Eglantyne did neither, yet became an international spokesperson for children.

Actress and playwright Anne Chamberlain knows all about Eglantyne’s life. In 2014 Anne wrote a solo play called Eglantyne, where she played various roles to tell the story of the Save the Children co-founder.

She has presented the play many times over Eglantyne Jebb the past five years

in the UK and Australia, including at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

‘Eglantyne is one of the most influential women of the 20th century, yet one of the least known,’ says Anne. ‘There was a lot of social change that happened for women before, during and in the years after the First World War. I was drawn to that time period, and felt compelled to share Eglantyne’s inspirational story – her heroic moments as well as her struggles and disappointments.’

Since the early years of her life, Eglantyne

She felt pulled to do God’s work had wanted to help poor people.

‘She was born into a privileged, uppermiddle-class family in Shropshire, but she recognised the plight of people who were less well off,’ Anne explains.

‘Eglantyne grew up in an Anglican family and had a strong Christian faith. In her twenties, she had a vision where she saw Jesus.

She writes about this in one of her journals – it’s a significant moment. She felt pulled to do God’s work. This idea stayed with her and became a thread throughout her life. It kept her going.’

In 1919, as people continued to go hungry in Europe, Eglantyne and Dorothy joined

13 July 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 9 Save the Children

Save the Children

Save the Children at work today in Yemen and (below) in earlier years in Greece

the Fight the Famine movement to urge the government to put a stop to the blockade. But, despite their best efforts, the sisters’ political lobbying got nowhere.

‘Nothing was happening,’ Anne explains.

‘Agitated, Eglantyne and Dorothy decided to raise money to get some food into Europe.

They called a meeting at the Royal Albert Hall

It was not enough just to respond to emergencies and gave these big, impassioned speeches.

There were about 6,000 people there that day.

‘Together they created a spontaneous collection, which later became the Save the Children fund. Ten days later, they began distributing the funds to people in Europe. They bought dairy cows in Switzerland and walked them across to Vienna where people were starving.’

Anne says that, although the situation in Europe was now being addressed, Eglantyne’s work to save children around the world was not finished.

‘Eglantyne once said: “Humanity must take responsibility for its weakest members.” She thought it was not enough just to respond to emergencies. Rights needed to be put in place for children.’

In the 1920s, Eglantyne drafted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, the world’s first declaration of its kind, which was adopted by the League of Nations and has since evolved into the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The UN convention states that all children have a right to good-quality healthcare, access to education and an adequate standard of living. It also safeguards children from exploitation, sexual abuse and violence.

Since its adoption by the UN in 1989, almost every country has signed up to it and is bound by international law to ensure that it is implemented.

Anne hopes that Eglantyne’s legacy of campaigning for children’s rights will continue to live on as long as there is still need.

‘Many of Eglantyne’s humanitarian concerns are relevant today,’ she asserts. ‘I think she would be appalled that we still have similar conditions in places such as Syria and Yemen. But I hope that she would be proud of her legacy of creating an organisation that is still working in 120 countries to help children in ghastly situations.’

10 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 13 July 2019

THE MAKE s Sarah ll e t Y R A C S E M A J Comedy writer funny e b n a c h it a f y h Olowofoyeku w

‘A

PRIEST, a rabbi and an imam walked into a bar’ is not the sort of line that you would find in the Bible. But James Cary argues that there is humour in the Good Book.

Having co-written episodes of BBC sitcom Miranda and the three series of Bluestone 42, James knows a thing or two about comedy. He is also a Christian. And in his recently published book The Sacred Art of Joking, he explores how comedy works and why it is sometimes at the root of controversy.

‘Given that life is absurd,’ he says, ‘it would be strange for the Bible not to be funny. We are suspicious of people who don’t laugh or don’t appreciate absurdity. There’s something less than human about a lack of humour.

‘I don’t know whether the purpose of humour in the Bible can be easily isolated and explained, but I just think that it would be odd for God to relate to us in a way that was devoid of humour.’

James suggests that there is comedy

in a number of Jesus’ sayings. He points out Jesus’ use of hyperbole – for instance, when warning about the dangers of a wandering eye, which can lead a marriage partner to ruin their relationship and their lives. Jesus says: ‘If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is

There’s something less than human about a lack of humour better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into Hell’ (Matthew 5:29 New International Version).

‘When Jesus says “If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out”, he doesn’t mean that you should gouge out your eye, but he does mean that you don’t want to go to Hell. He’s halfjoking. Hyperbole only works if it’s based on truth.’

James Cary

In James’s eyes, laughing does not imply disbelief. Rather, humour works when it reflects a truth. It’s why he sees humour in some of the things that Jesus did.

‘We don’t laugh at it to imply that it is not true; we laugh at it being unexpected,’ he says.

Referring to Jesus’ ascension into Heaven after his resurrection, James

13 July 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 11

L AU G H says: ‘It has always struck me as a funny scene, because Jesus hovers off the ground, and then he just keeps going up.

‘Jesus was blessing his disciples, so they would have had their heads down.

Then they looked up and looked around and were left wondering: “Where’s Jesus?” That’s not how they thought it would end!

‘If I find it humorous, I’m not saying that Christians are silly for believing that Jesus ascended into Heaven. I’m saying: Can you imagine being there when Jesus says, “OK, I’m out of here”?

‘And once you’re open to the humour, you start to see it more.’

Some of the Bible’s funny moments are not so light-hearted, says James.

He points to the story of Job, a morally upright man who has had his children and all his possessions taken from him – and, at the same time, is being blamed by his friends for his own suffering. His wife tells him to curse God, but he refuses.

‘Job sticks to his guns,’ James explains. ‘But the moment he slightly steps away from his guns, God shows

up. And God starts being sarcastic, asking, “Where were you at the start of the world? Hands up who was there at the beginning of the universe. Are you able to make it hail, Job? How’s that going for you?”

‘It doesn’t get much darker than that comedically. It’s unrealistic and unbiblical to expect comedy to be the equivalent of good news stories. I’m arguing for a broader view of culture, of what comedy is. The Bible is full of stories, teachings, proverbs and letters that can be funny, surprising and give you plenty to think about.’

The truth, it seems, can be uncomfortable.

‘People tend to be upset by what comedians have said, not because it is false or made up,’ James says. ‘The problem is that comedians are funny about things that are actually true.

‘Jokes have never seemed to have had higher stakes or be more dangerous than they are now. They can get you fired, disgraced, publicly humiliated or killed. So it felt like the right time to write the book.’

For James, truth is key. He finds it integral to comedy. He also continues

Comedians are funny about things that are actually true to pursue it when it comes to matters of faith.

‘I’ve been a Christian since I was about 11 years old,’ he says. ‘Back then, I thought if Christianity isn’t true, I suspect it will come up at some point. My views haven’t changed substantially, but they always need testing. I need to keep on asking: Is it true?’

l The Sacred Art of Joking is published by SPCK

12 INNER LIFE • WAR CRY • 13 July 2019

Prayerlink YOUR prayers are requested for Peter, who has lung cancer; and for Debbie, who is concerned for the people around her.

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

Ezekiel

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

ZEKIEL was one of the first wave E of people taken into exile in Babylon along with Judah’s King Jehoiachin. Five

years into captivity, God called him to be a prophet.

For the next 20 years, Ezekiel uses charades, object lessons, allegories and the recounting of symbolic visions, as he speaks to God’s rebellious people. Despite their downfall, the people of Judah (referred to in the book as ‘Israel’) are still refusing to acknowledge their wrongdoing.

With the capital, Jerusalem, still under siege, Ezekiel builds a model of the city and lies beside it for more than a year (see chapter 4). Rather like the prophet Jeremiah back in Judah, Ezekiel says that God’s judgment has come because the city’s inhabitants rejected God’s laws (5:6) and allowed idolatry in the Temple (chapter 8). He adds more details to the charge sheet in chapter 22, where he points out people’s contempt for their parents, their oppression of foreigners and their ill treatment of widows and orphans.

After a series of pronouncements against neighbouring nations, Ezekiel hears that Jerusalem has fallen (33:21), and the direction of his message changes from past events to future possibilities. If the first part of the book was forth-telling, much of what follows might be regarded as foretelling.

Through a vision of dry bones being connected together and coming to life, God tells Ezekiel that he will resurrect Israel. The divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah will be reunited (chapter 37).

Ezekiel receives a vision of a new Temple to replace the glorious one built by King Solomon, which has now been destroyed (chapters 40 to 44). From this Temple, God’s river of life will flow (chapter 47). Religious

He has a vision of dry bones being connected together observance will be reinstituted (chapters 45 and 46). Jerusalem’s walls will be rebuilt and all 12 tribes of Israel (including the ‘lost tribes’ defeated by Assyria) will repopulate the land (chapter 48).

The future, though, is not all sweetness and light. Ezekiel foresees a major conflict for the people. A confederate force from the north, south and east will attack (38:5).

A bloodbath will follow, but Israel will win (chapters 38 and 39).

As with much prophecy, interpretations vary as to whether the message is to be taken literally or figuratively, whether or not it has been fulfilled and, if not, when it will be.

Some commentators see this as the apocalyptic battle of Armageddon that will herald the return of Jesus Christ.

Key verse

u and ‘I will put my Spirit in yo :14 you will live’ (Ezekiel 37 on) rsi New International Ve

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13 July 2019 • WAR CRY • EXPRESSIONS 13

QUERIES, DOUBTS AND HONEST PRAYERS

The future’s not ours to see

‘Q

UE sera, sera, whatever will be will be’ may have sounded delightful when sung by Doris Day, but I disagree with the sentiment. I doubt that God expects us to live according to that philosophy, even if he has certain experiences lined up for us so that we may become more like Jesus.

Of course, there are things that God has planned for all humankind. He has provided the possibility of eternal life, but asks us to decide to believe in his Son, Jesus. He wants us to choose to love him and to be obedient to his way. God wants people to live good lives, but he doesn’t force us to. While he guides us by his Spirit, he leaves us to choose what to do in the many varied scenarios of life.

All Christians are called to follow Jesus, and many sense a calling to a particular responsibility or function. But we are left to make a choice as to how we work that out in our daily lives. I doubt that God will do it all for us. Equally, though, I don’t think that we are able to do it all without him. He graciously calls us to work with him. The ‘que sera, sera’ approach seems to negate the wonder of our opportunity to co-operate with God. I pray that God will help me not to abdicate my responsibilities but to use my free will wisely.

God leaves us to choose what to do

by Peter Mylechreest

QUICK QUIZ 1. Who wrote the play Peter Pan? 2. Who had a hit in 2014 with the song ‘All of Me’?

3. Who played detective Alec Hardy in the TV series Broadchurch?

4. What does the term ‘faux pas’ mean?

5. In what European country are the cities of Volos, Piraeus and Thessaloniki?

6. What is the surface area of a cube with an edge length of 2cm?

ANSWERS 1. J. M. Barrie. 2. John Legend. 3. David Tennant.

4. A social gaffe. 5. Greece. 6. Twenty-four sq cm.

CBAD a warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk Twitter: @TheWarCryUK Facebook.com/TheWarCryUK

B

www.salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry

BOOK REVIEW Fly! Richard de Crespigny

DESPITE having more chance of perishing in a car accident, many people have a bigger fear of flying. But imagine being the pilot responsible for 469 lives when your plane malfunctions, necessitating an emergency landing.

Australian Richard de Crespigny faced this scenario as the pilot of QF32 in 2010, a plane that developed engine failure while flying from London to Sydney via Singapore. In Fly! – available in the UK as a Kindle edition – he recalls how he and his team navigated the crisis with leadership, teamwork and resilience.

While Fly! focuses briefly on the incident, it also provides lessons for any leadership position or crisis management role.

From a leadership perspective, it offers nothing really new, but the chapter on post-traumatic stress provides invaluable insights into dealing with your own, helping others, avoiding it and recovering from it.

Colin Lane

14 PUZZLES • WAR CRY • 13 July 2019

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Restrain (4) 3. Stifle (3) 5. Expectant (4) 7. Arranged (9) 9. Security device (4) 10. Feat (4) 11. Crowbar (5) 14. Play (5) 15. Clumsy (5) 17. Firelighter (5) 18. Dirt (5) 19. Way in (5) 20. Stiff (5) 23. Bluish-white metal (4) 25. Couch (4) 27. Punctuation mark (9) 28. Labour (4)

29. Spring month (3) 30. Depend (4) DOWN 1. Moderately cold (4) 2. Yap (4) 3. Rank (5) 4. Skim (5) 5. Elderly (4) 6. Virtuous (4) 7. Instances (9)

8. Trickery (9) 11. Beam (5) 12. Competing (5) 13. Irritated (5) 14. Excavate (3) 16. Attempt (3) 21. Turn of phrase (5) 22. Satire (5) 23. Gusto (4) 24. Dungeon (4) 25. Bitter (4) 26. Askew (4)

SUDOKU

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

4

9

6

8

1

3

5

7

2

7

1

3

4

5

2

9

6

8

5

8

2

9

7

6

3

4

1

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

1

6

7

5

3

9

2

8

4

8

3

4

6

2

1

7

5

9

1. Underground shelter 2. Cartoon mouse 3. Breed of dog 4. Shiny and smooth 5. Air passage 6. Male goose

2

5

9

7

4

8

6

1

3

6

7

8

2

9

4

1

3

5

3

2

5

1

8

7

4

9

6

9

4

1

3

6

5

8

2

7

HONEYCOMB

WORDSEARCH

ANSWERS

ANTIMATTER BIG BANG COSMIC TIME EQUILIBRIUM FUSION GRAVITATIONAL LENS HUBBLE CONSTANT LEPTON LIGHT YEAR OMEGA POSITRON PULSAR QUANTUM MECHANICS QUARK RELATIVITY SPACETIME SUPERSTRING THEORY THERMODYNAMICS

Look up, down, forwards, backwards and diagonally on the grid to find these 4 9words 6 associated 8 1 3 with 5 science 7 2

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

HONEYCOMB 1 Bunker. 2 Mickey. 3 Collie.

4 Glossy. 5 Larynx. 6 Gander.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1 Curb. 3 Gag. 5 Agog. 7 Organised. 9 Lock. 10 Deed.

11 Lever. 14 Drama. 15 Inept. 17 Spill.

18 Grime. 19 Entry. 20 Rigid. 23 Zinc. 25 Sofa.

27 Semicolon. 28 Toil. 29 May. 30 Rely.

DOWN: 1 Cool. 2 Bark. 3 Grade. 4 Glide.

5 Aged. 6 Good. 7 Occasions. 8 Deception.

11 Laser. 12 Vying. 13 Riled. 14 Dig. 16 Try. 21 Idiom. 22 Irony. 23 Zest.

24 Cell. 25 Sour. 26 Awry.

4

9

2

3

7

6

5

2

3

8

6

1

8

5

1

7

9

4

4

9

2

3

1 5 8 9 4 7 2 3 6

3 1 2 7 6 5 9 4 8

6 8 9 4 2 3 7 5 1

5 7 4 8 1 9 6 2 3

8 4 1 6 7 2 3 9 5

2 9 3 1 5 8 4 6 7

7 6 5 3 9 4 1 8 2

SUDOKU SOLUTION

1 5

3 1

6 8

5 7

8 4

2 9

7 6

13 July 2019 • WAR CRY • WHAT’S COOKING? 15

Brazilian pork with kale and black bean rice salad 250g cherry tomatoes, quartered 4 pork loin medallions, fat removed

100g kale, rinsed and roughly chopped

For the marinade

2 spring onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 lime, juice

2tsp ground cumin

1tsp runny honey

1tsp ground black pepper

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

3tbsp fresh coriander, chopped 2tsp oil

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.

50ml orange juice SERVES

4

For the salad 500g wholegrain rice, cooked and cooled 400g can black beans, drained and rinsed

Pork tacos 8 taco shells 1tsp ground cumin 1tsp ground paprika 2tbsp vegetable oil 4 pork loin medallions, sliced into thin strips

SERVES

4

200g fresh tomato salsa 1 small iceberg lettuce, roughly chopped 1 large handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped 150ml low-fat yoghurt

Place the pork on a chopping board between two large pieces of clingfilm.

Bash with a rolling pin until the pork is 1cm thick. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl and season. Add the pork and coat on both sides. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes.

To prepare the salad, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and season.

Heat a griddle pan for 3 minutes until hot. Add the marinated pork and cook for 3 minutes on one side. Turn the pork over and cook for a further 8 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven until any juices run clear. Serve the pork with the salad.

Make a marinade by mixing the cumin and paprika spice with the oil in a bowl. Coat the pork slices in the marinade and set aside for 10 minutes.

Heat a frying pan to medium hot and fry the marinated pork for 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Warm the taco shells according to packet instructions. Arrange the tacos on a plate and spoon the pork into each shell and add a bit of salsa, lettuce, coriander and yoghurt.

Serve the tacos with the remaining salsa, yoghurt, lettuce and coriander in separate bowls.

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

When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your unfailing love, Lord, supported me Psalm 94:18 (New International Version)