What is The Salvation Army?
From the editor’s desk
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
TRADITIONAL Nativity plays often end with the wise men bringing their gifts to the young Jesus, and readings at most carol services end the story with them being warned not to go back to Herod’s palace. However, Matthew’s Gospel goes on to describe how Mary, Joseph and Jesus had to leave Bethlehem quickly. They made their hasty departure to escape the implementation of King Herod’s instruction that all boys under the age of two years old were to be killed. The King intended to eliminate any threat to his position. It is not often that a Nativity play ends with a young family fleeing to a foreign country in fear of their lives. But that is the story Matthew gives us, and it is a scene that has been repeated through the centuries since Jesus’ birth. Millions of people have found themselves having to leave the country of their birth and look to build a new life somewhere else. Javed Masih and his family fled Pakistan and sought refuge in the Netherlands. In this week’s War Cry, Javed talks about their experiences and the challenges they faced. Through those struggles, Javed derived strength from his Christian faith. ‘God was with me and my family. He was not leaving us in that difficult time,’ he says. The message of the Nativity story is that God became a human in order to be with people, through the life of Jesus. And, because of all that Jesus did during his time on Earth, Javed was able to experience God’s presence with him when he was going through challenging times 2,000 years later. The truth is that the story of the Nativity does not end with Jesus and his family becoming refugees. That’s because the story never finishes. God continues to be with people today, making a difference for good in their lives, not just at Christmas but every day of the year.
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 7453
Editor: Andrew Stone, Major Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow Production Editor: Ivan Radford Assistant Editor: Claire Brine Staff Writer: 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 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
Contents FEATURES 3
When a child is born TV documentary shows how families react to new arrivals
5
Well-read ladies Why Little Women is still relevant
8
Keeping it real Author on the historical authenticity of Jesus
10
‘Our belongings were our memories’ The experiences of a refugee family
REGULARS 4
News and media
12
Browsing the Bible
13
Now, There’s a Thought!
14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen Front-page picture: Sony Pictures Releasing (UK)
2 • WAR CRY • 14 December 2019
5
10
15