War Cry 15 June 2019

15 June 2019 20p/25c

HISTORY OF A BESTSELLER Author looks back at the beginnings of the Bible

Advance warning FEARS FOR THE FUTURE PLAY OUT IN TV DRAMA ‘YEARS AND YEARS’

2 COMMENT AND CONTENTS • WAR CRY • 15 June 2019

From the editor’s desk

What is The Salvation Army?

The Salvation Army is a church and charity providing services in the community, particularly to those who are vulnerable and marginalised. Motivated by our Christian faith, we offer practical support and services in over 700 centres throughout the UK to all who need them, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. To find your nearest centre visit salvationarmy.org.uk/find-a-church

TURNING over a new leaf is still a popular pastime in the UK. People enjoy losing themselves in a novel, reading tips on self-improvement or learning the life story of a favourite celebrity. That was underlined when more than 278,000 tickets were sold for events at the annual literary Hay Festival, which concluded earlier this month.

In this week’s War Cry, we speak to John Barton, who has written a new book about one of the oldest known collections of books. A History of the Bible has reached the top ten in the Sunday Times bestselling list, proving that our fascination with writings that date back millennia continues today.

In his interview, John explains how he is ‘in awe’ of the Bible and how, in his own book, he seeks to discover how it became important to many people around the world.

This week we also speak to author Paul Alkazraji. His novel, The Migrant, is a fictional account of an Albanian man who has illegally entered Greece. Much of the story, though, is based on real events. Some of the members of the church which Paul pastors in Albania have tried to enter Greece – and not always with their papers in order.

Next Thursday (20 June) is the UN’s World Refugee Day, which commemorates the strength, courage and perseverance of refugees. For those of us with somewhere to call home, it is a timely reminder of the millions of people around the world who are displaced because of conflict, violence and persecution.

Surely we must all hope that action will be taken to allow each of them to begin a new chapter in their lives.

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 7427

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

Contents

Tel: 0845 634 0101 Helpline: 020 7367 4888 Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@sp-s.co.uk Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill 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

Year in, year out

TV drama reaches its finale

6

‘It’s easy to be overwhelmed’

Pastor’s insight on Europe’s migrant crisis

8

Scrolling through the Bible

Author investigates the history of the world’s

bestselling book

REGULARS 5

News and media

12

Browsing the Bible

13

Faces of faith

14 Puzzles 15

Money-wise meals Front-page picture: BBC/Red Productions/GUY FARROW

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8

15

BBC/Red Productions/MATT SQUIRE

15 June 2019 • WAR CRY • TELEVISION 3

FEARS AND FEARS Celeste (T’Nia Miller) and Stephen (Rory Kinnear) are living in troubled times

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As Years and Years reaches its dramatic conclusion, Emily Bright asks if there is any hope for the future

MERICA drops a nuclear bombshell, a populist reflects back on the shocking developments that have politician enters No 10 and humankind’s befallen the fictional family. ‘Transhumanism took me by overreliance on technology leads to devastating surprise. I was like: “What!” Seeing how they played it out developments in surgery. All these fictional scenarios with special effects, I think it was just brilliant.’ have featured in the dystopian drama Years and Years, She tells the War Cry that the script was one that comes which reaches its finale on BBC One next Tuesday (18 along ‘once in a lifetime’, adding: ‘Russell’s writing is always June). And, to many viewers, they all feel a little too so varied. Years and Years is a comedy, thriller and sci-fi all realistic for comfort. in one, so it’s a treat.

Penned by former Doctor Who writer Russell T. Davies, ‘I was sitting on my couch at home reading the script for the series charts the lives of the Lyons family over the next episode four, and I had such a violent reaction that I literally 15 years. It tells how their lives are transformed by world threw the script across the room.’ developments.

Assessing her own character in the drama, T’Nia says: When Russia annexed Ukraine, it caused a refugee crisis ‘Celeste is bold, she’s feisty. She’s happily married, in the UK, which proved to have deadly consequences for ambitious in her job, and has ambition for her family. the youngest Lyons son, Daniel, who is a refugee housing ‘She has a great fear of not being in control. And of officer.

Turn to page 4 ➥ His sister Edith, an activist, has suffered health problems after she was caught in the fallout of a nuclear attack launched by the US president.

Viewers also watched as populist leader Vivienne Rook swept into power in the UK with her outspoken Four Star Party, cheered on by the youngest Lyons child, Rosie, who has just lost her job to technology.

Stephen, the eldest sibling, was enjoying a comfortable life in London with his tenacious wife Celeste and their two children until their world was rocked by a financial crisis. It left them broke and facing a bleak future.

To make matters worse, their daughter Bethany told them that she was transhuman, and no longer wanted to live in her body.

Instead she planned to digitise the content of her brain and upload it to the cloud.

But after witnessing a botched operation, she was forced to confront the horror of transhumanism gone wrong.

Actress T’Nia Miller, who plays Celeste, Vivienne Rook (Emma Thompson) leads an outspoken political party

4 TELEVISION • WAR CRY • 15 June 2019

From page 3 course, as we see in the series, that all takes a downward spiral. Life becomes challenging for her. She struggles to hold it all together. I don’t think she’s coping, but she’s just got to plough through because of her children.’

In the final episode viewers will see Viv Rook’s regime tighten its grip on power, while Rosie is forced to confront troops surrounding her home. Bethany is also set to discover a scandalous truth about her father that will cause other family members to unite against him.

T’Nia explains that, while the series may seem quite scary, ‘ultimately, there’s hope’.

She elaborates: ‘Although the family are in a time of crisis, they come together, and their connection is what makes the show brilliant.

Love them or hate them, we all recognise them.’

We may fear the future, whether we’re worried about our relationships, finances or career. Like Celeste, we can feel powerless, desperate to take action but not know where to start or where to find hope for the future.

For centuries, Christians facing adversity or uncertainty have turned to their faith as their

Love them or hate them, we all recognise them

RUTH CRAFTER

BBC/Red Productions/MATT SQUIRE

source of strength, seeing God as a Father figure who will sustain them through their darkest times.

In the Bible, God promised to be with a group of people during their own time of crisis. He said: ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you’ (Isaiah 41:10 New International Version).

He extends this offer of help to us all, through whatever we may face.

Whether we wish we could turn back time or simply fast-forward to a brighter future, we all have the chance to clock God’s offer and begin a relationship with him.

15 June 2019 • WAR CRY • NEWS AND MEDIA 5

Government minister praises Salvation Army’s ‘vital service’ EDUCATION secretary Damian Hinds visited a Salvation Army centre that is helping people in his constituency of East Hampshire to find work.

He spoke to volunteers and staff at the Petersfield church about its Employment Plus programme, which offers people the chance to gain qualifications, receive computer training and obtain advice on their application forms and CVs. The minister described the programme as a ‘vital employment service for the area’, adding that he was ‘impressed by the professionalism yet also by how personal the approach is’.

Salvation Army minister Captain Linda Read, who launched the Petersfield Employment Plus service last year, said: ‘There are real pockets of poverty, and people can slip through the cracks. Our weekly drop-in has four volunteers and people get a one-to-one, personal service, where they can get tailored advice to help them find work.’

MP Damian Hinds meets Captain Linda Read and the UK director of Employment Plus Rebecca Keating

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THE chaplaincy team at Canterbury Christ Church University have received an award given to outstanding members of staff. The university’s students’ union gave a Golden Apple award in the professional services department category to the team for ‘their hard work throughout the year’. The team were noted for a campaign that they led to end human trafficking and for their ‘multifaith acceptance’.

Boxing coach Liam Malarkey takes a session

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CHRISTIAN Aid has said that the UK authorities should crack down on tax avoidance, after a new index revealed that the top three tax havens in the world were British Overseas Territories.

The British Virgin Islands, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands ranked highest in the Corporate Tax Haven Index, with the UK in 13th place.

Published by the Tax Justice Network (TJN), the index ranks a country based on the degree to which it enables corporate tax avoidance, combined with the scale of its corporate activity.

‘By deliberately enabling tax avoidance, the jurisdictions topping this list of shame are contributing to a lack of vital services across the globe,’ said Christian Aid’s Toby Quantrill in a statement tweeted by the relief and development charity.

‘The UK has helped to set up the system of tax havens identified by the Tax Justice Network and now needs to take a global lead in transforming the system.’

Boxing sessions help fight mental health issues and addictions BOXING classes run by The Salvation Army in York are helping to tackle mental health issues and addictions among people experiencing homelessness.

Some of the participants in the new scheme were previously heavy drug or alcohol users or have struggled with mental health issues, but taking part in the classes has helped them. One participant has found work, while another is receiving help from the church and charity’s mental health and drug and alcohol services.

‘They have enjoyed the challenges of getting fit, finding that sport improves their confidence and self-esteem,’ said Charles Malarkey, who heads The Salvation Army’s Early Intervention and Prevention Team in York. ‘They also make new friends and learn something new.’

Home Office caseworkers receive Bible literacy training HUNDREDS of Home Office caseworkers have received training from members of the clergy in how to deal with religious asylum applications, reported the Church Times.

The new Bible literacy training was commissioned last year after the publication of a report from the all-party parliamentary group for international freedom of religion or belief, which claimed that Home Office staff were regularly making poor decisions on asylum applications.

In March, an Iranian Christian convert was told that his application was rejected because his claim that Christianity was a peaceful religion was inconsistent with Bible passages.

The Rev Mark Miller, who advised the Home Office on the training and attended the first session, said that caseworkers relied on ‘Bible trivia’ rather than exploring an applicant’s depth of faith.

He said: ‘In the session, I asked staff what they thought was basic knowledge, but most of what they suggested back to me wasn’t basic knowledge, it was “Name the Ten Commandments”, rather than significance of a faith in Jesus.’

The Church of England’s national refugee welcome co-ordinator, Nadine Daniel, said: ‘The training is a good step forward, but it needs to be repeated frequently, as there is a high attrition rate among Home Office caseworkers.

‘It also needs to be updated regularly, as the situation in countries can change and deteriorate rapidly.’

6 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 15 June 2019

Author pens hope Next Thursday (20 June) is World Refugee Day, the UN day to commemorate the strength, courage and perseverance of refugees. PAUL ALKAZRAJI tells Sarah Olowofoyeku why he wrote a novel about a migrant

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N the past five years, the migrant crisis in Europe has intensified.

While people from many nations have often moved freely across the continent throughout different periods in history, the recent border crossings have been both a result and a source of much contention.

Today more than 65 million people around the world are displaced from their homes because of conflict, violence and persecution. In 2017, more than 170,000 migrants, including refugees, arrived in Europe by sea.

In the same year nearly 2,900 of the 120,000 migrants who crossed the central Mediterranean were recorded as killed or missing on that route.

Paul Alkazraji has witnessed parts of the crisis at close quarters. Having lived in Albania for the past 15 years, he has written a novel that tells the

story of the struggles that Albanians face. The Migrant, which was published earlier this year, follows the journey of a young Albanian man, Alban, who has illegally sneaked into Greece with his friend in a bid to find work.

‘Much of the story is based on real events and incidents that happen here in Albania,’ says Paul. ‘I pastor a small village church and some of the

The reader is being taken on an emotional journey members have attempted to enter Greece, sometimes with their papers in order, sometimes not.

‘I’ve heard their stories first-hand when they have come back and told me what it was like.’

Paul has been telling stories for a long time. It was what initially took him as a journalist from the UK to Albania.

‘I had absolutely

no intention of coming here,’ he admits. ‘But a story came up with the possibility of visiting a missionary couple in the south of Albania, so I travelled out here and wrote it up for a newspaper. It was a great story and I thought that I could write a book about it. I managed to get a contract so I came back to Albania and began work on it.

‘Meanwhile, the person who I was writing the book about said: “Why don’t you come and start a newspaper for us here, Paul?”

‘I thought it was a crazy idea, but within a month I started thinking that maybe it was what God wanted me to do. If I’d known before I came out, I may never have come! But God led me step by step and made it possible for me to be here. After finishing the book, I ran a newspaper for churches for the next seven years.’

aul says that in 2012, when The P Migrant is set, there was a ‘rise of far-right political groups who were

beginning to react to the quantity of immigrants going into Greece.

‘Alban is trying to find a better life for himself, but arrives at the point where there are civil disturbances in the centre of Athens, antiausterity protests and riots on the streets,’ he says.

Paul explains why he made the move

15 June 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 7

for migrants ANDREW La SAVIO

It is easy to be overwhelmed, but we can do small things Paul Alkazraji

from journalism to fiction: ‘I could use my journalistic skills, but there was a freedom to look at current affairs and imagine characters within them. Then I could work out a narrative that both reports and tells a story.

‘In reporting, you try to be objective,’ he says. ‘But writing fiction, you get to put yourself inside the character and think: “What would it be like to be in the middle of a clash between the riot police and anarchists? What would it be like trying to cross the mountains between Greece and Albania, avoiding the police?”

‘You have to use all your senses and emotions to try to evoke that. The hope is that the reader is not just being given information but being taken on an emotional journey.’

While Alban is the migrant of the book’s title, the principal character

is a pastor named Jude. ‘He sets off to Athens to try to find the one lost migrant from his church,’ Paul explains.

‘It’s a story of what a good shepherd should be.

‘The pastor asks how far he should go to find this one individual. And he goes out, not knowing if he’ll succeed, into the same dangers the migrant is in. I hope it inspires people to think about how far they might be ready to go in love, care and self-sacrifice for someone else, just as the Lord did for us.’

Reflecting on how faith can inspire people to help migrants, refugees and others in difficult situations, Paul says: ‘It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the great catastrophes of the day and not

know how to respond.

‘But we can do small things within our scope. We can offer practical help, and build community where people feel loved and supported. We can point them to the reality of the living God, who meets us where we are and brings transformation, hope and love.’ l The Migrant is published by Instant Apostle

8 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 15 June 2019

Human writes?

JOHN BARTON has been looking into the origins and development of the Bible. He tells Philip Halcrow about exploring who wrote it, how it came to be written, how it was put together – and why it seems to be more than just another book

A

John Barton

T the top of the Sunday Times general hardbacks bestselling list, Instagram influencer Mrs Hinch was providing ‘all the best cleaning tips to shine your sink and soothe your soul’ in Hinch Yourself Happy. Two places down, Michelle Obama’s memoir Becoming was telling the story of her personal struggles and professional achievements on the way to family life in the White House. At No 4 Love Island star Dani Dyer was offering her ‘guide to living your best life’ in What Would Dani Do? Next on the list was Oxford academic John Barton’s history of a book that has undoubtedly soothed souls; that contains the stories of many notable figures; and that has guided unnumbered people to change their life completely. His book is a study of the all-time bestseller: the Bible.

John, formerly a professor of biblical interpretation at the University of Oxford, describes himself as being ‘in awe of this very profound text that has come down to us’. His book, A History of the Bible, examines how the Bible came to play such an important role in the two religions that regard it as their holy book – Judaism and Christianity – and in the world at large.

But John acknowledges that it is very difficult to give chapter and verse on exactly when or how the Bible began.

‘If you take the narrative books of the Old Testament, there must be oral tradition behind them,’ he tells me. ‘For instance, the stories of Elijah and Elisha have a slightly folk tale-like quality, which suggests they were originally handed

15 June 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 9

down by word of mouth rather than written from nothing, like a novel. But establishing what was in the oral tradition is difficult because, of course, we don’t have it. We have to reconstruct it according to what looks like folklore.

‘However, the actual texts that we have must be the products of scribes. In the ancient world scribes who could write with that level of skill – as opposed to the person who could just write their name – tended to be at royal court. So I would think that most of the older material in the Old Testament comes from the court in Jerusalem, although in many cases it rests on very old traditions.’

It is unclear, says John, exactly how far back BC those older traditions stretch.

‘Many of the laws in Exodus have

The gospels were seen as a collection of anecdotes about Jesus parallels in Mesopotamian law codes going well back into the second millennium.

‘There’s no consensus on when the earliest parts of the Old Testament go back to, but there is a thought that some of the poems – such as the ‘Song of the Sea’ in Exodus 15, where Moses celebrates victory over Pharaoh – could date back to the 9th or even 10th centuries BC. Most people wouldn’t say that it goes back to Moses himself, but it is old material. The Hebrew is archaic.

‘The great body of material, though, started being written only in the 8th century, which was the age of the prophets Amos, Isaiah and Hosea.

‘The development went on through the Exile, the period in the 6th century when many Jews were in Babylonia. The general theory is that a lot of Old Testament literature goes back to that period when the Jews needed to reassert their identity.’

A number of other books were written in the period after the Exile.

‘So, broadly the Old Testament was

written between the 9th or 8th century and the 2nd century. It’s a long period of time – a lot longer than the New Testament.’

The New Testament, whose books tell the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and reflect the development of the Christian faith, was ‘less than a century in the forming’.

John argues that it differs from the Old Testament in other ways too.

‘They were different even in their beginnings. Many of the Old Testament books seem to have been written to be Scripture,’ he explains. ‘In other words, right from the beginning they held some kind of official status. For example, Deuteronomy is laying down the law and telling people how they are to live. From its foundations, it is a definitive guide.’

He contrasts such writings with the gospels and with the letters sent to the early churches by the apostle Paul, which now form a large part of the New Testament.

‘Paul’s letters were originally designed for specific situations, but they became universal.

‘Similarly, in the early years of the Christian era, the gospels were seen as a collection of anecdotes about Jesus rather than as Scripture. It was only around the middle and end of the 2nd century that the New Testament started to be seen as Scripture in the same sense as the Old Testament.

‘The difference seems to be summed up in the way they were written. The Hebrew Scriptures were always written on scrolls, whereas the Christian books were, from the earliest times, written as codices – that is, books bound to a spine, like a modern book. In the ancient world, codices were an informal type of book. They were used as notebooks. They were something you might scribble in. Official literature came on scrolls.

‘So an early Christian collection of the writings would have been sacred scrolls plus well-thumbed notebooks.

The contrast between Old and New Testaments is quite striking.’

As time went by, the Gospel of Matthew

Turn to page 10

➥

10 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 15 June 2019

From page 9 came to be seen as Scripture in the same sense as the Books of Moses.

‘People started writing commentaries on the New Testament books. But before the 2nd and 3rd centuries, the New Testament was more living literature than sacred literature from the past.’

The New Testament may have been transmitted in the format of well-thumbed notebooks, but John is keen to point out that it was not put together in the rumoured way referenced in a wellthumbed modern novel.

‘One of the big misconceptions,’ he says, ‘is that there were lots of books clamouring to get into the New Testament but the Church deliberately excluded them. This is what I call the Dan Brown thesis, which you can see in The Da Vinci Code.

‘It is accurate to say that there were many other books that are not in the New Testament, but almost all of them that we know about are later than the books that are in it.

‘It’s also true that in the 4th century, theologians wrote about these other books and said that people should not take any notice of them, but by then the contents of the New Testament were already pretty well fixed. The idea that the New Testament was selected from a much larger body of writings – and that the decisions could have gone either way – is probably not true.

‘The New Testament seems to have formed itself, well ahead of any rulings of what should be in it. Early Christian writers quoted and cited more or less only those books that are now in the New Testament.

From time to time they do quote from other books, but it’s clear that those other books are never as important.’

s well as pointing out that the Old A and New Testaments originated in different ways, John suggests that through the centuries Jews and Christians have continued to approach their sacred books differently.

‘Since the earlier centuries of Judaism

We have to negotiate a text that isn’t a simple confession of faith and Christianity, the Jewish approach has tended to be to take the Bible primarily as guidance on how to live, whereas Christians have often taken the whole Bible as prophecy and foretelling the future.

‘There is also a contrast in the way they interpret texts. Jewish scholars try to work out how the texts can be applied in terms of living; Christians are often interested in what the text has to say about the spiritual life rather than action.’

John is interested not only in Judaism and Christianity’s different explorations of the same texts but also in the way that neither the Christian faith nor the Jewish faith is ‘identical with’ its holy book. He says it is remarkable that the diverse writings of the Bible have come to play an important part in religions each of which, while marked by its own range of expressions, is a recognisable entity.

‘The Bible is not coterminous with Christianity or Judaism,’ he argues. ‘In both religions, traditions of belief, doctrine and practice have grown up which are related to the Bible but not always directly derived from it. Those systems have coalesced in more or less coherent forms, but they appeal to a text – the Bible – that is coherent but contains a variety of points of view.

‘I’m not saying that the Bible often contradicts itself, because it doesn’t particularly. But it is variegated.

‘Somehow as Christians we have to negotiate having a text that isn’t a simple confession of faith or a short statement of doctrine but is this baggy book with all kinds of variety.’

Navigating the Bible is more than an academic challenge for John. It is also a personal one. He is a priest in the Church of England.

15 June 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 11

‘Whenever I read the Bible, I try to reflect on what I can learn from it,’ he says. ‘Sometimes I may be reading a passage that seems to contradict what I believe as a Christian. That’s notoriously true, for instance, of the stories in the Book of Joshua about the killing of all the Canaanites. You say to yourself: How can I make sense of having as my holy book a text which contains material that contradicts what I believe, as a Christian, about how we should behave towards other people?

‘I don’t know that I ever come to an entirely satisfactory answer. But I suppose I say that there was a development in religious sensibility and thought over time.

Modern Christians aren’t committed to those stories as a laying down of the law for how they should live. Instead, those passages provide information about our forebears in the faith.’

Reflecting on his own approach to the

Readers of the Bible are in the presence of great literature Bible, John says he does not believe that God directly dictated the exact words that were written down. But neither does he see it as a book like any other. When it is taken as a whole, he senses ‘some kind of divine hand’ at work.

‘In A History of the Bible I discuss the Bible in very human terms,’ he concludes. ‘I explore who wrote it, how it came to be written, how it was put together and how it came to be recognised as Scripture. But that shouldn’t disguise a general sense that when someone reads the Bible they are in the presence of very great literature – and a book which I can’t quite see as merely a human product.’

l A History of the Bible is published by Allen Lane

12 INNER LIFE • WAR CRY • 15 June 2019

Prayerlink YOUR prayers are requested for Morag, who has scleroderma and lung disease and is concerned about her family; and for Stephen, who is in prison.

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

The prophets HE final 17 books of the Old Testament T comprise the section known as ‘the prophets’.

Apart from Jonah, the books and the messages they contain are set within historical contexts, all of which occur after the division of David and Solomon’s kingdom. Covering events from about 750BC to 350BC, they are defined by three seismic events – Assyria’s defeat of the northern kingdom of Israel, Babylon’s exiling of the southern kingdom of Judah and the post-exilic return of Jews to Jerusalem.

Throughout the prophetic books, there are references to Judah, Israel and Samaria, which may sometimes appear as interchangeable. As a rule of thumb, Judah refers to the southern kingdom, based in Jerusalem. Israel is the northern kingdom, based in the town of Samaria. Because Israel is wiped out by Assyria, after the Babylonian exile the former Judah becomes known as Israel and the former Israel is referred to as Samaria.

The prophets Amos and Hosea address the pre-Assyrian Israel. Nahum prophesies to the Assyrian city of Nineveh. Obadiah targets the nation of Edom. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Micah, Habakkuk and Zephaniah speak to pre-exile Judah. Prophets of the exilic and post-exilic period are Daniel, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

Whoever the intended audience, the prophet

has the same dual role. Called to be God’s spokesperson, a prophet is to tell the word of God and, sometimes, to foretell the works of God. Divine insights are gained through visions and expressed through figurative language. Most times, the prophet is a plain speaker.

Many pronouncements are warnings, reminding the reader that actions have consequences. Many have an immediate social,

A prophet is to tell the word of God and, sometimes, foretell religious, political or historical context and are fulfilled within the prophet’s lifetime.

In predictive terms, the major prophetic theme is that of the Messiah. Many prophets foretell the coming of a national redeemer, a saviour, a divinely anointed king who will establish God’s rule on earth through the nation of Israel.

For today’s Jews, the Messiah has yet to come. Christians, though, believe that Jesus is the Messiah and that one day he will return to establish God’s Kingdom in complete fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy.

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15 June 2019 • WAR CRY • EXPRESSIONS 13

FACES OF FAITH RAFAELLA SIANG from Coventry, on the unpredictable shifts of a doctor, cockroaches and being encouraged

What’s your typical day?

That’s a tricky one for me to answer as a doctor. It depends on the shift I work and what happens at the hospital. My drive to and back from work is the only constant. At the moment, my days off work are mostly spent sleeping and revising because I’ve got final exams coming up.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be a doctor.

What makes you feel like a grown-up now?

Paying my own bills and having to make sure my time is well spent.

What was the last book you read?

The last book I read was Goliath Must Fall by Louie Giglio. I loved it because it’s about how God is a big God who loves us and fights our battles on our behalf.

How did you become a Christian?

When I was 16 years old my best friend invited me to a church camp over the school holidays and I went. I was deeply moved and one afternoon I responded to an invitation to begin a relationship with Jesus.

What’s good about being a Christian?

Knowing that Jesus has got my back.

How does faith influence your life?

I feel calmer, as I know that God does better things with my life than I could.

What advice would you give your teenage self?

Don’t be too harsh on yourself. If one thing doesn’t work out now, something else will.

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

B www.salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry

What one question would you ask God? Why do cockroaches exist?

What do you pray about?

I pray about a lot of things. One example is my job. God helps me to empathise with my patients and so I’m able to pray for them, in private, based on how they are feeling.

What is your favourite Bible verse?

‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.

Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go’ (Joshua 1:9 New International Version). It encourages me and reminds me to keep my faith in God, because he will take me where I need to be.

14 PUZZLES • WAR CRY • 15 June 2019

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS

DOWN

1. Automaton (5) 4. Metal block (5) 8. Fowl (3) 9. Of the moon (5) 10. Planet (5) 11. Before (3) 12. Fragrance (5) 13. Dilapidated (3–4) 16. Expire (6) 19. Derides (6) 23. Complicated (7) 26. Ire (5) 28. Play on words (3) 29. At no time (5) 30. Innocent (5) 31. Born (3) 32. Haste (5) 33. Gate fastener (5)

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

17. Toilet (3) 18. Burst (3) 20. Duct (7) 21. Merry frolic (5) 22. Spread (6) 23. Sarcastic disbeliever (5) 24. Stirs (5) 25. Huge (5) 27. Corn (5)

Housey-housey (5) Menaces (7) Implant (6) Donated (5) South American dance (5) 7. Fire-raising (5) 9. Depart (5) 14. Pair (3) 15. Triumphed (3)

SUDOKU

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

7

4

5

8

1

2

9

6

3

8

3

2

6

5

9

7

1

4

6

1

9

4

3

7

2

8

5

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

1

2

8

9

4

5

6

3

7

3

9

6

7

2

8

4

5

1

1. Fortified building 2. Bodyguard 3. Chimney on a ship 4. Type of bread or cake 5. Call on as a witness 6. Tall herbaceous plant grown for its seeds

4

5

7

1

6

3

8

2

9

5

8

4

2

7

1

3

9

6

9

6

3

5

8

4

1

7

2

2

7

1

3

9

6

5

4

8

HONEYCOMB

ANSWERS

WORDSEARCH BANQUET BARBICAN CASTLE CHIVALRY COAT OF ARMS DANTE ALIGHIERI GEOFFREY CHAUCER KNIGHT MANOR MARTIN LUTHER MINSTREL MONK OUTLAW PAGE PEASANT ROMAN EMPIRE VILLEIN WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR

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

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

HONEYCOMB 1 Castle. 2 Minder. 3 Funnel.

4 Muffin. 5 Invoke. 6 Sesame.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1 Robot. 4 Ingot. 8 Hen. 9 Lunar. 10 Venus.11 Ere. 12 Aroma.

13 Run-down. 16 Elapse. 19 Scorns.

23 Complex. 26 Anger. 28 Pun. 29 Never.

30 Naive. 31 Née. 32 Speed. 33 Latch.

DOWN: 2 Bingo. 3 Threats. 4 Insert. 5 Given.

6 Tango. 7 Arson. 9 Leave. 14 Duo. 15 Won. 17 Loo. 18 Pop. 20 Channel. 21 Spree.

22 Expand. 23 Cynic. 24 Moves.

25 Large. 27 Grist.

7

2

6

9

8

5

5

4

9

3

2

1

1

6

3

8

4

7

7

2

6

9

1 3 4 7 6 8 9 2 5

3 5 2 1 7 9 4 6 8

9 8 7 6 2 4 3 5 1

6 4 1 3 8 5 7 9 2

5 1 3 8 4 6 2 7 9

4 7 9 2 5 3 8 1 6

8 2 6 9 1 7 5 4 3

SUDOKU SOLUTION

1 3

3 5

9 8

6 4

5 1

4 7

8 2

15 June 2019 • WAR CRY • WHAT’S COOKING? 15

MONEY-WISE MEALS

Vegetable and sausage parcel 3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut lengthways

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/ Gas Mark 6.

1 large leek, peeled and cut lengthways

Place the parsnips, leek and carrots in a large bowl.

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut lengthways

Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion. Lightly brown the sausages until cooked through.

Place the cooked onion and sausages in the bowl with the vegetables. Add the tomato soup and season with the salt and pepper. Add the stock cube. Mix well and adjust the seasoning to taste.

2tbsp vegetable oil ½ medium onion, diced 4 hot dog sausages ½ x 400g can tomato soup SERVES

5

Salt and black pepper 1 vegetable stock cube, crushed

Grease a suitable oven tray.

Place the pastry sheet on the tray, arrange the vegetables and sausages in the middle of the sheet so that the sausages sit in the centre.

1 shortcrust pastry sheet

3tbsp sunflower oil ½ medium aubergine, roughly chopped 1 medium onion, roughly chopped 1tsp thyme 1 red pepper, roughly chopped 1 green pepper, roughly chopped 400g can chickpeas, drained 500ml vegetable stock 400g can vegetable soup Garlic granules Salt and black pepper 250g couscous 25g butter 250ml water

Heat the sunflower oil in a saucepan and cook the aubergine and onion with the thyme for 3 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and brown.

Vegetable stew and couscous

Fold up the sides of the pastry to wrap the fillings in a parcel. Cook in the oven for 40 minutes. Slice and serve with coleslaw.

Add the peppers, chickpeas and vegetable stock. Cover and leave to simmer for 15 minutes on medium heat.

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from Hortense Julienne Nguepnang-Ntepndie’s book of affordable recipes ‘The Bank Cook’. For more information visit hortensejulienne.com

Add the soup with the garlic granules and seasoning.

Stir, cover and simmer for a further 10 minutes on a medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Heat the couscous in a deep pan with the butter and a pinch of salt on medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the hob, then boil the water and pour over the couscous. Cover with a lid and leave for 10 minutes, and then use a fork to fluff up the couscous. Serve with the vegetable stew.

SERVES

6

We get one shot at life; so live it boldly.

Life is an amazing gift Bear Grylls