23 February 2019 20p/25c

A CLEAN SWEEP Series shows new ways to tidy up

DEALING IN FAIRNESS Fair trade pioneer looks back

REFLECTIONS FROM THE PAST

WRITER OF NEW KEIRA KNIGHTLEY FILM DRAWS ON FAMILY HISTORY

2 COMMENT AND CONTENTS • WAR CRY • 23 February 2019

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

From the editor’s desk WHEN cinemagoers watch The Aftermath in the coming weeks, many will be unaware that the story is inspired by the experience of the writer’s grandfather. In an interview in this week’s War Cry, Rhidian Brook explains how his grandfather, Walter, gave him the initial idea for the story and how Walter’s choices may have been inspired by his friendship with Lawrence of Arabia. It can be fascinating to discover who or what inspires people. As we move into the last few days of February, some people will be inspired by the forthcoming spring to clean and reorganise their homes. Others, as we discover this week, will be inspired by TV tidying expert Marie Kondo. Some of the techniques Marie suggests in her Netflix series – such as thanking old clothes before turning them out – may seem rather unconventional. But they have encouraged viewers to start decluttering by ‘Marie Kondo-ing’ their homes. Most people can think of individuals who have inspired them to take their lives in a different direction. It may have been a family member or friend, someone from the television or a professional they have encountered such as a teacher. But there are other people who can have a direct impact on our lives without us ever knowing it. Richard Adams could be one such individual. In his interview in this week’s War Cry, he describes the part he played in establishing the fair trade movement about 50 years ago. Richard helped to set up this alternative way of trading with people in developing countries, leading to the formation of the familiar Fairtrade mark found on many everyday items purchased from supermarkets. Monday (25 February) is the start of Fairtrade Fortnight. Consumers will be encouraged to support the welfare of those people who grow the food and drinks purchased each day by buying produce with the Fairtrade mark. For the sake of those worse off than ourselves, let’s hope many of us are inspired to support the campaign.

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 7411

Editor: Andrew Stone, Major Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow Production Editor: Stephen Pearson Assistant Editor: Claire Brine Assistant Editor: Sarah Olowofoyeku Staff Writer: Emily Bright Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk Graphic Designer: Rodney Kingston 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@sp-s.co.uk Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Secretary for Communications: Lieut-Colonel David Kelly

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 Grange Ltd, Southwick, on sustainably sourced paper

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Contents FEATURES 3

What a load of rubbish? New Netflix series is cleaning up

Grandfather’s story was an inspiration The family connection to The Aftermath film

Fair and square The man behind ethical shopping

REGULARS 4

News and media

Browsing the Bible

Now, there’s a thought!

14 Puzzles 15

What’s cooking? Front-page picture: Fox Searchlight Pictures

23 February 2019 • WAR CRY • TELEVISION 3 DENISE CREW/Netflix

Marie Kondo

A CLEAN

BREAK

Tidying makes the sparks fly, writes Sarah Olowofoyeku

T’S a new season for spring-cleaning. One of Netflix’s IKondo, latest original programmes, Tidying Up with Marie shows families going through the process of

Families tell Marie what a difference her visit has made In the Bible, David, a man whose life became a mess on more than one occasion, wrote: ‘You have been my constant helper; therefore, I sing for joy’ (Psalm 63:7 The Voice). The same can be true for any of us who needs a positive change in our life, whatever stage we’re at. God will lovingly give us the tools that we need to deal with our mess, to get rid of things that are not good for us, to appreciate the gifts we have been given and to live with more joy. Is it time to tidy up?

Courtesy of Netflix

tidying their homes in a fresh and stress-free way with the help of professional tidying expert Marie Kondo. The bestselling author inspires people to choose joy by tidying with her own ‘KonMari’ method. She encourages people to go through items in their home and decide whether to keep each one by asking: ‘Does it spark joy?’ When something sparks joy, Marie explains, it’s a warm and positive feeling. Families invite Marie into their homes to help them clean up their houses. They are all at different stages of life – some young families, some retired – but they are all at their wits’ end. As they sort through their belongings, she suggests that they communicate with them – saying ‘thank you’ to items of clothing before getting rid of them. Marie’s method of tidying is different from other methods as she advocates organising by category rather than locations. The five categories are: clothing, books, paper, ‘komono’ (miscellaneous things) and sentimental items. The star of the Netflix show has sparked joy in viewers all over the world with her sweet demeanour and useful tips. On social media, Marie Kondo has become a verb, with people taking to Twitter to declare they are ‘Marie Kondo-ing’ their rooms, homes and even relationships. But for the clients whose homes she visits, the impact is more profound. At the heart of Marie’s cleaning method is a desire to help people find what is truly important in their life. She says: ‘The ultimate goal of tidying is really to learn to cherish everything that you have.’ Many of her clients have felt overwhelmed by the mess in their homes, not knowing where to begin. But rather than entering their spaces with rules about what is right and wrong and lists of things they can and cannot do, Marie has a gentle presence and teaches them her method. She does not strictly enforce any part of it on them but supports and gives

them the tools to carry it out themselves. With tidy spaces and huge smiles on their faces, families tell Marie what a difference her visit has made to their lives. Beyond now having organised homes, they share stories of strengthened relationships and a new-found appreciation of the things they have. Over the years, countless people have discovered that when their lives needed tidying up, they were able to turn to God and find help.

4 NEWS AND MEDIA • WAR cry • 23 February 2019

Help continues for Indonesian earthquake victims THE Salvation Army has delivered water, sanitation and hygiene kits to hundreds of families since they were impacted by an Indonesian earthquake in September. Almost 900 families in Central Sulawesi have received the kits, which include items such as washing detergent, jerrycans, mosquito nets, soap, towels and women’s health products. Further distribution is set to take place. A total of 4,500 families are expected to receive help from The Salvation Army’s members in Indonesia and the organisation’s International Emergency Services team, including 3,000 people in rural medical clinics. The church and charity has also set up schools in tents while plans to rebuild classrooms are finalised. Indonesia was hit by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake last September, triggering a tsunami and landslides that killed more than 2,000 people.

MEGHAN Markle’s Christian faith is very important to her, according to an interview with her friends in American magazine People. Although Meghan has kept her faith private, friends say that her belief in God has kept her grounded and helped her to navigate a new life as Duchess of Sussex. ‘Meg is extremely faithful. We pray a lot together. We meditate. She has had, and especially has now, a very close relationship with God,’ explained one long-term friend. Meghan was baptised in a private Church of England ceremony last spring ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018. of Black Panther Letitia Wright thanked God in her Bafta nTheSTAR acceptance speech. rising star award winner said that her faith had sustained her during

Salvation Army relief team members distribute aid kits

Minister encourages schools to teach resilience

EDUCATION secretary Damian Hinds praised Church of a particularly difficult period in her life. England schools as he set out his vision for a more well‘I can’t get up here without thanking God,’ rounded education system. she said. ‘A few years ago, I was in a deep Addressing the Church of England’s national state of depression, and I literally wanted to quit acting. The only thing that pretty much education conference and citing the academic success pulled me out of that was of their schools, God, my faith and my the minister called family.’ for a focus on She then addressed building character those struggling with and resilience in depression, adding: ‘I just children through want to encourage you, extracurricular and say that God loves activities. you and let ‘Schools have your light a duty to promote shine.’ the spiritual, moral, SIX Christians have been seriously social and cultural wounded in Northern India after Hindu development of militants ambushed a prayer meeting. their pupils. This is The group of 40 Christians, who were done throughout gathered at a church leader’s home in the school day Uttar Pradesh, were physically attacked through things like and verbally abused by 25 Hindu militants. RE lessons but also ‘The Christian minority in India is by reinforcing or experiencing an uncertain and frightening encouraging pupils’ future in which their fundamental rights self-belief and selfto worship, observe, practise and teach worth,’ he said. their religion or belief are under threat,’ ‘The Church of said Mervyn Thomas, chief executive England knows a of human rights organisation Christian thing or two about Solidarity Worldwide. character. It’s one The news of the attack follows a report of the reasons your from anti-persecution charity Open Doors schools get such last month which found that India ranked good results and tenth in the world for the most extreme 88 per cent of them religious persecution. are rated good and outstanding.’

Christians attacked while attending prayer meeting

PA IMAGE NOT FOR WEB

23 February 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 5

‘I told them my grandfather’s story and they loved it’ Writer RHIDIAN BROOK talks to Emily Bright about his family’s connection to his new postwar film The Aftermath

Rhidian Brook

S he watched filming unfold in a frozen forest in Prague, writer Rhidian Brook was enthralled as Keira Knightley strolled through the snow just metres away. Post-Second World War drama The Aftermath, the culmination of years of work for him, was finally being brought to life. ‘We turned up in a wood in the middle of nowhere, and Keira was in this gold dress in minus 14 degrees celsius, and I was thinking “Oh my.”’ Rhidian recalls that the Academy award nominee, who plays Rachael Morgan in the film, remained professional throughout. ‘Keira was in the zone, she was noticeably serious about her role. I think she really loved it, and that was very apparent watching her.’ Rhidian, who wrote the film’s screenplay and the novel it is based on, watched two days of filming with his family, and met other members of the cast. Released in cinemas next Friday (1 March), The Aftermath tells the story of army colonel Lewis Morgan (Jason Clarke) who is posted to Hamburg to oversee

Turn to page 6 ➥

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Colonel Lewis Morgan reunites with his wife Rachael

6 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 23 February 2019

From page 5 in Egypt during the First World War who became famous for his efforts to integrate with the Egyptian populace and embrace their culture. ‘I think something of that rubbed off on my grandfather,’ explains Rhidian. After their initial meeting, the two men kept in touch through a series of letters, correspondence which continued after the First World War.

There’s a lesson here about putting things in drawers: don’t give up Rhidian’s family history sowed a seed for a novel idea. But the outline of that idea lay dormant in a drawer for years until his literary agent badgered him into writing it. ‘There’s a lesson here about putting things in drawers: don’t give up, nothing’s wasted,’ Rhidian smiles. One day, after the launch of his screenplay Africa United in 2011, he was invited to meet film director Ridley Scott. ‘I found myself in a meeting at Scott Free,

Fox Searchlight Pictures

reconstruction efforts after the Second World War. Once he is reunited with his wife Rachael, they are quartered in a house belonging to widowed German architect Stephan Lubert (Alexander Skarsgård) and his daughter Freda (Flora Thiemann). Much to Rachael’s consternation, Lewis decides that they will all coexist under one roof, leading to escalating tensions between the two families. Rhidian Brook was already an established novelist and screenwriter when he wrote The Aftermath, but the story was particularly personal. The fictional account was inspired by the wartime experiences of his grandfather, Walter Brook. Having served in both world wars, Walter found himself promoted to governor of the Pinneberg district to the west of Hamburg, overseeing reconstruction efforts in 1946. When he was billeted in a German family’s home, he decided that his young family would live alongside the residents for five years. Walter’s unconventional plan may have been inspired by his meeting with Lawrence of Arabia some years before. Thomas Edward Lawrence was a British liaison officer stationed

Leading actor Jason Clarke poses for a photo with Rhidian and his father

Ridley Scott’s company, pitching ideas. But he didn’t like any of them. So I told him about my grandfather and the story of how he’d requisitioned the house and they’d shared it with a German family. And that led to a commission, right there and then. They loved it.’ Spurred on by the commission, Rhidian wrote two drafts of the screenplay and 60 pages of the book, which secured him a publishing deal to translate his novel into 25 languages. He calls the book contract the ‘biggest deal of my life’. He finished the novel in 2013, then edited the screenplay and handed it over to a team of scriptwriters to take a fresh look, describing it as thrilling to see his work come to fruition in film. ‘You sit on your own for a couple of years in a room, making this stuff up, and then turn up on set and see hundreds of people employed by it.’ Reflecting on the writing process, Rhidian says that it bears similarities to faith. ‘Writing is an act of faith in a way because you start with a blank page, and you know that you’re going to create something from nothing,’ he explains.

23 February 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 7

Writing is an act of faith because you start with a blank page

Keira Knightley plays Rachael Morgan ‘There is this odd relationship I think between faith and storytelling, and writing in particular, around the idea of hope and faith in things unseen.’ He describes how he particularly enjoys reading traditional Russian and existential French fiction, which explores meaning, purpose, faith and even God. But Rhidian expresses frustration with the modernday taboo around such issues. ‘I think a lot of fiction totally ignores these questions. I still don’t really understand that. It’s like how can you ignore it? Why aren’t you thinking about this stuff?’ He smiles wryly: ‘It’s probably because I’m a person of faith and we become really annoying.’ hidian clarifies his relationship with R faith, remarking: ‘I don’t think of myself as a Christian writer, I’m a writer who is a

Christian. I’ve got a little wiser about that as I’ve got older.’ However, he reveals that his faith sometimes unintentionally shapes his work. He became a Christian in his twenties, around the time he started writing. His first two novels, The Testimony of Taliesan Jones and Jesus and the Adman, featured religious themes. Rhidian states that The Aftermath, although not explicitly about his faith, reflects

Christian themes of forgiveness, justice and reconciliation. ‘I have a quote from Isaiah at the beginning of the book, which is about being a repairer. It says: “You will be called the repairer of broken walls.” So, without trying, the book is implicitly Christian.’ The Aftermath novelist has just finished adapting his latest book, The Killing of Butterfly Joe, into a film screenplay. The thriller follows protagonist Joe, a butterfly salesman with unorthodox beliefs, who seeks to challenge the religiosity of his society. He meets narrator Llew, whom he renames Rip Van Jones, and takes him on a tour around America. ‘Joe is like a Cat in the Hat figure who just sweeps Llew off his feet and takes him on this epic adventure. I play with the tropes of Americana and the folklore of America: the Rip Van Winkle story, the Wizard of Oz story,’ explains Rhidian. The novel is based loosely on his experience selling butterflies with his friend Joe, and Rhidian enjoyed reminiscing. ‘I had to put myself back into my hedonistic 23-year-old self, wanting to have a good time. That was a lot of fun, trying to remember that.’ However, when he first pitched the idea to his publishers, they were nervous about the

inclusion of faith in fiction. ‘That was my first proper moment where in this case a publisher was wary about me writing a book that was going to be about faith, even if faith was actually quite low in the mix of the story. There definitely is an antagonism to faith, probably particularly to Christianity.’ But as a regular contributor to Radio 4’s Thought for the Day slot, Rhidian has enjoyed a unique platform to share his views more openly. ‘You have to learn to be a bridge between your outlook upon the world and your faith, and communicate that to people who don’t share your understanding or belief, or might be antagonistic towards it,’ he explains. ‘There’s a Scripture in Matthew about being “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” and that’s quite a helpful thing. You have to pick your moments to share your faith.’ Rhidian says that being a Christian has shaped his understanding of the world. Seeing life through a ‘prism of faith’ makes sense to him, despite his being told otherwise. ‘Do I accept it when people tell me there is nothing, that we’ve discovered all we need to know and that religion is weak and for the deluded? To my mind and my experience, to both my reason and unreason, I think not.’

8 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 23 February 2019

Alternative trade

A member of CAYAT, a cocoa and coffee farming co-operative in Côte d’Ivoire – the Fairtrade movement has encouraged producers to join co-operatives to strengthen their position in trade

23 February 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 9

has come a fair way During Fairtrade Fortnight, which begins on Monday (25 February), supporters will be hoping to raise awareness of the challenges faced by producers and the ways in which they have benefited from fair trade. RICHARD ADAMS, who founded Fairtrade company Traidcraft and is now chair of the Fair Trade Advocacy Office, tells Philip Halcrow about the growth of fair trade and how churches played a key role in it

Richard Adams

ARMERS have built houses, children have gone to school and communities have carried out improvements to medical facilities because of it. Over the past 40-plus years, fair trade has changed the lives of many producers in poorer countries. Ahead of its Fairtrade Fortnight, the Fairtrade Foundation has been highlighting the experiences of Rosine Bekoin, a cocoa farmer from Côte d’Ivoire. She struggled to make enough money when she independently sold cocoa to middle men but has been able to build a new house with the increase in her income after she joined a co-operative linked with the Fairtrade movement. It’s not only the lives of producers that have changed. Richard Adams has seen the whole concept of fair trade grow. Today, Richard is the chair of the Fair Trade Advocacy Office, which, he explains, ‘was set up essentially to try to lobby the EU and European governments to get them to take fair trade seriously and in particular to look at legislation – which, in itself, is an indication of how far things have moved on. In the 1970s, when fair trade started to get going in Britain and most other European countries, legislation wasn’t really on the agenda. Back then, the aim was simply to get the public buying products that had additional social values and that

The aim was simply to get the public buying products that had additional social values

PETER CATON/Fairtrade

Turn to page 10

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10 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 23 February 2019

From page 9 would give the producers a better wage.’ Richard knows about the early days of fair trade because he was one of the people who helped it ‘to get going’. He says: ‘In the mid-Sixties I went to Durham University. I was studying sociology and theology, and I was struck by issues of global inequality. It was a time of decolonisation and countries were becoming independent, but a lot of them were still locked into old patterns of trading and weren’t getting a fair deal for what they were producing. ‘A friend and I began looking at the prices that farmers in India were getting for their produce. We wondered if we could start importing goods from developing countries, offering the farmers a better deal and trying to improve their working conditions. ‘It sounds a bit wild but, after getting some business experience and carrying out some research in India, we set up a business importing agricultural products.’ Richard recalls that the business had been running for about a year when he was contacted by a Christian relief and development agency. ‘Tearfund were sending out a plane to Bangladesh filled with blankets, powdered milk and other relief, but it would be coming back empty. They said they had

an idea of buying up craft products from a Christian co-operative and filling the plane with them for its return journey. Because I had experience in importing goods, they wanted my advice. ‘That led to setting up a craft importing business, which became Tearcraft and was developed in association with Tearfund.’ The business grew, until, in 1979, Richard established Traidcraft. It may have been a ‘spin-off’ from Tearcraft, but it still had a specifically Christian identity.

Churches played a significant role. They established a moral purpose Richard explains that the Christian label was more than just mere branding. Churches were playing an important part in the early development of fair trade, even in the days before the term ‘fair trade’ had come into common usage. ‘At the time we were talking about “alternative trade”,’ he says, ‘and the bulk of our sales were being made through

specialist “world shops” and through churches. Traidcraft was solidly based in churches, where volunteers would sell the products. ‘The churches played a significant role in other ways,’ Richard explains. ‘They established a moral purpose, identity and values to the whole business. Now, that’s not to say that people who aren’t Christians don’t have values, but the churches saw that there was a fundamental moral aspect of what we were doing. ‘The churches were also a network of people who could be called upon to take specific actions to promote fair trade – for example, writing to a supermarket manager to ask that their store stock fairly traded goods. It proved a very effective campaigning tool in the Nineties, and helped to get the Fairtrade mark off the ground.’ Richard left Traidcraft to move into more general areas of consumer concern with a magazine and research organisation called New Consumer. At the same time, he played a part in developments that led to the introduction of the Fairtrade Foundation and the Fairtrade mark, which certifies goods that have been produced according to certain standards. As well as Traidcraft, Christian relief

23 February 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 11

‘The Fairtrade brand is recognised. I’m keen to get into a dialogue with the big processors, manufacturers and retailers to challenge them on whether, by developing lots of alternative marks, they are going to confuse the consumer and perhaps risk undermining the credibility of the concept of fair trade. ‘One of the main tasks of the Fair Trade Advocacy Office over the coming few years is to try to say to businesses: we all seem to have a perspective that it’s worth pursuing the goal of fair trade, so let’s work out some common interests and not confuse the public.’ There is still work to be done. ‘Fair trade has become much more professional and better resourced than in the Seventies and Eighties. Having said that, when it comes to the big commodity producers Richard Adams in his early days of working for fair trade such as cocoa, tea and coffee, only a small He adds: ‘One of the things that always amount is produced on fair trade terms. struck me, right from the early days when So there’s still a need for more marketing I was importing crafts, was how many of and development.’ the producers were women. Undoubtedly But Richard believes that the work is fair trade not only raised the status of worthwhile. He has seen the difference women but also put cash in their hands. that fair trade can make to people. He The theory that surrounds development is glad that the Fairtrade movement work says, and all our experience shows, has always encouraged producers that women spend money much more ‘to represent themselves, organise responsibly than men. So they would themselves, form co-operatives and be spend what they earned on family, part of the process’. on sending kids to school, on better healthcare. I have seen it happening.’ And Richard insists that a lot of what has happened in fair trade has been helped by those who have seen it as springing from their Christian faith. When Richard went to Durham University to study, it was with the intention of becoming a Church of England minister. ‘I’ve always felt that a Christian has to look at the inequities and injustices in the world and try to do something about them. And when I began to work out an idea for fair trade and setting up an agricultural trading company, I came to a point where I had to make a choice of whether to carry on with that or still go into the ministry. ‘But in the end, it wasn’t really a dichotomy,’ he concludes, ‘because when I chose to pursue fair trade, the churches were very responsive.’

Fair trade has become more professional and better resourced

ncjMedia

and development agencies Cafod and Christian Aid were among the other founding members. The mark, says Richard, ‘helped move fair trade into the mainstream. Up until that point traders were basically asking the public to trust them that their products were fairly traded. The supermarkets wanted something much more rigorous than that. They wanted an auditable process.’ The Fairtrade mark guarantees that producers are not only protected by a minimum price for their goods but also receive a premium, which they can invest in their community. According to the Fairtrade Foundation, the mark is recognised by 93 per cent of the UK population and trusted by 83 per cent. More than £138 million was paid in Fairtrade premiums to producers in 2016. There are 1.66 million farmers and workers in Fairtrade-certified producer organisations around the world. ‘Fair trade has grown tremendously,’ comments Richard. ‘It’s still a fraction of the market as a whole, but it seems that a significant number of consumers are willing to pay the little bit extra so that producers get a fair deal.’ Looking to the future, he hopes that big businesses will take stock of the way they practise fair trade. Some businesses have chosen to run their own schemes with their own certifications. ‘This is one of the big challenges at the moment,’ he suggests. ‘In one sense, I’m relatively relaxed about it, because people have always interpreted fair trade or alternative trade in their own ways. However, processors and supermarkets that develop their own in-house guarantee schemes may end up causing a problem for fair trade and for themselves.

12 INNER LIFE • WAR CRY • 23 February 2019

Prayerlink YOUR prayers are requested for Lynn, whose bowel cancer has returned; and for Simone, who is concerned about her family and friends. 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

Judges HE Book of Judges covers the time T between the death of Joshua and the establishment of the Jewish monarchy – a

period of more than 400 years. It recounts the challenges Israel faced in completing the occupation of Canaan and in keeping the territories gained through the military exploits of Joshua. Further expansionist campaigns are chronicled, including the capture of Jerusalem, but many intended towns are not conquered (chapter 1). In some areas, the policy of annihilation becomes one of assimilation, to the extent that people once faithful to God start to worship other gods. Because of such disobedience, says God, they will always face conflict with their neighbours (chapter 2). Because of the country’s actions, Israel falls into servitude to the king of Mesopotamia for eight years (3:7, 8). After Joshua’s death, the confederation of the 12 tribes – descendants of the 12 sons

Key verse ‘They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt’ (Judges 2:12 New International Version)

of Jacob – is led by a succession of ‘judges’. These are more military than legislative roles. The first judge, Othniel, rescues the nation and there is 40 years of peace (3:11). A new generation falls into bad ways and the City of Palms (Jericho) falls to the Moabites. An 18-year servitude follows before the next judge, Ehud, delivers them (3:12–30). It is the beginning of a pattern. When Israel is faithful to God, there is peace. When, in contravention of the Ten

People once faithful to God start to worship other gods Commandments, the Israelites worship other gods, they are defeated by foreign tribes and forced into years of servitude. In desperation, they cry out for a saviour. A judge appears, reminds Israel of her covenant relationship with God, defeats the oppressor and restores order. Many judges are mentioned fleetingly, while the exploits of Deborah (chapters 4 and 5), Gideon (chapters 6 to 8) and Samson (chapters 14 to 16) receive fuller treatment. This inauspicious period of Israelite history is summarised in the book’s final verse: ‘In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit’ (Judges 21:25).

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23 February 2019 • WAR CRY • EXPRESSIONS 13

NOW, THERE’S A THOUGHT!

by Naar M’fundisi-Holloway

WAR CRY annual subscription Call 01933 445445 email subscriptions@sp-s.co.uk visit sps-shop.com or contact your local Salvation Army centre

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

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I didn’t have to earn God’s love being a very proud teenage Christian. I was one of ItoREMEMBER those young people who never rebelled. I was never disrespectful my parents or elders, I was ambitious and I worked hard. For

me it was all work and little play – and play was only going to my church’s band practice and youth camps. I used to attend prayer meetings at 5 am, five days a week. I went to Bible study twice a week and diligently read my Bible. Every day I strove to live by the Ten Commandments and my ultimate goal in life was to follow God’s example and live right. I regularly took personal inventories of my own behaviour and actions to see if I was living up to God’s standard. To my mind, I was Heaven-bound and had no business getting involved in earthly matters. I became self-righteous and showed little mercy towards other teenagers who lived an lifestyle to mine. I would say ‘if I can I learnt to look opposite do it, then they can’. But as I grew older, life happened and at others with those standards started to slip. I found myself compassion kneeling before God and begging for his mercy on many occasions. I had let God down so many times that I had no pride to hang on to. As a result, I learnt to look at others with compassion and I became more gracious. I learnt to empathise with people’s challenges and not to judge them because I was equally imperfect. The idea that God loved me regardless of what I did started to become real to me. I understood that I didn’t have to earn God’s approval. I still wanted to be the best person that I could be, but realised I would never be perfect. And despite my imperfections, I was still Heaven-bound, or ‘saved’ as Christians call it. And I was saved, not by my actions, but through God’s grace. The Bible says: ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast’ (Ephesians 2:8, 9 New International Version). Which sums it up perfectly.

14 PUZZLES • WAR CRY • 23 February 2019

QUICK CROSSWORD

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

QUICK QUIZ

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Captivate (7) 5. Decoration (5) 7. Frankness (7) 8. Between (5) 10. Kiln (4) 11. Persuade (8) 13. Stretch (6) 14. Steady (6) 17. Declare (8) 19. Note (4) 21. Additional (5) 22. Letter (7) 23. Shelf (5) 24. Hang (7)

2. Nunnery (7) 3. Excited (4) 4. Dullness (6) 5. Encourage (8) 6. Condescend (5) 7. Work together (9) 9. Accordingly (9) 12. Rise and fall (8) 15. Respire (7) 16. Entry (6) 18. Recorded (5) 20. Prejudice (4)

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23 February 2019 • WAR CRY • WHAT’S COOKING? 15

Kitchen Chickpea and tuna salad ½ lemon, zest

Pinch black pepper 20ml extra virgin olive oil 1 small red onion, finely chopped 180g ripe cherry tomatoes, quartered 8cm cucumber, chopped 400g can chickpeas in water

Serves

200g can tuna in water 150g salad leaves

2 8 baking potatoes, each cut into 8 wedges 3tbsp oil 1tbsp paprika For the garlic and herb dip 200g light cream cheese 200g fromage frais 2 cloves garlic, crushed 3tbsp fresh mint, chopped 3tbsp fresh parsley, chopped For the spicy tomato salsa 400g can chopped tomatoes 1 red chilli 1 clove garlic, crushed

2 lemon wedges

Spicy

potato wedges

simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and place in a large roasting tin. In a small bowl, mix together the oil and the paprika. Pour the mixture over the potato wedges and toss together. Place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 25 minutes until golden and crisp. For the garlic and herb dip, combine all of the ingredients and spoon into a serving dish.

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

To make the spicy tomato salsa, drain any excess liquid from the tomatoes, put in a blender with the chilli, garlic and coriander and blend for 30 seconds. Spoon into a serving dish.

Place the potato wedges in a large pan of boiling water and

Serve the potato wedges with the dips.

3tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

Serves

Place the lemon zest, pepper and olive oil in a large bowl. Add the red onion, tomatoes and cucumber. Mix well and leave to infuse for 2 minutes. Drain the chickpeas and tuna and add to the bowl. Fold the ingredients in gently so that everything is coated with the dressing.

Finally, add the salad leaves and divide between two containers, add a lemon wedge to squeeze over before eating. Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the Diabetes UK website diabetes.org.uk

People with integrity

walk safely,

but those

who follow

crooked paths

will be

d e s o p x e Proverbs 10:9 New Living Translation

The Salvation Army UK Territory with the Republic of Ireland

Published on Feb 23, 2019

War Cry 23 Feb 2019

Published on Feb 23, 2019

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