The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity seeking to share the good news of Jesus and nurture committed followers of him. We also serve people without discrimination, care for creation and seek justice and reconciliation. We offer practical support and services in more than 700 centres throughout the UK. Go to salvationarmy.org.uk/find-a-church to find your nearest centre.
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 7643
Editor: Andrew Stone, Major
Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow
Production Editor: Ivan Radford
Assistant Editor: Sarah Olowofoyeku
Staff Writer: Emily Bright
Staff Writer: Claire Brine
Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk
Graphic Designer: Rodney Kingston
Graphic Designer: Mark Knight
Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk
The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory
101 Newington Causeway London
SE1 6BN
Tel: 0845 634 0101
Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org
Founder: William Booth
General: Lyndon Buckingham
Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill
Editor-in-Chief: Major Julian Watchorn
WITH access to the internet, children have an unlimited resource of information and entertainment that their parents and grandparents could never have dreamt of when they were young themselves. Sadly, that treasure trove of possibilities can also be full of danger. There are unscrupulous people who want to abuse and take advantage of youngsters online.
The potential for harm means that it’s important for young people to learn how to use the internet safely. As they settle into the new academic year, some pupils will benefit from a drama staged by theatre company Saltmine.
As we report in this week’s War Cry, the company is touring schools and presenting Blast Off, a play that introduces the themes of being safe and keeping to the rules and is then followed up with workshops that apply those themes to staying safe online.
‘We’re all about preventative education at Saltmine,’ the play’s director Ben Kessell tells us, ‘and how we can use story and theatre to connect with children and teach them a really important thing.’
While parents at the schools will no doubt be pleased that their child is learning how to surf the net safely, they may not have expected Saltmine to be a Christian organisation. But Ben believes that helping in such a practical way is a natural thing for Christians to do.
‘We’re following the example of Jesus,’ he says. ‘He was the ultimate storyteller. He captured people with a story, but within that there was a message he wanted to communicate. He talked about things that people related to – sheep, trees, neighbours – and it’s the same for us.
‘We believe in the value of every human being and every child. That’s why preventative education is such a big part of what we do. We want to look after these young people.’
Caring for others, whether young or old, is one of the core principles taught by Jesus and, as we report every week in the War Cry, it’s the reason why Christians are helping people in ways that otherwise may not have been dreamt of.