War Cry 11 January 2020

11 January 2020 20p/25c

Battling on 1917 DEPICTS FEAR and courage ON THE FRONT LINE

MIND MATTERS MORE THAN WE THINK People are more than their brains

SPECIAL DELIVERY FOR TV VIEWERS Call the Midwife continues the drama

From the editor’s desk

What is The Salvation Army?

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

NOSTALGIA is not what it used to be. Four hundred years ago, it was considered a disease, with its symptoms including irregular heartbeats and weeping.

Today it is associated with heart-warming feelings that are prompted when our memories are taken back to ‘better’ times.

Nostalgia has played a big part in the popularity of TV programmes such as Call the Midwife. As we report in this week’s War Cry, the series set in 1960s London returned last weekend. But while the drama’s sets, costumes and music transport viewers back more than 50 years, some of the problems covered would appear to dispel the idea that the ‘good old days’ were better than today.

The horrors of the past are not shied away from in another historical drama featured in this week’s War Cry. The film 1917 was released in cinemas yesterday (Friday 10 January). It depicts the experiences of two lance corporals, Blake and Schofield, who are serving on the battlefields of the First World War. Blake and Schofield are fictional characters, but the dangers and distress that cinemagoers will witness through them were very real for millions of people between 1914 and 1918.

One of those people was military chaplain William McKenzie. As his biographer Daniel Reynaud tells us, McKenzie went above and beyond the call of duty to support the soldiers under his care. His bravery, which sometimes led him to risk his own life, resulted in his being awarded the Military Cross.

Daniel explains that the chaplain was driven by his Christian faith, commenting: ‘His absolute conviction was that he was doing what God had called him to do, and he sought to do it to the max.’

Regardless of how we may view the past, if we take the example of McKenzie and do the good that we can to ‘the max’, then we may help these days become the genuinely good old days of the future.

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 7456

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 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 FEATURES

Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org

3

Labour days Call the Midwife takes viewers back to 1965

Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Secretary for Communications: Lieut-Colonel Dean Pallant

5

Kept in trust How the National Trust began preserving history

6

So thoughtful Author on why our minds matter

8

Bravery on the battlefield Discovering a real-life First World War hero

Helpline: 020 7367 4888

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

REGULARS 4

News and media

12

Browsing the Bible

13

Now, There’s a Thought!

14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen Front-page picture: Entertainment One

2 • War Cry • 11 January 2020

5

8

15

TELEVISION

Changing places A

NATION in mourning, a baby abandoned and an outbreak of a rare disease – and that was all in the first episode of the new series of Call the Midwife, which was broadcast last Sunday (5 January).

After facing the unfamiliar terrain of the Outer Hebrides in the Christmas special of the BBC One drama, the nuns and midwives were back in the better-known streets of Poplar. It was January 1965 and, along with the rest of their east London community, they were shocked by the death of Winston Churchill.

Fred (Cliff Parisi) was also in for a shock when, after fixing a power outage at the maternity home, he found a newborn baby, abandoned in a dustbin outside.

He took her back into the maternity Fred finds home, a baby

The world is feeling unfamiliar to the nuns and nurses of Call the Midwife, writes Sarah Olowofoyeku

where she was cared for by Sister Frances (Ella Bruccoleri), and named Primrose.

It wasn’t long before Primrose’s mother showed up, flustered and wanting her baby back. With the help of Nurse Trixie (Helen George) and the fierce Mother Mildred (Miriam Margolyes), she was reunited with her baby, and empowered to know that she could raise the child on her own.

Meanwhile, an outbreak of diphtheria was affecting the community. The heavily pregnant single mother Dena (Jenny

Everyone goes through changes – some are out of our control Rainsford) had been living in a run-down homeless shelter where her ten-year-old son Terry had caught the disease.

The medical team treated Terry, vaccinated people against the disease, quarantined others, and tracked down its source, so that it did not spread further.

As the series continues, the team will have to deal with more challenges, personal and medical, but also with the changes going on in the world around them.

As writer of Call the Midwife Heidi

Thomas explains: ‘Their return to Poplar sees them braving a landscape that feels suddenly unfamiliar. Budgets are being cut, and hospitals reorganised. Terraced houses are being demolished, and traditional family structures torn apart.’

Whatever the era, everyone experiences changes. Some are positive and happen because of the choices we have made, but others are inflicted on us by external forces that are out of our control.

In those instances, we can feel powerless and not know what to do next.

When Jesus was preparing to leave this world, he knew that his friends and followers would struggle with the change.

But he made them a promise, saying: ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you … Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid’ (John 14:27 New International Version).

Even though Jesus, the Son of God, would not be with them physically, God would still be with them in a different way. And he would help them to know what they should do.

Today, countless Christians have found it to be true. No matter what new and challenging circumstances they are going through, they hold on to the truth that God will be with them.

Through any changes we may face in life, we can all put our trust in God and find that, when it comes to his promise to give us his peace, he always delivers.

11 January 2020 • WAR cry • 3

BBC/Neal Street Productions

Nurse Crane (Linda Bassett) visits a mother and son who are living in a homeless shelter

NEWS and media

Teams support firefighters and evacuees as bushfires burn MARK FOYLE

THE Salvation Army has been supporting firefighters and helping people driven from their homes by bushfires in Australia.

The church and charity is staffing evacuation centres in locations on the south coast of New South Wales, including Narooma, where members of a sports club joined Salvation Army volunteers in offering their help.

Local and regional government has also asked The Salvation Army to provide aid in relief centres in Victoria. Captain Robert Champion, a Salvation Army emergency and disaster specialist, says: ‘Our volunteers are at most of those sites, providing mattresses, bedding and personal hygiene items, but some had to be evacuated because it wasn’t safe to be there.’

In Bairnsdale, a country town which had experienced an influx of people from the surrounding area, Salvation Army personnel have been giving breakfast, lunch and dinner to more than 100 people.

As well as helping evacuees, teams in affected areas of the country have been supporting those tackling the blazes.

Robert says: ‘Our catering trucks are serving frontline emergency services personnel at the Plenty Gorge fire, which threatened homes in the Melbourne suburb of Mill Park. Our volunteers have been working very hard, with round-the-clock rosters.’

Salvation Army teams have been serving up to 600 meals a day to emergency services battling bushfires west of Adelaide.

Firefighters take a break at a Salvation Army catering van in south Australia

n

MEDIA outlets have highlighted the 140th anniversary of the War Cry. The Salvation Army’s secretary for communications Lieut-Colonel Dean Pallant was interviewed on Sky News, while War Cry editor Major Andrew Stone spoke on a number of BBC local radio stations about the history of the magazine and the role it still plays.

The first issue was printed on 27 December 1879 in a four-page newspaper format to share Salvation Army news. It now sells 1.6 million copies a year.

Video wall aims to build confidence THE Scottish Bible Society has created an app designed to encourage people to record themselves reading Bible verses out loud and then post their recording on a global video wall. Bible Societies from 85 countries are promoting the app.

‘We hope this campaign will encourage Christians to rediscover confidence in the Bible and the power of speaking God’s word aloud,’ says Elaine Duncan, CEO of the Scottish Bible Society.

The Bible 2020 app is available from Apple and Android app stores.

4 • War Cry • 11 January 2020

Young people benefit from grant scheme

ALMOST a million pounds has been given to churches and Christian charities in the UK as part of the All Churches Trust’s grant scheme to help them engage with young people.

Some 80 projects have benefited since the Growing Lives programme was launched in May. St Margaret’s Church in Aspley, Nottingham, received a £7,000 grant to develop its after-school community group. The project seeks to support young families on the surrounding estate by providing hot meals, a parent and carer area and a prayer space.

Robert Stewart Memorial United Reformed Church, which is situated in a disadvantaged area of Newcastle upon Tyne, was awarded £22,000 to improve access for people with disabilities and fit a new kitchen to provide cookery classes and refreshments.

All Churches Trust director Rachel Whittington says: ‘In some of the UK’s most deprived areas, the church is likely to be one of the last institutions left standing. It’s so important that they have the resources to engage as early and as effectively as possible with the next generation.’

THE Church of England is launching a campaign n encouraging Christians to live out their faith in their daily lives.

Starting tomorrow (Sunday 12 January), Everyday Faith will use emails, an app and other resources to offer a daily Bible reading, reflections and prayers.

Reflections include personal stories from police officers, a nurse and a hairdresser, among others, on how the Christian faith has inspired and supported them during their working lives.

Churches have been encouraged to participate in the campaign by providing a slot during services for members of their congregations to hear each other’s experiences.

‘Going to church is a vital part of a living faith,’ says the campaign’s Nick Shepherd, ‘but so is going to work or school.’

FEATURE

Seed of an idea is still growing strong As the National Trust celebrates its 125th anniversary tomorrow (Sunday 12 January), Emily Bright looks at its legacy

I

T started with five acres of gorsecovered clifftop, but over the past 125 years the organisation that has an oak leaf as its symbol has branched out to care for 600,000 acres of land as well as properties great and small.

When the National Trust was established by its three founders in 1895, the aim was to create spaces that everyone could enjoy.

Social campaigner Octavia Hill, Church of England vicar the Rev Hardwicke Rawnsley and Post Office solicitor-general Robert Hunter were united by that single idea. They sought to purchase land and property that could be enjoyed by the general public as a refuge from the industrialisation and pollution of the big cities.

It all began with a donation of five acres of the clifftop Dinas Oleu in Wales.

That was followed by the purchase of Alfriston Clergy House in East Sussex in 1896 for a mere £10 to rescue it from demolition. The trio’s charitable endeavour was taking root.

Today, the National Trust looks after

One of the trust’s historic buildings, Polesden Lacey in Surrey

more than 780 miles of coastline as well as gardens, parks and hundreds of castles and historic houses containing nearly one million works of art. Visitor numbers have soared to a record 26.9 million in 2018-19.

Establishing the trust’s groundbreaking concept must have seemed like an overwhelming task to the founders.

There was no clear framework for their

The aim was to create open spaces everyone could enjoy charity model, and an Act of Parliament had to be passed in 1907 to establish the trust’s legal right to protect land and buildings. But their hard work and the courage of their convictions meant that they triumphed.

Sometimes we too can feel as if we’re facing impossible odds, whether we’re in the grip of financial difficulties, struggling with addictions or experiencing

Alfriston Clergy House, East Sussex

challenges in our relationships.

Throughout the generations, people have turned to various sources for strength.

In the Bible, Jesus encourages us to seek out God, adding that even if we have a minuscule amount of faith, God can transform our lives for the better.

Jesus says that the Kingdom of Heaven is ‘like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade’ (Mark 4:31 and 32 New International Version).

If we plant our lives in God, he can provide the strength and guidance we need to take on each day. Whether we’re feeling ground down or are seeking to build a new life, God can help us overcome whatever challenges we may face. His eternal promise of love and support is open to us all.

11 January 2020 • WAR cry • 5

Scientist has

6 • WAR CRY • 11 January 2020

INTERVIEW

answers on the brain

SHARON DIRCKX, senior tutor at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, talks to Sarah Olowofoyeku about grey matters

A

LEXA and Siri have become more than household names over the past decade. These forms of artificial intelligence (AI) – computer systems which perform tasks that should require human intelligence – have moved into people’s homes and lives as they assist with tasks such as playing music or setting reminders.

Since the emergence of AI in the 1940s, people have wondered whether robots will one day develop human conciousness and take over the world.

Scientist and theologian Sharon Dirckx believes that a robot uprising is not a possibility. ‘AI might lead to great efficiency in certain areas, but human levels of consciousness will never be achievable,’ she says.

‘AI has improved healthcare, it has improved accuracy and it has led to technologies that improve human life – it’s definitely not something to be shied away from. But whether a human being might be utterly and entirely exchangeable with an android?

There’s more to a human being than simply their physicality.’

She cites studies on patients who have experienced brain damage but still display levels of conciousness. Some patients in a ‘persistent vegetative state’ have been able to answer questions.

Sharon’s understanding of what she has discovered scientifically is enhanced by her Christian faith. Though not brought up in a Christian home, as a young girl she had wondered why she was a conscious being that experienced life.

She explored such thoughts further when she began studying

biochemistry at university and met some Christians. Halfway through her degree, she decided to commit her life to Jesus.

‘There’s a notion that to be a Christian leads to a slightly dull, diminished life,’ she says. ‘But when I returned to my lectures, I was able to study the world and know God at the same time, which gave me a more complete understanding of life and enhanced it.’

She continued on her study of science through to postdoctoral level, eventually becoming a brain imaging scientist. The field of brain imaging science is concerned with using functional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), which allows scientists to study healthy and diseased brains non-invasively.

Through her study of the brain and her Christian world view, Sharon has come to believe that ‘human beings are made in the image of God’. She says: ‘They are

We are made for more than this world a blend of the physical and the spiritual and they have inherent dignity and worth.

Human consciousness is unique to humanity and isn’t replicable by artificial means.’

The question of what humans are made of ‘has been facing people for millennia’, says Sharon. ‘The discussion and belief that we’re just physical is ancient, but reinvents itself in different eras.

‘Ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle believed that humans were more than physical, but their beliefs were challenged by physicalists, who believed that the soul was physical and made of atoms.’

To answer the age-old question, Sharon has written a book Am I Just My Brain?, which draws evidence from neuroscience.

In it she says there is clear evidence that there is more to a person than just their brain.

She tells me: ‘Brains don’t think, people think. We don’t just have a brain, we also have a mind. The brain has all the chemicals, electrical activity, hormones and neurotransmitters, and the mind has thoughts, memories and decisions.

‘People have an inner world that cannot simply be explained by cell voltages and neurotransmitter changes.’

Sharo n Dirckx The implications of that, she explains, are far-reaching.

‘If we are our brains, then personhood is dependent on having a fully functional healthy brain. In that case, what do we do with the unborn, those whose brains are not fully developed, those who are mentally disabled or who have degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s? The case for dignity of the individual regardless of the state of their brain is diminished.

‘But if dignity comes from beyond our physicality, then there are grounds for caring for people regardless of the state of their brain, whether they’re in a vegetative state, elderly or have a disability.’

Sharon believes that the existence of human consciousness points to something even more important.

‘If there is more to this world than just what we can see with our eyes,’ she says, ‘then we are made for more than this world. I believe that we are conscious because we are made to know God. ‘God is not just a philosophical construct or a religious tradition; he’s a person that we can experience through our consciousness. This God entered human history as Jesus Christ, who lived, died and rose again, and he says that, if we follow him, death is not the end for us either.

‘We can experience the love of God, here and now, and it is a love that will carry on through the death of our bodies and brains into eternity.’ l Am I Just My Brain? is published by the Good Book Company 11 January 2020 • WAR CRY • 7

FAITH ON THE A

Emily Bright sees the horrors of war depicted in new film 1917 and discovers how a real-life chaplain brought belief to the First World War battlefields At a press conference for the film at the Imperial War Museum in London, George MacKay, who plays Schofield, elaborated on the significance of the filming style.

He told me: ‘In those long sequences of the one-shot format it was easy to lose yourself in the scene for ten minutes because no man’s land was abominable.

Getting lost in the scene gave us as close to a real-person character as we could have got.’

To create the most realistic characters

they could, members of the cast went to France and Belgium to study the First World War, took part in military and fitness training and read first-person accounts of the war. The costumes team painstakingly replicated the Brodie helmets worn by British and Commonwealth soldiers during the First World War. But Sam Mendes, who this week won a Golden Globe for directing the film, didn’t want the film to be simply a history lesson. ‘It’s about the experience of war

Entertainment One

TICKING time bomb haunts two British lance corporals as they are sent to avert the massacre of 1,600 compatriots on the Western Front. For one of them, the mission is particularly poignant – his brother is among those he is hoping to save. But can he, aided by his friend Schofield, rescue him from a German trap?

In the film drama 1917, which opened in cinemas yesterday (Friday 10 January), the action never cuts away from the two characters, following them as they march through the trenches, navigate no man’s land, and seek to escape death’s clutches. Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the fictional Colonel MacKenzie, thinks that the film’s ‘one-shot’ format presented new challenges, saying: ‘You know it’s only ever going to be one take.

You’re committing to something in a very different way.’

Dean Charles-Chapman (Lance Corporal Blake), director Sam Mendes and George MacKay (Lance Corporal Schofield) 8 • WAR CRY • 11 January 2020

FEATURE

FRONT LINE

lthough the film is fictional, the frontline A war it depicts was real for millions of men. One such man was Military Cross recipient and Salvation Army chaplain Colonel William McKenzie, who served at Gallipoli and on the Western Front. Daniel has written a biography of his life, entitled The Man the Anzacs Revered.

As a Salvation Army officer before the war, McKenzie worked as editor of the New Zealand edition of the War Cry before moving on to Australia. But when war arrived, he felt duty bound to sign up, and was appointed as chaplain to the 4th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force’s 1st Brigade in mid-September 1914.

‘A chaplain’s role officially was to take the services every Sunday, to bury the dead, and boost morale,’ Daniel says.

‘Unofficially, the role was as big as you liked, which was dangerous for McKenzie.’

Being a chaplain could involve conducting Bible Daniel Reynaud

studies and confirmations, as well as hosting informal meetings where the soldiers would sing and pray. In addition, chaplains were encouraged to organise sports and recreation, concerts and canteens and even to create cinemas as part of their bid to boost morale. McKenzie took his responsibilities to the men very seriously.

‘The guy just oozed energy, enthusiasm and passion. His first campaign was Gallipoli, where he was in the trenches as much as possible. He’d meet with men in small groups, pray with them, sing with them and chat.’

McKenzie even put himself in the line of fire for the men he served. On 7 August 1915, during the Battle of Lone Pine, an army officer spotted a chaplain working on wounded men in the Turkish trenches while the fighting was still under way. Men were buried three and four deep, with the wounded and dead intermixed. That chaplain was McKenzie, and his heroics led to him being named ‘Fighting Mac the Salvationist’.

He pulled out the wounded, gave them first aid and dragged them back to Australian lines.

Over the course of three weeks, he buried 450 men. By the end, he was suffering from dysentery and could barely crawl on his hands and knees.

McKenzie was later awarded the

The Salvation Army Museum, Austra lia

rather than the historical moment,’ he explained. ‘Through a tiny keyhole of one or two people’s experiences you see the panorama of destruction that was the Great War. ‘My way of honouring the men and civilians who fell during that time, not just on the British side but on both sides, is to tell the story of these men in just over two hours.’

Historian Daniel Reynaud, who has a doctorate in war film, agrees that it’s important not to regard the film as a history lesson, but instead engage with the powerful storytelling.

‘Film is a different media from writing, and it tells its stories differently. Films tell an emotional truth rather than a factual truth, and I hope this film tells an emotional truth.’

William McKenzie

Military Cross for his bravery during the battle.

A year later, he was posted to the Western Front. Daniel says that life in the trenches switched between the ‘completely hellish’ reality of the front line and the ‘dangerously routine’ tasks of everyday survival, such as bringing up supplies and fixing or draining trenches.

He explains in his book that soldiers would spend up to a month in the trenches, with seven or ten days on the front line. They might take part in a battle once or twice a year, but even in quiet times men were killed by shelling and snipers, or through ailments such as trench foot, trench fever, influenza,

Turn to page 10

➥

The guy just oozed energy, enthusiasm and passion.

He was in the trenches as much as possible 11 January 2020 • WAR CRY • 9

From page 9

Entertainment One

pneumonia and frostbite.

Without downplaying the harsh realities of the front line, Daniel adds that for about two thirds of the time soldiers weren’t actually posted in the trenches. Therefore, entertaining the soldiers and boosting their morale was an important part of McKenzie’s role.

‘He would run formal and informal entertainments. Typically, he’d gather up several hundred men, write down a list of who would perform, and they’d have a concert. By the time they’d finished, they might have 1,500 men there.’

But, as Daniel explains, McKenzie preferred being close to the action. ‘He would, as far as possible, be with the troops when they had their spells in the trenches. He organised canteens close behind the front line, serving hot drinks such as Bovril or tea to men coming out of the trenches in the cold.’

He highlights how McKenzie sought to mark the anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, which became known as ‘Anzac Day’, on the Western Front. Using

Lance Corporals Blake and Schofield clamber over no man’s land in ‘1917’

10 • WAR CRY • 11 January 2020

regimental funds, he purchased 200kg of fruitcake from a canteen located 8 miles away, distributing a single piece to each man. One soldier wrote that, although a beer would have been preferable, the slice ‘caused much … amusement among the men’.

But a far more serious responsibility in McKenzie’s eyes was that of the spiritual

He would pray earnestly and weep at night, over his own soul and over their souls well-being of the men in his care.

‘He would pray earnestly and weep at night, over his own soul and over their souls,’ Daniel says.

‘He writes in his diary about looking into the faces of soldiers while preaching, and knowing there’s a big battle coming up before next Sunday. He talks about seeing

the potential for eternity in the faces of those men.’

Two such battles on the Western Front were Pozières and Mouquet Farm, which were part of the Somme offensive.

The 4th Battalion was at Pozières as the battle commenced on 23 July 1916, and were withdrawn from the line on 27 July, with more than 100 dead and 300 wounded.

‘Those battles were really full on,’ says Daniel. ‘Pozières was probably the worst shelling the Australians ever experienced.

They lost two thirds of their officers and about half of their men through death or injury.

‘They faced three German divisions, one on each side and one in front. So they were being shelled from three directions, by three divisions’ worth of artillery, which just pounded and pounded. The landscape was unrecognisable. Red smudges of brick dust in the white chalk were the only way they knew where the village was.

‘The conditions were horrific. Men

FEATURE

would be buried by shellfire, they’d be dug out and then they’d be buried again.

The official Australian historian said that they came out of the line glassy-eyed and glazed over.’

Daniel says that the brutal nature of war took a spiritual toll on McKenzie.

‘He even wondered at times how there could be a loving God. He was a man who was subjected to intense highs and intense lows.

‘But his faith was everything. He would invest enormous energy in ensuring his own spiritual state was as connected as it could be. And that gave him the fire and the energy and the drive.’

Indeed, McKenzie’s courage stemmed from his close relationship with God, who seemed to draw near in the darkest and most dangerous of times.

Citing McKenzie’s letters, Daniel reveals: ‘There were multiple occasions when McKenzie would hear an audible voice say to him, “Stand still”, “move to your right such a distance” or “you are safe in this place”. It gave him so much assurance.

‘He felt that, as long as he was in tune with that voice, he was safe. And even if he was killed, he was safe because God had said: “This is your time.” So he could do some really crazy things, and it just didn’t bother him.’

In one such instance chronicled in his letters, McKenzie felt a guardian angel say: ‘Get away from here quickly.’ He was 25 yards away when a shell landed on the very spot where he had been standing just moments before.

Emboldened by his faith, McKenzie helped to rally the men’s spirits with his courage and heart. Daniel explains: ‘At the battle of Pozières in 1916, he went into no man’s land repeatedly at night to bury the dead and bring back any wounded he found. He wrote the “Sunshine Song”, which became legendary. He stood on a mound in no man’s land and sang it at the top of his very powerful voice – the Germans didn’t shoot at him. It was an amazing thing to do.’

McKenzie survived the war. He died in 1947. Reflecting on McKenzie’s life, Daniel

sees that Christianity played a central role throughout the war and beyond.

‘His absolute conviction was that he was doing what God had called him to do, and he sought to do it to the max,’ he says.

‘His faith harnessed his charisma to a particular goal, and I can hardly think of anyone else who had his energy, charisma and impact. He was truly a unique man, a man who stood out in his generation.’

l The Man the Anzacs Revered is published by Signs Publishing

The conditions were horrific. Men would be buried by shellfire, they’d be dug out and then they’d be buried again

11 January 2020 • WAR CRY • 11

EXPLORE Prayerlink YOUR prayers are requested for Phyllis, who is concerned about her family; for Vicky’s friend, that he will know a time of reconciliation and forgiveness; and for Donna, who has lost her father.

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

1 Corinthians

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

HE first of two surviving letters written T by the missionary Paul to the church in Corinth is a plea for unity among mem-

a Christian may do anything that is legal, not everything legal is helpful to a person’s spiritual journey (chapters 8 to 10).

Paul also notes that the observance of some religious ceremonies had become unruly.

Some participants went hungry; some got

bers who had been divided by quarrels.

Paul’s aim is to put them straight on the contentious issues.

Some in the church were saying they followed Paul’s teachings; others said they Paul tells them that Jesus followed different church leaders, such as Peter and Apollos. Paul tells them that Jesus alone should be the focus alone should be the focus of their faith and that the salvation made possible through his of their faith death and resurrection was God’s idea, not the product of human intelligence. The apos- drunk. Rather than unifying believers, these tles, therefore, are not to be hero-worshipped, ceremonies were dividing them (11:17–34). but regarded simply as ‘servants of Christ’ At Pentecost, Paul explains, God had given (chapters 1 to 4). different supernatural gifts to the believers, A man was reportedly sleeping with his enabling them to continue the ministry of father’s wife. Worse still, the church lead- Jesus. But members of the church had been ers had not disciplined him. Paul says they judging each other on the basis of which should have (chapter 5). gifts they possessed, and they were misusing There were also legal disputes between some of them. Paul directs them to the motive believers. Paul says disagreements were to be behind all expressions of the gospel, which is sorted out within the congregation rather than love (chapters 12 to 14). through the civil authorities (chapter 6).

Paul concludes by examining the crucial In the letter, Paul promotes monogamy, in importance of the Resurrection. He explains which husband and wife are equal partners, that it is the foundation of Christianity and of but insists unmarried people are also to be the faith’s understanding of the life hereafter seen as blessed (7:1–38). (chapter 15).

Paul also tells his readers to refrain from eating food that has been offered by non-Christians to idols. They should give up such food not because idols have any power, he argues, but : faith, hope ‘Now these three remain because a Christian’s behaviour of these is love’ st and love. But the greate is an example to others. The ) w International Version guiding principle is that, while (1 Corinthians 13:13 Ne

Key verse

"

Looking for help?

Just complete this coupon and send it to War Cry 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN Basic reading about Christianity Information about The Salvation Army Contact details of a Salvation Army minister

12 • WAR CRY • 11 January 2020

Name Address

EXPRESSIONS

NOW, THERE’S A THOUGHT!

by Cliff Kent

QUICK QUIZ 1. Who had a No 1 hit in 2015 with the song ‘Love Yourself’?

2. What type of leaves do koalas primarily eat?

3. Which chemical element has the atomic number 3?

4. In horology, what does the abbreviation GMT stand for?

5. In which city is the world’s tallest building?

6. What are the names of the four March sisters in Louisa May Alcott’s novel Little Women?

ANSWERS 1. Justin Bieber. 2. Eucalyptus.

3. Lithium. 4. Greenwich Mean Time.

5. Dubai. 6. Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy.

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

Seize the day HEN something doesn’t cost anything, we are sometimes W suspicious about its quality. One day, I went to a free lunchtime concert given by a young pianist and wondered what I would hear. But I

need not have worried.

The soloist practised five hours a day and had performed at several venues in this country and overseas. Every piece received generous applause, testifying to the player’s craft.

At the end of the concert, someone said to me: ‘He’s got a good future.’ I couldn’t help replying: ‘He’s got a good present too.’

It seems that we often want to move things on as if we are dissatisfied with what is happening today.

Children are asked, ‘What are you going to be when you grow up?’ The answer may be a firefighter, train driver, nurse or teacher. But by asking such questions, we are encouraging youngsters to Memories, like look beyond the present moment. It would be a courageous young person who looked an adult antiques, will squarely in the face and said, ‘I’m not going to be anything – I already am.’ become more It is possible to imagine that God is never satisfied with us today and that he is always precious moving us on. But if we think God is like that, tomorrow becomes the enemy of today. If we are always looking ahead, we can lose out on the precious moments right in front of us.

Focusing on the present means we can store today’s experiences in our memory bank. Then, sometime in the future, we can press the rewind button and draw on them, even if when they happened they may have seemed a bit ordinary. And those memories, like antiques, will become more precious, all because we made the most of today.

One Bible writer had the right idea when he wrote: ‘This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it’ (Psalm 118:24 English Standard Version).

So let us enjoy, value and treasure today. Seize the moment. Savour it. By so doing, tomorrow’s prospects need not rob us of today’s possibilities.

B www.salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry 11 January 2020 • WAR CRY •13

PUZZLES

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Bantered (5) 5. Fraud (5) 8. Interior (5) 9. Provide food (5) 10. Anaesthetic

liquid (5) 11. Ornamental

headgear (5) 12. Cistern (4) 15. Hunting call (6) 17. Lesser (5) 18. Uproar (6) 20. Employee’s

money (4) 25. Whinny (5) 26. Sweet tart (5) 27. Normal (5) 28. Vapour (5)

DOWN 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Short coat (6) Baby cat (6) Unclean (5) Relative by marriage (2-3) Inventor (7) Of cultural tradition (6) Lobs (6)

SUDOKU

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

HONEYCOMB

4 9

ANSWERS

6 4

6

1 5

1 5

2

WORDSEARCH BANGKOK BEIJING BELFAST BUENOS AIRES CARDIFF EDINBURGH HONG KONG ISTANBUL LAGOS LAHORE LONDON MOSCOW

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. Joked. 5. Cheat. 8. Inner.

9. Cater. 10. Ether. 11. Tiara. 12. Tank.

15. Yoicks. 17. Minor. 18. Bedlam.

20. Wage. 25. Neigh. 26. Torte. 27. Usual.

28. Steam. 29. Roses. 30. Petty.

DOWN: 1. Jacket. 2. Kitten. 3. Dirty.

4. In-law. 5. Creator. 6. Ethnic.

7. Throws. 13. Ate. 14. Dim. 15. You. 16. Keg. 17. Madness. 18. Bitter.

19. Debris. 21. Abduct. 22. Employ.

23. Wider. 24. Chump.

HONEYCOMB 1. Tunnel. 2. Violin. 3. Aerial.

4. Duffel. 5. Efface. 6. Gluten.

5

9

1

6

3

2

9

1 7

NEW YORK

6

8

SÃO PAULO SEOUL SYDNEY TOKYO

4

7

9 5

1 8

7 3

7

2

3

4 6

1 8

7

MUMBAI

4 2

4

8

3

7

5

7 8 4 3 5 2 1 9 6

4 3 9 7 6 1 5 2 8

8 5 6 4 2 9 7 1 3

2 7 1 5 8 3 9 6 4

3 2 7 6 9 4 8 5 1

6 9 5 8 1 7 3 4 2

1 4 8 2 3 5 6 7 9

SUDOKU SOLUTION 5

7

4

14 • WAR CRY • 11 January 2020

1

1

Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number 1. Underground passage 2. Stringed instrument 3. Receiver of electronic signals 4. Type of coat worn by Paddington Bear 5. Erase from a surface 6. Protein found in wheat

13. Consumed (3) 14. Not bright (3) 15. Not me (3) 16. Small cask (3) 17. Frenzy (7) 18. Acrimonious (6) 19. Scattered

fragments (6) 21. Kidnap (6) 22. Hire (6) 23. Broader (5) 24. Blockhead (5)

29. Flowers (5) 30. Trivial (5)

5

2

4

Look up, down, forwards, backwards and diagonally on the grid to find these cities

5

7

6

8

3

4

1

2

9

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

6

1

3

5

2

4

7 7

5

8

RECIPE

Roasted tomato, spinach and mozzarella tart 12 British medium vine tomatoes, halved

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

1tbsp olive oil

Place the tomatoes in a roasting tin, drizzle with the olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, then remove from the tin and allow to cool.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 200g young spinach, washed 270g filo pastry sheets 100g butter, melted SERVES

8

250g fresh mozzarella, sliced 2 eggs 150ml single cream Basil leaves, to garnish

20g butter 2tbsp olive oil

British tomato and poached egg brunch

1 large onion, thinly sliced 2tsp paprika, plus extra to garnish 6 British large vine tomatoes, thickly sliced Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 eggs 4 slices sourdough bread Fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish

Heat half the butter with the olive oil in a frying pan. Gently fry the onion for 5 minutes, until very soft. Add the paprika and tomatoes to the frying pan and continue to cook gently for 3 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, poach the eggs in a pan of simmering water for 3 minutes. Toast the bread and spread with the remaining butter.

Top with the tomato and onion mixture and the poached eggs.

Sprinkle with the parsley and a pinch of paprika, to serve.

Put the spinach in a colander and slowly pour a kettleful of boiling water over it to wilt the leaves. Leave to cool.

Unroll the sheets of filo pastry. Brush each one with the melted butter and criss-cross them one on top of the other on a large piece of greased baking paper in the roasting tin. Turn the edges upwards to create a border.

Squeeze the excess moisture from the spinach and arrange on the pastry with the tomatoes and mozzarella.

Beat the eggs and single cream together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Pour into the pastry tart. Bake for 25 minutes until set and golden. Garnish with basil leaves, to serve.

SERVES

2

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the British Tomato Growers’ Association website britishtomatoes.co.uk

11 January 2020 • WAR CRY •15

Growth begins when we start to accept

our own weakness Jean Vanier