What is The Salvation Army?

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 7615

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: Brian Peddle

Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill

Editor-in-Chief: Major Julian Watchorn

WHEN the National Gallery was opened in London in 1838, the aim was to make the art on display accessible to everyone.

With free admission, the less well off in the East End could walk to Trafalgar Square, while the rich could arrive in their carriages after a short ride from the west. However, for those living further afield, getting to see the exhibitions would be more of a challenge.

But that is not the case today. Online visitors are now able to scroll round a virtual exhibition from the comfort of their homes, wherever they are in the UK or around the world. The Fruits of the Spirit digital exhibition features paintings – gathered together from various galleries – that reflect the qualities of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These positive attributes, listed in the Bible, are known to Christians as the fruit of the Spirit.

In an interview in this week’s War Cry, the Rev Dr Ayla Lepine, who helped put the exhibition together, tells us: ‘What makes our exhibition really innovative and new is that the space is not based on the National Gallery or any other museum. We invented it from scratch.’

While the exhibition may be new, the qualities the artworks represent have been extolled for years. However, Ayla hopes that the paintings chosen will help people engage with the concepts in a fresh way.

To that end, the pictures are accompanied by written reflections from, among other people, a nurse, a Methodist minister, asylum seekers in London and a community group carrying out environmental work in Devon.

‘Each of them,’ Ayla says, ‘has something to say about the importance of that biblically rooted experience of the fruits of the Spirit.’

Whatever their own beliefs may be, most people would agree that the qualities depicted in the exhibition are very much needed in our world today. And the good news is that God makes the fruit of his Spirit available to everyone, regardless of who they are.