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 7619
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
WATCHING nature, as well as humans, reveals that ‘it is hard work being a parent’, writes War Cry contributor Barbara Lang ahead of Mother’s Day tomorrow (19 March).
Fans of wildlife documentaries may agree. The popular shows often focus on mother-offspring relationships in the wild. A tiger tries to manage her ‘challenging’ cubs. A hippo protects her new calf from a ‘quarrelsome’ older calf. An elephant is prompted by ‘her instinct’ to stay with her dying baby.
Some aspects of such documentaries have, however, attracted criticism. Two years ago a group of academics looked into the BBC series Dynasties and, while not rejecting entirely the recognition that humans and animals share certain traits, queried whether a preoccupation with the personalisation of individual animals gave a distorted view of wildlife. They argued that it was possible both to entertain and educate.
There are many ways of exploring the world. But need they be at odds?
Research published only last year by think tank Theos found that ‘the British public are more likely, by a proportion of 2:1 to think that science and religion are incompatible (57 per cent) than compatible (30 per cent)’.
Science writer David Hutchings has explored why such a longstanding mistrust exists – and he tells us in an interview why it is false. The truth, he says, is that there is a ‘very strong link between Christianity and scientific progress’, and, when engaging in science or faith, people need to employ their hearts and their minds. He believes that ‘God loves science, because he has – for some reason – designed a world that is discoverable. And he has given us the ability to make discoveries.’
Perhaps even the news that faith and science are compatible will be a new discovery for some people – or perhaps there is another discovery, or rediscovery, to be made in what Barbara Lang writes, that, whatever our family past, ‘each of us is loved and cherished by God’.
