War Cry 22 May 2021 by The Salvation Army UK and Ireland

Adoration for gallery’s reopening

WAR CRY

22 May 2021 50p

All by myself Anne Hathaway goes solo in drama series

Embers of hope for UK’s Eurovision entry

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

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 7526

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 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@satcol.org Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Editor-in-Chief: Major Mal Davies 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, Wales and Northern Ireland 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

INFO 2 • WAR CRY • 22 May 2021

EDITOR From the editor’s desk

EIGHTEEN months ago, people would have struggled to picture a time when drinking a flat white inside a coffee shop would be cause for celebration. Yet this week, people have celebrated being able to do exactly that as most of the UK took further steps out of lockdown. It was not only coffee shops welcoming back the public. Indoor play areas, cinemas and museums were also able to open. As were art galleries. In this week’s War Cry we report on the National Gallery in London reopening its doors with the immersive Sensing the Unseen exhibition. Centring on Jan Gossaert’s 16th-century painting The Adoration of the Kings, which shows the baby Jesus being visited by kings, the exhibition allows visitors to step into pods where they can zoom into high-res digital imagery of the work while also experiencing sounds and poetry. In the article, the curator Susan Foister explains that the painting was commissioned by a high-ranking nobleman in what is now Belgium and whose portrait may be included in the painting as one of the kings. Some 500 years before the age of smartphone selfies, someone wanted to put themselves in the picture. And yet, Susan explains, the message of the painting was not of that nobleman’s importance. ‘The point of the story being told is right at the centre of the painting – this tiny naked child,’ she says. ‘He is placed in the middle of a setting in which everything earthly is crumbling.’ Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has felt to many people as if the certainties of life and society have crumbled. They have found it hard to picture how life will be in the coming weeks, months and years. However, anyone who takes the example of the painting and put Jesus at the centre of their life can know his peace and presence every day – whatever the future may hold.

FEATURES

CONTENTS

What is The Salvation Army?

Solo stories New drama series streams online

Going for a song How will the UK’s Eurovision entry fare?

A whole new world Author reflects on the birth of the Church

8 In the picture National Gallery reopens with immersive exhibition

REGULARS

War Cry World

Team Talk

Now, There’s a Thought!

Puzzles

War Cry Kitchen

Front-page picture: JASON LAVERIS

TELEVISION JASON LAVERIS

In ‘Solos’, moments of isolation reveal truths about each character’s humanity

GOING

SOLO

Series explores how people crave connection, writes Sarah Olowofoyeku

LONE in her lab, young scientist Leah (Anne Hathaway) has mastered time travel. But her discovery also means that she now has to make difficult choices. In Solos, a new series of seven dramas, which was released on Amazon Prime yesterday (Friday 21 May), she wrestles with what to do. One of eight characters in the series grappling with their solitude, Leah’s solo work in her lab is interrupted only by phone calls from her beloved mother, who is dying. Could time travel offer her a way to stop her mother’s suffering? Technology plays a major role in all seven episodes, which are set in the present and in the future and feature just one or two characters. Peg (Helen Mirren) is on a solo trip to space, when she gets into conversation with the ship’s operating system. Scientific developments may allow Stuart (Morgan Freeman) to regain the memories that he seems to be at risk of losing for ever through dementia. A futuristic fertility treatment offers

hope to Nera (Nicole Beharie), but perhaps not in the way she might have expected. The series tells the stories of individuals who have used smart technological advancements to fix their problems or to preserve their relationships, health, memories and lives. Through their interactions with the technologies and their non-human companions, the depth of human connection is revealed. For centuries, many people have believed that they weren’t created to

Many people have felt the negative impact of isolation be alone but to be connected with other people – and with their Creator. According to the Bible, God created Adam, and he recognised that Adam needed to be in relationship not only with him, but with other humans too. The past year, with its lockdowns and social distancing, has reminded us of this need, perhaps more than

at any other time in our lives. Many people have felt the negative impact of isolation. Being separated from loved ones – and even the strangers we might meet on a commute or at a concert – has shown us clearly that being with others is integral to our wellbeing. Throughout the pandemic, however, many Christians have said that their faith in God has helped to keep them afloat. As restrictions begin to ease, people can look forward to reconnecting with friends and family. But we still also have the opportunity to connect with God. That opportunity has never gone away, and it will never be too late for us to get to know the God who created us. He did not make us as bots, but as living, breathing humans who can receive and give love, feel pain and choose to do what we want with our lives. God offers us unconditional love, support and guidance for today and for the future. If we welcome him into our lives, we will discover that we are never alone.

22 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 3

WAR CRY

tWwxc Imagining a new song

THE Mayor of London told Premier Christian Radio that he is ‘always struck’ by the prayers of Christians. Speaking to Premier shortly before he won another four years in office, Sadiq Khan said that ‘the Christian Church does so much good for all Londoners’. He went on to thank church leaders and congregations for praying for him, explaining that when he visits churches, he finds the prayers for him ‘inspiring’. The former MP also praised churches for working for social justice, commenting on how much Christian communities ‘contribute to our city’s success’. He said: ‘I’ve seen in the last five years our churches stepping up to provide support for lonely Londoners, I’ve seen them stepping up to provide support for those sleeping rough, to those who are homeless, to young people – giving them constructive things to do.’

Charity warns of disaster in India TEARFUND has warned of an ‘unseen disaster’ among the poorest and most marginalised communities in rural India who are without access to employment, vaccines and healthcare. The Christian charity reports that people have barely enough food or water and little or no access to medical care. Some families have borrowed money at high interest rates just to survive, plunging them into further debt. Tearfund’s country director for India, Prince David, said: ‘There is a vast expanse of people not only fighting the risk of the coronavirus with no access to medical care or vaccines, but also struggling just to put enough food on the table for their families. People are dying in their homes, unnoticed. ‘We are working with extremely vulnerable – and often excluded – communities to ensure they have food and money to survive now. But we are also helping them to create sustainable livelihoods, so they have hope for the future.’

‘WE need economic systems that demonstrate solidarity with each other,’ said the Archbishop of York, the Most Rev Stephen Cottrell, in his inaugural lecture at York St John University. Citing the Jewish traditions of the Sabbath and a ‘super-Sabbath’, in which all debts were cancelled and land was returned to its original owners, he suggested that people should think about stewardship rather than ownership. He said: ‘God requires us to share what we have with those who are in need.’ In the lecture, which explored how faith traditions could respond to the world’s ecological and economic challenges, the Archbishop pointed out how the Christian world view, while encouraging people to live with enough and sacrifice things for the common good, also has a message of abundance. He concluded: ‘For some parts of the world and for some people in it, it is always feast. For others, it is always fast. warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk @TheWarCryUK It is in the rebalancing of this that we will discover not only a fair and equitable way of inhabiting the world, but also a salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry TheWarCryUK joyful one.’

Do you have a story to share? a

NICK SAVAGE/ALAMY

SONGWRITERS and musicians have so far submitted about 200 entries to a song competition being supported by The Salvation Army’s Strawberry Field site to mark what would have been John Lennon’s year of being 80. As well as Strawberry Field, Liverpool’s International Song for Kindness contest, which was launched by community cohesion charity tuff.earth, is being backed by the Cavern Club, Liverpool City Council and the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. The aim of the competition is to lift spirits and promote kindness in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The closing date for entries is 31 July 2021 – this year being the 50th anniversary of John Lennon’s recording of the song ‘Imagine’ – and the winner will have their song produced at Liverpool’s Motor Museum studio. While growing up near to Strawberry Field, which at the time was a children’s home, John Lennon was attracted to its annual summer fête by the sound of a Salvation Army brass band playing. Major Kathy Versfeld, mission director at Strawberry Field, says: ‘For 50 years, “Imagine” has been a peace anthem that has united people around the world. The idea of the competition is to find not a replacement but maybe this generation’s response. ‘I would challenge all gifted and inspirational singersongwriters across the world to enter the competition and write a song birthed out of the heartache and hope you have experienced during this time of Covid-19, with words and music that will inspire and cause others to renew their faith in human kindness and the promise of better things to come.’ For more information visit tuff.earth

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4 • WAR CRY • 22 May 2021

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER

MUSIC

Emily Bright listens out for the return of Eurovision

HE words ‘Hello, this is London calling’ will be uttered once again as the annual Eurovision Song Contest grand final takes place tonight (Saturday 22 May). After a year’s absence due to the pandemic, the first of three shows returned to our screens on Tuesday. Contestants from 39 countries have performed in a bid to make it to the final of the competition. The stage is set, the audience ready, and all that is left is for the performers to dazzle with their dance moves, dress sense and vocal delivery. This year’s final looks a little different from normal. Contestants who are unable to perform in person in Rotterdam because of Covid-19 travel restrictions can submit a recording of a live stage performance. But some things remain comfortingly familiar. Graham Norton’s gentle irony and satire will come to the fore as he returns as host for another year, presenting the BBC’s television coverage live from Rotterdam. His commentary will be complemented by that of TV presenter Rylan Clark-Neal, Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills and songwriter Chelcee Grimes, who will all be in London. UK viewers will be keen to see how their contender James Newman does, while retaining a healthy sense of realism that the title may elude the country for the 24th year in a row. James, however, prefers to remain optimistic. He explains that his song, ‘Embers’, is about bringing a renewed sense of hope after an exceptionally challenging year. ‘The song is about those sparks that don’t die out,’ James told Radio 1’s Newsbeat. ‘When we were writing this, it felt like I wanted to show everyone that we were coming back together. ‘It’s about having that connection and something reigniting. It’s about us emerging from this rubbish time we’ve been having. It fits with the idea that Eurovision is coming back.’ After a year of self-isolation, grief and loss, it can feel hard to re-emerge with any sense of hope. People will find different ways to move forward and rebuild their lives. When Christians have to choose where best to find help for the future, God always get their vote. They can read how one Bible writer knew full well what hope was to be found in God, writing: ‘I have hope when I think of this: The Lord’s love never ends; his mercies never stop. They are new every morning’ (Lamentations 3:21-23 New Century Version). God offers us all the opportunity to encounter his love in a fresh way every single day. All we need to do is reach out to him and ask him to become part of our lives. He will relight the hope in our hearts and for a brighter future. That’s surely something worth singing about.

It’s about something reigniting

James Newman

22 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 5

Faith brought Author CHARLES MARTIN tells Sarah Olowofoyeku how a ragtag group of people changed the world

Charles Martin

6 • WAR CRY • 22 May 2021

ESTSELLING author Charles Martin was working on his 12th novel when he decided he wanted to write non-fiction books about God. ‘I love writing stories,’ says the novelist, whose book The Mountain Between Us was turned into a film starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba. ‘But it seemed like my fiction writing and the other half of my life, where I’m in a Bible study group, were separate. I felt like I wanted to bring them together.’ As a result, Charles, who has written romance, mystery and adventure novels, wrote two non-fiction books. The second, which was published earlier this year, is called They Turned the World Upside Down. Before getting to the book’s subject of the days after Jesus’ departure from the world, Charles explains to me how Jesus came to be here in the first place. ‘The story of the Bible is that there is a King with more authority, power and dominion than any other king anywhere in any universe. He created us for his pleasure and for his glory, and yet somewhere along the way we decided we didn’t want to be a part of that, so we did our own thing. ‘But God loved us enough that, while we were doing all the things that showed we hated him, he took off his kingly garb and laid it down. He dressed himself in

INTERVIEW

down to earth a loincloth, and took a swan dive out of Heaven to appear here as a humble man, who would live a righteous life and die the death that we should have died because of our sin. I’m blown away by that.’ Charles’s awe of what God did for all humanity was part of his inspiration to write They Turned the World Upside Down. The ‘they’ of the title refers to Jesus’ disciples. ‘For three years, the believers lived with Jesus, who was perfectly man and perfectly God,’ Charles tells me. ‘They saw what he did, they saw his heart and then they saw him get killed. They thought it was over, but then three days later he walked into the room, having risen again. Jesus explained to them that this had been the plan from the beginning. ‘When Jesus was with his disciples, he gave them his commands. He told them that they would do greater things than he had done, and that when he went to be with God, God would send them the Spirit, who would empower them. He said: “Take my message, take the commands I give you, wait in this room until the Spirit comes, and then go tell the world about me.” And they did. ‘Jesus ascended back to Heaven from the Mount of Olives, and the disciples

waited in Jerusalem for this Spirit. A few days later, the roof started to shake and the Holy Spirit filled them. Then this unlikely group of broken people like you and me spoke a message and lived a life that turned the world upside down.’ The day Charles is describing is the Day of Pentecost, which Christians celebrate this weekend. From then on, Charles says, the disciples began to do what Jesus told them to do. ‘They are empowered, and in that power they preach God’s message, cleanse lepers, heal the sick, cast out demons and raise the dead.’ Charles believes that that power is still available to Christians today, and that it can impact others. He says he has experienced it for himself. ‘My friends and I have prayed for a lot of people, and we have seen some miraculously healed. We have seen an MRI of a brain tumour, and then after praying, have seen another MRI with no brain tumour. ‘Everyone I’ve prayed for hasn’t been healed. I wish that wasn’t the case, but that doesn’t mean we should stop praying. I know Jesus has promised to bring healing. I don’t know when he will bring it or how – it could be on the other side of

The lives the disciples lived were so powerful

the grave, but I know he has promised to bring it.’ The Book of Acts in the Bible offers a detailed account of what happened after Jesus ascended into Heaven and his early followers were empowered. Charles describes the legacy they left. ‘Paul and Silas walked into Thessalonica, which was a province of Rome, and they were taken before the rulers by a mob, who say “they have turned the world upside down”. It was actually a derogatory term. Thessalonica is a province of the Roman Empire and submits to the power of Rome, but these ragtag believers are challenging Rome’s authority. ‘The message that Jesus preached and the lives the disciples lived were so powerful that by the time they reached Thessalonica, it was unstoppable. People were being from freed from sin and brought into new life. The people there admitted that there was a power in the disciples that could turn the world upside down.’

l They Turned the World Upside Down is published by W Publishing

22 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 7

Groundbreaking exhibition highlights change The National Gallery in London is using digital imagery, sound and poetry to give viewers a new experience of an old masterpiece, reports Philip Halcrow

8 • WAR CRY • 22 May 2021

A mobile version of the exhibition allows users to zoom in

whose portrait may be included in the painting as the kneeling king. ‘What Gossaert shows in terms of wealth helped to make his point. If this was made for somebody at the Burgundian court, they were going to recognise a lot of the signs of wealth in the painting. The artist shows immensely expensive textiles, embroidery and gold coins. These are the world of earthly riches. But the point of the story being told is right at the centre of the painting – this tiny naked child. He is placed in the middle of a setting in which everything earthly is crumbling. The enormous building is collapsing. In the foreground grass and weeds are growing through the broken paving stones. ‘So people may have recognised themselves in this painting at the time, but they would also have been getting

VERYTHING is changing. It is a time of upheaval, but there is an opening up of new possibilities. People who have been visiting the immersive Sensing the Unseen exhibition since the National Gallery reopened can detect the world-changing nature of the event depicted before their eyes – in the crumbling ruins and the mysterious foreigners, but most of all in the new arrival sitting on his mother’s knee. Sensing the Unseen is itself a different kind of exhibition for the National Gallery. As well as standing in front of Jan Gossaert’s The Adoration of the Kings, visitors step into pods where they can zoom into high-res digital imagery and be guided to notice details that might otherwise be missed. The overall experience is accompanied by sounds and by poetry. And for those who cannot make the journey to see the magi at the gallery, a mobile version has been released. All of which has been designed to help people explore the 16th-century painting of the kings bringing their gifts to the infant Jesus. ‘Sensing the Unseen began as a digital project, but at the outset we made no assumption about what kind of technology we would use or how,’ says curator Susan Foister. ‘We wanted to be led by the painting. ‘It’s such a rich painting and is full of amazing details that Gossaert has been able to create through his use of the oil paints. It is full of colour. His use of perspective is extraordinary. You’re drawn into the painting, through the building and to the space beyond, and then there are the angels coming down from Heaven to Earth. ‘Although it is a very popular painting in the gallery, there is so much to explore that you almost need a guide to lead you through it all – so the digital technology became the guide to unfold everything that the painting has to offer.’ The Adoration of the Kings would have had a lot to offer the world as soon as it was painted in the early 1500s for a church in what is now Belgium. ‘Gossaert was working for the absolute top echelons of Burgundian society,’ explains Susan, ‘and it was painted for somebody who was very high up in court, a nobleman,

FEATURE Gossaert’s painting and one of the pods at the National Gallery’s immersive exhibition

GUY BELL/ALAMY © THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON

Weeds are growing through the broken paving stones the message that they were, in a way, insignificant.’ Today in the National Gallery and on mobile devices, Sensing the Unseen is using technology to encourage people to explore what the painting means to them. Susan may talk of how ‘the digital technology became the guide’, but in one sense the guide to the painting is a figure in the work of art itself. ‘We have had a lot of discussions around how explicit you should make any interpretation and about whether or not we were going to tell people what to think about the painting,’ she says. ‘I rather felt people Susan Foister should draw their own

Turn to page 10

➥

A detail showing celestial symbols

22 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 9

conclusions. But we came to think that somebody needed to speak from the painting. It seemed obvious that it should be Balthasar, because he was the most prominent figure. He is placed on the left, slightly to the front, as though he is the link between the space where we are standing as viewers and the space of the painting.’ Although the Bible does not identify the men who presented gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the infant Jesus, a tradition grew of portraying them as three representative rulers of the known world at the time – Europe, Asia and Africa. ‘There was a tradition of representing Balthasar as the black king, which was growing through the 15th century,’ says Susan. Balthasar arrives in the exhibitions through the words of British Nigerian poet Theresa Lola, who says she ‘loved getting to know the painting and studying it in detail’ for the project. ‘When I was brought in,’ she says, ‘they already knew that they wanted the poetry to be from the perspective of Balthasar, but we had to map out what he was going to say. We don’t know much about Balthasar – his character and what he was thinking – so I wanted the poetry to bring Balthasar to life and create a voice for him.’ Theresa tried to write poems that might reflect Balthasar’s state of mind. In Sensing the Unseen at the National Gallery, visitors hear Balthasar’s thoughts as he is heading home from the scene – and after they have left the digital scene in their pods. He wonders whether he should tell the people he rules that ‘this hope is arriving’. In the mobile version of the exhibition, Balthasar is still with Mary, Jesus and his fellow kings when he speaks, trying to make sense of what he is seeing, hearing and feeling – ‘shattered ground’, ‘an echo of tambourine voices’ and ‘a shift inside me’. Theresa says: ‘I grew up Christian, I am still a Christian and I go to church, so I was already familiar with the story of the three kings. But sometimes you can become so familiar with a story that you don’t actually go into it in depth and look at the individuals. What would it have been like for the kings to witness that moment? ‘I had to strip down everything I knew about the story and ask what Balthasar would be thinking, what kind of a person he was. ‘I went back to the Bible and read the story there. I also did some research into the way that historically Balthasar had been depicted in paintings and how that changed in terms of whether he was revealed as a black king. Gossaert chose to show his race, and he signs Balthasar’s hat – so Balthasar is clearly special in this painting. ‘I also looked at the way other poets had talked about the three kings and how they had broached their voices,

From page 9

‘The Adoration of the Kings’, 1510-15, by Jan Gossaert

though none had written about Balthasar specifically. ‘So, as well as researching how he had been portrayed in religion and history, I was trying to look at him as an individual and put myself in his shoes.’ Once in Balthasar’s royal shoes, Theresa saw certain themes in the painting. ‘The first theme I saw was transformation. I don’t think you can leave a scene like that without being transformed. If you look at that scene of the kings from the perspective of today’s world, it’s probably like the Queen going to bow to a baby. So you would be experiencing a transformation and leaving that moment feeling like something is changing. The moment has brought on a sense of hope. ‘The painting is also about humility. A moment of transformation such as that can’t happen without you choosing to

The moment has brought on a sense of hope

10 • WAR CRY • 22 May 2021

be humble and acknowledging that there will be change. You see the kings, in their crowns and robes, giving themselves to this baby. ‘But looking at the painting, I also noticed that many people have gathered to witness this moment, so it’s about collective transformation. It’s not just about one person.’ In truth – says Theresa – the painting suggests that transformation is not even just about many people. When the viewer looks up and sees the star that guided the kings and the dove – a symbol of God’s Holy Spirit – ‘you can tell that the transformation that is happening isn’t so earthly, but is something that is beyond us’. Theresa says that she has been connecting the 16th-century painting with the 21st century. ‘We’re seeing more protests, more demands for change. Looking at the three kings in the painting got me thinking about how to get to that level of change.

FEATURE Theresa Lola

HAYLEY MADDEN FOR SPREAD THE WORD

The men had to go on a journey. They had to prepare for it. There is a journey that we have to take to get to the point of transformation – but it will happen and we have to acknowledge it collectively when that moment comes. ‘When just one person wants change, it doesn’t always work. It takes collective understanding and support for any movement to bring about change. ‘That’s what makes this painting different from others where there is just Mary and the baby and the three kings.’ Susan says that the team behind the project ‘wanted to give people a sense of something starting over anew and of hope’. They had already decided to do so before the gallery and the national lockdowns prompted by Covid-19. ‘We had no idea such dreadful things were going to happen back then, but I think the painting does speak to that sense of people having been through terrible things and looking for change and hope.’ Whatever shades of meaning people take from it, says Susan, ‘there is a sense of transformation and renewal at the heart of the painting, which I think people can find whether they look at it from a religious or more secular viewpoint.’ Theresa aimed to keep her poems for Sensing the Unseen ‘open to people of different backgrounds and different religions’. But she does feel she could offer something from her perspective as a Christian. ‘I think I could bring an understanding of the importance of that moment. It’s one thing to write about the kings, but I wanted to bring to it an understanding of how important that moment is for the Christian faith – the moment that Jesus is born.’

l Sensing the Unseen runs at the National Gallery until 13 June. For more information on the physical and mobile exhibitions visit nationalgallery.org.uk

22 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 11

EXPLORE

Prayerlink THE War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the first names of individuals and details of their circumstances, for publication. Send your Prayerlink requests to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk or to War Cry, 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN. Mark your correspondence ‘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

talk ‘ ’ Team talk TEAM TALK TV dramas make a mess of faith Claire Brine gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters

IN recent weeks, BBC One’s Call the Midwife and Line of Duty have demonstrated ‘how difficult it is to maintain a distinction between religious and non-religious broadcasting’, wrote theologian Professor Tina Beattie in Radio Times. Reflecting first on Call the Midwife – a fictional series about an order of Anglican nuns and midwives who serve their East End community – Tina pointed out that there is ‘no room for squeamish religiosity or moralising. Instead, a sense of redemption and hope pervades the drama’s storylines’, which, over the past 10 years, have addressed racism, domestic violence and abortion. When it comes to uncovering faith in Line of Duty, Tina continued, viewers need look no further than Superintendent Hastings, the supervisor of a fictional anti-corruption unit within the police force, who wondered whether he would be judged by God for his actions. ‘Hastings’s sense of justice is central to his character,’ she said. ‘It’s sentimentality to believe that religion Programmes depict mere is all about being nice without justice or judgment.’ characters with While the sisters in Call the Midwife complicated lives show compassion to those who suffer, Tina believes their actions mark a ‘protest against oppressive systems and unjust laws’. And, though the ending of Line of Duty sparked much debate, Tina argues that the conclusion satisfied the ‘deep yearning for redemptive endings that combine mercy with justice’. In other words, both programmes are about faith. With compassion, justice and mercy at their heart, how could they not be? They depict characters with complicated lives, who look for goodness and hope despite their struggles. The fact that they don’t always get what they want or need is also important. ‘Faith in all its forms is part of that messy and often unsatisfying reality,’ wrote Tina. I’ve got to say, I think she’s spot on. I have had a faith for many years – and yet it hasn’t given me a perfect life. It’s still confusing and I’m still difficult. But here’s where I find some solace. God meets us in the mess. He’s part of our story while we are still unsorted people. It’s brilliant that TV programmes are picking up on that – because it’s that kind of faith which feels most satisfyingly real.

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Looking for help?

Contact details of a Salvation Army minister Name Address Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International

Or email your details and request to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk 12 • WAR CRY • 22 May 2021

EXPRESSIONS

NOW, THERE’S A THOUGHT!

QUICK QUIZ 1

What is the name of the Swiss singer who won the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956?

What is the name of the journeyman that actor Martin Freeman plays in the 2005 film The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?

A 3

How many rooms does Buckingham Palace have?

Which current Blue Peter TV presenter started his own YouTube channel at the age of 12? In art, what are the three secondary colours?

British athlete Charlotte Dujardin has won three Olympic gold medals in which sport? ANSWERS

by Jacqui Wright

The spirit of change is worth celebrating M

ANY celebrations have been missed over the past year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and recent lockdowns. Significant birthdays and anniversaries have succumbed to the ban on gatherings, and weddings have had to be amended. Events enabling us to celebrate together will no doubt be eagerly awaited in the coming months. Tomorrow (Sunday 23 May) is a sacred celebratory day in the Christian calendar. Pentecost, which is marked on the 50th day after Easter Day, is the day the Church celebrates its coming of age. Before Jesus left his followers and returned to Heaven, he promised them another helper – God’s Holy Spirit, who would continue to support and equip them in their mission. Jesus said: ‘When the Father sends the Advocate as my representative – that is, the Holy Spirit – he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you’ (John 14:26 New Living Translation). The physical presence of Jesus would no longer be around for help and guidance, but his strength would be passed on through the promised Holy Spirit. Empowered, Jesus’ followers spread the messages he had taught them – and that was how the Church began. I find it an amazing fact of life that our human bodies can maintain the regular 37C temperature needed to keep us alive. The Holy Spirit gives the same continuity to Christians. The Holy Spirit is the unseen factor that maintains and keeps their faith at a healthy level. Through the Holy Spirit, Christians can receive strength for their weaknesses, courage for their fears and confidence to speak out for truth and justice. The Holy Spirit is fuel to stimulate and equip them to take the love of God to people who need to hear his words of hope and reconciliation. The Holy Spirit can be experienced by anyone who asks. He can offer help and healing today. And he is a reminder that God never leaves us. I think that’s a reason to celebrate.

The Holy Spirit gives continuity to Christians

22 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 13

1. Lys Assia. 2. Arthur Dent. 3. 775 rooms. 4. Adam Beales. 5. Orange, purple and green. 6. Dressage.

CROSSWORD CROSSWORD

PUZZLES

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Secluded path (5) 5. Gem (5) 8. Corpulent (5) 9. Quick search (5) 10. Amid (5) 11. Register (5) 12. Peer (4) 15. Ravenous (6) 17. Sham (5) 18. Idle chatter (6) 20. Ground (4) 25. Small, oval fruit (5) 26. Pre-eminent (5)

27. Din (5) 28. Emit (5) 29. Shy (5) 30. Entice (5)

DOWN 1. Perplex (6) 2. Restaurant employee (6) 3. Wooden crosspieces (5) 4. Fatigued (5) 5. Envious (7)

6. Courting (6) 7. Bequest (6) 13. Time past (3) 14. Burst (3) 15. Embrace (3) 16. Sprint (3) 17. Intolerant (7) 18. Contraption (6) 19. Brook (6) 21. Vouch (6) 22. Proper (6) 23. Less (5) 24. Doctrine (5)

SUDOKU

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

HONEYCOMB HONEYCOMB

1 4 4 2 7 3 9 8 3 2 1 3 4 2 4 3 8 9 1 4 4 6 3 4 7 5 8 9 9 3

1. Send goods to another country for sale 2. Small platform 3. Resistant to a particular infection 4. Place of business 5. Circus tent (3, 3) 6. Pull out of the ground

ANSWERS QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. Byway. 5. Jewel. 8. Obese. 9. Frisk. 10. Among. 11. Enrol. 12. Earl. 15. Hungry. 17. Bogus. 18. Gossip. 20. Land. 25. Olive. 26. Great. 27. Noise. 28. Exude. 29. Timid. 30. Tempt. DOWN: 1. Baffle. 2. Waiter. 3. Yokes. 4. Weary. 5. Jealous. 6. Wooing. 7. Legacy. 13. Ago. 14. Pop. 15. Hug. 16. Run. 17. Bigoted. 18. Gadget. 19. Stream. 21. Affirm. 22. Decent. 23. Minus. 24. Tenet. HONEYCOMB 1. Export. 2. Podium. 3. Immune. 4. Office. 5. Big top. 6. Uproot.

6 4 7 1 9 8 2 3 5

9 5 3 6 4 2 7 1 8

1 2 8 7 5 3 4 6 9

5 7 1 3 2 9 8 4 6

2 3 4 5 8 6 9 7 1

8 9 6 4 7 1 3 5 2

4 6 2 9 1 7 5 8 3

7 1 9 8 3 5 6 2 4

3 8 5 2 6 4 1 9 7

SUDOKU SOLUTION

4 7 5 8 3

14 • WAR CRY • 22 May 2021

ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH

Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number

WORDSEARCH CHARACTER LIMIT COMMENT DIRECT MESSAGE EMOJI FACEBOOK FRIEND HASHTAG INSTAGRAM LIKE POST PROFILE RETWEET SHARE STATUS STORY TREND TWEET TWITTER

6 Look 9 up, 1 down, 5 2forwards, 8 4 backwards 7 3 and diagonally on the grid to find 4 these 5 2 7 media 3 9words 6 1 8 social 7 3 8 1 4 6 2 9 5 D Z E Q W D W F W Z P Z B D I W U Q 1 6 7 3 5 4 9 8 2 J T W S N Q Q N R Z O S H N C K D H 9 4 5 2I S Z D X Y J 8 7 1 3 6I U D D N E R T Z L D D Y I Y F W I W Z Q T M 8 2 3 9 6 1M F 7 L S Z U 5 4 H R C R H K L L K W L Q Z L K Z K I 2 7 J 4 I 8Z C M S 9 3 J 5 Q P K Z 6 1 F I S O E M O D X G T R C R T G O N Z K U K V G X 3 1 6 4 7 5 8 2 9 L C Q S W V T C M S Q K N I Y F Z J 5 8 9 6I T V Y G W Q D G 1 2 3 4 7 W Z K Z Q E E M Q

F J F Q R Z E N E N M Q H S C Z Q D C Q M Y B N W T Y S A E Z T Z P P K C Z Q S T A T U S T S G X Z F R O Z T I M I L R E T C A R A H C H O Q K X E Z L W H R D B G D T G G B F E F C S G D Q G Z G E R A H S E C I J V G H V N M Z D X B A K S C W P L I F U J L Z P Q D H Y M G A Z F Q E G J A B R H Y E V C H S F H G T R X E Y

4 8

6 9

D Salmon and egg kedgeree Ingredients

Method

50g butter

Melt the butter in a large pan and add the onion. Sauté for 4 minutes, until soft. Add the curry powder, cardamom and rice and stir well until coated in butter. Pour in 600ml water and add a pinch of salt. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes.

1 medium onion, chopped 2tsp mild curry powder 6 cardamom pods, crushed 225g basmati rice Salt 6 large British Lion eggs 350g salmon fillet, skinned 150ml double cream

Place the salmon in a frying pan. Add the cream and lemon rind and juice and bring to the boil. Cover and lower the heat. 4tbsp fresh parsley, Simmer for 5-6 minutes. Transfer chopped plus extra to the salmon to a plate and flake with a garnish fork. Continue to simmer the cream for Freshly ground black pepper 3 minutes. 1 lemon, rind and juice

SERVES

Use a fork to fluff up the rice in a bowl. Stir in the cream and 4tbsp parsley. Season well with pepper. Lightly fold the eggs and salmon through. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve warm.

Kale salad with avocado and boiled egg Ingredients

Method

2 medium British Lion eggs

Bring a pan of water to the boil and carefully lower in the eggs. Boil for 6 minutes. Transfer the eggs into a bowl and cover them with cold water. Peel and halve each egg. Set aside.

1tbsp rapeseed oil 100g kale, stalks removed and shredded ½ red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped 5cm ginger, peeled and finely chopped 2tbsp olive oil ½ lemon, juice 1tsp maple syrup Salt and ground black pepper 6 radishes, sliced 50g broad beans 1 avocado, peeled and sliced 30g mixed seeds

Meanwhile, place the eggs in a large pan and cover them with cold water. Bring to the boil. Cook for 8 minutes, then drain and rinse in cold water. Peel the shells and roughly chop the eggs. Set aside.

Heat the rapeseed oil in a large pan over a high heat. Add the kale and stir continuously for 2 minutes until slightly wilted. Add the chilli, garlic and ginger and stir again for 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and transfer the kale to a serving bowl. To make the dressing, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice and maple syrup together in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then whisk again. Spread the radishes, broad beans and avocado over the kale and drizzle over the dressing. Place the eggs on top of the salad and sprinkle over the mixed seeds, to serve.

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the British Egg Information Service website eggrecipes.co.uk

SERVES

22 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 15

The end of one thing opens the door for the beginning of another Joyce Meyer

WAR CRY