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 7620
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
WITH Olivia Colman leading the cast of a classic Dickensian novel adaptation, BBC bosses will be hoping that the new series Great Expectations, is a ratings winner.
Many people will find the main theme of the story, the hopes and expectations of the central character, Pip, easy to relate to. The boy dreams of greater things and improving his lot in life.
That’s a dream shared by countless people. Sadly, though, not everyone’s great expectations go on to be realised. For all sorts of different reasons, some people find it impossible to achieve their dreams. Sometimes that can be because of inequalities and injustices that exist within our societies. Sometimes it can be for reasons beyond human control – such as natural disasters or global pandemics.
It was three years ago that the UK went into lockdown because of the outbreak of Covid-19. That impacted the lives of us all and, for some, brought an end to the hopes they previously had for the future.
When we face such times, it is natural to question why these things happen, particularly if we believe in a loving, all-powerful God. In this week’s War Cry we speak with author Sharon Dirckx who has written about these questions and explored the place of faith in a world where bad things happen.
‘The world has been made by a good God, but something has gone wrong,’ she tells us, before adding: ‘At the heart of the Christian faith is a God who knows what it is to suffer.
‘He was willing to take the biggest hit of all – letting the evil of the world, all the brokenness of the planet rest on his shoulders – so that the brokenness in our planet doesn’t have to sink us.’
It’s good to know that, however short life has fallen of our own expectations, we are not condemned to a lesser life. God is willing and able to guide us towards greater things.
