War Cry 29 May 2021 by The Salvation Army UK and Ireland

Mouth artist paints a picture of confidence

WAR CRY

29 May 2021 50p

Sounds of success Contestants take a pop at winning Rochelle and Marvin’s music quiz

‘My quest to find the true nature of God’

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 7527

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 • 29 May 2021

EDITOR From the editor’s desk

LIVING through a global pandemic has prompted many people to reconsider their priorities in life. Suddenly losing things that they may previously have taken for granted – such as being able to see friends and family, travelling or even getting a haircut – has resulted in a new understanding of what is and isn’t important. Some people have also considered spiritual and religious issues. It would appear that all the uncertainties brought by Covid-19 have led them to look for certainties that they can believe in. Of course, people were also considering the spiritual side of life long before the world locked down. Chine McDonald had spent many years as a Christian, but she had found that, as a black woman, much of the imagery and language used to describe God did not reflect the inclusivity she believed God exemplifies. Chine found it particularly difficult when God was portrayed as a white man. ‘No one knows what God looks like,’ Chine tells us in this week’s War Cry. She goes on to describe how she believes it is important for people to be able to relate to a God whose love and presence is available to everyone – regardless of their ethnicity, gender or social standing. ‘The Kingdom of God is meant to be like a mosaic, where all the pieces are different shapes and sizes, and there is no dominant colour,’ she says. Chine is right. Everybody has value and worth in God’s eyes. As people search for spiritual meaning, nobody needs to feel excluded or rejected – regardless of who they are or what they have done. While, sadly, some people do make others feel as if they are less important, even less human, that is not God’s way. As Chine says, God is ‘bigger, more expansive and more inclusive than we can imagine’.

FEATURES

CONTENTS

What is The Salvation Army?

Hitting the right notes

Can contestants win big in musical game

show? 5

On the fringes

Popular festivals return after lockdown

Take art

Mouth painter’s inspirational story

God is not a white man

Author’s search for a God she can relate to

REGULARS

War Cry World

Team Talk

Wisdom in the Words

Puzzles

War Cry Kitchen

Front-page picture: BBC/TUESDAY’S CHILD

TELEVISION BBC/TUESDAY’S CHILD

Married couple Jasmine and James (below) are playing to win on ‘The Hit List’, hosted by Rochelle and Marvin Humes

C o nt e s t a nt s take a hit I

T’S time to face the music, for the last time. Over the past 11 weeks, teams of contestants have been attempting to beat the clock and showcase their musical savvy in The Hit List on BBC One. In the final episode tonight (Saturday 29 May), a mother-daughter duo and two married couples will be playing to prove that music is their forte. To win the £10,000 prize, contestants must name as many song titles and artists as possible across four rounds. Each of the rounds has a different format, but they all require participants to think fast. Whether taking it in turns or going head-to-head, the teams need to use their music knowledge to identify tracks from across the decades, sometimes only by their intros. Only one team make it to the final round, where they get the chance to take home the prize. Their task is to name the artists and titles of 10 tracks. If their answers are wrong or it takes them too long to respond, the prize money starts going down. The show is hosted by Marvin and Rochelle Humes, who have themselves

Quiz game show challenges chart knowledge, writes Sarah Olowofoyeku made hits as members of JLS and the Saturdays. But in The Hit List, the couple, along with the players, are all ears and listening to the music. Marvin’s advice to the contestants is simply to ‘be quick on the buzzer, quick with your answers’, because, he says, ‘the thing with the show is that you can’t rehearse’. Not being able to rehearse must be nerve-racking for the contestants, but all they can do is try their best and trust their musical knowledge and their team-mate. If they get things wrong and lose money, there is no going back to try again – they have to accept the cost of their mistake. It seems to echo what happens elsewhere in life. There are no rehearsals and we only get one chance at it. We have to live with the consequences of the things we do or say, and it is inevitable that we will go wrong. At those moments, much as

There are no rehearsals in life

we may want to, we can’t press rewind and do anything over again. According to God’s rules, there is a penalty for wrongdoing. But the good news is that, because Jesus – who did get everything right – took the rap for every single mistake anyone ever makes, we no longer have to pay the price. In the Bible, one early Christian explains: ‘The payoff for a life of sin is death, but God is offering us a free gift – eternal life through our Lord Jesus’ (Romans 6:23 The Voice). We don’t have to try to win God’s gift; he gives it to us freely. All we have to do is accept it. Whatever mistake we have made, God offers forgiveness. It means we can live without the fear of hitting the wrong note or the burden of feeling as though we have to earn acceptance by getting everything right. Regardless of what we have done, God loves us and wants us to know him – doesn’t that sound like music to the ears?

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n LIVERPOOL footballer Alisson Becker has credited God with enabling him to become the first Premier League goalkeeper to score a winning goal. In a match against West Bromwich Albion earlier this month, he ran the length of the pitch in injury time and scored with a header. The goal enabled Liverpool to remain in the running for Champions League qualification. ‘You can’t explain a lot of things in life,’ Alisson, a Christian, told Sky Sports after the game. ‘The only reason for those kinds of things is God; and he put his hand on my head today.’

THX IMAGES/ALAMY

AHEAD of the G7 summit due to be hosted by the UK in Cornwall next month, 36 faith institutions from 11 countries have announced their divestment from fossil fuels. In the UK and the Republic of Ireland, the churches and other organisations who say they will no longer invest in fossil fuel companies include the Church in Wales, the Baptist Union of Great Britain, seven Roman Catholic dioceses and two Church of England dioceses. As governments around the world continue to invest significant sums in economic packages, the faith groups say it is vital that these investments support a just and green recovery from Covid-19. According to the UN and Oxford University, only 18 per cent of Covid-19 recovery spending policies announced by the world’s 50 leading economies could be considered green.

Do you have a story to share? a warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk @TheWarCryUK

Churches’ crucial community role THE University of York has published new research illustrating the crucial role that churches play in the life of UK communities. The researchers set out to explore how churches have supported people during the pandemic and how they can be involved in the post-Covid recovery. Their report Covid-19, Churches and Community highlights the part churches have played in providing food banks and helping those dealing with ‘increasing isolation, anxiety, financial stress, and the pain of bereavement’. It also shows how churches have maintained contact with vulnerable people through socially distanced visits and calls, and have hosted testing and vaccination centres. Survey data showed that 87 per cent of churches regularly contacted the isolated, 91 per cent of churches offered online engagement, and as many as 75 per cent of non-church members wanted churches to be available as places of quiet reflection and comfort.

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TheWarCryUK

B salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry Salvation Army supports blast responders THE Salvation Army supported emergency services workers along with residents who were evacuated from their homes after a fatal explosion in Heysham, Lancashire. A Salvation Army team arrived on the scene with one of the church and charity’s emergency response vehicles within hours of the suspected gas explosion, in which a two-year-old boy died and four people were injured. They provided food and drink to firefighters, police officers, paramedics and council officials and to residents who were left without gas or electricity. Major Nigel Tansley, who runs The Salvation Army’s response vehicles in northwest England, said: ‘Many members of the public donated food and drinks, including tea, coffee, milk and chocolate, for us to hand out. The local scout group made sausage and bacon sandwiches. ‘We were also able to offer a listening ear to those who needed it. I spent most of the time speaking to fire crews and people whose homes had been damaged. It was a distressing situation, and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected.’

FEATURE

IT’S SHOWTIME!

wxcxzW Exhibition marks power, envy and murder A ‘REAL-life tale as dramatic as Game of Thrones’ is at the centre of the reopened British Museum’s exhibition about Thomas Becket. The Archbishop of Canterbury was murdered in 1170 while conducting a service in his cathedral. More than 100 objects chart Becket’s rise from ordinary beginnings to the position of Archbishop of Canterbury, his friendship with King Henry II which turned into a bitter rivalry, and his murder, possibly on the orders of Henry. The exhibits include a stainedglass window, which has been lent by Canterbury Cathedral and which shows how, after his shocking murder, Thomas quickly became a hero. He was given saint status by the Church of the time. The co-curator of Thomas Becket: Murder and the Making of a Saint, Lloyd de Beer, says: ‘The violent death of Thomas Becket is the ultimate true crime story. It’s a real-life tale as dramatic as Game of Thrones. There’s drama, fame, royalty, power, envy, retribution and ultimately a brutal murder that shocked Europe.’ The exhibition was originally due to open last October – in the year marking the 850th anniversary of Becket’s murder – but was delayed by coronavirus restrictions.

HE shows must – and will – go on. After a year of cancelled events and closed venues, fans of theatre, comedy, visual arts, poetry and music are ready for action, and they can find performances gradually going live at the Brighton Fringe and the Bath Festival Fringe, which both began yesterday Friday (28 May). In Bath, the entertainment is set to run till July, offering audiences a bit of everything from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, performed by the Bath University Student Theatre Society, to comedy puppetry shows, courtesy of the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre. In one of the Brighton Fringe events, funny man Anthony Noack is offering a digital pre-recorded performance of The Preacher, in which he presents the Bible’s Book of Ecclesiastes as a contemporary stand-up comedy show. Playing a character called Dave Davidson, Anthony recites an adaptation of the ancient text, considering its meaning through the lens of modern life. ‘Meaningless, meaningless! What’s the deal?’ asks Dave, quoting his version of the first chapter of Ecclesiastes in the show. ‘I mean, what do we really get out of all the work we do under the sun?’ While Dave’s comic delivery of a book he describes as challenging and rewarding may raise a few smiles, the idea that everything is meaningless sounds depressing. And just in case we doubt that ‘everything’ really means ‘every thing’, the original text in the Bible makes it pretty clear, listing wisdom, pleasure, toil, riches and advancement. Perhaps they are. None of them will matter to us when our life is over. So what does bring us meaning? Where can we find the point of our existence? For millions of people, purpose in life can be found in a relationship with Jesus. In another book in the Bible, he assures his followers: ‘I am the way and the truth and the life’ (John 14:6 New International Version). In a world that can be confusing, complicated and painful, knowing Jesus can bring us comfort, peace and joy. And when our time on Earth is up, his death and resurrection can promise us the hope of new life in eternity – which means a good deal.

The idea that everything is meaningless sounds depressing

A church panel, dating from c 1425-50, showing Becket’s murder

Fringe season gets under way in Bath and Brighton. But, asks Claire Brine, is it all meaningless?

Anthony Noack plays Dave Davidson

29 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 5

ARTIST DRAWS STREN IAN PARKER tells Emily Bright about his work as a mouth painter

AINTING well by hand can be hard enough for many people, but artist Ian Parker has honed the skill of controlling a paintbrush with his mouth. He says that his work is the culmination of a passion he has had since childhood. ‘When I was a teenager, I wanted to take art for a school exam so I could make it into my career,’ he recalls. ‘To do that, I really had to concentrate on how to paint, which I took seriously from the age of 12 or 13.’ But painting posed particular challenges for Ian. ‘I was born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, which means I have fixed, partially fixed or very stiff joints,’ he explains. ‘Until I was about 12, I walked around on callipers and crutches, but, after having several falls, I decided to use a wheelchair to prevent the risk of injury. Since then, I have used the chair for moving around, and I work in it as well.’ Because of the condition, Ian began using his mouth to hold the paintbrush. He says that initially he ‘couldn’t control the paints well. Drawing with my mouth wasn’t a problem, because I enjoyed making nice neat lines, but with painting, it was a bit sloshy.’

Ian has painted with his mouth since childhood

Gradually, he grew in confidence with his painting and went on to graduate with a degree in fine art at Staffordshire University. Along the way, he came across an organisation called the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) and applied for a fulltime job with it. ‘MFPA is a group of artists with disabilities that mean they can’t use their hands, so they paint by holding their brush, or even a pencil or pen, in their mouth or between their toes. ‘It’s not a charity, but rather a self-help group of artists, a co-operative if you like. We sell our work, which includes illustrations on Christmas or greeting cards, puzzles and books, and the money is distributed among the artists.’ He reveals a little more of the history behind the organisation. ‘The MFPA was set up in 1957 by a German mouth painter called pes landsca Ian’s repertoire spans wildlife and

Anything is possible if you give it a go

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Erich Stegmann. He was born in 1912 and contracted polio when he was only two years old. So he had to learn how to write and paint using his mouth. ‘After the Second World War, he wanted to do something to help people with disabilities to earn a living from their art, because he was very conscious that otherwise they would have had to rely on charity for assistance. So he went round looking for artists who painted as he did. Erich started with 17 founder members, and there are now more than 800 artists in 80 countries.’ Ian has produced paintings for the MFPA that span a wide spectrum of subjects, including winter landscapes, wildlife, steam trains, aircraft and a Second World War military vehicle. He believes that his skill is a ‘gift from God’, adding: ‘I believe God has given me this talent not only to earn a living

INTERVIEW

NGTH FROM HIS FAITH ©MFPA

Caption here

and look after my family, but also to help encourage other people about what’s possible. Some may have physical disabilities or be struggling in life, and it’s a gift to be able to say: “Look, anything is possible if you give it a go.”’ Ian says that he is constantly cultivating his craft. ‘It takes hard work, and I’ve had to do a lot of training over the years. And I’m continuing to develop and learn new things. ‘I suddenly spot something new in creation, maybe a new way that the light falls on something, so I think: “I really want to capture that.”’ He sees parallels between the qualities needed in art and in life. ‘Sometimes, I come across something in a picture that, for whatever reason, isn’t working and I need perseverance to get through,’ he says. ‘Equally, God has never promised us an easy life.

In that sense, we just have to trust in the Lord to get us through. God can give us perseverance through the Holy Spirit.’ Faith shapes Ian’s perspective on all aspects of life. He says: ‘When things aren’t going well, I know that I have a Saviour who’s with me. He hears me and helps me through. I’ve learnt to pray for wisdom. ‘There are also Bible verses that I’ve found helpful throughout my life, like the

one that says, “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry”, and “Don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow has enough trouble of its own.” ‘I have four things that are really important in my life: my faith, family, friends and art. Through a relationship with God, I’ve found the true value of these gifts. My faith is a focal point for my life, helping me influence and value the things I care about most.’

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Chine McDonald

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INTERVIEW

Showing the world God’s

ue colours CHINE McDONALD tells Claire Brine why she believes that ‘God is not a white man’

of systemic racism and its impact on Christianity, the news broke that a black man named George Floyd had been killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis. Suddenly, the need to address racial injustice felt more pressing than ever. ‘Now is absolutely the moment to be having this conversation,’ she says. ‘The global pandemic, what happened to George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement have taken us on a journey where we have to face up to our racist past. I think that living through the pandemic of 2020, which was eerily quiet, gave us a heightened awareness of things that were wrong in the world. When George Floyd was murdered, people had to pay attention because they weren’t as distracted any more.’ While the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests of last year prompted many white people to stand alongside people of colour and pledge their intentions to be anti-racist, it has proved much more difficult to get different communities to understand the concept of white privilege

and recognise its impact. ‘Over the past few decades, I think it has been hard for white people to recognise problems of racism and white privilege, because they don’t want to be seen as the bad guys,’ says Chine. ‘No one wants to be considered part of the problem, and so some white people become quite defensive when talking about it. But until we all recognise that white privilege exists, we can’t move forwards and change it. I imagine such a realisation would be deeply uncomfortable for white people. ‘That’s why I find it helpful, as a black able-bodied woman, to imagine another scenario and think about how life is for those who are physically disabled. Once you see that the world is made for able-bodied people, you can either be defensive about it, saying, “Well, it’s not my fault that I happen to be able-bodied and others are not,” or you can say, “How can I help in this situation? How can I make sure my life is not so separate from anyone who has some kind

When George Floyd was murdered, people had to pay attention

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HE news in 2016 that Donald Trump had been elected president of the United States filled Chine McDonald with horror. As far as she could see, he held racist and misogynistic views – and yet he was calling himself a Christian. ‘He wasn’t the picture of what I wanted a leader to be,’ says Chine, a British journalist and head of public engagement at international development agency Christian Aid. ‘When I heard the US election results, I was shocked. ‘Throughout my life, I’d faced experiences that suggested to me that whiteness was seen as superior in the world, and blackness was not. Trump’s coming to power showed me that whiteness appeared more important than some of the main tenets of the Christian faith. So, I decided to retrace the steps of Christianity, to see how we got to that point.’ After devouring books on black history and black theology, and recalling her own experiences as a black woman growing up in predominantly white spaces, Chine came to the conclusion that God is ‘not a white man’, despite the world constantly depicting him as such. She says that her new book, titled God is Not a White Man and Other Revelations, is partly ‘about the literal depiction of God and Jesus as white and how problematic that is. But I also talk about the difficulties of interracial marriage – as I’m married to a white man and together we have a young biracial son – perceptions of Africa, violence against black bodies, and white supremacy. I’m trying to convey this double meaning that God is not a white man, and white men are not gods.’ Last year, as Chine was beginning to write her book outlining the problems

The murder of George Floyd sparked protests by Black Lives Matter campaigners

29 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 9

From page 9 of physical disability?” ‘The events of the past year have resulted in conversations that we haven’t had before. And as the BLM movement has gained momentum in highlighting racial injustice, big organisations and institutions have taken note, which has had a trickledown effect on individuals.’ One of the institutions that Chine hopes will lead the way when it comes to instigating change is the Church. For centuries, its theologians and leaders have inadvertently given the impression that God is a white man, even though, as Chine says, ‘no one knows what God looks like’. ‘When God is seen as a white man, we lose the sense of God’s divinity, his awesomeness. He cannot just be placed into this narrow category of whiteness and maleness. I understand that Christians see God as male because of Jesus. And I understand that people would want to create God, and Jesus, in an image of their own culture. So it makes sense that Jesus would be white in a white context. ‘The problem is that the dominant portrayal of Jesus and God throughout the world – including in non-white majority countries – is of a white man, even though Jesus was a brown man from the Middle East. The problem for me is in the false representation. ‘There will always be distance when people are worshipping a God in whose image they have been made, yet in whom they see nothing of themselves. I remember when I was younger, reading a novel called The Shack, in which the character of God was represented by a black woman called Papa. Being able to see myself in the image of God was a key moment for me. It made me feel close to him in a way that I had never experienced before. Until then, I had always seen God as white – and had never questioned it.’

Though Chine admits that most of the time she still pictures God as a white man, last year she was encouraged to work with a group of primary school children who saw God differently. ‘One child said he looked like a ball of energy, and another one thought God had half-black and half-white hair,’ says Chine. ‘I was fascinated and encouraged by their creative descriptions, because we don’t know what God looks like. If Christians could really capture the divinity and complete otherness of God, then we wouldn’t be able to picture him in our minds and try to put him in such a narrowly defined box.’ As well as highlighting the problems that can occur when the world reduces God to a white man, Chine’s book points out that the Church needs to be more inclusive of people of colour. She tells me about an experience she went through as a child, which left her churchgoing family feeling excluded. ‘We moved to the UK from Nigeria when I was four years old, and we lived in predominantly white areas. On one occasion, we went to a church and the woman who welcomed us said, “Why did you choose to attend this church and not the one down the road?” We all knew that there was a black church nearby. My parents were shocked – but also not shocked. ‘Part of the problem with this woman’s behaviour was that she thought she was being helpful, when what she was actually saying was, “I’m surprised that you picked to come here, because we are all white people and you are not.” The narrative was that “white people are in this building and black people are in that building” and our family had crossed the divide. ‘Another common problem is when people say that they are colour-blind or that they “don’t see race”. Obviously there is something wrong if you can’t see that

We should be making ourselves uncomfortable

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I’m not white. Again, choosing not to see my blackness suggests that it’s a negative thing.’ Chine also used to struggle when churches she attended held internationalthemed Sunday services. It was an attempt at inclusion, but it left her feeling even more separate from her white friends. ‘Being encouraged to wear our native dress and bring our native food was, for me, really othering,’ she explains. ‘Everyone else in the church would be wearing their normal clothes, because Englishness and whiteness were seen as the norm and the default human setting.’ Despite the failings of the western Church when it comes to racial equality, and the tendency of its leaders throughout history to preach a white God, Chine has always remained a follower of Jesus. In him she finds her skin colour affirmed. ‘I have tried to disentangle my faith from the chaff of white supremacy and white privilege that surrounds it,’ she says. ‘By reading black theologians, I am able to reframe my understanding of the Gospels and who Jesus really is. Jesus was critical of power

INTERVIEW

and empire. He always sided with those who were marginalised and oppressed. His heart burnt for people who faced violence and were poor. He cared about the people whose voices weren’t listened to. ‘There are so many stories in the Bible of Jesus talking to the people he is not supposed to talk to. And when he went into the Temple and saw people trading, he overturned the tables and drove everyone out, because their actions were the opposite of how the Kingdom of God should be. ‘Just as Jesus challenged the authorities, I think Christians need to call out the individual behaviours they see which imply that some people are less worthy than others. We should be making ourselves uncomfortable.’

In confronting racism that exists in the Church, Chine dreams of an emerging, all-inclusive fellowship of Christians worshipping together. Descriptions of the early Church, as recorded in the Bible’s Book of Acts, inspire her. ‘It talks about all the believers being in one place,’ she says. ‘So it’s messy, because it’s full of people from different cultures and backgrounds, and people who hold different views. These days, many churches have become places where we are surrounded by people like us, in terms of class, race and political opinions. But the Kingdom of God is meant to be like a mosaic, where all the pieces are different shapes and sizes, and there is no dominant colour. ‘In practical terms, that means we need to look at our churches and ask: “Who is steering and making the decisions here?” We need to make sure the leaders are as diverse as possible. ‘I’d love us to reach a point where we understand that God is so much bigger than the box we have been putting him into over the past centuries. God Is Not a White Man isn’t about critiquing whiteness or white people, but it’s about putting God in God’s rightful place – bigger, more expansive and more inclusive than we can imagine.’

l God Is Not a White Man and Other Revelations is published by Hodder & Stoughton

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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 Don’t forget to forgive

Claire Brine gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters

‘IT is fatally easy to think of yourself as on the side of the angels,’ writes Libby Purves in The Times. ‘Badness is what the other lot do ... yet everything has [a dark side] because there are cracks in humans and our systems.’ In a column headlined ‘Moral superiority is the curse of our times’, Libby explains that people have the ‘ability to believe in [their] own virtue … [which] is neither logical nor helpful’. No one is constantly and reliably good, she argues, noting that the Christian view is that ‘sin exists at every level’. While it may be an unfashionable outlook, she suggests that it is better than ‘the modern tendency’ to ‘ignore the inconvenient truth about our fallibility’. Whatever people make of the weighty word ‘sin’, there’s no denying that everybody does it – because no one is without fault. Sin is ‘small dishonesties’ and ‘massive abuses’, Libby says. A person’s sin can’t be ignored just by bigging up their virtues. She goes on to acknowledge the apparent sanity of the Christian way of addressing sin: ‘Selfexamination, remorse and a purpose of amendment will find forgiveness.’ I’d like to think she is right. I stand with the millions of Christians around the world who believe that God forgives sin – and that people who receive forgiveness are meant to show it to others. So an interview with author Malcolm Gladwell in Radio Times gives me cause for concern. ‘Previous generations were educated and encouraged to think in moral terms, such as forgiveness, in a way that isn’t happening at the moment,’ he says. ‘Forgiveness is so counterintuitive it needs to be taught.’ If Malcolm is right and forgiveness is less likely to be part of people’s internal moral code in future, what will replace it? Sin without forgiveness suggests a bleak existence. While forgiveness may, at times, feel difficult, forced and unnatural, there’s no denying that it brings both the giver and the receiver the benefits of freedom, hope and the opportunity of a fresh start. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I think those are virtues the world cannot afford to lose.

People who receive forgiveness should show it to others

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Basic reading about Christianity Information about The Salvation Army

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 • 29 May 2021

EXPRESSIONS

Mal Davies explores song lyrics that have a note of truth about them

Wisdom in the

QUICK QUIZ 1

Actor Mark Wahlberg stars as inventor Cade Yeager in which sci-fi film series, also featuring the character Optimus Prime?

Who is to be the new presenter of TV game show Mastermind?

A 3

What term denotes an animal that lacks a backbone?

Which group has had hits with ‘We Are Family’ and ‘Lost in Music’?

Which comic book artist created the superhero Superman with writer Jerry Siegel? What two Glasgow football clubs are known collectively as the Old Firm? ANSWERS

words Seeing the invisible I

RECALL seeing a television interview all the way back in 1979 with a chain-smoking, mumbling man wearing a beaten old fedora hat and a cheap suit. After the interview, he played the piano and sang a song called ‘On the Nickel’, displaying nice keyboard skills but a voice that sounded as if he was gargling gravel. A year later, I saw an album called Heartattack and Vine for sale and I recognised the singer on the cover. Oddly, the song I had heard had stuck in my head, and I thought he deserved another listen, so I bought the album. I’ve now been a Tom Waits fan for 40-odd years and that album is among my favourites. It’s one of more than 20 albums that Waits has released in a career in which he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and named in Rolling Stone’s list of the ‘100 greatest songwriters of all time’. Predominantly performing in a blues and jazz style, Waits is known for his songs about lives on the ‘wrong side of the tracks’. He sings about those who are homeless, lonely people, alcoholics, prostitutes, petty thieves, the lost and the unloved. A few samples of his lyrics show something of his approach: ‘I’d come home but I’m afraid that you won’t take me back,/ But I’d trade off everything just to have you near.’ ‘I can see that you are lonesome just like me,/ And it being late, you’d like some company.’ ‘There’s got to be some place that’s better than this,/ This life I’m leading’s driving me insane.’ Waits taps into a thread of humanity that is rarely explored in popular music. He doesn’t sing about teenage romance or sex or celebrities or fast cars or pictureperfect dreams; he sings about broken people and broken lives. He sees what many people don’t see. While many choose to walk round the person sitting under the blanket on the street, Waits champions them in song. He sees the sort of people The Salvation Army sees each day – people who, more often than not, just want to be … seen.

Waits sings about broken people and broken lives

29 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 13

1. Transformers. 2. Clive Myrie. 3. Invertebrate. 4. Sister Sledge. 5. Joe Shuster. 6. Celtic and Rangers.

CROSSWORD CROSSWORD

PUZZLES

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Merit (7) 5. Roman god of love (5) 7. Flaw (7) 8. Opponent (5) 10. Wicked (4) 11. Withstood (8) 13. Murdered (6) 14. Stratagem (6) 17. Correct (8) 19. Group of three musicians (4)

21. Tendency (5) 22. Passionate (7) 23. Requested (5) 24. Furtiveness (7)

DOWN 2. Exceptional (7) 3. Destroy (4) 4. Resounded (6) 5. Woollen jacket (8) 6. Central point (5) 7. First meal (9) 9. Absurd (9)

12. Reduced in rank (8) 15. Commotion (7) 16. Wanders (6) 18. Office worker (5) 20. Additional (4)

SUDOKU

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

HONEYCOMB HONEYCOMB

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

Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number 1. Irritable

2. Peter ______, former England footballer

4. Face of a building 5. Funeral car 6. Not far away

ANSWERS QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. Deserve. 5. Cupid. 7. Blemish. 8. Rival. 10. Evil. 11. Resisted. 13. Killed. 14. Tactic. 17. Accurate. 19. Trio. 21. Trend. 22. Amorous. 23. Asked. 24. Stealth. DOWN: 2. Special. 3. Ruin. 4. Echoed. 5. Cardigan. 6. Pivot. 7. Breakfast. 9. Ludicrous. 12. Degraded. 15. Turmoil. 16. Strays. 18. Clerk. 20. More. HONEYCOMB 1. Tetchy. 2. Crouch. 3. Teapot. 4. Façade. 5. Hearse. 6. Nearby.

8 2 9 4 3 5 7 1 6

6 4 3 7 1 2 8 5 9

5 7 1 8 6 9 4 3 2

1 6 2 3 4 7 5 9 8

7 8 5 6 9 1 3 2 4

3 9 4 2 5 8 1 6 7

2 3 6 1 8 4 9 7 5

4 5 7 9 2 3 6 8 1

9 1 8 5 7 6 2 4 3

SUDOKU SOLUTION

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

14 • WAR CRY • 29 May 2021

ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH

3. Drink container with a handle, spout and lid

WORDSEARCH ADMIRATION ANGER ANXIETY AWE BOREDOM CONFUSION DISGUST ENVY EXCITEMENT FEAR HAPPINESS HORROR NOSTALGIA SADNESS SATISFACTION SURPRISE SYMPATHY TRIUMPH

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

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

D Potato pizza Ingredients

Method

100g plain wholemeal flour, plus extra for dusting

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/ Gas Mark 7.

150g plain flour 7g sachet easy-blend yeast Salt 1tbsp semi-skimmed milk Olive oil 125ml warm water 250g waxy potatoes, thinly sliced 1 onion, sliced 1tbsp fresh thyme 4tbsp half-fat crème fraiche 1 sprig rosemary leaves Freshly ground pepper

SERVES

Basil leaves, to garnish

To make the base, add the flours, yeast and a pinch of salt to a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, 1tbsp oil and the water. Pour the liquid over the flour and bring together to form a soft dough. Tip on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-6 minutes until smooth. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, simmer the potatoes in a pan of lightly salted water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside in a bowl. Heat 1tbsp oil in a non-stick pan and fry the onion for 3-4 minutes until softened, then set aside in the bowl with the potatoes. Once the dough is ready, cut in half and roll out each piece into a 23cm circle, approximately 1cm thick, and place each on a baking sheet. To prepare the topping, add the thyme, crème fraiche, rosemary and pepper to the potatoes and divide the topping between the bases. Set aside for 5 minutes, then bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp and golden. Garnish with basil leaves, to serve.

Raspberry shortbread mess Ingredients

Method

150g raspberries

In a bowl, gently crush half the raspberries with a fork and mix with the sweetener.

1tsp sugar-free sweetener 2 shortbread fingers (39g total weight) 150g 0 per cent fat Greek yoghurt

Crumble the shortbread biscuits into a separate bowl. Set aside a little of the shortbread crumbs and 2 whole raspberries. In another bowl, add the yoghurt, then fold in the remaining whole raspberries, the crushed raspberries and the shortbread. Arrange in 2 serving glasses. Sprinkle with the reserved shortbread crumbs and top each glass with a raspberry, to serve. SERVES

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the Diabetes UK website diabetes.org.uk

29 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 15

We love because God first loved us 1 John 4:19

WAR CRY