War Cry 30 August 2025 by The Salvation Army UK and Ireland

Clean start?

Ria is looking to change her life in TV drama The Guest

‘My video game aims to help people explore the Bible’

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

Editor: Andrew Stone, Major

Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow

Staff Writer: Emily Bright

Staff Writer: Claire Brine

Staff Writer: Ewan Hall

Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk

Graphic Designer: Mark Knight

Graphic Designer: Natalie Adkins

Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk

The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 1 Champion Park London SE5 8FJ

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Founders: Catherine and William Booth International leaders: General Lyndon Buckingham and Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham Territorial leaders: Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main

Editor-in-Chief: Major Julian Watchorn

Published weekly by The Salvation Army

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.

From the editor’s desk

Can life really change? That’s the question that Ria Powell is asking in the new BBC1 crime drama The Guest, which we preview in this week’s War Cry.

The programme starts with Ria (Gabrielle Creevy) feeling dissatisfied with her life as it is, but not being able to see how it could ever change. It’s a situation that many people can relate to. They may even share Ria’s frustration at being stuck with a boyfriend who sits at home all day playing video games.

Addictive, risky to young people, disruptive to sleep patterns – video games are seen by some people as a negative influence. But there are gamers who are able to balance screen time with the rest of their lives –and some games have the potential to educate their players.

In this week’s issue, software developer Andy Geers explains that he created a mobile video game ‘designed to help people explore the big story of the Bible, right from the beginning in Genesis through to the end in Revelation’.

Called The Serpent and the Seed, the game invites players to take part in key Bible stories.

‘I wanted to make a game which would be accessible for anyone wanting an introduction to the Bible,’ Andy tells us. ‘I wanted to help people understand how the individual stories fit together and also show them why, overall, it’s the most exciting story ever told.’

The reason why Christians such as Andy believe that the Bible contains such an exciting story is that an encounter with the God revealed in its pages can bring hope, purpose and meaning. Even if we feel there is no point to what we do, God is able to make a difference.

If we decide to accept God’s love and to follow him, life really can change – regardless of how it seems right now.

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Ria

Just the job?

Cleaner is in a bit of a mess

TV preview: The Guest Mondays BBC1 and iPlayer

By Claire Brine

When all the mugs in the kitchen are dirty, it’s time for a new cleaner. That’s the opinion of affluent businesswoman Fran Sharp (Eve Myles) in BBC1’s new thriller The Guest

Step in, Ria Powell (Gabrielle Creevy), who, having recently lost her job, is visiting the supermarket to pin up an advert for her cleaning services – and to nab some items from the food donation bin. Spotting her, Fran offers her cleaning work there and then. She promises to pay her new employee very well. Ria can’t believe her luck.

When Ria arrives at Fran’s house to start, she’s stunned by the impressive decor. The bathroom looks bigger than her entire flat. She’s also in awe of Fran, who runs a successful company selling high-end furniture.

As the two women get to know each other, Ria mumbles to Fran that she didn’t do well at school and that she became a cleaner because that’s what her mum did. She would love to travel the world one day, but admits that she doesn’t see it happening – particularly because she feels stuck with her boyfriend, who sits at home

playing computer games all day.

Recognising that Ria lacks confidence, the mysterious Fran offers her some words of encouragement. Successful people with great jobs and money, she says, are ‘not smarter or better than you’.

Then she issues the challenge: ‘Do you want to be a cleaner for the rest of your life? Just because you were born into it, doesn’t mean you have to stay there.’

Fran suggests that Ria should try adopting a different mentality, but Ria isn’t sure. Would it really help her to achieve greater things?

Perhaps it would – depending on what that new mentality is.

Perhaps such advice can also be applied to any of us.

Whatever our background, it can be easy for our thoughts and behaviour to become stuck in a rut – simply because there’s comfort in the familiar. Maybe we rely on unhealthy habits to get us through tough times. Or maybe we think that we have always behaved in a certain way, so there’s no point in trying to change.

It could be that we simply can’t imagine

a different future for ourselves.

But a better future is always possible when we know Jesus, who arrived in our world to show us the truth about God’s love for humankind.

When we turn to Jesus for help, we can be changed beyond recognition. We can see hope where there used to be hopelessness. We can feel peace in times of despair. We can experience forgiveness, which removes the burden of shame.

One Bible writer – whose life-changing encounter with Jesus prompted him to stop attacking Christians and instead join them – said: ‘When anyone belongs to Christ, they become a new person. Their old way of life has gone. Their new life has begun! All this is what God does for us’ (2 Corinthians 5:17 and 18 Easy English Bible).

Life really can be better. If we are unhappy with who we are or disappointed by the actions we take, then we don’t have to stay that way. The love of God can change our heart the moment we ask him. Building a relationship with him is the best way to spend the rest of our life.

talk talk Team talk Team talk ‘ ’

j TEA M TALK

Don’t mean to impose, but…

Emily

Bright

gives

her take on a

story that has caught the attention of War Cry reporters

‘I know I could do a higher role,’ muses Julie when thinking about her job. ‘Sometimes, I think I could do it with my eyes closed. But what if I can’t, and then I’m found out to be a fake?’

Julie is the fictitious brainchild of Dr Bianca Denny, a clinical psychologist based in Melbourne. But Julie is also the amalgamation of what Bianca has heard people express time and again in her therapy sessions: a sense of imposter syndrome.

In an article for The Guardian’s Modern Mind column, Bianca wrote that imposter syndrome, or a sense of unworthiness, can lead to a fearful avoidance of career advancement opportunities.

She explained that the ‘phenomenon is defined by consistent doubt of one’s own accomplishments, feeling undeserving of success or achievement, and fear of being exposed as a fraud, despite evidence to the contrary’.

Weaknesses

are actually a strength

Bianca believes that the key to shifting away from imposter syndrome is not to ‘suppress psychological discomfort’ but rather to investigate specific areas such as ‘self-esteem, identity and anxiety’.

The article resonates with me – whether that’s in the sphere of faith, work or friendships – because I’ve had to wrestle with the fear of failing and of not being good enough. I’ve been known to catastrophise about every conceivable outcome. It’s exhausting. But what has helped me tackle those anxieties is my relationship with Jesus.

In the Bible, one writer who struggled with ‘a thorn in his flesh’ – a problem that he doesn’t define – senses Jesus say to him: ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Corinthians 12:9 New International Version).

The verse reminds me that it’s OK to fail and to have flaws, because Jesus uses his power to redeem my mistakes and to help me learn and grow. My weaknesses are actually a strength, because they force me to rely on him completely and deepen my relationship with him.

And, regardless of my shortcomings, I’m not an imposter. I’m someone who is unconditionally loved and accepted by Jesus. That’s an identity we can all enjoy, if we invite him into our lives.

WAR

Religious faith benefits people’s mental health and helps them to cope better with life’s challenges, research has found.

According to the report Faith and Happiness: How Religious Belief Shapes Britain’s Emotional Wellbeing, published by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL), Christians have better life satisfaction, are more resilient, worry less and feel more connected with others compared with people who do not have a faith.

The survey of 2,068 UK adults found that 41 per cent of Christians said they would change almost nothing if they could live life over again, compared with 26 per cent of non-religious people. Additionally, almost 48 per cent of Christians said they could handle whatever life brought, compared with 36 per cent of people without faith.

The survey also found that 45 per cent of Christians said they had frequent contact with people who cared about them, while 38 per cent of those without faith said the same.

The report’s author, Dr Amanda Murjan of IIFL, said: ‘People of faith can respond to life with more optimism and courage and find greater happiness and contentment mainly because of how they view the world. Life is always open to more, to something greater than personal fears and circumstances.’

WAR CRY n

Soccer star scores with award nomination

Women’s Euro 2025 star Michelle Agyemang, who spoke in post-match interviews about her Christian faith, has been nominated for the women’s Kopa trophy at the Ballon d’Or awards for being the world’s best player under 21.

The Lioness scored vital equalisers against Sweden and Italy as England became European champions, and she was named young player of the tournament.

After the team’s victory, Agyemang (pictured) posted on Instagram that she was grateful to be part of such a ‘memorable tournament’, then added the words of 1 Corinthians 15:57 in the Bible: ‘But thanks be to God. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’

The Ballon d’Or ceremony will be held next month.

Refugees join Great North Run

Four Ukrainian refugees are lacing up their running shoes to thank The Salvation Army for helping them to rebuild their lives.

Alongside Salvation Army volunteer Peter Holmes, Maryna Rahulina, Tetiana Nikobenko, Daria Kostiuchenko and Marharyta Marchenko – known as Margo – will take on the Great North Run next month to raise funds for the church and charity.

The four refugees say that linking up with the Sunderland Monkwearmouth Salvation Army church has been a lifeline since they fled the war in Ukraine over three years ago.

The church supports the city’s Ukrainian community by hosting Sunday services, coffee mornings and children’s holiday camps and providing help with finding jobs.

‘Our English friends have truly become our second family, so it’s our way of saying “thank you” to the UK and to The Salvation Army,’ says Margo.

Shop’s new deal for staff

Britain’s largest toy chain is handing over commercial control to its employees next month, after its Christian owner transferred his shares to an employee trust.

The Times reported that Gary Grant, who founded The Entertainer, wanted his 1,900 staff members to have a greater say in how the company is run and the opportunity to ‘earn John Lewisstyle bonuses’.

Gary is stepping back from the company after 44 years to enjoy more time with his family and devote himself to charity work.

The Times commented that ‘Grant’s Christian ethos has been central to the business through its life. Unlike other big shopping chains, his shops were closed on Sundays and the company donated a tenth of its profits to charity each year.’

Since 2018, The Entertainer has also partnered with The Salvation Army in the annual Big Toy Appeal, which has provided more than 100,000 Christmas gifts to children whose families would not otherwise have been able to afford them.

Volunteer Peter with Maryna, Margo and Tetiana

Happy shopper

Struggling with the rising costs of living, children’s nurse Aliya turned to The Salvation Army for help with her weekly food shop

Feature by Claire Brine

Part-time children’s nurse Aliya and her husband, a car salesman, found themselves struggling to pay their monthly bills. They turned to The Salvation Army for help.

‘I joined The Salvation Army’s food club in Bury as a way to save money on essentials,’ Aliya says. ‘I can get access to cupboard staples, like cereal and ketchup, and toiletries as well. In all honesty, I’d struggle without it.’

To join the food club, Aliya pays an annual membership fee of £5. Then, on each week’s visit, she is able to purchase 15 items for the cost of just £3. It’s a vital service for families on a tight budget –and Aliya describes it as ‘a lifeline’ which helps her and her husband cope with the ever-increasing costs of living.

‘I used to work full-time, but after having our three daughters, I made the decision to go part-time, as childcare is just too expensive,’ she explains. ‘We don’t claim any benefits, because we aren’t eligible. And we try to live within our means. But our money doesn’t stretch as much as we need it to.

‘Over the years, I’ve learnt to manage our family finances, just to keep up with life. But our wages don’t keep up with the pace of the rising costs of living. Every week it can be a juggle.’

Though Aliya has found it to be

‘frustrating and unfair’ that the money coming into the household isn’t enough to cover their mortgage, utility bills and food costs, she and her husband try to stay positive.

‘We just get on with it,’ Aliya says. ‘I don’t worry. I feel it’s pointless to worry. You have to have a positive outlook. But one thing I do worry about is my children.

As parents, you do what you’ve got to do to make sure that they have everything they need.’

At the family’s three-bedroom house, the couple look for ways to keep their bills as low as possible.

Without this service, my whole family would suffer

‘We have to be savvy with our energy consumption,’ Aliya says. ‘We have halogen fires in each room so that, instead of heating the whole house, we can heat just the one room that we are in at the time. Daily I’m thinking about what we can do or change to save money. When the children are back from school, I’ll put the heating on for a few hours in the evening, but during the days when I’m home alone, I’ll keep warm by layering up with jumpers.’

When Aliya learnt about The Salvation Army’s food club, she was keen to sign up. She found that her weekly visits made a big difference to the family finances.

‘I can choose what I need and cater to my own family’s tastes and requirements,’ she says. ‘I don’t want to live in poverty. That’s why I work. I want

to be able to give my girls a better future and better opportunities. Saving money by buying through the food club enables me to do that.’

As well as feeling grateful to The Salvation Army for providing her with essentials at a reasonable cost, Aliya was touched by the warm welcome she received when she first walked through the doors.

‘Right from day one when you sign up, the volunteers make you feel comfortable and listened to, putting you at ease.

‘Without this service, my whole family would suffer in some way. I wouldn’t be able to get the branded school uniform that my children need. And, although we would always feed our girls, my husband and I would have to go without meals, as we simply wouldn’t have enough money to buy food. School uniform comes first, as well as bills, so it is inevitable that our diet would suffer.

‘Food is an essential part of life – and being part of the food club gives us all a better quality of life.’

Though the family continues to stick to a tight budget in the face of increasing bills, Aliya feels positive about the days ahead. She is full of praise for The Salvation Army and the way it strives to support people in financial difficulty.

‘They show that every person counts,’ she says. ‘I don’t see the food club as help or charity. I see it as me providing for my family.’

l Aliya’s name has been changed

Game on

Software developer ANDY GEERS reveals why he created a mobile game based on the Bible

Interview by Claire Brine

Through the eyes of a robin named Mungo, gamers are getting to grips with the Bible. In The Serpent and the Seed – a mobile adventure game launched earlier this year – players are invited to travel back in time and step into the stories that shaped the world. As they take in the sights and sounds of an ancient landscape, the gamers are presented with opportunities to immerse themselves in Scripture – to befriend Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, to support the shepherd boy David as he confronts a giant of a man named Goliath, and to hear the words of Jesus, a teacher believed by his followers to be the Son of God.

‘The Serpent and the Seed is designed to help people explore the big story of the Bible, right from the beginning in Genesis through to the end in Revelation,’ says software developer Andy Geers, the founder of the charity Discipleship Tech, which produced the game.

‘It all starts with a robin and an owl who

are living in a post-apocalyptic future, where thorns and thistles have overtaken the world and a serpent reigns. They wonder where hope can be found.

‘Then they discover an old, mostly forgotten book which holds a promise: that the Seed of Eve can crush the serpent and is the only hope for salvation. So the goal for players is to find the Seed, which is the answer that will restore their broken world.’

Over four chapters, gamers are invited to play a part in key Bible stories. In chapter one, they travel back to the beginning of time to meet Adam, the first human that God created.

‘As Mungo the robin, players help Adam to name some animals and to plant some seeds in the Garden of Eden,’ Andy explains. ‘It’s meant to be a chilled and relaxing experience. Then, towards the end of the chapter, Eve eats a piece of fruit from a tree that God had told her and Adam to steer clear of. As a result, they

are banished from the garden and the serpent gains power.’

In the next chapter, Mungo begins his search for the Seed of Eve – but one big question faces players: who is the Seed going to be? As they move through stories from the Old Testament, they encounter a number of possible candidates.

‘Mungo meets figures such as Abraham, David and Moses,’ says Andy. ‘None of them turn out to be the Seed that Mungo is looking for, but they do point him further towards the promise.

‘Then, in chapter three, Mungo encounters Jesus, which is the moment in the story in which players can begin to see how the Bible’s promise of salvation will be fulfilled. After the Crucifixion, chapter four deals with Jesus’ resurrection and the idea of a new creation, which is talked about in Revelation.’

As Mungo hops his way through an unfamiliar world, players face a variety of mini-games, challenges and puzzles.

Andy Geers

They’re asked to help the shepherd David as he attempts to round up his sheep. In a game similar to Nokia’s Snake, they’re required to feed a snake belonging to Moses, a leader who has come before Pharaoh to demand that the enslaved Israelites are set free.

Andy explains why he set out to create a game focused on the Bible and its overarching narrative of God’s love for humankind.

He had been dreaming of making a faith-related game for 20 years.

‘Then I came across some research which highlighted that one in four people were open to the Bible,’ he says. ‘I found that encouraging. But the research also pointed out that there were some things which put people off. They said that they stopped engaging with the Bible because they couldn’t see the big picture of how the whole story fitted together, or they didn’t understand why it was relevant.

‘That was when I decided that I

wanted to make a game which would be accessible for anyone wanting an introduction to the Bible. I wanted to help people understand how the individual stories fit together and also show them why, overall, it’s the most exciting story ever told.’

It’s inviting people to ask some of the big questions

Aimed at anyone who is willing to explore faith, The Serpent and the Seed is attracting both Christian and nonChristian gamers. It’s available on iOS and Android devices and is suitable for adults, teenagers and – Andy suggests – children over the age of nine.

‘At the end of each chapter, players are directed to Bible references that are relevant to the part of the game that they have just played – so there’s a bit

of reading involved,’ explains Andy. ‘And there are moments of mild peril, because the game features a scene with a crucifixion. But we have had plenty of children younger than nine playing it alongside their parents, and that has worked well.

‘Adults who don’t usually engage with video games have also said they’ve enjoyed playing it. Some of them have been surprised by what they’ve seen, telling me: “I never expected a game to make me cry!” But it’s designed to be an emotional experience. It’s inviting people to slow down and ask some of the big questions of life.’

After coming up with the basic idea for his game, Andy got to work on building it. The process took four years.

He teamed up with game designer Dan Gould, who helped him establish

Turn to page 10 f

Players explore the Garden of Eden through the eyes of a robin named Mungo

From page 9

the narrative and the key moments for players. Concept artist Daniel Starling came up with ideas about how it all might look, creating characters in the style of an Oliver Jeffers book. And Poor Bishop Hooper – a husband-and-wife songwriting team based in the US – composed and recorded the soundtrack. Music, says Andy, is a ‘leading character’ in The Serpent and the Seed, rather than simply background noise.

‘I felt that if I didn’t make this game, then no one else would,’ he says. ‘And ever since I was a student and got excited about the Bible, I knew that I wanted to use my life to make Jesus more widely known. I’ve always had the conviction that video games could be a really good way of helping people explore faith.

‘In days of old, people used things like Passion plays to present the gospel – and that’s great. But what’s unique to gaming is that you become a participant in the story. You’re not a bystander, sitting back and watching what’s going on. You’re drawn into the story and become invested in it.

‘In The Serpent and the Seed, players are free to move at their own pace. If

Mungo accompanies Moses as he visits the Pharaoh

Adam and Eve look over the world that God has created

they want to rush through the chapters, they can. If they want to go a bit deeper, exploring the landscape or spending more time talking to the characters that they meet, they can do that too. Games are a great way of sharing the Bible with people without being too preachy.’

The hero of the game is God, not the player

Andy hopes that, as well as enabling players to learn more about the Bible’s stories and how they fit together, the game will help them discover the truth about God’s love. It changed his life.

‘I grew up going to church, but my faith back then was mainly about keeping the rules,’ he says. ‘I suppose I was trying to earn my way into God’s Kingdom. Superficially, I was quite good at living as a Christian – but in my more honest moments, it was evident that I wasn’t.

‘Then I realised that I could never be good enough for God by my own merit. And I discovered that God’s love for me wasn’t based on what I did for him, but

it was rooted in Jesus and what he’d done for me by dying on the cross. That moment of realisation was tremendously liberating and wonderful. I found peace in God’s love.’

Spurred on by his faith, Andy created PrayerMate, an app that helps Christians to build a consistent prayer life. Launched in 2011, it provides downloadable prayers and organises topics into easy, manageable categories, helping users to focus on praying for the issues most important to them.

Then, in 2016, he started Discipleship Tech, a charity that uses technology ‘to help people get to know Jesus better’. Back in April, it released The Serpent and the Seed

‘The whole project of creating the game has been a joy,’ Andy says. ‘I could see God working at every stage. I knew from the start that I wasn’t going to be able to do this through my own efforts. Psalm 127 has always been very important to me, which says: “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain.”

‘I wanted to be sure that the game was in line with what the Bible is teaching. So working out what would feature in each

chapter took a long time. It was important to me that the hero of the game was God, not the player. I was always working with my Bible open next to me.’

Through the game, Andy hopes to prompt many people to consider the nature of God for themselves.

‘I think God is more amazing than we can imagine,’ he says. ‘He is the allpowerful one who helped David defeat Goliath – but alongside that he is also loving. He didn’t give up on Adam and Eve when they sinned. He stuck with humanity. He persevered even when people kept turning against him. When I think of God, I think of his holiness and majesty – but also his love, forgiveness and mercy.

‘My hope is that when people play The Serpent and the Seed, they will get a bigger view of God’s love, shown through Jesus. I pray that players who don’t know God will become curious about him and start to read the Bible for themselves. And for those who already have a relationship with God, my prayer is that they will see hidden depths to the stories that they haven’t seen before – that they will be able to look at the Bible with fresh eyes.’

A scene from the Last Supper

Your prayers are requested for Lorraine, who is suffering from several allergies and is on medication.

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, 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. 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

Browsing the Bible

Nigel Bovey gives chapter and verse on each book of the Scriptures

This is not a tale about a man and a whale. This is an account of God’s compassion extending beyond his ‘chosen people’ of Israel to their enemy, Assyria.

While no time frame is mentioned in this book, 2 Kings 14:23–25 mentions Jonah in connection with the reign of Israel’s King Jeroboam II (783–741BC).

The story begins with God telling Jonah to go some 500 miles east to Nineveh, the capital city of the mighty Assyrians.

God is displeased with Nineveh’s wickedness, but rather than summarily destroying it, he tells Jonah to call its citizens to repentance (1:2).

Jonah, though, heads off in the opposite direction. He catches a boat heading for Tarshish, thousands of miles to the west – Jonah clearly wanted to distance himself from the job he had been given.

However, the boat is caught in a storm, and the superstitious sailors throw Jonah overboard (1:4–16). Enter, not a whale, but a huge fish, which swallows Jonah (1:17).

Lord Jesus Christ,

I know that I have done things in my life that are wrong and I’m sorry. Thank you that I can ask you for forgiveness because of the sacrifice you made when you died on the cross.

Please forgive me and help me to live a better life in the future as I learn how to love you and follow your way of living.

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Symbolic or fin-and-blood, the appearance of the fish shows that God is not preparing to destroy Jonah for his disobedience. Instead, God rescues him from its belly and again tells him to go to Nineveh (chapter 2).

With a change of heart, and now preaching from personal experience, Jonah goes to Nineveh and calls the people to repent or face the consequences. The King of Nineveh calls for a city-wide fast and mourning. His citizens obey, and God accepts their repentance and spares them (chapter 3).

Not for the first time, Jonah is unhappy. He wants to curl up and die. He is angry that God could forgive people who, in his opinion, were not worth saving.

Jonah knows that God is ‘gracious and compassionate … slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity’ (4:2 New International Version). But even when he sees such forgiveness first-hand, he is still a long way from seeing the world as God does.

If you’ve prayed this prayer, scan the QR code or contact us using the coupon on this page

QUICK QUIZ

Which Scottish city is known as ‘the Granite City’? 1 2 3 4 5 6

Who had a hit in 2004 with their song ‘Take Me Out’?

What is the national speed limit for cars on motorways?

Who starred as unlikely hero Yelena Belova in the film Thunderbolts, released earlier this year?

What type of animal is Soo, the friend of children’s TV character Sooty?

In which decade was the classic video game Pong released?

‘Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition’

Immersive experiences invite the public to step into the past

Feature by Ewan Hall

TANSWERS 1. Franz Ferdinand. 2. 70mph. 3. Florence Pugh. 4. A panda. 5. The 1970s. 6. Aberdeen.

REIMAGINED HISTORY

he thought of learning about history can bring up memories of stuffy school lessons on topics that seemed remote and unrelatable. However, two immersive experiences – Titanic: Echoes from the Past and Tutankhamun – are changing the ways in which people can engage with the past.

In London, cutting-edge virtual reality is placing people on board the Titanic. Donning VR headsets, visitors are exploring the ship – from the luxury of the grand staircase and first-class areas to the engine room. Along the way, they can learn the stories of some of the people who travelled on the liner on its tragic maiden voyage.

Meanwhile, visitors to Glasgow’s Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition are entering a 360-degree immersive hall which showcases ancient Egypt’s landscape and cultural achievements and which also tells the story of the 20th-century discovery of the pharaoh’s tomb. VR headsets allow them to go further into the Valley of the Kings and even through to the Egyptian idea of the afterlife.

Though history may remind us of the triumphs and failures of the past, it’s not uncommon for some memories to fade over time.

We may even forget elements of our personal history. And then there are other moments in our lives in which we did the wrong thing and which we regret and try to hide.

Yet there is someone who can see everything about our history clearly, good and bad. God looks beyond the image we project of our past and our present, but still loves us as we are. Or, as one Bible writer who relied on God through good and bad times said: ‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases’ (Lamentations 3:22 English Standard Version

If we choose to share our past and present with God, we will discover that he gives us his constant and unwavering love.

No matter what we have done, or even what we will do in our future, we can know that God’s love for us is real.

VR can open up new possibilities for looking back