soteriaLifestyle Worth Living

soteriamag.co.uk

May / June 2011 FREE

as a bird!

Soteria is an independent Christian Youth Lifestyle magazine with two aims.

If you are a Christian we want to help you understand the Bible by offering practical everyday Bible guided advice.

If you haven’t made a decision about Jesus, we want you to see what being a Christian is all about!

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Soteria is freely available to anyone. If you would like to subscribe to the magazine for yourself, or for a church or youth group then you can now do so writing to the address below, or on our website.

CONTACT

Write to:Soteria Magazine

TORDENEBarncoose LaneIllogan Highway

RedruthCornwall

TR15 3EL

or e-mail us:editorial@soteriamag.co.uk

DONATIONS

If you would like to support us in our work, Soteria welcomes donations. You can give in cash (if you know members of the team), by cheque made payable to “Soteria Magazine” or by setting up a standing order with your bank.

If you would like banking details for Soteria please contact us at the above address.

Rob

Yes, we made it! Last issue I said we weren’t sure how to celebrate our birthday. Well we think we’ve come up with a great way, by having this anniversary issue.

We’re not going to be all self-congratulatory though, but I have been allowed to indulge in a top 10 of my favourite Soteria issues. We’ve taken 10 as our theme for this magazine so we have an article about politics (Number 10), a look at “Tens Moments in The Bible” in our puzzles. The 10 Plagues of Egypt also get an unfavourable mention! We’ve also got 10 words that can change your life in the middle pages. So plenty to read and help.

We also welcome the Veggietales back to the UK in our reviews and give the opportunity to experience a different dimension with the Doctor in our fantastic competition.

So what are you waiting for, get stuck in! It’s in-tens...

Soteria is ten years young! But our history goes back much further, to the dark times known as The Nineties! A small magazine that showed much promise, but died in a blur of glue and photocopy toner.

Soteria experienced a rebirth in 2001 and started the steady climb to where we are today. Trying to tackle issues, raise questions and help young people (and, it has to be said, a number of older readers) to understand the message of the Bible, and to live it.

We’ve been through many changes, from coloured paper to coloured ink. A varying size team and a varying size readership. We’ve been through hard times and good, both spiritually and financially. What you hold in your hands is the product of trying to faithfully follow where God is leading us. To live and talk about a lifestyle worth living.

Now We Are TenWhen we were one we had long been begun,

When we were two we couldn’t afford to print blue.

When we were three we thought that was all we could be,When we were four God showed us so much more!

When we were five we got more focus and drive,When we were six we started to take a dive.

When we were seven we regained our even,When we were eight for the first time we looked great!

When we were nine we really became two,Now we are ten we never say never!

We shall not stay ten forever and ever,We shall follow the call, the challenge, whatever!

Read more music, film, game, toy,

book & eventreviews online at

www.soteriamag.co.uk

A Very VeggiePageAfter a break the Veggietales DVDs

are once again being released in the UK. Here are reviews of a couple of the new releases.PistachioThere are no prizes for guessing what this Veggietales episode is a parody of! Yes they have taken the age-old story of Pinocchio and given it a vegetable twist, and also emphasised more of a moral to the story.

This Veggietales is probably the best of the new bunch in terms of adapting a classic story, bringing a Christian teaching point in and making it totally relevant to kids.

Half way through we have the traditional break for a silly song, and this time it’s Larry and Petunia singing “Where Have All The Staplers Gone” in a Broadway musical style. There is clever writing to this song and it works on so many levels. When we get back to the story we know we are building to the climax as Pistachio realises his mistakes and starts to try and find his way home. There is something of the Prodigal Son about this story, as well as the Lost Sheep. This is cleverly written and enjoyable and I think that kids will pick up on the teaching point very quickly about listening to your parents.

Sweetpea BeautyTwo classic stories retold in Vegetable fashion. Snoodlerella is about a girl who doesn’t like like everyone else. She is contstantly told she is not beautiful by her step-sisters and step-mother. After her makeover, a wonderful evening and the spell lifting Snoodlerella dances with the King who tells her that her kindness makes her beautiful.

Sweetpea Beauty is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty (well, duh!) and this time it’s the magic mirror who’s evil. He has a plan that’s hatching to do away with Sweetpea and deal with Queen Blueberry... While both of these stories sound like they should be great and fascinating for children to watch, I found them rather dull and lifeless. I think this was mainly due to the heavy handed poetry to tell the story and the equally heavily handled moral point that was being made. I think Veggietales have made it harder for themselves with choosing these types of story because the kids already know them so well, but these have majorly deviated from the known story!

10 Commandments,

10 Laws,

10 rules,

10 guides for living,

10 suggestions for a good life,

4 religious notions and 6 practical suggestions,

1 unproveable philisophical treatise2 unenforceable ideas

1 commerically unviable possibility

1 platitude1 criminal act

1 sentimental idea and 3 everybody does it’s.

What’s your view on the 10 Commandments? I mean, we still call them that, but only because that is what we have always called them. Many of us these days don’t recognise them as commands, do we? You just need to look at the TV output from any channel to see 90% of these things broken in any one evening.

Does it matter anyway? If you don’t believe in God then it is someone else’s moral code not yours. Well yes, it’s God’s moral code and standard. You may question if there is a God, but if it turns out that there is, and you were wrong. You are answerable to this standard. If you have broken any of these, the only judgement God could give is guilty! The only sentence available is eternal separation from God. Bad news!

The good news is that Jesus has already paid that punishment. All you need to do is accept his substitution in your place, or in old fashioned terminology to repent. This means to ask for forgiveness for past sins and actively turn away from your sin and accept Jesus’ gift.

God knew the Israelites could never keep the rules He gave them! Before Moses had even got down from the mountain God knew they had broken them. The important point was that the law made them (and us) conscious of the sin and that it is not just against man, but also God. Christ’s death has paid for our punishment for breaking the law, but does that mean we can ignore it and carry on? Paul didn’t think so. Read Romans Chapter 6 for more!

TOPIn 10 years there have been a lot of good things in Soteria, so we’d like to take a moment to reminisce. For readers who have been with us for a long time hopefully

it will be a trip down memory

lane. For newer readers this is all part of Soteria’s rich history, a chance for you to see our progress (or lack of

it!)So, as

editor, I have picked my

Soteria Top 10, I hope you enjoy them!

10 9 8 7 6 5

These are my favourite issues. Some just because they are striking, but others because we tried something different, never to be repeated (maybe). They range from the whole time of Soteria. The cover in 4th place is special to me because it is the first I was involved with, but also because it reminds me of where we started. Even in black & white we had some excellent and challenging covers (2,3 & 9) and perhaps none were more striking than number 6.My top magazine from Soteria so far is our “womans magazine” parody. We had a lot of fun making Bible stories into gossip mag fodder, and of course it was a design challenge too!

5 4 3 2 1#

These are my favourite issues. Some just because they are striking, but others because we tried something different, never to be repeated (maybe). They range from the whole time of Soteria. The cover in 4th place is special to me because it is the first I was involved with, but also because it reminds me of where we started. Even in black & white we had some excellent and challenging covers (2,3 & 9) and perhaps none were more striking than number 6.My top magazine from Soteria so far is our “womans magazine” parody. We had a lot of fun making Bible stories into gossip mag fodder, and of course it was a design challenge too!

On our website we have been reviewing music for years. Here are the 10 reviews that have scored most highly in that time....

1. Jesus Freak (10th Anniversary Edition) - DC Talk

2. Whispered and Shouted - Aaron

Shust3. God Of This City -

Bluetree4. Beauty Will Rise

- Steven Curtis Chapman

5. Organic Family Hymnal - Rend Collective Experiment

6. Good Monsters - Jars of Clay

7. The Blood - Kevin Max

8. Our God Is Near - Brenton Brown

9. The Blessing - John Waller

10. Not Guilty Anymore - Aaron Keyes

TOP Tunes

The

Best

Of

Our

BACK

SIDE!

Ever wondered what ‘Soteria’ means? You’re not the only one, we often get asked what the name Soteria means, even by sandal and sock-wearing church leaders! Soteria is a word in the Greek language and it means Salvation or Deliverance. It’s what we’re all about. When you know you’ve been saved and what you’ve been saved from then you can live a lifestyle worth living. So the salvation God offers us is what we’re all about, and we want to share it with you, it’s simple, it’s 10 words...

God Created...a perfect world. God made man and woman and gave them one instruction.

Man Chose...to challenge God and

ignore his one rule. God

and Man could no longer

enjoy a friendship.

You Choose...a future with God or an eternity without Him. Accept God’s gift or ignore it, the choice is yours...

Ever wondered what ‘Soteria’ means? You’re not the only one, we often get asked what the name Soteria means, even by sandal and sock-wearing church leaders! Soteria is a word in the Greek language and it means Salvation or Deliverance. It’s what we’re all about. When you know you’ve been saved and what you’ve been saved from then you can live a lifestyle worth living. So the salvation God offers us is what we’re all about, and we want to share it with you, it’s simple, it’s 10 words...

Jesus Died...

as a perfect sacrifice. God

born as a baby, lived as

a man. Died a criminal’s

death.

and His power demonstrated by Jesus rising from the dead and

promising a future.

Price Paid...

You Choose...a future with God or an eternity without Him. Accept God’s gift or ignore it, the choice is yours...

Sure this isn’t everything, but it covers the basics. If you want to choose a future without God, do nothing. If you want a future with God why not talk to Him?It doesn’t need to be elaborate - just confess you are a sinner and ask Him for salvation. If you need further help then drop us a line. Contact details are inside the cover, or contact a local church.

John writes to the ten churches (revelation 1 v 4)

the ten commandments (deuteronomy 5)

Jesus chooses the ten disciples (mark 3)

the ten plagues (exodus 7 - 12)

you should forgive someone 100 times 10 (matthew 18 v 21 - 22)

the ten bridesmaids (matthew 25)

ten chapters in the book of hosea

the ten lepers (luke 17)

noah was of the tenth generation

one tenth (or tithe) (nehemiah 10 v 37)

Joseph was sold for ten pieces

of silver (genesis 37 v 28)

parable of the ten talents (luke 19)

ten people in the ark during the flood (1 peter 3 v 20)

god promises abraham to give his descendants ten nations (genesis 15 v 19)

Jesus was tempted for ten days in the desert (matthew 4)

ruth had ten sons (ruth 4 v 15)

the ten kings (revelation 17 v 12)

ten months after the flood the mountain tops became visible (genesis 8v5)

Jesus feeds the ten thousand (mark 6 and mark 8)

Jesus was betrayed for ten pieces of silver (matthew 27)

‘Tens’ Moments In The Bible...

There are some very well known 10’s in the Bible, but there are also some that are not so familiar. Here we have listed 10 true 10’s in the Bible, but there are also 10 false ones. We’ve provided the Bible references to check your answers, but can you solve this puzzle without them?

Why is politics important?The word politics often puts people into an automatic coma. Yet even today people around the world are risking their lives in the fight for free elections and the chance to vote for who they want to govern them. In the UK a general election is held so that you can vote for a Member of Parliament (MP) in the respective place where you live (a seat). You may feel that politics is not relevant to you, but readers who are not eligible to vote today may be able to at the next general election.

Why a secret vote?The secret vote allows people to vote in freedom, having the reassurance that there will be no repercussions for voting in a particular way. The regulations in the UK are very strict, and candidates and canvassers are not allowed near the voting stations where they may be in a position to influence those voting. You do not even have say to anyone if asked who you have voted for.

Can my vote really make a difference?In the 2010 General election in the

Camborne Redruth seat the Lib Dem MP narrowly lost her seat to the Conservative candidate by just 66 votes! Although some elections are

much clearer cut than this, it proves that an election can be won or lost by only a handful of votes. It also indicates how much support there is for the runner up.

How should I choose to vote?Soteria does not encourage anyone to vote for a particular party or candidate. When it comes down to casting your vote only you can decide who you will vote for, assuming you will actually vote. Some people will always vote

for the same party regardless of what the party at the time of election or candidate is actually standing for. For a lot of people it is often a matter of choosing who to vote for dependent on recent past performance, or what the candidates and respective parties are pledging, should they be elected.

Is it right for a Christian to vote?Some people believe that God will determine the outcome of an election irrespective of what the Christian may believe to be a good choice, and

Number 10It’s possibly one of the most famous doors in the world, and we get to choose who lives and works behind it. What is the

point of politics, does my vote really make a difference?

therefore may choose to not vote. It is important to remember that the right to vote forms part of our democracy in the UK. It gives you the recognised voice where you can have your say as to who governs you nationally and who will represent you locally.

It is also important to remember that the Bible encourages Christians to be good citizens who do their best to keep within the law. When you cast your vote, you are voting for the candidate who will in turn vote on legislation that will affect you in the Houses of Parliament. If Christians pray for tolerance towards their faith and for MPs who will act properly and

sensitively as far as is possible to all constituents, the Christian should use their vote wisely.

Things the Christian may wish to consider are, for example, policies

on freedom of speech, religious practice, medical ethics and the environment. Again, Soteria will not

encourage anyone to vote in a particular way, but it

is worth considering not to vote blindly, but to make an

informed choice. It is very unlikely that any candidate or party would ever match up to a list of ideals you may have, so you may end up choosing the party or candidate that you feel matches this in the closest way.

On 5th May 2011 people in the UK will able to vote (existing system versus AV). At the moment, voters pick one candidate and the candidate with the most votes wins. This is often referred to as ‘first past the post’.

Under the alternative vote (AV) the voter ranks the candidates in order of preference. E.g. if there are five candidates the voter will mark a 1 next to their favourite candidate, 2 next to their second favourite and so on. If the candidate wins more than 50% of the vote they win.

If no candidate has won more than 50%, the lowest placed candidate is eliminated. The preferences of the people who voted for the eliminated candidate are distributed amongst the others.

If still no candidate has won more than 50%, the last placed candidate this time is eliminated. The second preferences of the people who voted for that candidate are redistributed amongst the others. The process continues until someone has won 50% support.

What Is ALTERNATIVE VOTE?

Experience the Doctor in a different dimension! I’m not talking about a trip in the TARDIS to another universe, instead how about hearing the Doctor’s adventures and using your imagination to bring the stories to life?

If you are a frequent visitor to the Soteria Website you will have noticed that we have started to review Audiobooks and Plays in our new Spoken Word section. Most of them at the moment are Doctor Who related and they include The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood too! So what better way to celebrate this new area of the website than a fantastic competition?

Thanks to AudioGo we have 3 copies of “Doctor Who - The BBC Radio Episodes” to give away! This set has an RRP of £59.99 and is available to purchase now from Amazon and other stores.

These are full-cast dramas recorded specifically for the radio apart from Doctor Who And The Pescatons which was recorded specifically for LP. There are 2

storylines from the 3rd Doctor (Jon Pertwee) with Sarah Jane, another 2 from the 4th Doctor (Tom Baker) also with Sarah Jane and one from the sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) and Peri! So plenty for fans of Sarah Jane then!

To be in with a chance to win you need to head to our website at www.soteriamag.co.uk, register or login and enter the competition.

The Israelites ended up in Egypt because of a severe famine. At first things were good there. 430 years on they were enslaved, desperate, and things were at breaking point. The Israelites were being worked mercilessly, building the City and temple of Rameses.

God sent a very reluctant Moses to ask Pharaoh to let the people go, but as soon as he did things got drastically worse! Moses and Aaron (his brother) went back to Pharaoh and repeated their request - which, of course, was refused. So Moses warned him that God was going to get involved in a formidable way!

The Nile was hugely important to the Egyptians; it was a major transport route, provided their domestic

water and because of the way the Nile Delta flooded, it ensured that Egypt was a very fertile country. Moses was commanded to hold up his rod and the water became blood – no longer drinkable, no good for crops, and it stank! The Egyptians were reduced to digging the ground to find water to drink. Pharaoh figured he had the last laugh when his ‘magicians’ were able to do the same.

Next God sent thousands of frogs, which again the magicians were able to reproduce. However after clearing the stinking piles of dead frogs, the Egyptians were plagued by mosquitoes, horse flies and a disease which killed their livestock. The magicians gave up trying to recreate the plagues, and

recognised that God was at work.Pharaoh was just getting more stubborn, or as the Bible calls it, ‘hardening his heart’.

The people then got painful boils; then huge hailstones fell which ruined the crops! There was no hail in Goshen though, where the Israelites lived, and likewise when the Egyptians crops were finished off by locusts, Goshen remained a locust free zone. For three days, Egypt had darkness, Goshen had light; then came the final plague – where every first born (animal and human) died. This is known as the Passover as the Israelites were instructed to put blood on their doors so that the angel of death literally ‘passed over’ them.

Many of the plagues can and have been

10 Plagues

interpreted as natural disasters, and we certainly have our fair share of them today. Recently there have been the devastating earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan. So are natural disasters a communication or a punishment from God?

Through Moses, God made it very clear to Pharaoh what the consequences of refusing to free His people would be. Pharaoh chose time and time again to ignore God, even though it became obvious that things were just getting worse. Before each plague happened, Pharaoh knew what was going to happen when, and had a chance to release the people. Each time he refused! Even his servants had worked out what was going on, and

begged him to let the Israelites go.

When we have experienced recent natural disasters, they have come as a shock and a dreadful surprise – even with sophisticated monitoring equipment there has been no warning, and certainly nothing as obvious as the way God spoke through Moses. Romans 8:20 says that the whole of creation is ‘groaning’ and ‘looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.’

Just as we do not live perfect lives in perfect bodies, the earth too suffers from the effects of sin, and this can be seen at times of natural disaster.

God told Moses why he sent all the plagues upon Egypt

– ‘that He might show His divine power’, and so that ‘Israel may tell future generations I AM the Lord.’ God was reminding His people of who He was, how great He is and how much He loved them. He was keeping the promise that He had made many years before to Abraham.

In the Old Testament, the Jewish nation was chosen by God, and even though they disobeyed many, many times, He still looked after them and loved them. Jesus’ death opened the door for people of all nations to enjoy an intimate and loving relationship with God. Regardless of whether people choose to take up this offer, God does not hover over the Earth with a supernatural ‘cane’ waiting to send punishment upon it.

Disaster, devastation, destruction and death...they could all be recent news headlines; equally they could describe what happened in Egypt when God intervened in a fairly dramatic way to rescue His people.

God didn’t make us puppets...He gave us a choice, Jesus

gave us options!find out more inside...