World News and Trends- Teen ethics: a challenge for parents
Almost half of American teens have stolen, and most admit to cheating and lying, according to a survey of middle—and high-school students. At the same time most also say that "good character" is important.
The survey, conducted by the Josephson Institute for Ethics, found that 47 percent of high-school teens admitted to stealing from a store within the last year. Seventy percent confessed to cheating on a school test, and 92 percent admitted they had lied to parents. The survey also found that older teens were significantly more likely to have stolen, cheated and lied than younger teens.
"There's no evidence that they're moral mutants or that they're inherently different than any other generation, but they are cheating and lying more," said Michael Josephson, president of the nonprofit Josephson Institute for Ethics. (Michael Josephson was featured in an interview in the November-December 1996 Good News.)
J. Angelo Corlett, founding editor in chief of the Journal of Ethics, warns: "It should sound an alarm that people don't take ethics seriously in our society, and that's been the case for some time." Mr. Corlett added that the survey reflects parents' ability to instill ethics in their children and noted that parents who teach strong moral values face powerful outside influences to the contrary. (Source: USA Today.) GN
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: January - February 1999
Course Content
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
Scott Ashley
Scott Ashley was managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course until his retirement in 2023. He also pastored three congregations in Colorado for 10 years from 2011-2021. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he worked for 50 years.
During his career, he has worked for several publishing companies in various capacities. He was employed by the United Church of God from 1995-2023, overseeing the planning, writing, editing, reviewing and production of Beyond Today magazine, several dozen booklets/study guides and a Bible study course covering major biblical teachings. His special interests are the Bible, archaeology, biblical culture, history and the Middle East.
