Current Events & Trends: The downside of the Arab Spring
The Arab Spring brought the prospects for democratic development, but also the very real risks of Islamic ascension, political and economic chaos, humanitarian disaster and the persecution of Christians.
The performance of the Islamist party Ennahda in the October 23 Tunisian elections, in which it won 41.5 percent of the seats, raised eyebrows in the West.
Nearly a month and a half later a special report from Cairo to USA Today carried the headline "Muslim Brotherhood Wins in Egyptian Elections" (Dec. 6, 2011). The article drophead stated: "Parties' ambitions to spread Islamic law concern some." In the elections, "the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party topped winners with 37% of the nearly 10 million valid ballots cast for party lists in the first of three electoral rounds for the Egyptian parliament."
For the state of Israel looking around at neighboring enemies, Egypt had been a bright spot. No more. It's hard to imagine anything but a future cooling in Israeli-Egyptian relations. The Syrian-based Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, which rules Gaza, is returning to its Brotherhood roots ("Hamas Joins Global Muslim Brotherhood," Ynet News, Dec. 10, 2011). Several reports show that it's even been contemplating moving its headquarters from Syria to Egypt.
Even if the Islamists do not completely dominate the emerging governments in the region, one thing is sure: The Arab world is undergoing seismic and irreversible change. As more and more dictatorial leaders fall (is Syria's Assad next?) and the masses rise up, so do the chances for internal and external conflicts. The deep-seated hostility toward Israel is growing in openness and intensity, making the prospects for peace in the Middle East very dim. For the historical and biblical background necessary to understanding current developments, request or download our free booklet The Middle East in Bible Prophecy (Sources: USA Today, Ynet News [Tel Aviv].)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: January - February 2012
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.
Tom Robinson
Tom is an elder in the United Church of God who works from his home near St. Louis, Missouri as managing editor and senior writer for Beyond Today magazine, church study guides and the UCG Bible Commentary. He is a visiting instructor at Ambassador Bible College. And he serves as chairman of the church's Prophecy Advisory Committee and a member of the Fundamental Beliefs Amendment Committee.
Tom began attending God's Church at the age of 16 in 1985 and was baptized a year later. He attended Ambassador College in both Texas and California and served for a year as a history teacher at the college's overseas project in Sri Lanka. He graduated from the Texas campus in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in theology along with minors in English and mass communications. Since 1994, he has been employed as an editor and writer for church publications and has served in local congregations through regular preaching of sermons.
Tom was ordained to the ministry in 2012 and attends the Columbia-Fulton, Missouri congregation with his wife Donna and their two teen children.
