World News and Trends: TV turns toxic
Except for reruns, the days of Perry Mason, Lawrence Welk, Jack Benny and Bob Hope are gone forever.
By comparison, what we generally see on television appears dark and vulgar. Our viewing fare includes young ladies in mortal combat with vampires and monsters—not to mention Temptation Island, Sex and the City, The Jerry Springer Show and a whole range of imitators.
Even more sobering are modern TV-viewing statistics compared with those of 40 years ago. In 1961 the average daily viewer watched television for five hours per day. Now viewing has grown to more than eight hours. Added to that are the multiplication of multitelevision homes, the runaway growth of households with cable or satellite connections and the more than doubling of commercial TV stations over this 40year period.
Let's face it. Most people in the Western world spend far too much time watching television. Good TV has its uses, but many profitable leisure pursuits are easily more wholesome— reading, walking, hiking, bicycle riding and a multiplicity of available sports and games, just to name a few. (Source: USA Today.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: July - August 2001
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.
Melvin Rhodes
Melvin Rhodes is a member of the United Church of God congregation in Lansing, Michigan.
