World News and Trends: A new age of rage?
Dangerously alienated citizens brood on the dramatic disruption of their rising income expectations and materialistic lifestyles and the fact that the value of their property may have fallen through the floor.
The popular British historian Simon Schama is worried over where current trends are headed, declaring that "the world teeters on the brink of a new age of rage" (Financial Times, May 22-23, 2010). He explained, "Historians will tell you there is often a time-lag between the onset of economic disaster and the accumulation of social fury" (emphasis added throughout).
Dangerously alienated citizens brood on the dramatic disruption of their rising income expectations and materialistic lifestyles and the fact that the value of their property may have fallen through the floor.
Many, he says, come to believe that "someone else must have engineered the common misfortune." So scapegoats must be found and duly blamed. The state of Israel, for instance, becomes a universal whipping boy, with worldwide displays of irrational outrage directed against its alleged misbehaviors.
Reality bites in Europe, where "widespread social unrest grows." It's been predicted that "the new austerity [restrictive measures to alleviate the recent European sovereign debt crisis] will impose strains on social peace in southern Europe" ("Beyond the Door Marked 'Austerity,'" New Statesman, May 24, 2010). This has already happened in the streets of Greece.
The following headline emerged in Ireland: "Irish 'Mad as Hell' Over Banks and Cuts" (Irish Independent, May 22, 2010). In Thailand, one former parliament member now aligned with the "Red Shirts" (who maintain that the current government is illegitimate) observed, "People are filled with hatred and we must be prepared for a campaign of terrorism" ("Thailand: Raising a Red Flag," Time, June 7, 2010).
So, before this summer is even over, are we facing more and more populist furies around the world—further disrupting economic and political well-being?
The Bible cautions against ill-considered popular uprisings where rumor and accusation urge people to frenzied emotion and outbreaks of violence: "You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. You shall not follow a crowd to do evil" (Exodus 23:1-2). (Sources: New Statesman, Financial Times [both London], Time.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: July - August 2010
Course Content
Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
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.
