World News and Trends- Church unity: a step forward?
It's been more than 450 years since the Protestant Reformation, a watershed event that split mainstream Christendom.
From time to time, particularly in the 20th century, reconciliation has been attempted. None of the attempts has succeeded.
In the 1980s former archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie tried his best to forge meaningful links between his own Anglican congregation and the Roman Catholic Church. His efforts foundered, principally on the issue of ordaining women priests.
In the closing months of 1996 the Anglican Church in Britain endorsed the Porvoo Agreement: "a mutual compact between the Anglican and Lutheran Churches of the British Isles and virtually all Nordic and Baltic nations. This will mark the most significant step towards reunification since the Reformation." Besides its obvious symbolic value, in practice this agreement involves mutual acceptance of baptisms and the receiving of each other's sacramental ministrations.
This covenant between churches also marks a remarkable change of strategy for the Church of England. It is seen as a step-by-step approach towards the Roman Catholic Church. "Church leaders have wisely recognised the need to build ecumenicalism block by block. A road to Rome cannot be built in a day" (emphasis ours). (Source: The Times.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: March - April 1997
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.
