World News and Trends: TV ups dosage of sexual content
According to a study conducted for the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, "sexual content on television has risen sharply since 1997, showing up in two of every three programs last season."
Researchers found "sexual content in 68 percent of the 1999-2000 [television] shows studied, compared with 56 percent in 1997-98."
An Associated Press report adds: "Such content includes talk about sex, flirting, kissing, intimate touching and depictions of intercourse."
Although shows in which teens talk about or have sex "are twice as likely to include discussion of the risks or responsibilities compared with all other programs with sexual content," researchers found that "more teen characters are being depicted engaging in intercourse. In 1997-98, teenagers represented 3 percent of all characters having sex; in the new study, the figure had tripled to 9 percent."
Christian parents need to be vigilant in helping their children and teenagers make wise viewing choices. The Bible warns us to "be sober, be vigilant" in guarding against our "adversary the devil" (1 Peter 5:8). Ephesians 2:2 describes Satan as "the prince of the power of the air." Television, movies and music are ways he negatively influences our youngsters. (Source: Associated Press.)
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.
