World News and Trends: America's cultural trends threaten further decline
In relating American cultural trends in his book The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators (1993), former U.S. Education Secretary William Bennett cautioned Americans that "unless these trends were reversed, they would lead to the inevitable decline of the American republic."
This is a pretty chilling prediction for the futures of the nation's children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Since then, Mr. Bennett says there have been positive improvements in some areas, such as reductions in welfare, violent crime and abortion and an upswing in SAT scores. Still, social regression continues in the areas of illegitimacy, single-parent households and cohabitation. Divorce rates have increased 115 percent from 1960-1997.
Mr. Bennett also notes that even during a time of record prosperity, the United States is becoming a more violent, vulgar, cynical, remorseless and depressed nation. The entertainment media's presentations of brutal, gruesome deaths rob children of their innocence early on. Men and women abandon each other and their children more readily. Marriage and the family are weaker and less stable.
He does, however, think there is hope for America's future. But restoring a society is no simple task. "Our capacity for self-renewal is unique and real. We have relied upon it in the past and must call on it again." That's the conventional wisdom—but the uncomfortable fact is that human nature can't change itself, and with time and no outside help societies generally tend to only get worse. Nevertheless, there's great hope for your future and the future of all societies. Write for our free booklets The Gospel of the Kingdom and Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion.
(Source: New Jersey Index of Leading Cultural Indicators.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: May - June 2003
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.
