World News and Trends: Christians persecuted around the world
According to the British magazine The Spectator, "More than 300 million Christians are either threatened with violence or legally discriminated against because of their faith" (March 26).
According to the British magazine The Spectator, "More than 300 million Christians are either threatened with violence or legally discriminated against because of their faith" (March 26). Across the world of Islam, Christians are suffering persecution. Some are put behind bars on false charges and even tortured in some cases. In most Muslim countries it is illegal to convert to Christianity or to try to influence others to do so.
Drew Christiansen, adviser to the U.S. Conference of Bishops, recently completed an official study which said that "all over the Middle East, Christians are under pressure. 'The Cradle of Christianity' is under enormous pressure from demographic decline, the growth of Islamic militancy, official and unofficial discrimination, the Iraq war, the Palestinian Intifada, failed peace policies and political manipulation."
Last year the Chinese closed some 100 house churches. The American Spectator magazine reported that "China is in the middle of a concerted central government crackdown on its unregistered (hence, in effect, underground) Chinese and Protestant churches. It is the most serious crackdown in several years" (November 2004).
Even as American soldiers, some of whom are members of church congregations back home or have Christian backgrounds, help keep order in Iraq, the country "ethnically cleanses itself of its Christian community" (Spectator feature article). In North Korea there are reports of Christians being used as guinea pigs in chemical warfare experiments. And in India, "Hindu attacks on Christians are increasing" (The Catholic Times, March 20).
These persecutions involve, variously, violations of the rights of citizenship, violence to persons and barring of access to jobs and houses. The Bible certainly indicates that these trends are a harbinger of things to come. And never assume that persecution of Christians cannot happen in our Western democracies. For further understanding, please request or download our free booklet The Book of Revelation Unveiled. (Sources: The Spectator, The Catholic Times [both London], The American Spectator.)
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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.
