World News and Trends: Middle East peace process in deep trouble
Arab-Israeli dispute continues to grow, leaving little room for peace talks.
Reports Ross Dunn in Jerusalem for The Times: "Yassir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, called on followers yesterday to rise up against Israel in a campaign of civil disobedience, saying that the Jewish state had declared war on his people." Though we may put these words down to political rhetoric and concede that the state of Israel is not without its own impediments, they are hardly a call to buttress the peace process.
Con Coughlin, also in Jerusalem for The Sunday Telegraph, put it this way: "As both sides in the Arab-Israeli dispute continue to display their pathological penchant for diplomatic brinkmanship this weekend, the delicate fabric of the Middle East peace process is in danger." He aptly titled his article "Peace Turns to Dust."
Mr. Coughlin called his accompanying article "Foundering on the Rock of Jerusalem." This title recalls to mind the words of the Hebrew prophet Zechariah: "I shall make Jerusalem a rock too heavy for any people to remove, and all who try to carry it will be torn by it" (Zechariah 12:3, Revised English Bible). These ancient words lend poetic justice and prophetic truth to current events in the Holy City and its environs. (Sources: The Times; The Sunday Telegraph.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: November - December 1996
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.
