World News and Trends: Religious freedom on the wane worldwide
A new report by Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life has revealed a disturbing pattern:
Nearly a third of the globe's population—2.2 billion people—live in countries where religious persecution increased between 2006 and 2009" (Thomas Kidd, "Religious Freedom Under Assault," USA Today, Aug. 22, 2011).
The Arab Spring has not lessened the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. Christian minorities face a new era of religious hostility there. For instance, Coptic Christians in Egypt have already experienced anti-Christian incidents, including church burnings and murder.
In northern Europe, it's happening in nations like Britain as well. The Daily Telegraph reported: "There is no place in British law for Christian beliefs, despite this country's long history of religious observance and the traditions of the established Church, two High Court judges said yesterday" in ruling that a particular husband and wife could not be foster parents because of their Christian views (Tim Ross, "'No Place' in the Law for Christianity," March 1, 2011).
Telltale signs already exist that religious freedom is waning even in the United States, with persecution correspondingly increasing. A husband and wife in southern California were fined $300 for hosting Bible studies in their home for friends. Added fines for $500 per each Bible study were promised if they continue with them. (Sources: The Daily Telegraph [London], USA Today, Faith Under Fire).
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: November - December 2011
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.
