Current Events & Trends: A "new world disorder" stalks humanity
During early autumn a Wall Street Journal editorial stated: "The Obama Presidency has been an era of slowly building tension and disorder that seems likely to flare into larger troubles and perhaps even military conflict no matter who wins in November. This is the bigger picture . . ." ("The New World Disorder," Sept. 13, 2012).
This insightful article focused on the increasing helplessness of America to guide and influence global events. It discussed "a pattern of declining respect for U.S. power and influence." For nearly four years the Obama administration has emphasized the U.S. need to rely more on the United Nations and other countries to deal with world problems. They have been listening!
The Journal article continued: "Across the Arab Spring, the U.S. has done little to shape events and is increasingly irrelevant." Notice just two other examples: "The Chinese have brazenly occupied disputed territories in the South China Sea, hinting at war if the U.S. intercedes on behalf of its Asian allies . . . Most of all, Iran continues its march toward a nuclear weapon," with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declaring that America is "not setting deadlines" for intervention (ibid.).
The erroneous notion that a more deferential United States would gain more global respect looks increasingly hollow. Indeed, as the article’s drophead points out, "as the U.S. retreats, bad actors begin to fill the vacuum" (ibid.).
The Good News has been warning about this unfortunate trend for a number of years. With the fading of American leadership, the world will become an increasingly dangerous place. To understand why these things are happening to America, read our Bible study aid booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy. (Source: The Wall Street Journal.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: November - December 2012
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.
