World News and Trends: South Africa still in trouble
An article in a major newsweekly characterized South Africa as emerging from "a post-apartheid slump with a high-growth budget and Olympian hopes."
Yet the country is suffering not only from the wounds of the past, but from growing societal problems. Every day, on average, brings 300 robberies, 65 murders and 66 rapes. Also in 1996 some 2.4 million people were diagnosed as HIV-positive, a rise of about one third between 1995 and 1996.
Just as serious, in one sense, is that "3,000 policemen were investigated last year," and "25 percent of the upper echelons of the police force have criminal records." The government will have to act courageously if it is to rid the nation of rampant crime, corruption and maladministration. Some encouraging signs are emerging. For instance, the cabinet recently decided that murderers, rapists, robbers, hijackers and drug traffickers must serve at least 15 years in prison for a first violation. If implemented, this policy will be a considerable improvement on the past. (Sources: Time, The Daily Mail, The Sunday Times, The Times, The Star & South African Times International.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: September - October 1997
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.
