World News and Trends: Tourism trumps terror
Many feared that the recent terrorist attacks would stop tourism--but the tourist are withstanding such acts of evil.
"Just hours after three massive bombs ripped through the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on July 23, Jonathan Gatland, a British doctor on vacation with his three children stood defiant. He would not go home and he would return again. 'Fear is not going to stop me,' he said simply" (The Christian Science Monitor, Aug. 2).
As terrorism has accelerated in recent years, many thought the tourist trade would die. Instead, travelers have grown accustomed to a new era of random bombings. Why do we see this new attitude toward such attacks? "'Human beings are incredibly resilient creatures; we're very adaptable and we build tolerances,' says Dr. C. Scott Saunders, director of the UCLA Trauma Psychiatry Service" (ibid.).
Since 9/11 this earth has become an increasingly more dangerous environment (2 Timothy 3:1). Still, cowardly terrorists win when people cower in their homes.
Terrorism ultimately comes from "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4), Satan the devil. Jesus Christ said that he was a liar and murderer from the beginning of the world (John 8:44). We might add "terrorist" to those descriptors, as the evil that drives terrorists to slaughter innocent men, women and children is motivated by his murderous thinking.
However, it won't always be this way. God has sentenced him to incarceration for 1,000 years at Christ's return (Revelation 20:1-3). Then, divine truth will trump the chief of terrorism. If you'd like to learn more, request or download our free booklets Is There Really a Devil? and The Gospel of the Kingdom. (Source: The Christian Science Monitor.)
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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.
