World News and Trends: Gay movement continues to make inroads
This summer some 250,000 people converged on central London to celebrate the 26th annual Gay Pride Festival. All three major British political parties sent their warm regards.
One newspaper reported that "homosexual campaigners for more rights were given a double boost . . . when the Church of England edged towards accepting the ordination of gay priests and the government made clear that the age of [homosexual] consent would be lowered to 16."
At the same time some government officials were advocating that the legal smoking age be raised to 18.
Fortunately, among all the politically correct voices commenting on the homosexual scene there are a few dissenting voices. One such is Daniel Farson, author and a homosexual himself, who wrote: "This Government, headed by a church-going Christian, is engaging in political correctness of the worst sort. It is driven by the aggressive gay lobby. And it will do untold damage to the vulnerable young."
British columnist and author Leo McKinstry made the following sensible observations about the gay-rights agenda: "This agenda, including calls for gay marriages, gay sex education in schools and a lower age of consent, is based on the concept that every form of sexual behaviour is valid and should be respected, no matter how promiscuous or bizarre. This outlook is the dominant creed of our age. But it has damaging consequences for our society.
"Take marriage and the family. In the brave new world of gay rights, no moral distinction is made between the sacrifices involved in bringing up children within a stable relationship and irresponsible hedonism. Both are presented as just different lifestyle choices. Such a disastrous message is now given out to schoolchildren." (Sources: The Sunday Times, The Times of London, Daily Mail; emphasis added.)
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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.
