In Brief... World News Review: God Is Back?
Just the mention of or holding meetings in His name doesn't mean that God is truly back in the hearts, minds-and consequently, reflected in the actions-of Western peoples
Columnist Peggy Noonan wrote a piece for The Wall Street Journal editorial page of September 28 titled "God Is Back." She was reacting to the many references to God by politicians and pundits, as well as high attendance figures for religious services since September 11. However, just the mention of or holding meetings in His name doesn't mean that God is truly back in the hearts, minds-and consequently, reflected in the actions-of the Americans, British, Canadians, Australians, South Africans or other Western peoples.
Seeking to rally support for the U.S.-led war on international terrorism, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said, "Whatever faults we have, Britain is a very moral nation with a strong sense of right and wrong. That moral fibre will defeat the fanaticism of these terrorists and their supporters" ("Blair Rallies Britain as War Nerves Fray," The Observer, October 28, 2001, emphasis added throughout).
There is evidence to the contrary.
Less than a week before September 11, The Times of London ran this headline: "Christianity Almost Beaten Says Cardinal." In the body of the article, religion correspondent Ruth Gledhill quoted the Archbishop of Westminster: "Christianity has almost been vanquished in Britain.... Christ [is] being replaced by music, New Age beliefs, the environmental movement, the occult and the free-market economy" (September 6, 2001).
Is Britain "a very moral nation"? According to the leader of the 4.1 million Roman Catholics in England and Wales: "It does seem...that Christianity, as a sort of backdrop to people's lives and moral decisions-and to the Government, the social life of the country-has now almost been vanquished" (ibid.).
Morality isn't a quality that can be turned on or off at will. Neither is the requisite spiritual strength lying dormant within every citizen of the Western world, merely because our nations once respected and, more importantly, responded to God. Our nations do not have moral strength simply because they need to have it. Will our people rise to the critical occasion? Will they turn back to God and find His strength in this time of trouble?
An Article from:
World News and Prophecy: November 2001
Course Content
Jim Tuck
Jim has been in the ministry over 40 years serving fifteen congregations. He and his wife, Joan, started their service to God's church in Pennsylvania in 1974. Both are graduates of Ambassador University. Over the years they served other churches in Alabama, Idaho, Oregon, Arizona, California, and currently serve the Phoenix congregations in Arizona, as well as the Hawaii Islands. He has had the opportunity to speak in a number of congregations in international areas of the world. They have traveled to Zambia and Malawi to conduct leadership seminars In addition, they enjoy working with the youth of the church and have served in youth camps for many years.
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.
