Current Events & Trends
Beyond Today Magazine
Good News Magazine: March - April 2015
Course Content
The attacks in the French headquarters of satirical publication Charlie Hebdo dominated news around the world in a matter of moments.
The hashtag #jesuisCharlie gained widespread use as a display of solidarity with the publication’s employees and the families of those murdered.
It was a horrible scene in which writers and artists were murdered by Islamic militants offended by Charlie Hebdo’s articles and illustrations ridiculing Islam and Islamic extremism—along with poking fun at all religions, including Christianity and Judaism.
How should we view matters like this? The murder of Charlie Hebdo employees was certainly evil and inexcusable. There is no justification for it—and the murderers here have a very twisted view of right and wrong. But should others, in defense of liberty, now champion this publication with its blasphemous depictions and references to God and Jesus Christ? Using civil freedoms in this way is also evil and should be offensive to any serious Christian.
Would Jesus be in favor of our modern, Western version of freedom of speech? The freedom of speech does provide an avenue for this gospel message to go out to a world that desperately needs it, yet it also gives equal opportunity for blasphemies, pornography, hatred and many other things the Bible strongly condemns.
We often see the freedoms we value taken well beyond the proper limits of morality and common sense. Abortion, the murder of the innocent unborn, is acceptable in the name of freedom. Freedom of speech is another value and ideology that Satan will continue to lead people to severely abuse until the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. God speed that day.
Rudy Rangel was born and raised in Granite City, Illinois. He attended Southern Illinois University to study mass communication, graduating in 2008 with a bachelor of science degree. He also trained as an electrician.
Rudy currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was hired by the United Church of God in 2009 and works as production supervisor at the home office.
Rudy loves music, reading, writing, film and volunteering at United Youth Camps. Out of all these things, his favorite thing to do is play with his daughter and son and spend time with his wife. He also loves pizza.
Tom is an elder in the United Church of God who works from his home near St. Louis, Missouri, as a senior writer and editor for the Beyond Today magazine and church booklets. He is also the editor of the UCG Bible Commentary. He also served as a copy editor for Vertical Thought and managing editor for World News and Prophecy.
Tom began attending God's Church at the age of 16 in 1985 and was baptized a year later. He attended Ambassador College in both Texas and California and served for a year as a history teacher at the college's overseas project in Sri Lanka. He graduated from the Texas campus in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in theology along with minors in English and mass communications. Since 1994, he has been employed as an editor and writer for church publications and has served in local congregations through the regular preaching of sermons.
Tom was ordained to the ministry in 2012 and attends with his wife Donna and their young children.
