World News and Trends
Beyond Today Magazine
Good News Magazine: November - December 2002
Course Content
While watching events in Europe should be a constant concern, shouldn't we keep a close eye on the People's Republic of China?
True, the United States' main focus is on the twin evils of terrorism and the dictatorial regime in Iraq. Nonetheless our peripheral vision should embrace both Europe and Asia. We have to maintain a worldview of events.
Nationally syndicated columnist Joseph Perkins summed up the latest Chinese threat by quoting Michael Ledeen, vice president of the congressionally appointed bipartisan U.S.-China Security Commission: "We are concerned when we see constant rhetorical attacks on the United States, constant warnings to the United States, that if push comes to shove, China is perfectly happy to fight a war against us. And then to see a strategic doctrine from the Chinese military that lays out the ways in which they propose to win that war."
America needs to take note of Beijing's aggressive military buildup and periodic warnings about its intentions regarding Taiwan. China desperately wants to expand its influence, viewing the United States as a serious impediment to its growing ambitions in Southeast Asia. According to the U.S.-China Security Commission, the aim of the Chinese military buildup is "to deter, deny or complicate the ability of foreign forces to intervene on Taiwan's behalf."
Columnist Perkins concludes with this astonishing statement: "Beijing is no less a threat to the safety of the American people than Osama bin Laden's terrorists." (Source: The Washington Times.)
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.
