World News and Trends
Beyond Today Magazine
Good News Magazine: September - October 2003
Course Content
Where in the world is Liberia? And why is America interested in this tiny country on Africa's west coast?
Freed American slaves settled Liberia back in the early 1800s. There has been a connection between the United States and Liberia since that time.
Well over 100,000 men, women and children have died in Liberia during the past 15 years in conflicts between the government and revolutionaries. The world community and some European nations, together with Liberians, have appealed to the United States to resolve the political differences and to stop the wholesale carnage.
The Economic Community of West African States has become involved and sent Nigerian soldiers to quell the violence around the capital, Monrovia. Some Liberians think such interference will only result in looting and stealing their women. Sending poor soldiers into the battle might also encourage pillaging.
Though the nation's tyrannical leader, Charles Taylor, has stepped down as president and gone into exile, the conflict between the warring factions remains unresolved. And with no electricity, little food and water, and deadly diseases spreading, little Liberia needs help.
But why should America help? Why is the United States interested enough to send troops to Liberia? America is the only superpower on the globe at this time, a superpower that sends goods, services and military forces to protect and relieve the downtrodden, something so deeply entrenched in its history that the word America is synonymous with helping others.
America has its own problems, to be sure, but it still strives to help and lift up the underdog. America remembers its historical connections. World public opinion still counts for something as well. Still, the United States must be careful not to overextend its God-given power and wealth, which are finite.
The infinite factor in America's ability to help others rests in Almighty God, as acknowledged by America's founding fathers in the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." After 227 years, America still carries this belief abroad, and the world is much better for it. To understand the biblical foundation of America's power and freedoms, request or download our free booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy.
(Source: The Washington Post.)
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 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.
