World News and Trends
Beyond Today Magazine
Good News Magazine: September - October 2003
Course Content
The leaders of the Roman Catholic Church leveled harsh criticism at the Charter of Fundamental Rights adopted by the European Union in December 2000.
At the time, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, a close aide to the Pope, said the charter failed to take adequate account of the "historical and cultural roots of Europe, in particular Christianity, which represents Europe's soul and which still today can inspire Europe's mission and identity."
In March of this year, Cardinal Ratzinger, the prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (successor to the medieval Inquisition), said that it was regrettable that "God and our responsibility before God" had not been "anchored in the European constitution."
Many European politicians do not want religious clerics to determine their future. They understand that history has a way of repeating itself. For nearly 2,000 years European leaders had either been crowned by the pope (as in the case of Charlemagne, Otto the Great and Charles Hapsburg) or been given its blessing (as was Napoleon, who took the crown from the pope and crowned himself).
Cardinal Ruini was correct in his assessment that Europe's roots are Catholic, a tradition that can still powerfully influence Europe's mission and identity.
Will Europe eventually become like another Roman Empire of old? If so, will it also be blessed by the Vatican, transforming it into a modern revival of the Holy Roman Empire? Some European Parliamentarians have already suggested this thought. But more importantly, a number of biblical prophecies support it. To learn more, request or download our free booklets The Book of Revelation Unveiled and You Can Understand Bible Prophecy.
(Source: Zenit News Agency.)
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.
