World News and Trends
Beyond Today Magazine
Good News Magazine: September - October 2011
Course Content
An astonishing number of new pupils in Britain begin school not even knowing their own names.
In some cases they don't even realize they have a name. The principal blame has been laid on parents who spend too much time on the Internet and watching television. They do not communicate with their children. One mother said, "My child doesn't speak to me, so I don't speak to my child."
As The Daily Telegraph reported, "More than a million [British] youngsters—around two to three in each classroom throughout the country—suffer from speech, language and communication difficulties, according to the charity The Communication Trust" (Murray Wardrop, "New Pupils Who Don't Even Know Their Name" July 29, 2011).
Other tragic consequences abound because of a serious lack of parental responsibility toward their small children. One disturbing spinoff would be that "almost 900 children are suspended from school every day for attacking or verbally abusing their teachers and classmates, new figures show" ("Unruly Lessons: 900 Suspensions Every Day," July 29, 2011).
The United Church of God addresses proper childrearing methods in its free booklet Marriage and Family: The Missing Dimension. (Source: The Daily Telegraph, The Independent [both London].)
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.
