In Brief World News Review Zimbabwe a Crisis Torn Country
Beyond Today Magazine
World News and Prophecy: April - May 2000
Course Content
Zimbabwe, a once prosperous African nation, is seriously short of food.
Zimbabwe, a once prosperous African nation, is seriously short of food, and its lack of fuel has brought industry to a standstill. The country's infrastructure is fraying badly at the edges with schools and hospitals struggling to survive. Most blame these humanly caused misfortunes on President Robert Mugabe's brutal regime.
As The Sunday Telegraph reported, "With the country's economy in tatters, thanks to years of misrule, Mugabe thought he had a guaranteed vote winner when his loyal constitutional panel drew up clause 57, to enshrine land confiscation and demand compensation for white farmers by [from] the old colonial power: Britain."
Zimbabwe's government was in shock after the people produced the courage to stand up to the regime by voting "no" in the recent constitutional referendum. Yet there are reports of the illegal occupation of quite a number of white-owned farms in spite of that national vote.
Moreover, the Zimbabwe dollar was worth 50 British pence when President Mugabe assumed power. It is now valued at 1.5 pence. And as The Independent on Sunday reported, "Every week 1,200 Zimbabweans die of AIDS and life expectancy since 1980 has fallen from 59 to 42."
A beautiful country has apparently been laid waste and many of British descent are applying for passports at the British High Commission in the nation's capital, Harare, preparing to emigrate. ( The Sunday Telegraph, The Independent on Sunday, The Daily Mail (all London).)
Darris McNeely works at the United Church of God home office in Cincinnati, Ohio. He and his wife, Debbie, have served in the ministry for more than 43 years. They have two sons, who are both married, and four grandchildren. Darris is the Associate Media Producer for the Church. He also is a resident faculty member at the Ambassador Bible Center teaching Acts, Fundamentals of Belief and World News and Prophecy. He enjoys hunting, travel and reading and spending time with his grandchildren.
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.
