Dear Good News Magazine Subscriber,

How does a Good News lead article come about—like the one in the current issue titled "The New World Disorder"? What fundamental philosophy guides the writer? What sources does he consult? Is there one overriding source that he looks to above all others?

Our senior writers, each with many years of journalistic experience, consult a broad range of books, magazines, newspaper articles and Internet sources. Most have traveled extensively to various corners of the world.

Yet we realize that while we are deluged with facts, we are sadly wanting in understanding. Information and understanding are not synonymous. Wrote former British foreign secretary Francis Pym: "The images we see on television reflect only the symptoms and consequences of a problem... When we see world events described by commentators this does not lead to understanding, but only to an emotional reaction and the acquisition of casual knowledge" (The Politics of Consent, 1976, p. 34). Viewers and readers lack a suitable standard for framing the information they access.

The goal of The Good News is to provide real understanding. Many other magazines report the news, whether current events, social trends, sports and increasingly gossipy news about entertainment celebrities. Tons of information spill out, but not many helpful answers concerning the enormous problems that confront us.

Each Good News writer seeks to answer the really crucial questions such as: Why is the world tormented with war, terrorism, crime, violence and misery of all kinds? For instance, consider the current cover article about where the new world disorder is taking us. It quotes several insightful books written by professional authors and historians. Some observers of the world scene possess rare discernment into the significance of major trends that will eventually affect all of humankind. But that insightful human knowledge by itself is far from enough.

The primary source each Good News writer relies on remains the Bible. The inspired Word of God stands as our solid source of knowledge and understanding. Without the foundational bedrock of Scripture, we exist in a confused muddle, inundated with an incomprehensible avalanche of facts and figures. The Bible provides the essential framework of relevant knowledge through which we can understand all other information.

God tells us where to find the understanding to see the significance of what is happening in today's world and how we should respond. "The Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:6). Here in one short biblical proverb we find three great tools to help us in discerning and comprehending truth.

The late Isaiah Berlin observed: "If we are to hope to understand the very violent world in which we live (and unless we try to understand it, we cannot expect to be able to act rationally in it or on it), we cannot confine our attention to the great impersonal forces, natural and man-made, which act upon us" (The Crooked Timber of Humanity, 1990, p. 2).

Professor Berlin grasped the necessity of understanding based on a realm that lies beyond the world of man and nature. He sought basic knowledge, but more than that he sought purpose. He continued: "Only barbarians are not curious about where they came from, how they came to be where they are, where they appear to be going..."

The Good News transmits understanding, not only of world events, trends and movements, but of the very purpose of human life itself. Our writers address the big questions like: Why are we here? What is God doing about the human condition? How will our Creator save us from ourselves?

Warm regards,
John Ross Schroeder
Senior Writer
 

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July/August 2009 Good News

Editorial: Sounding a Warning Humanity is heading down its own perilous road toward a far more serious type of bankruptcy.

The New World Disorder: Where Is It Taking Us? Why does the world seem to be crumbling into chaos? Can we restrain the forces of anarchy? Is it possible to right the course of our severely straying civilization and solve our problems? Sadly, we seem to have no comprehension of the unseen spiritual forces arrayed against us, and we either reject or ignore the God who offers the only viable solutions to the enormous problems afflicting our troubled age.

Four Biblical Keys to Understanding World Events Important world events are happening all around us. But what do they mean? Can we understand? Here are four key principles for analyzing world events from an all-important biblical perspective.

What's at the Heart of National Problems? In the Bible we find page after page of God's warnings to ancient Israel of the inevitable negative consequences of national and individual sins. But are we any different? Is there a message here for us today?

A Modern Menace: Emerging and Reemerging Diseases Worried health officials have declared the latest swine flu outbreak to be a worldwide epidemic, though so far it has proven not to be as deadly as first feared. But is this a warning of greater dangers to come? Does Bible prophecy give any indications?

God's Appointment With You Did you know that God set aside a special day so you can have meaningful, lasting contact with Him? Nearly 6,000 years ago our Creator declared the seventh-day Sabbath a day of rest and fellowship with Him.

Meekness and Gentleness: Strength With a Tender Touch The biblical qualities of meekness and gentleness are misunderstood and undervalued in today's society of extremes—where all too often people tend to angrily overreact or passively underreact.

A Lesson in Prayer You've probably heard about the power of prayer and how prayer can bring about wonderful changes in your life. But have you ever prayed and nothing happened? Have you recited the same words over and over, hoping God would somehow help you make a decision or supply an answer to an unsolvable problem? It's not that God doesn't care. The problem could be that you don't know what Jesus taught about prayer.

The World's a Mess: Can You Be Positive? Even though fear and anxiety are affecting more and more people, there is a way to be positive in spite of the troubling news that dominates our lives. Read on to discover a cause for optimism!

Good News Daily Video Commentary

July 15, 2009 - Judge Sotomayor and Just Law

July 14, 2009 - A Secret to Success

July 13, 2009 - Farrah Fawcett—Death of an Angel

July 10, 2009 - Michael Jackson—The Man in the Mirror

July 9, 2009 - Say It Isn't So Governor Palin!

July 8, 2009 - Steve McNair's Undoing

July 6, 2009 - Everything Else is Profit

July 3, 2009 - Freedom Fourth

July 2, 2009 - Let Liberty Ring

Archived Good News Video Commentary

Bible FAQ

Does the Bible forbid women from wearing pants?

Does the Bible teach it is wrong for women to wear makeup?

Is Jesus Christ divine?

What is the correct name for God? Is there a special sacred name God wants us to use?

Archived Bible FAQ

Beyond Today Web TV

Identity Theft Stealing personal information is a huge problem. But is there another kind of identity theft that should also cause you unease?

Hate Speech Some Christians have been accused of hate speech because of positions on abortion and homosexuality. But what does the Bible teach?

And Wars Shall Increase We are entering a dangerous time that threatens to change the once safe world you have known. What can you do about it?

Worshiping Sex? Our society is sex-saturated and its negative consequences are devastating. You need to know how to overcome its ill effects.

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