A German news source recently reported, “Ansbach, Munich, Würzburg, Nice, Brussels—in light of the many horrific news stories, many are asking: What’s the matter with 2016? Has the world gone mad?...

“China is challenging the balance of power in the Pacific with much greater determination… A symbolic moment was reached in 2014 when the IMF announced that, measured in terms of purchasing power, China is now the world’s largest economy… China’s rise is just part of a larger shift in economic power. According to the IMF, three of the world’s four largest economies are now in Asia” (Financial Times, August 5, 2016).

Christ is called the Prince of Peace. Jesus Christ preached peace. Many think that He came to bring peace on earth. But, right up to present times, no true or lasting peace exists on earth. There is only continuous war. Did Christ fail in His mission to bring peace to this world?

Do you ever feel entrapped by urban sprawl? Do you long for the peace and tranquility of a panoramic scene of natural beauty, like a glacier-fed lake at the foot of snow-covered mountains with cool crisp air filling your lungs—without the rumble, roar, and clang of traffic noises? Would fresh trout on the banks of a flowing stream make a delicious supper as a day in the out of doors comes to a close? I think most of us would relish spending time in that environment.

One hundred years ago this past June, British and French forces unleashed an unprecedented offensive during the First World War, against German forces along the Western Front. Although Britain and her allies won the “Great War,” the Battle of the Somme became, to many, a testimony to the futility of fighting a “War to End All Wars.” By November 1916, the Allies had advanced just 11 kilometers, and over 1,200,000 men had been lost from all armies, making the Somme one of the bloodiest battles in history.