News

Three and a half years after Britain announced plans to exit the European Union, Brexit finally happened, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson fulfilled his campaign pledge (NY magazine, January 31, 2020). The United Kingdom is no longer a voting member of the EU, but is still required to abide by European laws through the 11-month transition period.

Concern is growing in China about thousands of cases of a new coronavirus. These infections include flu-like symptoms that can lead to pneumonia and even death (The Guardian, January 16, 2020). The Chinese city of Wuhan (about the size of London with a population of 11 million) is the epicenter of the viral outbreak.

The idea that modern society is influenced by idolatry seems ludicrous. Surely, most educated people have moved beyond behaviors that involve paganism—haven’t they? Hasn’t scientific progress liberated people from ancient superstition?

You may think, “This is a pretty safe subject for me. I’m certainly not influenced by idolatry!” Don’t be too sure. The Bible makes it obvious that idolatry dogs mankind’s heels in every age.

A recent study by a leading risk analysis and global forecasting company reports, “A quarter of all countries experienced a dramatic surge in civil unrest” in 2019 (The Guardian, January 16, 2020). The conclusions in the study were based on the severity and frequency of protests against governments, the use of security forces to quell unrest, and national abuses of civil rights.

Dr. N.T. Wright is a professor of New Testament and Early Christianity and is a prolific writer. He is affiliated with both St. Andrews and Oxford Universities, and recently wrote a revealing article for TIME magazine (December 16, 2019). According to Dr.