Loading...
Session Description
Of all the books of the New Testament, Revelation is perhaps the most intimidating. A few passages offer clear spiritual and pastoral insight for modern Christians—Christ coming on the clouds, the victorious Lion who appears as a sacrificed Lamb, the new heaven and new earth. But others are riddled with challenges: rampant violence, questionable depiction of women, bizarre symbols, befuddling visions, and the text’s widespread use in predicting the end of days. Can Revelation be salvaged? This workshop will address the challenges of reading Revelation, off er some strategies for thinking through them, and conclude with refl ection on what the Apocalypse off ers 21st-century Christians, such as its value for the topics of empire, injustice, and ecology.
Conference Title
2020 Calvin Symposium on Worship
Event Date
1-31-2020
Event Type
Lecture/Plenary
Type (recording/text)
Recording
Subject Area
Bible
Topic
Scripture
Keywords:
Revelation, Apocalypse, 21st Century
Recommended Citation
Mesick, Clair PhD, "Reading the Apocalypse in the 21st Century" (2020). Symposium on Worship Archive. 26.
https://digitalcommons.calvin.edu/uni-cicw-symposium/2020/allitems/26
Reading the Apocalypse in the 21st Century
Of all the books of the New Testament, Revelation is perhaps the most intimidating. A few passages offer clear spiritual and pastoral insight for modern Christians—Christ coming on the clouds, the victorious Lion who appears as a sacrificed Lamb, the new heaven and new earth. But others are riddled with challenges: rampant violence, questionable depiction of women, bizarre symbols, befuddling visions, and the text’s widespread use in predicting the end of days. Can Revelation be salvaged? This workshop will address the challenges of reading Revelation, off er some strategies for thinking through them, and conclude with refl ection on what the Apocalypse off ers 21st-century Christians, such as its value for the topics of empire, injustice, and ecology.