In this wide-ranging collection of essays Ronald E. Osborn explores the politically subversive and nonviolent anarchist dimensions of Christian discipleship in response to dilemmas of power, suffering, and war. Essays engage texts and thinkers from Homer's Iliad, the Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament to portraits of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Noam Chomsky, and Elie Wiesel. This book also analyzes the Allied bombing of civilians in World War II, the peculiar contribution of the Seventh-day Adventist apocalyptic imagination to Christian social ethics, and the role of deceptive language in the Vietnam War. From these and other diverse angles, Osborn builds the case for a more prophetic witness in the face of the violence of the "principalities and powers" in the modern world. This book will serve as an indispensible primer in the political theology of the Adventist tradition, as well as a significant contribution to radical Christian thought in biblical, historical, and literary perspectives.
In this wide-ranging collection of essays Ronald E. Osborn explores the politically subversive and nonviolent anarchist dimensions of Christian discipleship in response to dilemmas of power, suffering, and war. Essays engage texts and thinkers from Homer's Iliad, the Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament to portraits of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Noam Chomsky, and Elie Wiesel. This book also analyzes the Allied bombing of civilians in World War II, the peculiar contribution of the Seventh-day Adventist apocalyptic imagination to Christian social ethics, and the role of deceptive language in the Vietnam War. From these and other diverse angles, Osborn builds the case for a more prophetic witness in the face of the violence of the "principalities and powers" in the modern world. This book will serve as an indispensible primer in the political theology of the Adventist tradition, as well as a significant contribution to radical Christian thought in biblical, historical, and literary perspectives.
Apocalypse. To most, the word signifies destruction, death, the end of the world, but the literal definition is "revelation" or "unveiling," the basis from which renowned theologian René Girard builds his own view of Biblical apocalypse. Properly understood, Girard explains, Biblical apocalypse has nothing to do with a wrathful or vengeful God punishing his unworthy children, and everything to do with a foretelling of what future humans are making for themselves now that they have devised the instruments of global self-destruction. In this volume, some of the major thinkers about the interpretation of politics and religion— including Eric Voegelin, Leo Strauss, and Carl Schmitt— are scrutinized by some of today's most qualified scholars, all of whom are thoroughly versed in Girard’s groundbreaking work. Including an important new essay by Girard, this volume enters into a philosophical debate that challenges the bona fides of philosophy itself by examining three supremely important philosopher of the twentieth century. It asks how we might think about politics now that the attacks of 9/11 have shifted our intellectual foundations and what the outbreak of rabid religion might signify for international politics.
The interrelationship of the ideas of apocalypse and millennium is a dominant concern of British Romanticism. The Book of Revelation provides a model of history in which apocalypse is followed by millennium, but in their various ways the major Romantic poets - Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Keats, and Shelley - question and even at times undermine the possibility of a successful secularization of this model. No matter how confidently the sequence of apocalypse and millennium seems to be affirmed in some of the major works of the period, the issue is always in doubt: the fear that millennium may not ensue emerges as a significant, if often repressed, theme in the great works of the period. Related to it is the tension in Romantic poetry between conflicting models of history itself: history as teleology, developing towards end time and millennium, and history as purposeless cycle. This subject-matter is traced through a selection of works by the major poets, partly through an exposition of their underlying intellectual traditions, and partly through a close examination of the poems themselves.
DAWN OF THE APOCALYPSE gathers the pinnacle of speculative fiction to explore end times across diverse landscapes, from the desolate to the dystopian. It stitches a rich tapestry of literary approaches, ranging from the classic gothic horror of Edgar Allan Poe to the socio-political dystopias envisioned by Ayn Rand and H.G. Wells, and the unique utopian perspective of Edward Bellamy. The anthology thrives on its variety, not just in the cataclysmic events it portrays but also in the myriad ways these events are perceived and interpreted by its characters. Key pieces within this collection stand as milestones in the science fiction genre, framing apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic narratives as lenses through which we critique and comprehend contemporary societal fears. The authors, both pioneers, and craftsmen of their time, come from a broad spectrum of backgrounds, each contributing to the anthology's overarching theme with their unique flavor of apocalypse. These writers are not just storytellers but visionaries who collectively paint a multifaceted picture of humanity at the brink. They belonged to and were influenced by a range of historical, cultural, and literary movements, from the romanticism and transcendentalism of the 19th century to the early 20th century's modernism and the budding science fiction genre. Their combined works offer a historical capsule of societal anxieties and hopes, reflecting on themes of human resilience, the abuse of technology, and the moral dilemmas of progress. DAWN OF THE APOCALYPSE is an essential collection for readers eager to dive into the depths of human imagination faced with its own end. It offers an unparalleled opportunity to traverse the vast landscapes of apocalyptic fiction through the eyes of some of the most influential authors in literary history. This anthology not only serves as an academic goldmine for those studying the evolution of speculative fiction and its impact on society but also provides a timeless reflection on humanity's perennial concerns with its own survival and legacy. Readers are invited to witness the end of worlds not just as an exercise in literary exploration but as a mirror to our collective psyche across generations.
Is the Church truly above politics? Or is it all too often a gullible victim of the political arena? The theme of this prophetic work is that Christians must comprehend politics if they are to transcend politics. In 'Conscience and Obedience', William Stringfellow reviews the long history of the church's interpretations and misinterpretations of Scriptural texts relating to politics. The most notorious abuses have come, he says, in interpretations of Romans 13 and Revelation 13. Stringfellow declares that what is missing most is an understanding of eschatology that can stand against any political ideology, whether of the status quo or revolution. 'Conscience and Obedience' challenges the reader to examine the sources of our faith and our freedom.
