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Christian Millenarianism: From the
Early Church to Waco
Stephen Hunt, Ed.
Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2001, 258 pp.
Reviewed by:
Rev. Dean
Borgman
Some unbelievers
think that the fear of death and the end of the world is the origin of all
religion. Most believers, on the other hand, are convinced about life after
death and some divine conclusion to history. Not all, but some of the faithful,
and not only Christians, anticipate a final chapter of history, a thousand year
period in which justice and peace will prevail. They are the millennialists or
chiliasts (from “a thousand”). Jews, Christians and Muslims have such
apocalyptic beliefs. In times of crisis and despair apocalyptic hopes may
rise to the surface.
Many Jews,
Christians, and Muslims take the notion of the millennium, not literally, but as
symbolic of ultimate justice and peace. Theologians call their study of end
times, eschatology (from the Greek, eschaton, last).
In contrast to
some ancient thought that saw history moving in endless cycles, the
Judeo-Christian view of history is linear, moving to some kind of denouement or
conclusion. Christian Millenarianism offers an introduction and seventeen
erudite essays on millenarianism divided into four sections:
1.
Sociological Aspects
2.
Historical Dimensions
3.
The Global Movement
4.
Syncretic and Cultist Forms.
Possible scenarios
for the end of the world provide opportunities for the exploitation of fears,
utopian ideals, and radical ideology under cultic leadership. That is what makes
this book important to those concerned with destructive cultism—even though it
isn’t this work’s focus.
The aim of this
book is not to discuss the idea of millenarianism in purely theological or
sociological terms. It is rather to examine a variety of specific movements, the
“most vigorous expressions (of millenarianism) within the Christian faith over
the last two hundred years” (7). "what is self-evidently one of the perennial
and most dynamic of visions” (p. 11). To accomplish such an endeavor, the editor
has called upon experts able to speak from the disciplines of “sociology,
anthropology, biblical studies, church and cultural history, and theology.” (p.
7)
The volume deals
with millenarianism as it is found within the mainstream of Christian tradition,
in the tendency toward Christian extremism and sects, and finally as it
influences larger society. Malcolm B. Hamilton’s first chapter helps define and
distinguish the subject from a sociological perspective:
Lately millenarian
sects have attracted much attention as a consequence of groups such as the
People’s Temple, the Branch Davidians, the Solar Temple, Aum Shinrikyo,
and Heaven’s Gate.
The tragic loss of
life resulting from the confrontation of apocalyptic groups such as these with
the wider society has puzzled and perturbed contemporary society.
The millennial
idea, however, is not only manifested in clearly definable movements or
relatively discrete and organized sectarian bodies, but runs as a current
through society, greatly varying in intensity over time, attracting varying
numbers… and with varying degrees of influence in their lives and society in
general. (pp. 34, 35)
The next essay by
Martin Percy provides information that helps explain the “Left Behind” series by
Tim LaHaye (though these popular novels/films are not mentioned here). The
chapter is subtitled, “Evangelicals, The Millennium and Millenarianism.”
“Evangelicals” are conservative Christians who take the Bible literally, or at
least authoritatively. They are similarly divided as to whether they believe the
“thousand year period” of Revelation 20: 2b, 4b to be a literal thousand year
period or a symbolic ideal of history’s consummation in justice and peace. In
describing Evangelicals' three biblical interpretation of the millennium as
post-millennial (Christ coming to earth after the millennium), amillennial (the
millennium seen as symbolic), and dispensational (the “Left Behind” scenario),
Percy unfortunately misses historic premillennialism of which dispensationalism
is only a rather modern variant. Insightful history and details regarding the
origins of dispensationalism are provided by a later essay, Mark Patterson and
Andrew Walker’s “Irving, Albury, and the Origins of the Pre-tribulation
Rapture” (p. 98).
In this volume we
find historic backgrounds from ancient, medieval, and early modern history. We
learn of global movements such as the T’Aiping Rebellion in China,
“Catholic Apocalypticism and the Army of Mary” in Europe, and “A Peruvian
Messiah and the Retreat from Apocalypse.”
With scholarly
balance, this book makes clear that not even “extreme” millennial movements are
necessarily dangerous. In “The Heavenly Millennium of Seventh-Day Adventism,”
Kenneth Newport declares: “Seventh-day Adventism is without doubt one of the
more successful, even if less-known, pre-millennial movements in the world
today” (p. 131). Susan J. Palmer gives us a careful assessment of the Messianic
Communities’ Twelve Tribes (an outgrowth of the Jesus Movement of the late 1960s
and early 70s) as a New Religious Movement (NRM).
Their doctrines
are radical—that is, both extreme and original—and yet… based on the Bible….
Given this extraordinary level of external pressure (police raids), one might
ask, why have they not reacted in a violent fashion? (p. 211)
In view of the
widespread concern regarding the violence factor in apocalyptic movements… it is
important to remember all those nonviolent groups that have prepared for the end
of the world throughout the history of heresy. If we are attempting to construct
models of “dangerous” prophetic groups, it is useful to study the
characteristics of groups that fan their fiery visions of End Time to facilitate
internal religious experience, while somehow managing to “keep cool” when
dealing with the world. (p. 223)
Then there is the
millenarianism of the largest Christian revival in recent times, the Pentecostal
Movement. Margaret Poloma begins her analysis of this prophetic movement quoting
D. J. Wilson, “For most Christians the present determines the future; they
believe they will reap what they sow. But for most Pentecostals the future
determines the present, their view of eschatology governs their view of current
events.” Of course this contrast is not quite true. For Jügen Moltmann (himself
a millennialist) and many other mainstream theologians, contemporary
complexities can only be understood in terms of eschatology. Poloma’s essay
describes the unique place of prophecies, revival, and end-times beliefs among
this dynamic stream of Christianity.
David Gallagher’s
“David Koresh’s Christian Millenarianism” is really this volume’s only study of
what many would consider a contemporary millennial cult that was dangerous and
self-destructive. However, this writer warns us:
… the group had
been in the area for some sixty years…. The general lack of knowledge about the
group was quickly supplanted by a facile characterization of it as a “cult.” …
The ease with which that stereotype was embraced by the media and accepted by
the general public again demonstrated the shallow but pervasive influence of the
anti-cult movement. (p. 196)
This essay
describes David Koresh as one who abandoned his former life for the community at
Mount Carmel, for a life of religion. Daily hours of Bible study drove
home the message of impending divine doom based on an interpretation of the
seven seals in the book of Revelation (chapters 4-5). Koresh was not only a
prophet of the seven seals; he was the Lamb from heaven to unloose the (meaning
of) the seals. Those of us interested in the psychology and sociology of
destructive sects and cults will probably be disappointed—with this volume and
this chapter in particular. Gallagher’s essay is an insightful interpretation of
Davidian teaching and the mission of David Koresh. It assumes the need for
religious tolerance, even of extremes. But it does little to enlighten the
reader as to the authoritarianism and probable abuses present in this cult—a
term that many scholars these days reject as pejorative.
My last remark
needs brief comment. Contemporary study of religions and smaller movements is
taking a very relativistic stance. Many scholars are loath to describe in
negative terms any religious movement, no matter how small, how recent, how
radical or how dangerous. They are scratching terms like sect and cult from
their working vocabularies. All religions began as cults or sects, they would
say, and have grown into gradual acceptance. Those of us afraid of cultic
authoritarianism, brainwashing, undermining of family ties, and breaking of
individual critical thinking will continue to find vocabulary that assists in
distinctions that can lead to release and freedom.
Positive reviews
see this book as a multifaceted and multidisciplinary inspection of millenarian
ideas from a comparative and historical perspective. It is that indeed, and we
can be glad for this important starting point in understanding the importance of
ideas about history’s culmination. This will enable our further consideration as
to how “end-time thinking” can move in helpful or destructive directions.
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