DePaul Lecture Series Explores Religious and Secular Visions of Armageddon

Apocalyptic theories, once held almost exclusively by fringe groups, have become popular in mainstream society, and are expected to intensify as the millenium approaches. What accounts for the American obsession with the end of time, and why does it occasionally manifest itself in violence? A DePaul University lecture series to be held in February seeks some answers.

"The apocalypse paints the world in terms of good guys and bad guys, magnifying crisis," said Charles Strain, a professor of religious studies at DePaul who organized the series. "America is a millennial culture and these ideas are no longer just the concern of religious groups on the fringe. They are deeply rooted in the Western consciousness."

Evidence of mainstream concern about Armageddon, the battle between good and evil prophesied in the New Testament’s Book of Revelation, can be see in the themes of such blockbuster movies as "Independence Day" and "Twelve Monkeys," hit TV shows such as the "X Files," and environmental dilemmas such as global warming.

The lecture series, beginning Feb. 2 and running for five consecutive Mondays, will feature top national scholars who will pinpoint the appeal of apocalyptic thinking, discuss its link to mass suicide, explore its popularity among religious groups and reflect on what happened at the turn of the last millenium. Among the highlights will be a Feb. 9 lecture by Paul Boyer, an historian from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who wrote the most important study of American millennialism, "When Time Shall Be No More."

Another noted speaker is Michael Barkun, a political science professor at Syracuse University and critic of the government’s response to the Branch Davidian stand-off in Waco, Texas, who will lecture Feb. 23.

A DePaul Art Gallery art exhibit, "Apocalypse Now and Then: Art and the End of Time," will complement the lecture series. It opens January 16 and runs through March 13.

All lectures are free and open to the public. They will take place in the Schmitt Academic Center, Room 254, 2320 N. Kenmore Ave., on DePaul’s Lincoln Park Campus. They are sponsored by DePaul Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) program. For more information, call the MALS office at 773/325-7840.

Feb. 2, 6 – 7:30 p.m. "What Happened the Last Time Around? Millennial Thinking at the Year 1000"

Guest Speakers:

Karen Scott, Associate Professor of History, DePaul

Anne Clark Bartlett, Assistant Professor of English, DePaul

Feb. 9, 6 – 7:30 p.m. "The Apocalyptic Imagination in 20^th Century America"

Guest Speaker: Paul Boyer, Professor of History, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Author of "When Time Shall be No More: Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture" and co-author of "Salem Possessed."

Feb. 16, 6 – 7:30 p.m. Film: "Twelve Monkeys"

Feb. 23, 6 – 7:30 p.m. "Approaching the Year 2000: Changing Styles of Millenarian Expression"

Guest Speaker: Michael Barkun, Professor of Political Science, Syracuse University. Author of "Religion and the Racist Right: The Origins of the Christian Identity Movement" and "Disaster and the Millenium."

March 2, 6 – 7:30 p.m. "The End of Time in Popular Film"

Guest Speaker: Toni Perrine, Associate Professor of Film/Video, Grand Valley State University. Author of "Film and the Nuclear Age: Representing Cultural Anxiety."