Whether a laptop, a smartphone or a nuclear missile, the world is moving quicker than ever before. In the 21st century, we鈥檝e seen technology change drastically, and seen the many benefits globalization provides. But have these massive cultural shifts also increased our collective paranoia? There鈥檚 an ever-growing crop of media being produced about the apocalypse. , associate professor of English and humanities at The King鈥檚 College, New York City, dove straight into our fascination with and fear of the apocalypse in her lecture 鈥淲hat鈥檚 up with the Apocalypse?鈥 Wilkinson聽was one of three Christian thinkers who dug into faith in the digital age at Redeemer鈥檚 Beyond Worldview lecture series.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been telling stories about the apocalypse basically since we鈥檝e been able to tell stories.鈥
The concept of apocalypse is often misconstrued in modern society鈥攎any take it to simply mean the end of the world. From the Greek “apokalypsis”, apocalypse is more accurately defined as 鈥渢he destruction of perceived realities,鈥 Wilkinson says, 鈥渙r an unveiling, an uncovering.鈥 The key is the hopefulness inherent in the original meaning. 鈥淚t is destruction, but with the intention of renewal;鈥 states Wilkinson, 鈥渉ope is included.鈥
Nowadays, television shows, books and movies are rife with the destruction of apparent apocalypse. The Walking Dead and World War Z聽portrays humans becoming undead, Game of Thrones depicts a world preparing for an extraordinarily long winter, Battlestar Galactica renders villains with exceptionally heinous agendas.
But stories about the apocalypse are not unique to our culture or era. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been telling stories about the apocalypse basically since we鈥檝e been able to tell stories,鈥 Wilkinson continues. The Bible is bookended with narratives of apocalypse: the flood in Genesis, and the second coming of Jesus in Revelation. The difference between these ancient stories of apocalypse and our own stories of disaster is that, Wilkinson argues, our stories trend away from hope and are fundamentally pessimistic. This trend away from hope makes our stories dystopian; not apocalyptic in the original sense of the word.
A pertinent comparison is that of the trilogies The Hunger Games and The Lord of the Rings. While both contain a collapse of social order, the dystopian Hunger Games ends with the continued destruction of society, while the apocalyptic Lord of the Rings sees a redemptive end brimming with the hope of new life and restoration.
鈥淲e must remember that apocalypse is hopeful,鈥 contends Wilkinson. Suffering and pain can give meaning to our lives. Christians should examine their own sense of apocalypse鈥攚hen we plead 鈥渃ome, Lord Jesus,鈥 we plead for the hope we have in Christ.
Wilkinson’s lecture was part of the Beyond Worldview series. Hosted by the Centre for Christian Scholarship, three Christian thinkers dug into faith in the digital age. Read more.