Millennium, Messiahs, And Mayhem: Contemporary Apocalyptic Movements

Millennium, Messiahs, And Mayhem: Contemporary Apocalyptic Movements

First Published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.From Library JournalRobbins, an independent sociologist of religion, and Palmer (new religious movements, Dawson Coll. and Concordia Univ.) have compiled a collection of articles on the import of the coming millennium and associated groups and movements. The contributors?scholars in religion, sociology, and other social sciences?discuss the theory of apocalypticism; secular groups such as survivalists, militias, and feminists; religious groups; and the violence and confrontation associated with the millennium. This collection gives a good overview of a complicated topic by delving into the various movements that are looking at the millennium as a watershed event for their particular sets of beliefs. The work is scholarly with extensive references; it should find a place on academic library shelves, particularly those with strong sociology or religious collections.?Cynthia L. Peterson, Univ. of Texas Southwestern Medical Ctr. at DallasCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.Review"This is a fine collection of high-quality papers concerning millenarianism in Western culture." --American Journal of Sociology"...a significant contribution as a general scholarly introduction to the subject of apocalyptic and millennial movements in contemporary North American society." -- Nathan Rousseau,Journal for the Scientific Study ofReligion"This is a fine collection of high-quality papers concerning millenarianism in Western culture...enlightening...fascinating." --AmericanJournal of Sociology"This volume makes a worthwhile contribution to the literature. There is no question that the subject matter makes this a timely and important book...the book raises the standard for future studies." --ContemporarySociology"This volume documents the richness and diversity of the contemporary apocalyptic imagination." -- Stephan Stein,Religious Studies Review, April 2002"Robbins and Palmer's book...goes far toward filling the need for a broad, scholarly, and yet accessible overview of contemporary millennialism in North America... The case studies that constitute the bulk of this volume are highly effective in addressing many of the fundamental questions that face scholars of millennialism... it is unquestionably a significant contribution as a general scholarly introduction to the subject of apocalyptic and millennial movements in contemporary North American society." --Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion"...excellent collection of original papers by 21 qualified authors from nine academic fields... Highly recommended for seminary, graduate, and professional libraries." --R.L. HerrickChoice"...excellent... the contributors ... analyze contemporary religious movements from the Mormons to Waco and Aum Shinrikyo, and explain the central significance of prophecy in these movements." --Elaine Showalter,Washington Post"Robbins and Palmer have gathered a number of essays that take a sober look at the phenomenon of apocalypticism in the modern world... In all of the essays, the authors attempt to show how apocalyptic groups may be defined by their attention to the signs of the millennium and the signs of a messiah, a figure who will draw to a close one epoch and usher in a new one, and the ways in which these dual beliefs often lead to mayhem." --Publishers Weekly"This collection gives a good overview of a complicated topic by delving into the various movements that are looking at the millennium as a watershed event for their particular set of beliefs." --Library Journal"[This book] provide[s] a wealth of details on groups arising out of Roman Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, and Seventh-day Adventist churches, as well as those originating from a diverse number of secular movements ranging from the militas to environmentalist." --Nikolas K. Gvosdev, Baylor Univ., Waco, TX forJournal of Churchand State