Jesus is Coming—Look Busy: Is Christian Apocalypticism Inherently Predictive and Activist?

To what extent are calculations of the specific date of the end, and revolutionary activism inherent to Christian apocalypticism? This panel will put that question to a much broader span of Christian history than is typical. Two key goals are in view. The first is to reevaluate whether precise predictions and political activism—as opposed to apophatic patience and resigned quietism—are "baked in" to all Christian apocalypticism. The second is to investigate how much variance there may have been between predictive and patient, quietist and activist "strains" of Christian apocalypticism over the full course of Christian history. Through a comparison of how historically specific forms of Christian apocalypticism may differ in respect to their enthusiasm for prediction rather than patience, and activism rather than quietism, we stand to learn a great deal about the true range of possibilities that apocalyptic discourse offers.