It’s the End of the World as Christian Zionists Know It (and They Feel Fine): Finding the Apocalypse Among the Privileged
Loading...
Authors
Alsabagh, Manaal Sereen
Date
2022-08
Type
other
Language
en
Keyword
Apocalypse , Foreign policy , American evangelicals , Zionism , Collective memory
Alternative Title
Abstract
This project aims to develop a theory of collective memory that is better able to account for the Evangelical employment of apocalyptic themes and tropes, especially as it concerns American politics and policies. This project will demonstrate that the obsession with the apocalyptic imagination among American evangelicals stems from a collective memory in which they view themselves as "Othered" by the greater population that has forsaken their conservative Christian beliefs. Specifically, this paper will investigate how American evangelicals have positioned other states (especially Israel, Iran, and Russia) as personas in the Gog and Magog prophecy (as found in Ezekiel 38-39). It will be shown that standard views of collective memory need to be nuanced in order to understand both why and how Evangelicals have developed this political picture using this apocalyptic myth. For American evangelical Zionists, the United States must actively assist and protect Israel's international security if they wish to avoid God's wrath. Rather than dismiss these politics as an instance of irrational zealotry, this project will show that this position is part of an attempt to develop a collective memory.
Description
A Master’s Essay submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree Master of Arts in the School of Religion at Queen’s University