Blackwell Reference Online

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The term millenarianism, and its alternatives millennialism and chiliasm, are derived from the last book of the Christian Bible, Apocalypse (or Revelation), in which the prophet John recounts his vision of a thousand-year godly kingdom, the return of Christ, and the end of time itself (20:1–7). In the social sciences, the term is applied to all movements and organizations that hold as a central belief the imminent arrival of a divinely inspired and this-worldly society, whether a religious golden age, messianic kingdom, return to paradise, or egalitarian order. Such movements can take on an active or passive, violent or peaceful, even revolutionary role. They are found the world over and throughout recorded history. Some writers extend the term to deep-seated beliefs in secular utopias such as revolutionary communism, certain environmental and scientistic-technological movements such as eugenics and cryonics (Bozeman in Robbins & Palmer 1997), and racist movements such as white supremacy. Jewett and Lawrence (2003) argue for the existence of a contemporary form of millenarianism in the United States that reunites the secular and religious, calling it “millennial civil religion.” They find it in popular culture, the politics of the New Right, Reaganism, Bushism, and the “war on terror.” The most documented cases occur within cultures significantly affected by Judaism, Christianity, ... log in or subscribe to read full text