Overview

This book provides a comprehensive description of how evangelicals in Northern Ireland interpreted the ""Troubles"" (1966-2007) in the light of how they read the Bible. The rich and diverse landscape of Northern Irish evangelicalism during the ""Troubles"" is ideally suited to this study of both the light and dark sides of apocalyptic eschatology. Searle demonstrates how the notion of apocalypse shaped evangelical and fundamentalist interpretations of the turbulent events that characterized this dark yet fascinating period in the history of Northern Ireland. 'The Scarlet Woman and the Red Hand' uses this case study to offer a timely reflection on some of the most pressing issues in contemporary negotiations between culture and religion. Given the current resurgence of religious fundamentalism in the wake of 9/11, together with popular conceptions of a 'clash of civilizations' and the so-called War on Terror, this book is not only an engaging academic study; it also resonates with some of the defining cultural issues of our time.

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9780718893729

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Reviews

""Beyond the historical instance, the book is outstanding in its evocation of the general power of the apocalyptic imagination."" Paul S. Fiddes, Professor of Systematic Theology, University of Oxford, Regent's Park College, Oxford, UK ""This study of the way in which apocalyptic texts and the communities which read them interact is set to become one of the most important in the field. . . . As Searle shows, to understand how a text is read is to understand something of the community that reads it, and thereby perhaps, to be better informed of the deep underlying tensions, hopes, and fears that drive some to acts of violence."" Kenneth G.C. Newport, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK ""The link between apocalyptic rhetoric and violence is rarely more obvious than in the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The discontents underlying this long ethnic, political, and religious conflict were fueled-and ultimately transformed-by varieties of biblical eschatology. Describing the lethal and creative potential of apocalyptic language in evangelical communities, this book offers a groundbreaking reflection on the question of whether texts are a cause or consequence of their contexts."" Crawford Gribben, Professor of Early Modern British History, School of History and Anthropology, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland ""Joshua Searle guides us on a fascinating journey into apocalyptic eschatology in evangelicalism in Northern Ireland. Rather than accepting conventional wisdom that the Troubles drove evangelicals to an unusual obsession with the end of the world, Searle emphasizes ideas, arguing that pre-existing biblical interpretations informed evangelicals' responses to violence. His analysis of evangelicals' narratives of fear and hope prompt us to reconsider the importance of discourses in the wider field of millennial studies."" Gladys Ganiel, Assistant Professor in Conflict Resolution & Reconciliation, Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin, Belfast, N. Ireland ""By showing how various evangelicals involved in the Troubles in Northern Ireland read their contemporary situations in terms of biblical texts, Searle clearly shows how the Christian apocalyptic eschatology of prominent biblical texts both shaped and was used to respond to the particular contexts of individual interpreters. Searle carefully analyzes specific interpretations and sets them against broad philosophical, theological, and historical backgrounds."" Eugene V. Gallagher, Rosemary Park Professor of Religious Studies, Connecticut College, New London, CT ""This book provides a fascinating insight into the role, interpretation, dissemination and uptake of apocalyptic-eschatological texts. It is nuanced, complex, and sometimes difficult to read, but it is worth the effort as it fills a lacuna in our understanding of the role of religion in the formation of identity and the interconnection of religion and politics in the Irish context, and it adds greatly to the manner in which the recent conflict in the North is viewed and understood."" Miriam Moffitt, Irish Theological Quarterly, August 2015 ""I think this is an important book. It certainly tells us things we did not know about the political tensions operative during the tima and in the place that mark the parameters of this individual study. But it tells us too about the power of apocalyptic imagery, the imaginative mind of the biblical reader and, perhaps, the underlying fears and hopes that lie within us all as contingent beings in our individual uncertain, and time-limited, worlds."" -Kenneth G.C. Newport, Theological Book Review, Vol. 26 No. 2, 2015

Beyond the historical instance, the book is outstanding in its evocation of the general power of the apocalyptic imagination. Paul S. Fiddes, Professor of Systematic Theology, University of Oxford, Regent's Park College, Oxford, UK This study of the way in which apocalyptic texts and the communities which read them interact is set to become one of the most important in the field... As Searle shows, to understand how a text is read is to understand something of the community that reads it, and thereby perhaps, to be better informed of the deep underlying tensions, hopes, and fears that drive some to acts of violence. Kenneth G.C. Newport, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK The link between apocalyptic rhetoric and violence is rarely more obvious than in the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The discontents underlying this long ethnic, political, and religious conflict were fueled-and ultimately transformed-by varieties of biblical eschatology. Describing the lethal and creative potential of apocalyptic language in evangelical communities, this book offers a groundbreaking reflection on the question of whether texts are a cause or consequence of their contexts. Crawford Gribben, Professor of Early Modern British History, School of History and Anthropology, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Joshua Searle guides us on a fascinating journey into apocalyptic eschatology in evangelicalism in Northern Ireland. Rather than accepting conventional wisdom that the Troubles drove evangelicals to an unusual obsession with the end of the world, Searle emphasizes ideas, arguing that pre-existing biblical interpretations informed evangelicals' responses to violence. His analysis of evangelicals' narratives of fear and hope prompt us to reconsider the importance of discourses in the wider field of millennial studies. Gladys Ganiel, Assistant Professor in Conflict Resolution & Reconciliation, Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin, Belfast, N. Ireland By showing how various evangelicals involved in the Troubles in Northern Ireland read their contemporary situations in terms of biblical texts, Searle clearly shows how the Christian apocalyptic eschatology of prominent biblical texts both shaped and was used to respond to the particular contexts of individual interpreters. Searle carefully analyzes specific interpretations and sets them against broad philosophical, theological, and historical backgrounds. Eugene V. Gallagher, Rosemary Park Professor of Religious Studies, Connecticut College, New London, CT

Beyond the historical instance, the book is outstanding in its evocation of the general power of the apocalyptic imagination. Paul S. Fiddes, Professor of Systematic Theology, University of Oxford, Regent's Park College, Oxford, UK This study of the way in which apocalyptic texts and the communities which read them interact is set to become one of the most important in the field... As Searle shows, to understand how a text is read is to understand something of the community that reads it, and thereby perhaps, to be better informed of the deep underlying tensions, hopes, and fears that drive some to acts of violence. Kenneth G.C. Newport, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK The link between apocalyptic rhetoric and violence is rarely more obvious than in the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The discontents underlying this long ethnic, political, and religious conflict were fueled-and ultimately transformed-by varieties of biblical eschatology. Describing the lethal and creative potential of apocalyptic language in evangelical communities, this book offers a groundbreaking reflection on the question of whether texts are a cause or consequence of their contexts. Crawford Gribben, Professor of Early Modern British History, School of History and Anthropology, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Joshua Searle guides us on a fascinating journey into apocalyptic eschatology in evangelicalism in Northern Ireland. Rather than accepting conventional wisdom that the Troubles drove evangelicals to an unusual obsession with the end of the world, Searle emphasizes ideas, arguing that pre-existing biblical interpretations informed evangelicals' responses to violence. His analysis of evangelicals' narratives of fear and hope prompt us to reconsider the importance of discourses in the wider field of millennial studies. Gladys Ganiel, Assistant Professor in Conflict Resolution & Reconciliation, Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin, Belfast, N. Ireland By showing how various evangelicals involved in the Troubles in Northern Ireland read their contemporary situations in terms of biblical texts, Searle clearly shows how the Christian apocalyptic eschatology of prominent biblical texts both shaped and was used to respond to the particular contexts of individual interpreters. Searle carefully analyzes specific interpretations and sets them against broad philosophical, theological, and historical backgrounds. Eugene V. Gallagher, Rosemary Park Professor of Religious Studies, Connecticut College, New London, CT This book provides a fascinating insight into the role, interpretation, dissemination and uptake of apocalyptic-eschatological texts. It is nuanced, complex, and sometimes difficult to read, but it is worth the effort as it fills a lacuna in our understanding of the role of religion in the formation of identity and the interconnection of religion and politics in the Irish context, and it adds greatly to the manner in which the recent conflict in the North is viewed and understood. --Miriam Moffitt, Irish Theological Quarterly, August 2015

Author Information

Joshua T. Searle - a graduate of Oxford, Prague, and Dublin - is Tutor in Theology and Public Thought at Spurgeon's College, London.

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