Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship and Witness: Following the Lamb into the New Creation

by Michael J. Gorman

Reading Revelation Responsibly is for those who are confused by, afraid of, and/or preoccupied with the book of Revelation. In rescuing the Apocalypse from those who either completely misinterpret it or completely ignore it, Michael Gorman has given us both a guide to reading Revelation in a responsible way and a theological engagement with the text itself. He takes interpreting the book as a serious and sacred responsibility, believing how one reads, teaches, and preaches Revelation can have a powerful impact on one’s own—and other people’s—well-being. Gorman pays careful attention to the book’s original historical and literary contexts, its connections to the rest of Scripture, its relationship to Christian doctrine and practice, and its potential to help or harm people in their life of faith. Rather than a script for the end times, Gorman demonstrates how Revelation is a script for Christian worship, witness, and mission that runs counter to culturally embedded civil religion."With an exceptional blend of scholarly insight and confessional grounding, this book restores Revelation to relevance for the mission of the church. Gorman joins John of Patmos to inspire us with a risky and lofty vision of following the Lamb in radical and nonviolent witness in the world. This accessible volume is a theological wellspring for preachers, teachers, and any disciples seeking a reliable alternative to the scare-mongering eschatology that clogs airwaves and bookstores."--J. Nelson Kraybillauthor of Apocalypse and Worship, Politics, and Devotion in the Book of Revelation "Sometimes I think there are only two kinds of Christians in those who've never read Revelation and those who read almost nothing else. This book can help either kind. With careful use of scholarship and an evident love for the Lamb who was slain, Michael Gorman demystifies a book that's meant to clarify what's at stake when we say, 'Jesus is Lord.'"--Jonathan Wilson-Hartgroveauthor of The Wisdom of Rooting Faith in a Mobile CultureMichael J. Gorman is Professor of Sacred Scripture and Dean of the Ecumenical Institute of Theology at St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. His recent books include Reading Paul (Cascade 2008) and Inhabiting the Cruciform God (2009).

Genres: Theology, Christian, Nonfiction, Biblical Studies, Religion, Faith, New Testament

230 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Michael J. Gorman (born 1955) is an American New Testament scholar. He is the Raymond E. Brown Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary's Seminary and University. From 1995 to 2012 he was dean of St. Mary's Ecumenical Institute.

Gorman specializes especially in the letters, theology, and spirituality of the apostle Paul. He is associated with the "participationist perspective" on Paul's theology. His additional specialties are the book of Revelation, theological and missional interpretation of Scripture, the gospel of John, and early Christian ethics. Gorman was born and raised in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, graduating from Glen Burnie High School in Glen Burnie, Maryland. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude in French from Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts. He received the Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy cum laude in New Testament from Princeton Theological Seminary, where he was also a teaching fellow in New Testament and an instructor in New Testament Greek. He has also been a visiting professor at Duke Divinity School, Regent College, Carey Baptist College (New Zealand), Wesley Theological Seminary, and two theological schools in Africa. Gorman has led several study trips to Greece/Turkey/Rome and to France/Switzerland. A United Methodist, Gorman is an active layperson and a popular teacher at colleges, seminaries, churches, and conferences representing many traditions. In the mid-2010s, despite still being a Methodist, Gorman began teaching in a Roman Catholic context. His older son, Rev. Dr. Mark Gorman, is a pastor and theologian who is also on the faculty of St. Mary's Ecumenical Institute.

Gorman is the author of nearly twenty books and more than sixty articles on Biblical interpretation and on ethics.

Reviews

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

During my senior year of college, I wrote a paper for my systematic theology class on the rapture in Christian imagination. Mostly, it was about the vanishing-act rapture made popular by media like the "Left Behind" series. In my research, what really captured my imagination was not a Thanos-like snapture vision of physical disappearance and reappearance, but a first-century image of citizens of a city going out to meet their returning, conquering king and leading him back into the city in a triumphal procession. N. T. Wright details this perspective in several of his books, notably (and most accessibly) in Surprised by Hope. Since writing that paper, and realizing that the whole snapture-as-rapture idea is not grounded in Scripture, nor is it logical (...so God takes all Christians away from the world when it needs help most?), I've been on a slow hunt for better interpretations of the book of Revelation. Fun fact: neither "rapture" nor "antichrist" are in Revelation, but are found in other books of Scripture.

I was predisposed to like, and feel comfortable reading, this book. My first exegesis course had Gorman's Elements of Biblical Exegesis as its textbook, and Gorman follows his own paradigm in Reading Revelation Responsibly. However, this book is not an academic text. The chapters are short and manageable, concluding with questions for discussion/reflection. The footnotes are minimal, mostly references for direct quotations and ideas Gorman includes in the text. Usage of original languages, historical discussions, and other trappings of most academic biblical studies texts are tightly trimmed. I imagine that Gorman's imagined audience was made of young pastors a few years out of seminary, and perhaps small groups with a leader who had some theological training and could explain the few undefined technical terms present in the text. I could see this working for adult small groups, being useful as supplementary reading in introductory New Testament courses for college students, and feeding the minds of laypeople like me who want to read the weirdest book of the Bible responsibly.

Gorman deliberately stands against dispensational readings of Revelation here, and picks "Left Behind" as his example to debunk. I've never been dispensational (too many charts), and as a church historian with some knowledge of how Revelation has been interpreted in the past, the "Left Behind" idea quickly lost my respect. So, this part of Reading Revelation Responsibly posed no problem for me, but it might for other readers. As I said before, this isn't an academic work, and that's a weakness in this instance. Gorman does not stage an elaborate takedown of "Left Behind" and its "literal" (not really) interpretation of Revelation. His assessment is simplistic, but hard to argue against: "["Left Behind"] is uncritically pro-American...It inculcates a survivalist and crusader mentality into the minds of its readers." (73) If you're already on the fence about the whole disaster-snapture-rapture thing, Gorman's argument is easy to buy into. If you're a strong believer in the LaHaye perspective, there will not be enough material to sway you.

A portion I especially appreciated was Gorman's recurring theme of empire as the Babylon that will be destroyed. Of course, he could have gone much deeper into this, but he kept it tight. Reading this book in 2020 (it was published in 2011) is a bit eerie. The specters of nationalism, power-lust, and exploitation of all kinds loom not on the horizon, but on our doorsteps.



Especially with another election coming up, I was very grateful to read a book that set my mind on "things above" (hope in the crucified and resurrected Christ, and the power of the Lamb) rather than on "things below" (if this guy is elected then everything will be all right!). However, Gorman does keep his feet on the ground, and advocate a reading of Revelation that encourages faithful, covenant living in everyday life--a wonderful antidote to the escapist, pre-trib rapture mentality. (I should probably mention that Gorman does not read Revelation as an "advance DVD" of the end times, but as an apocalyptic work focusing on the nonviolent victory of God and of the Lamb. Thus, he walks right past debates about the millennium and correlative interpretations of Revelation's imagery.)

I especially appreciated Gorman's critique of evangelism based on fear. At a youth evangelism conference, I recall being taught this method: "If you saw a kid in the street about to be run over by a car, wouldn't you yell to them and scare them into getting out of the street?" Um, no?* Fear-based evangelism, in my experience, rarely breeds lasting faith. When you're driven to a decision by adrenaline and fear--fight or flight--that fear may wane and leave you with little reason to stay. Or, it might be so overpowering that you can't find satisfaction in that ideology, so you look for others (including ones that don't have a fearful element). It's also not a biblical method. Scaring people into repentance, sure, Paul and Jesus both made copious use of that, but the folks they spoke to were already "in" the group, such as the member of the church of Corinth whom Paul publicly chastised, or Jesus' buddy Peter whom he called "Satan" with all the vehemence (and none of the self-righteousness) of Enid Strict the Church Lady. Christians also have total reassurance: "God is love...There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment." (1 John 4:16, 18 NIV) A core belief of Christianity is that Jesus has borne the violence due to us because of our sin. Gorman goes into some lovely detail on this. With a God who is love--the kind of love that brings harm on itself to prevent harm to others, not the namby-pamby permissive "love" that is really avoidance--there is no need to be afraid. When it comes to evangelism, we should be known by our love (John 13:35; 1 John 3:11-16, 4:7), not our fear-mongering skills.

Two things I wish had been included in this (very trimmed and polished) book were the Church's practice of Advent, and the physical presence of Jesus in heaven. First, we too often forget to anticipate the return of Christ as we meditate on the Incarnation. While I'm all about the Incarnation, we cannot forget that it has already happened, while the second coming has not, and that is why we say "Maranatha." Gorman offers some correctives for church worship in his reading of Revelation, and I wish he had taken the chance to speak directly on Advent. Second, he leaves out the fact that Jesus still exists in his physical body. (To be fair, I only hopped on this thought train a few years ago, having never thought about it before seminary.) I've found this truth to be one of the most helpful in combatting gnostic and semi-gnostic beliefs. When Jesus ascended into heaven, his physical, incarnate, resurrected, glorified body went to heaven, and he's still there as far as I'm concerned. When this idea was blowing my mind, my husband helped me think about it with reference to the space-time continuum, which I don't understand, but basically things that exist in time also exist in space and vice versa. God, being the Creator, is outside time and space, but has also chosen to inhabit his creation in Jesus. tl;dr It's really important that Jesus is in his physical body, and this can help us correct the floating-souls-strumming-harps picture of heaven.

I heard about Reading Revelation Responsibly in the epilogue of Christian Women in the Patristic World by Lynn Cohick and Amy Brown Hughes. From the way they talked about it, I knew I had to read it. It also dovetailed nicely with my infatuation with James K. A. Smith's liturgical-animal view of the world. I was not disappointed. Reading Revelation Responsibly is a great read for the layperson, minister, and student alike, a helpful corrective to many of the problems in American evangelicalism (see: selling out to empire for worldly power instead of forming a counter-culture), and a presentation of a stirring vision of eternal worship of the Lamb.

*Fear paralyzes. My response to someone screaming at me is always deer-in-the-headlights as I determine whether I'm in physical danger or another person is in physical danger and needs my help. In this awful, theoretical situation, I'd try to do the following: attract the child's attention to the oncoming vehicle so they could make the instinctual decision to evacuate (by yelling "there's a car!); make the presence of the child known to the driver of the vehicle; or physically remove the child.

[Martin Augestad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Har i det siste prøvd å sette meg mer inn i Bibelens kanskje mest krevende bok å forstå - Johannes Åpenbaring. Og etter å ha lest Reading Revelation Responsibly opplever jeg både å ha fått mer innsikt og ikke minst inspirasjon.

Forfatteren Michael Gorman klarer både å vise på en oversiktlig måte hvordan Åpenbaringen forstås av en rekke tenkere, i tillegg til å gi en lengre introduksjon til hvordan man kan lese Åpenbaringen på en ansvarlig og riktig måte.

Han er ikke så lett å plassere i én av de klassiske kategoriene, men vil nok være mest riktig å si at han fremhever en mer «idealistisk» tolkning (Joh Åp symboliserer tidløse sannheter), med innslag av «preterisme» (Joh Åp viser til profetier om hendelser som for oss ligger i fortid). Som han selv sier: «To read Revelation responsibly, (…) is to read it not as a script for the future but as a script for the church.»

Kjente at jeg ble inspirert av hvordan boken viste Åpenbaringens relevans for livet her og nå. Han la vekt på at vi er kalt til å leve i etterfølgelse av Lammet (Jesus), ta avstand og kjempe mot avgudsdyrkelse og onde makter, være vitner om hvem Jesus er og leve i lys av den kommende nyskapelsen som venter.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that this book gives a reading of Revelation that is far more imaginative, hopeful, and relevant that the dispensational readings I've previously encountered. Unlike the Left Behind books, this one makes me want to dig deeper into Revelation. Definitely a book that I want to read again with a discussion group.

[Keith Lapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible vision for a community of believers living out Christ's call to radical love in opposition to the values of empire.

Not the interpretation of Revelation I was taught growing up but the one that fits much more with the Anabaptist value of nonresistance.

[Avery Amstutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book on revelations and nonviolence. McKnights is also good… but maybe this is better?

Read for the second time. Would love to read it a third with a group to discuss. Fantastic work.

[Jared Saltz · Rating 5 out of 5]

No biblical book is spoken about more by people who know less (and spoken about less by those who should know more) than Revelation. Growing up in the American South, it was common to hear commentary about Revelation from the gas station clerk and grocery bagger--each knew of course what the Mark of the Beast is (barcodes, obviously, https://thehill.com/homenews/nexstar_....), and who the antiChrist is (Obama is the Leopard king, clearly -- https://youtu.be/JLT66yJBYbA?si=CMdy4...), and yet... rarely is the text studied by people of faith in contexts of communal faith, i.e., the church. This misappropriation of focus and context has caused all sorts of problems. When folks "know" more about Revelation from Tim LaHaye's Left Behind series than faithful teaching and preaching in the church and in communities of faith, you're bound to pick up some problems.

That's what Gorman is writing to address. In his Reading Revelation Responsibly, Gorman tries to shift the focus from futurist/eschatological/political/dispensational readings to something that is about the church here and now:

“Revelation is not about the antichrist, but about the living Christ. It is not about a rapture out of this world, but about faithful discipleship in this world. That is, like every other New Testament book, Revelation is about Jesus Christ… and about following him in obedience and love. ‘If anyone asks, “Why read the Apocalypse?” the unhesitating answer must be ‘To know Christ better’” (XV).

As such, I think he does a truly excellent job. Gorman's short, easy to read, pastorally focused text should be required first reading for those teaching Revelation and even those taking it. I read this as part of my preparation to teach Revelation, and although I was already "in the choir" on his readings, I nevertheless enjoyed being preached to, again.

[Joey Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely the best book on Revelation I’ve read yet. This book rightly addresses many of the very flawed interpretations we’ve all heard in church and Sunday school, but I did feel like he states some of his interpretations a bit too strongly, hence 4 stars. Still, this is a book I’d like to have on my shelf and pull out whenever it comes up in church or elsewhere, as the description of the apocalyptic literature genre is very helpful

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find myself in the curious position of largely agreeing with the conclusions of the author, but not being terribly impressed with the argument. In fact, there really is very little explanation given as to why this interpretation is the correct one. The author simply states that certain alternative interpretations are "irresponsible", but his argument as to why they are irresponsible is largely to quote other authors who interpret Revelation in a similar fashion. I'm sure that putting an exegetical/historical defense of this interpretation in the book would change the character and length of the book dramatically, but if you select a title for your book claiming to have the "responsible" interpretation, you would do well to explain exactly why that is so. People who already affirm this interpretation will likely enjoy the book; people who hold, say, a Dispensational view will likely find little in here to try to convince them that their interpretation is wrong, except for the claim that it simply is.

[Jacob Hudgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

In some ways this was very similar to Koester’s Revelation and the End of All Things. It’s a sorta-kinda commentary that spends the majority of its time on a takedown of dispensational premillennial readings of Revelation. Of course I’m on board with that.

Gorman mainly argues that Revelation is about nonviolently resisting empire and bearing witness. I agree with almost all his points but felt they were somewhat underproven.

I also don’t think I agree that all the depictions of divine judgment in Revelation are either natural consequences of empire or somehow not what they appear to be. It feels like we’re wishing away something pretty obvious here simply bc it creates some challenging questions. Jesus is consistently pictured throughout the NT as a nonviolent lamb but also a future judge.

There was also a lack of clarity about what it means to “come out” from the economic systems of empire. How do we do that? I suspect we can’t even answer the question of what it would mean for the original audience, much less for us.

A very good primer on approaching Revelation, but I can’t help but feel something is a little off.

[Norma Malfatti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up Reading Revelation Responsibly back in my seminary days for a class on Revelation for three reasons. First, I'd read some of Gorman's other work and really found him to be an easy read (read as not overly full of theological jargon) Second, was the title itself, especially its use of the word “responsibly.” I am fascinated with the Book of Revelation and apocalyptic literature. Part of that fascination is not so much its content but the distortion of its content in culture. The Left Behind point of view, which Gorman debunks, just seems so ridiculous to me (and the books, quite frankly made me oscillate between feeling between wanting a crown in heaven and someone who would never, ever be raptured because I haven’t done enough to earn being raptured) and so I am always looking for new ways to counter those claims. By the way, I totally do not believe in rapture theology. Jesus Christ died for ALL, not just for some whose discipleship were found worthy enough. Quite frankly, if that were the case, then we'd all out of luck. Finally, I was teaching a class on Revelation at the time and I was hoping it would help me articulate in a more helpful way. It was indeed helpful. In fact it was so helpful that I'm reading it for a third time to help prepare for teaching Revelation yet again.

[Jethro Wall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer - I had to do a review of this book for my study, so I thought I'd post it here as well. So mind the academic-ness and lack of charm. And please don't expect reviews of this quality in the future. Thanks.

The book Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship and Witness. Following the Lamb in the New Creation by Michael J. Gorman, is a book centered around how to approach the book of Revelation and a summary of its overarching story. Gorman discusses helpful hermeneutical and theological groundworks in regards to approaching apocalyptic and eschatological literature. The book acknowledges that there have been issues with interpreting the Revelation of John “basically since the day it left the island of Patmos”, and through the lens of these issues Gorman seeks to correctly alter our focus onto the slaughtered and victorious Lamb.

Gorman starts by explicitly affirming the purpose and context of the book of Revelation which is that it is “a revelation of Jesus Christ” (Rev 1:1). The book’s focus is not primarily on the rapture and antichrist, but rather it’s focus is upon the “living Christ”. Gorman drives home that the crucial mindset to have when reading the book is simply to “know Christ better”, which I too think is utterly crucial. In fact, Christ Himself says it is crucial, as He says of the scriptures - “it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39, 46). Early on, Gorman essentially boils down the style of Revelation to “a hybrid genre” made up of pastoral letters, apocalyptic literature and prophetic literature. This is an important identification, as it significantly influences his (and our) hermeneutical approach. Gorman highlights that Revelation is a pastoral letter addressed to real-life churches, which is important contextually, as often we approach the book with a purely 21st century mindset. Gorman does not want us to divorce this book from its first century and cultural context. John’s words were “words of comfort and challenge to God’s people then”, not purely words that “predict[ed] the future”. In regards to the prophetic passages, Gorman highlights that biblical prophecy “is not exclusively, or even primarily about making pronouncements and predictions concerning the future”, and so he seeks to make our approach consistent with the traditional and biblical understanding of prophecy. He also notes that the purpose of apocalyptic literature is to help sustain the people of God in times of crisis, which is an integral lens to read the book with.

In Gorman’s attempt to help us Read Revelation Responsibly, the majority of what he writes about is warring against the error and inconsistencies of dispensationalism, and I very much agree with him in doing so. The dispensational hermeneutics (especially eschatological) is rampant in our modern day setting, so much so that it is almost the default reading of apocalyptic texts. This means Gorman has a lot of rewiring of the reader’s brains to do - which he does for a significant chunk of the book. Gorman emphasises that the goal of Revelation is not purely “to predict the future, and much less to do so with precise detail”, and neither should our approach be “speculative foresight” (as dispensationalism can often be), but rather it should be “theological insight”. Gorman gets very clear-cut when he breaks down the theology of the Left Behind series and the errors therein. Left Behind has been undoubtedly (and unfortunately) influential in western Christianity and I think Gorman’s dissection of the books teaching’s was super helpful, clear, and grounded. Gorman notes the various failures of the Left Behind approach in that it “treats the bible as a puzzle”, its literalism is inconsistently selective, it imposes a 21st century bias, and most significantly (with spiritual implications) it neglects the book’s focus on God as “Alpha and Omega” (Rev 1:8, 21:6, 22:13). I whole-heartily agree with Gorman’s emphasis on the error of these interpretations, as I too have seen their dominant influence and believed them myself. This linear and literal reading of the texts has implications, first and foremost of which is a failure to recognize Christ in the scriptures. There is a tendency to get obsessive about precise details and drawing charts and all sorts, all the while disregarding the central image of the book - “the lamb that was slaughtered”. Paul himself in the pastoral epistles says “have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies” (2 Tim 2:23) and to not devote ourselves “to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God” (1 Tim 1:4). In terms of application, I might note that most false theology, in one way or another, flows from a failure to correctly see the person and work of Christ (John 5:39-46).

Gorman also journeys through the chapters of Revelation highlighting repetitive imagery and significant motifs. One of the most helpful sections of the book is where Gorman breaks down what he considers to be seven of the main theological themes presented in the book. In this content overview he drives home that the book is not a “linear story”, the images were written for a first century audience, and that the “the entire book is a critique and parody of the Roman Empire”. If I have to be more critical of Gorman's work, I could say there could be a tendency to fall to the opposite spectrum in neglecting the reality of the Lord’s second coming and all that that entails. Now I in no way think Gorman has that mindset, but maybe for more naïve readers, the reality of Christ’s imminent return was not emphasised as much as it could have been. To lose sight of Christ’s return would be as dangerous, if not more so than an over emphasis and obsession with it. For we know Christ will come “to judge the living and the dead... by his appearing” (2 Tim 4:1).

Turning now to implication, I would say Gorman’s writings serve as a wonderful reminder or even alteration to the church’s thinking and approach to the book of Revelation. Often, the body of Christ has viewed the book through a cautious or even fearful lens, which is mainly due to a purely apocalyptic reading of the book. Of course, Revelation significantly addresses the impending second coming, but Gorman has helped open the book up for more practical and “theological insight”. For the church, Revelation should be read with the goal of seeing Christ in His glory, majesty and splendor, as few things are of greater worth than understanding the character of the one whom the believer is saved by. For the Christian, the reading of Revelation should spark hope rather than dread, as the victory of the “slaughtered Lamb” (Rev 5:12, 13:8) is on full display. In the same way that Revelation gave hope to the first century readers amidst the oppression of the Roman Empire, so too should the present day Church be edified by Christ’s triumph throughout her trials. Revelation should not be neglected, and nor should endless eschatological obsession be emphasised, but rather the Church must read in order to see “the Lamb” (7:17). In short, the implication of Revelation for the Church is to know Christ better, for the book is “a revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1) - all else must flow from this.

Overall, Reading Revelation Responsibly is a wonderful and extremely helpful resource in a time where much clarity is needed surrounding Revelation. Gorman does not enforce any exposition upon the reader, but rather provides contextual and hermeneutical insight that will be of much value to many Church contexts. It is also marvelously written, making for a clear and straightforward read. A worthwhile and constructive book.

[Jeff Colston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so helpful and surprisingly approachable. I think this is going to serve as a super great resource for me personally as my church walks through Revelation.

Specifically, I feel like Gorman really helped me chill out a little bit about Revelation and see it rightly. I didn’t realize how influenced I had been by a “Left Behind” approach to the book, and I walk away honestly mourning how influential that perspective has been on modern evangelicals (Gorman goes into details of the dangers).

I pray that, as I listen to the sermons in the coming months at my church and study the book, I would keep this healthier purpose of the book of Revelation on my mind:

“To persuade its hearers and readers, both ancient and contemporary, to remain faithful to God in spite of past, present, or possible future suffering—whatever form that suffering might take, and whatever source it may have—simply for being faithful. In spite of memory, experience, or fear, Revelation tells us, covenant faithfulness is possible because of Jesus and worthwhile because of the glorious future God has in store for us and for the entire created order.”

Gorman also does a good job of showing how Revelation is truly a critique of allegiance to anything but Christ, including your country. He calls this “civil religion.” I was really challenged by that critique and need to take some time to examine where my heart is: am I loyal to Christ or America above all?

[Henry Holmberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tough little book to rate. It is a fantastic correction against an overly literal, nationalist reading of Revelation that can’t help but get a little too preachy. If you don’t know where to start with understanding Revelation and are able to parse out what is helpful and what is the author’s axe to grind, this is a good book for you.

[Ethan Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book. For 1) Dr. Gorman provides a method of interpretation for Revelation that is true to its original purpose and form. None of this dispensationalist, decoding prophecies of future events nonsense.

For 2) Dr. Gorman offers a radical vision for being a "called out" people of God, who no longer worship the idolatries of empire. Revelation is a harsh critique of any sort of Christianity that adopts civil religion. It's a challenging call to war in the way of Lamb, namely the one who died for his enemies instead of overcome through sheer force. Nonviolence is important for the people of God.

For 3) If you have Anabaptist background, this book provides the theological underpinnings that weren't always communicated well to us when we heard about the two kingdoms or living separately. Much of what Dr. Gorman argued felt familiar to me because of my background. However, he provided theological resources to sustain and transmit this part of the faith that weren't readily available for me when I was younger. I fear that many young cons. Mennos don't really understand why we do what we do regarding government, war, and such. And all it takes is a Trump figure to lay that bare.

[Chesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a long, dense read. Quite accessible for the lay person (me!). Published in 2016, it gives focus to the following topics:
* Structure
* Author’s identity
* Literary forms
* Historical context
* Canonicity
* Themes
* Theme of empire and a look at Christian Nationalism / civil religion in America
* Methods of interpretation (dispensationalism, etc.)
* The many toxic errors of the theology in The Left Behind series
* Theology of heaven (and earth)
* Nonviolent warfare
*And more!

Gorman said everything I was hoping he’d say, which is, no doubt, a very biased reading. But for me with a tangled, messy background of both fear-inducing interpretations of Revelation (completely traumatized by A Thief in the Night movie as a kid!) and influenced by self-insulating, passive “nonresistance” views, this was a centering, grounding read.

I listened to it, but a study like this definitely deserves a careful re-read in print.

Excerpts:

“Any society whom Babylon’s cap fits must wear it.” Thus Revelation is also a critique of all idolatries and injustices similar to those of Rome throughout history and into the present.
***
Christ is Lord, Christ is victorious, and Christ conquers by cruciform faithful resistance: not by inflicting but absorbing violence; not by actually killing but by speaking his powerful word. Revelation is counter-imperial, challenging Rome’s theology of Victory and Power with what many have called “Lamb power.”
***
The hope of Revelation is not about rapture or going to heaven but about what Barabara Rossing calls a “rapture in reverse,” the descent of God to us! This is not to deny the existence of heaven in the present but to place the eschatological (future) emphasis where Revelation places it: on heaven and earth being transformed into one Revelation places it: on heaven and earth being transformed into one unified, merged reality, the new-heaven-and-new-earth.
***
The last word, then would be simply FOLLOW. We follow the Lamb. Vicit Agnus Noster, Eum Sequatamur—“Our Lamb has conquered; let us follow him”….We seek to follow him out of Empire into the new creation, but also paradoxically, into empire: into the dark corners of empire, those places where the vision of God and the Lamb is most needed; where death needs to replaced with life; where we can bear witness in word and deed to the coming new creation; where there will be life-giving water for all, the end of pain and tears, and healing for individuals and nations.

[Caroline Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

WARNING: Reading will shift your paradigm (in the best way, of course).

The first half of this book is necessarily academic, dense with notations, quotes & citations as it lays the groundwork for Revelation’s context, history & genre exploration. PUSH THROUGH. The back half is helpfully practical, challenging & life-giving.

I don’t usually rate with stars, but this gets all of them. A well-written, timely read in today’s America where civil religion is high & discerning the *actual* way of the Lamb in the midst of all the religious rhetoric is especially difficult.

I’ll be thinking about all the implications for years to come.

[Joanna Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this alongside Revelation, and found it insightful. Most, but not all, of its interpretation resonated for me.

[Tim Callicutt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should definitely be required reading for anybody about to begin a study of Revelation.

Pros:
Gorman’s Approach to Revelation: Growing up in a culture where dispensationalism has an iron-grip on Revelation, it was a breath of fresh air to see Gorman’s primarily theopoetic and theopolitocal approach. He takes the symbolism of Revelation seriously, and as a result, does not see Revelation primarily as a roadmap to the end times. I particularly appreciate the application of his own unique brand of cruciformity to Revelation, which leads him to identifying the slain lamb as the central and guiding image of the book. His approach brings greater unity to the text and also avoids the general conspiratorial and I’ve-got-sticky-notes-and-red-yarn-all-over-my-walls feeling that comes with more dispensationalist views. I found the political aspect of Gorman’s interpretation particularly interesting. He convincingly shows how Revelation operates as a prophetic critique of imperialism and nationalism.

Continued Relevance of Revelation: Because of the approach described above, Gorman accentuates the relevance of Revelation to the church today. He explicitly denounces interpretations that purely see Revelation as a blueprint for the future. Don’t get me wrong, he definitely recognizes the future-focus of Revelation, but believes that Revelation’s eschatological vision has something important to say about today beyond simply “be ready for the return of Christ.” In particular, he sees how Revelation seeks to influence Christians’ worship and mission, not least of which through stridently opposing the idolatry of the day.

Cons:
Gorman himself encourages pacifism and offers sharp critiques of American nationalism. He reserves his harshest words for the sort of Christian nationalism that is prevalent in evangelical churches. I want to be clear, I agree with him on almost every point here. However, this book isn’t about Christian nationalism per se. As a result, if you already agree that 1) Christian nationalism is a thing and 2) it’s ultimately detrimental to the gospel, then you will have no qualms with these parts of his book. However, he doesn’t do much to prove those two points. Therefore, if you don’t automatically believe those presuppositions, you may find his arguments less credible. To be fair, he does plenty to show the general anti-imperial leanings of Revelation, which is more closely aligned with the actual purpose of his book, but he discusses Christian nationalism enough that without some more introductory material on the topic, there will be a subset of reader that may write off his book as a whole. On a side note, considering that Gorman published this book in 2011, I find the whole Christian nationalism discussion very prescient.

Whether you steer clear of Revelation because of it’s confusing nature, or consider it your favorite book of the Bible, Gorman’s introduction should definitely be on your bookshelf!

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorman does an admirable job of exposing irresponsible readings of Revelation while providing an insightful lens through which to seek to read it responsibly. This is not a commentary on Revelation, it's a reader's guide. It details a helpful approach to reading, a sensible structure for Revelation and enough insight to the interpretive rules to actually excite someone about reading Revelation.

However--if you are unwilling to have your loyalties and biases to our American citizenship challenged, you should avoid this book. Gorman makes a strong case for any approach to religion that elevates the civil process/status above Kingdom. He makes it very clear that for many American Christians, we are potentially violating the very same principles that caused early Christians to stumble into unfaithfulness. So, I highly recommend reading this. Do so with an open mind.

[Tom Velasco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had some interesting tidbits and even hit me with a few "aha" moments, but was also just a bit too reductive and dismissive of other views. The problem I've found with any of the standard takes on the book of Revelation is that each has its preferred passages that do a great job of serving as tent pegs for the entire eschatological position, but, then, in turn, each fails to adequately address those bits of the book that undermine its perspective. This book would've been much better if it had committed more time to actually arguing for its position.

Also...Gorman very clearly assumes a pacifistic ethic and tries to shoehorn the book of Revelation into playing the role of a pacifist manifesto. This seemed really strained to me. Also, pacifism is not necessarily the obvious position for a Christian to take and any text that posits it as a fundamental assumption, should try to set some groundwork for the position by defending it a bit. Gorman fails to do this.

[Kathryn Judson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually avoid books about Revelation like the plague, but a friend recommended this one when it was on sale on Kindle, and I decided to at least see what the general approach was. I found it was about more than Revelation, since it ties in with the rest of Scripture (so many books on Revelation don't) and because of what it teaches us about how to live today as Christians. Even if you wind up not agreeing with the author on everything, I hope you will read this book and consider seriously what he has to say. I found it good food for thought, and a book that sends me to take another look at what Christ and the apostles actually say. I'm pretty sure that if I do a reread, I'd pick up even more. (I like books that feel like they'd be worth reading again, don't you?)

Four and a half stars, really. Not just four.

[Josh Loomis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Gorman provides a responsible and thoughtful reading of the book of Revelation. This book is a very approachable read that can help any person better understand Revelation, a book that many believers as Gorman puts it, either neglect or obsess over. Gorman helps us to see the themes and messages of the book without hyper focusing on the symbols. This takes us out of thinking of the future and instead on seeing what John’s visions speak to the church in the present day. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who wants to better understand the final book of the Bible.

[Thomas Golding · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writer made some good points. However, his rants against dispensationalists (whom he tended to lump together in the "Left Behind" category) diminished the work. Not everyone will agree with all his pacifist interpretations as well.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revelation provides us with a complete deconstruction and reconstruction of our symbolic and narrative universe, our understanding of God, our understanding of power, our understanding of victory. Why? Not Caesar, but the slaughtered Lamb, is Lord of all!

Michael J. Gorman provides a persuasive reading of Revelation, a reading which counters and supersedes the plethora of poor scholarship and misreading which often sully the book in the minds of many. It's not a glimpse of the future, Gorman argues: Revelation is an examination of the intersection between world and heaven where Christians should choose to practice. Revelation is not about a cadre of Christians who are God-sanctioned soldiers anointed to slaughter non-followers. It's a guide to understand worship, hope, and mission.

I enjoyed Gorman's approach. He covers this book with a great deal of detail, but he manages to keep the material from becoming stodgy and obtuse. He writes with a great deal of clarity about a subject which is anything but clear.

Throughout the book, I have tried to provide at least some ideas and examples. Revelation itself offers us, I think, three highly relevant final pairs of words--and a fourth single word, making (of course) a total of seven.
Look and Listen...
Worship and Witness...
Come Out and Resist...
Follow.

[Jon Chin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing book! This is not a commentary nor an exegetical guide on the Book of Revelation, rather you can treat it like a giant application statement that addresses the "so what?" questions as a faithful follower of Jesus; what does it mean to accept the challenge in Revelation and follow the Lamb, the Faithful Witness?
This book is surprisingly apt for the period of history we live in (2022). Much of the content almost directly calls out Christians who "bend the knee" to sacralization of secular power - in this case: "wokeness" or "woke culture"- and it still remains true to the main idea of the text for when it was written for its original audience.
Any pastor who reads this book needs to seriously reconsider their church's model for discipleship and evangelizing. May we all continue to be humbled by the Word of God as we patiently wait for him with uncivil worship and witness.

Maranatha!

[Marc Arlt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good assessment of Empire, but missed the Jewish part of the story.

I think this book does a fantastic job of exegeting Revelation through the lens of Empire, but it fails to recognize the element of covenantal judgement directed towards those living faithlessly under the old covenant (Matthew 24). An important read as it does a good job of Empire and offers a valid perspective from this angle. Read this book.

[Jacob O'connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a more progressive approach to biblical exposition than I usually use. It turned out to be a good thing. I took many notes, and Gorman challenged me in new ways. One complaint: a couple generations of Hal Lindsay and Jerry Jenkins have hijacked our hermeneutic on Revelation. Every commentary is compelled to work over this well-dead horse. Maybe it's easier to fill the space with criticism of what the apocalypse doesn't mean, but I'd like to know what the text *does* mean.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I put this as a commentary, but it's not a verse-by-verse or even section-by-section commentary. It's more of a thematic commentary, addressing the various overarching themes of Revelation. It is really well done with a lot of food for thought. I don't know how I feel about the author's idea that Christians shouldn't serve in the military, but he made his argument well. The chapter on civil religion is especially eye-opening and fascinating.

[Jadon Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a prime example of the gift accessible academic writing is for the life of faith. Not only does Gorman help us learn to read responsibly but he lights a fire of faithful devotion in the heart of an earnest Christian longing for more from Revelation than the wildly damaging predictive readings in the style popularized by that rather silly series of books that got turned into weird and disturbing films.

[Andrew Hillger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful unveiling of what was once to me, the most terrifying book in the scriptures. It took that ignorance and helped transform it into understanding and wisdom to know this book is perhaps among the more beautiful and majestic in scripture.

This book is a must read for Christian's who are eager for bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to the earth and understanding God's true mission for this world.

While it took me longer to get through, I loved how the study questioned forced me to grapple with the ideas within and how they conflicted with or reinforced my paradigm.

Be warned reader, if you apply yourself to these, you will have pages upon pages of notes.