As a new century and millennium approach, the world braces itself for a frenzied outpouring of popular excitement, tabloid predictions, and religious hysteria, all egged on by a strong dose of mass media attention. Fortunately, historian Peter Stearns has supplied the antidote with this witty and in...

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Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Stearns, Peter N. 1936- (Author)
Format:	Book
Language:	English
Published:	Boulder [u.a.] Westview Press 1996
Subjects:	Chiliasme Derde millennium Eeuwwisselingen Toekomstverwachtingen Twenty-first century > Forecasts Jahrtausendwende Futurologie
Summary:	As a new century and millennium approach, the world braces itself for a frenzied outpouring of popular excitement, tabloid predictions, and religious hysteria, all egged on by a strong dose of mass media attention. Fortunately, historian Peter Stearns has supplied the antidote with this witty and insightful look at earlier millennial fevers and turn-of-the-century neuroses. By examining this past, he provides a useful perspective on the millennial hype coming in the nearly future And even if you don't really expect the world to end, the question remains: Can we survive the media's millennium To understand how we came to count and care about the passage of large units of time, it is crucial to consider not only the configuration of calendars but also Christian thinking about the millennium. Stearns outlines the biblical basis for millennial prophecies, describes later church doctrines, and explores the manifestations of religious millennial excitement, with an emphasis on the vigorous tradition still thriving in the United States, from the Millerites of the 1840s to today's Branch Davidians
Physical Description:	XI, 193 S. Ill.
ISBN:	0813328705