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Dissertation
Apocalypse now: the deployment of Christian eschatology in contemporary secular political discourse
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
Jul 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011176
Abstract
At the close of the 15th century, German astrologers Johannes Stoeffler and Jacob Pflaum predicted that in 1524, the world would come to an end. Interpreting an unusual planetary alignment, they foresaw a second, catastrophic flood heralding the return of Christ. Their prediction, widely circulated in a 1499 pamphlet, sparked widespread panic. Of course, no such flood ever came. Such forecasts are far from unique. Pope Innocent III predicted that the world would end in 1284, exactly 666 years after the rise of Islam. In 1910, French astronomer Camille Flammarion warned that Halley's Comet might annihilate humanity. In 2012, the conclusion of the Mayan calendar was feared by to have started a countdown to doomsday. In short, whether by fire or flood, comet or computer-bug, across the centuries, people have long been concerned with how the world will end. While today, elements of fire and brimstone associated with God's wrath may produce less fear and trembling in the secular mind, elements of religious eschatological and apocalyptic discourse still pervade secular political discourse. This dissertation seeks to explore how the Christian eschatological framework constitutes a master schema which is deployed in secular political discourse. Through discourse analysis and close reading of speeches, media coverage, and twitter posts, this project examines three case studies: climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the QAnon movement in light of the framework Christian eschatology, which is represented through four key tropes: the role of the prophet, natural retribution, judgement, and the temporal posture of 'now and not yet'. I seek to establish that rather than signaling a departure from religious thought, contemporary secular discourse repurposes Christian eschatological frameworks to provide urgency, coherence, and moral clarity.
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Details
- Title
- Apocalypse now
- Creators
- Marianne Swain
- Contributors
- Douglas V. Porpora (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- vi, 216 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- College of Arts and Sciences; Communication, Culture, and Media; Communication; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991022093253004721