What do you think of when you think about the book of Revelation? Prophecy, apocalypse, rapture? Revelation rarely shows up in the pulpits of mainline Christian churches, and many progressives feel as if Revelation is only for "the end is near" apocalyptics or Christian Nationalists and QAnon theorists. But the book of Revelation offers so much more if we're willing to crack it open in new ways.
The End Is the Beginning cuts through the echo chamber of rapture-haunted apocalyptic anxiety with a clear picture of God's persistent love for all that was, and is, and will be. Pastor and writer Matthew Ian Fleming is a sage Revelation guide, combining his own stories with shared perspectives from an entourage of interpreters of various generations and diverse backgrounds—pastors, theologians, and people of faith—who dare to read Revelation in the face of world-wrenching events, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the murder of George Floyd. Reading the book of Revelation takes us to the height of heaven and the depths of despair; it requires curiosity and courage. It means standing in the face of a Christian mechanism fueled by fear to reclaim a message of promise and persistence. With equal doses hope and humor, Fleming suggests that if we can contend with Revelation, it really can change everything.