Revelation for the Rest of Us, with Scot McKnight and Cody Matchett

Revelation for the Rest of Us is the title of a new book by Scot McKnight and Cody Matchett.  It is published by Zondervan.

They both sit down and talk about it with David Capes on The Stone Chapel Podcast.

Who are the Authors

Scot McKnight is Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lisle, Illinois, in the western suburbs of Chicago. 

Cody Matchett is a PhD student in New Testament, a student of Scot’s, and a pastor in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

The Big Idea in Revelation for the Rest of Us

Scot and Cody survey some of the interpretive approaches to Revelation and for various reasons reject them in whole or in part. 

They do hold that the book was written to and for the seven churches in Asia Minor in the first century. 

Early Christians would understand its message, especially as they regularly faced Babylon, a symbol for Roman power. 

At the same time, the book has a sense of timelessness about it.  Reading it is profitable for people of any time in history.

Their conclusions

In the end, they offer a theo-political reading of Revelation, which attempts to grasp God’s view of the powers in the world. 

Politics and governments are necessary to human society, but they are prone to evil and corruption just as much as they are prone to sometimes doing good. They must be resisted and dismantled. 

Here is what Professor Miroslav Volf, is saying about the book:

A fascinating and engrossing book about one of the most puzzling—and hopeful–books of the Christian Bible.

Revelation is about how to live as dissidents in the Babylon of our time, how to hope actively for the New Jerusalem, the home of God and the goal of creation.

Miroslav Volf, Henry B. Wright Professor of Systematic Theology, Yale Divinity School, founding director, Yale Center for Faith & Culture, and coauthor of The Home of God

Scot McKnight at The Lanier Theological Library

Watch Scot McKnight’s lecture at the Lanier Theological Library about reading Romans through the lens of Paul’s pastoral grief. click here.

You can also watch the panel discussion on  reading Romans featuring McKnight and other scholars. click here.

Would you like a transcript of this podcast? Click here.

More resources

Want more Stone Chapel Podcasts on some great topics. Just click here.

What’s more, you can get information on upcoming lectures at Lanier Theological Library. Just click here.