Space For God

Apocalypse Now!

Three talks on 'Apocalypse Now' with  Rev Dr. John Squires and Rev Dr. Elizabeth Raine over three Sunday evenings: July 11, 18 & 25th 2010 at 6.30pm  for refreshments. Relaxed worship 7pm-8pm. At Epping Uniting Church Epping Sydney.  Cnr Chester and Oxford Street Epping.

Does the book of Revelation really predict the future?  Have you ever wondered whether the modern prophets of doom who cite it have a point?  Who was it that made this response to their time and why?  Join us at Space for God to discuss these questions and more, and discover whether the Apocalypse is prophetic, historical, imaginary or all three.

John Squires was himself a student at UTC in the late 1970s, and was ordained in Australia in 1980. He served in a Uniting Church parish in the Illawarra region before undertaking doctoral studies at Yale University. While studying in the USA, he served as a minister to a small rural congregation in the United Methodist Church and was an associate minister in a suburban congregation of the United Churches of Christ. On returning to Australia, he served in a Uniting Church parish in the eastern suburbs of Sydney and taught biblical studies part time at Sydney University. He moved to become a faculty member of UTC in 1990. His teaching focuses on the New Testament books within their literary, cultural, historical and social contexts.

One of John's recent projects has been collaboration with his wife, Elizabeth Raine, in the development and presentation of a series of Biblical Culture Days. These are full-day immersions in the culture of the biblical periods, using music, eating, dance, craft activities, hearing stories, and the experience of community to help participants imagine the world within which the biblical texts were created.

John is also interested is Jewish-Christian relationships, and he is a member of the Uniting Church’s national dialogue group with the Jewish community.