Y2K: ‘Problem?’ Role of the Church on the Eve of the Millennium

Rosemont, Ill., Nov. 11 -- "There is little more than a year remaining until Jan. 1, 2000. The countdown to the new millennium is underway," said the Rev. Barbara L. Rossing, assistant professor of New Testament, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Addressing the National Council of Churches of Christ (NCC) Women’s Caucus, Rossing told the group of about 100 men and women from the various denominations that are members of the NCC, "I’m struck by the amount of cultural attention being given to this. On the one hand, religious attention: the sensationalist/fundamentalist end of world scenarios, she said.

"Even more attention seems is focusing on the millennium from a commercial, entertainment and tourism viewpoint. Our culture is discovering that the millennium theme sells. From red "M&M" candies -- M for the Roman numeral 100 -- to a Millennium Magnum Cognac carafe advertised in the United Airlines flight magazine for $48,800," Rossing said.

"What does this say for churches? What is the role of the church at the eve of the millennium?, she asked.

"I think the church needs to claim the millennium theme, and Revelation 20 [from the Christian Bible] if only because others are poised to claim it and define it for us."

"In my view the church must use the upcoming millennium -- however arbitrary the date -- as an occasion to offer a critique of injustice. Just as Revelation critiqued the first century Roman political economy. The turnover to the third millennium can be an opportunity not only for hope-filled celebration, yes, but also for the church to offer a prophetic reading of our times and our eschatological [end of the world] claims, to life up the vision of ‘doing justice,’" she said.

"Christians could not rush into the cultural celebrations of the 1992 Columbus Quincentenary without call for repentance. In the same way, such calls for repentance and renewal must be central to any millennium observances. We must offer a vision of life and hope for all," said Rossing.

"As the year 2000 dawns, more and more of the world’s people -- especially women and children -- are living in poverty. Since our culture has already defined the millennium in terms of shopping days, the question for Christians is how to counter the idea of a $48,800 "Millennium Magnum" with a vision of a place at the table for all," she told the group.

"Tree-planting can be a wonderfully ecological and hope-filled way for Christian congregations to greet the Year 2000. Such actions that extend the church’s ministry to earthkeeping will be imperative for the survival of our planet in the new millennium," she said.

"Christians must proclaim the hope of the risen Christ even while we also challenge other eschatological and millennial claims. Radical hope for the future in the face of Roman imperial eschatology was the genius of Revelation’s millennial vision two thousand years ago. Such a hope can continue to embolden our proclamation today, as we await the next millennium," Rossing said.