BIBLICAL ESCHATOLOGY: GOD’S DREAM FOR A NEW WORLD

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

6:15 PM

Course meets on Wednesdays: Jan. 14, 21, Feb. 4, 11 from 6:15-7:30 p.m. at Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Rd., Prairie Village, KS

Jewell's Center for Faith and Culture and partner congregations sponsor a series of Personal Flourishing classes. All are welcome to register using the link below.
 

Course Description

"What the Bible says about how the story of creation will end." That's my simple way to describe "biblical eschatology." The short answer is that the story will end with a whole new beginning, the rebirth of the whole of creation. We will talk about how prophets of the Hebrew Bible envisioned God's dream and give focused attention to how Jesus and his earliest followers told the story of God's dream for a New World. But we won't stay locked in the past. We will also study the explosion of interest in this "story of the end" in the past 200 years and take a candid look at how this renewed interest in eschatology turned God's dream into nightmare for many people. We will conclude with an exploration of how Christians who have awoken from the nightmare can focus again on God's dream and work with God to make the dream a reality.

About the Instructor

Dr. J. Bradley Chance is Professor Emeritus of Religion at William Jewell College. He was born in Topeka, Kansas, and grew up all over the United States, as his father served our country in the Marine Corps. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and his Doctor of Philosophy in religious studies from Duke University. He began to teach at William Jewell College in 1982 and fully retired in 2021. He has worshiped within numerous Christian traditions: Baptist, Episcopalian, Lutheran, and is currently an active member of Peace Christian Church (UCC) in Kansas City. He has enjoyed the opportunities offered him to teach the Bible in both academic and faith settings.