Jack McKelvey is the author of one of the foremost books on the eutopian fantasies and the ideas which lead people to think that there will be a cataclysmic ending to human existence and indeed the earth itself. He examines the Branch Davidians in Waco and the teachings of the Jehovah Witnesses.
The book is aimed at the general reader wanting an accessible introduction to recent thinking on the millennium. There is nothing here to help those who want to set the doomsday clock, but plenty to encourage those who are going through difficult times, and the book will challenge all to help today’s victims of oppression and injustice. For those who wish to pursue the subject further, a bibliography of scholarly works is included.
Jack, a former Moderator of the United Reformed Church in Great Britain, taught in university seminaries in South Africa and Manchester. His book,“The Millennium and the Book of Revelation” is an authoritative survey of millennial thought throughout history, and an examination of what the millennium means in the New Testament in the light of recent scholarship.
The book begins with an introductory survey of the better known and more influential millennium thinkers and movements through history. It shows how the millennium was interpreted as a utopia and expressed in violent ways in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and by the Branch Davidians in Waco and the Aum Shinrikyo sect in Japan. It also examines the teachings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the New Age movement on the millennium.
The second part of the book is devoted to the millennium in the Revelation of St John. It strips the millennium of utopian fantasies and the other accretions it has acquired through the centuries. It sets the millennium within the context of the whole of Revelation and its attack on the deceptive and oppressive ideology propagated by the Roman Empire and John’s alternative interpretation of reality. It demonstrates that far from being an isolated reference, the millennium is integral to the whole of Revelation. It shows that the millennium is a metaphor for God’s vindication of those who pay the ultimate price in witnessing to truth and justice, i.e. the martyrs, and indicates the relevance of the millennium in the world we live in today.
Reviews and Comments
Richard Bauckham, Professor of New Testament Studies, University of St Andrew’s, Scotland, writes, "Dr McKelvey's interpretation of the Book of Revelation is both scholarly and accessible. Focusing on the image of the millennium, he detaches it from its usual connection with the Second Coming of Christ and expounds it as a powerful symbol that encourages not fantasising flight from the world but commitment to God's world and to justice and truth in it.".
Graham Stanton, Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity, University of Cambridge, states, "There is no finer discussion available. An admirable survey of varied millennial views held down through the centuries is followed by a thorough discussion of the millennium and related themes in the Book of Revelation. This book will encourage teachers and preachers to take both topics seriously."
About the Author
Jack McKelvey has served as Principal of Adams United Theological College in South Africa and of Northern College in Manchester, and has taught New Testament in the University of Manchester. A minister of the United Reformed Church in the UK, he served as Moderator of the General Assembly in 1994-95. He is a contributor to the New Bible Dictionary, The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, and The New 20th Century Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge and is the author of The New Temple: the Church in the New Testament.
“The Millennium and the Book of Revelation”
Published: May 1999, ISBN-13: 9780718829988, 96pp, Paperback, Price: £12.75 • US$28.00
JACK'S FAMILY
This is a note on Jack’s family, extracted from a superb account of the family history prepared by a member of the family.
Parents : Robert John McKELVEY m. Eleanor McMaster EARLS.
Robert b. 12 July, 1899; d. 26 April, 1967. Eleanor b. 11 November, 1896; d. 16 October, 1983.
Robert, as he was known, followed the rest of the family in worshiping at the Congregational Church in Ballynahinch. He served on the church committee and taught in the Sunday School. His building skills were often employed in maintenance and developments at the church and in the grounds. As a builder he developed the erection of hay sheds and silos to a fine art and was well-known to the farming community in Co. Down. Throughout his life, Robert was supported with great love and devotion by his wife ‘Ellie’, especially when his diabetic condition caused the amputation of his right leg. A devoted member of the church in Ballynahinch, Ellie loved her church and taught in the Sunday School and Bible class for many years. They provided a stable and loving Christian home for their two sons, Jack and Tom. It was one of the joys of Ellie’s life when following Robert’s death in 1967, she spent some months with Jack and family in South Africa.
Robert and Ellie had two children:
Robert John (Jack) McKELVEY m. Myrtle SKELLY. Jack b. 12 October, 1929
Rev. Dr. Jack McKelvey was educated at Nottingham University, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and Mansfield College, Oxford. An ordained minister of the Congregational Church and valedicted for missionary service in May, 1959, Jack served in South Africa with the London Missionary Society, subsequently the Council for World Mission from 1959 till 1979. He was tutor and principal of Adams United College (1959-75) and President of the Federal Theological Seminary of Southern Africa(1970-71). Fedsem was a multi-denominational seminary opened in Alice, Eastern Cape in 1963, in response to Apartheid legislation such as the Group Areas Act which forced colleges such as St Peter's Theological College in Rosettenville, a "whites only" area, to close or relocate. The colleges opened in 1963 were: St Peter's (Anglican), John Wesley College (Methodist), St Columba’s (Presbyterian), and Adams United (Congregationalist).
After studying new methods method of ministerial training in the USA. This led to Jack and family moving to Johannesburg where he set up internship training. This, in turn, led to his becoming principal of Northern College in Manchester (1979 – 1993) and planning ecumenical training in the city. Jack was elected Moderator of General Assembly of United Reformed Church in 1994-1995. In retirement he spends part of his time as a non-stipendiary minister of the URC where he is involved in setting up an ecumenical church, comprising the URC, Methodists and Anglicans. The rest of his time, when he is not gardening with Myrtle or doing DIY is spent on studying the New Testament.
He is author The New Temple; The Millenium and the Book of Revelation; and Pioneer and Priest: Jesus Christ in the Epistle to the Hebrews (in preparation)
Married Martha Esther (Myrtle) Skelly b.18.04.28 in 1957. After school teaching Myrtle turned to office administration. She has been closely identified with Jack throughout. As an elder of the URC she has pastoral work to do. Her computer also keeps her busy.
Jack and Myrtle had three children.
John Paul McKelvey 3.02.59 M Sc in Mechanical Engineering
Married Carolin Luise Meyer-Rust b.23.07.60 d. 22.03.09 in flying accident
After winning a scholarship from Anglo-American Paul studied mechanical engineering in Johannesburg and Manchester. He worked in the gold mines for some years before founding his own company (New Concept Mining) designing and making safety equipment for the mines. His inventions won national awards.
Paul and Carolin had 2 Children:
Julia Luise McKelvey b.29.09.90
Stephanie Anne b.15.10.92
Samuel David McKelvey b. 19.10.60 MB ChB, MRCP, MRCGP, DT M&H, MPH, DFPH
Married Elizabeth Park b.08.11.63
David spent seven years as a doctor in Mvumi hospital Tanzania working with the Church Missionary Society where he and Liz developed a great interest in Africa. All three children were born during their time in Tanzania. Since returning to the UK David has served as secretary of Friends of Mvumi. David serves in general practice in Salford with public health component.
David and Elizabeth have 4 Children:
Grace Ellen McKelvey b. 06.09.92
Lydia Hope McKelvey b.22.11.94 d.28.11.94.
Isaac Aidan McKelvey b.26.11.95
Tara Rehema McKelvey b. 26.11.95
Patricia Anne McKelvey b.07.05.62 Occupational TherapistMarried Timothy Renshaw b.21.06.65
Patricia and Timothy have 2 Children:
William Edward Renshaw b.14.02.00
Megan Rose Renshaw b.30.06.02
Patricia is Commissioning and Service Development Manager for the Tameside and Glossop Primary Care Trust
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