Will the world end in flame, flood, a burst of light, a trench of darkness? Is the apocalypse political, philosophical, or personal? What will it all mean? What does it mean now?

 

Many world religions grapple with the End of Things through prophecy and poetry. In 1995, two Christian fiction writers and prophecy enthusiasts, Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, released the first book in the “Left Behind” series. Their wildly popular sci-fi interpretation of the book of Revelation became the de facto contemporary Christian understanding of the end times. Many claim the Rapture is the only valid interpretation of God’s truth. This is extremely narrow and problematic, to say the least...

 

Upstream Performance Collaborative is creating an Afrofuturist dark comedy about the end times called WhatWhiteJesusDo?. Leeway Art & Change Grant Recipient playwright Rayne sought the insights of an intersectional, multifaith community to deepen the play’s development. 

 

“Reading the Rapture” was a series of group dialogues about apocalypse and afterlife. Participants were from all backgrounds and discussed a variety of religious and secular texts. Rayne invited participants to share their questions, responses, and lived-experiences, to their comfort-- be they religious or secular. 

 

Meetings were completely free, open to the public, and drop-in with no requirement for consistent attendance. Sessions were an hour and a half and took place on: 

• Thursday, March 7th, 2024 - What is the Rapture?

• Thursday, March 21st, 2024- Prophecy

• Thursday, April 4th, 2024 - Prophecy: Part 2

• Thursday, April 18th, 2024 - Race & Religion

• Thursday, May 2nd, 2024 - The Body

• Thursday, May 16th, 2024 - Racism & Rapture

• Thursday, June 6th, 2024 - Fate

• Thursday, June 20th, 2024 - Paul

• Wednesday, July 3rd, 2024 - JOHN?

• Thursday, July 25th, 2024 - End Times

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Click here to access anonymized session transcripts.