The San Francisco Theological Seminary Auxiliary is pleased to announce that the 2010 Horizons Bible Study author, Rev. Dr. Barbara Rossing, will lead a workshop on “Journeys Through Revelation: Apocalyptic Hope for Today” on Saturday, Sept. 11, from 8:45 a.m.-3 p.m. in San Anselmo. Rossing is a Lutheran pastor and professor of New Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

For many Christians, Revelation conjures up images of numbers like 666, the battle of Armageddon, four horsemen, and predictions of the future and the “rapture” when Christians are swept into heaven leaving behind non-Christians. While these predictions may not resonate with our understanding of the New Testament, many are intimidated by this difficult and often misunderstood book. Yet Revelation provides hope that has sustained people under oppression over the years.

In her introduction to the study, Rossing describes Revelation as taking “us on a journey into the heart of God’s own dream for our world. A journey of radical hope and transformation, Revelation takes us back in time 2,000 years to get to know the struggling churches in the bustling cities of the Roman Empire. This journey leads us, through a series of visions, to the throne of God.”

This vision can encourage and speak to us in the midst of the crises of our day, guiding us as we seek to live into the renewal God has for the whole world.

The 2010-11 Horizons Bible Study Day provides an outstanding opportunity to be guided through this mysterious book by Rossing, who holds a Doctor of Theology degree from Harvard Divinity School and a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School. She is the author of The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation and The Choice Between Two Cities: Whore, Bride and Empire in the Apocalypse and other articles on Revelation and early Christian prophecy.