GLOBAL WARMING OR GOD'S WARNING

A debut work of Christian eschatology identifies signs of the apocalypse in the globe’s tumultuous climate.

Today’s world is full of strange phenomena—ferocious storms, heat waves, punishing droughts, polar vortexes—that many are quick to attribute to the process of global warming. But could these happenings be better explained by biblical prophecies? Coverley, a Howard University adjunct professor with a Ph.D. in organizational/health communication, looks at media stories, scientific evidence, the opinions of laypeople, and the Scriptures themselves to find the answer. “This book will make people aware of and prepare them for the upcoming events,” writes the author in his introduction, “along with hope for escaping and embracing the new world order that the Bible promises.” From birds falling out of the sky and increased cyber warfare to the international refugee crisis and widespread flooding, Coverley shows readers what the media are reporting, what the zeitgeist is saying, and what scientists are asserting before diving into the biblical explanations for these occurrences. Citing the words of Old Testament prophets, New Testament apostles, and Jesus himself, the author argues that there is a divine explanation for all of this. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing depends on where readers sit with the Man Upstairs. Coverley writes with the urgency one would expect from a man foretelling doom, though his message is surprisingly inclusive: “When believers in Jesus Christ see the signs related to his coming, they should rejoice because he is coming soon, not get into fights about ‘taking back our country,’ not dividing a nation, one group against another.” The author has done a great deal of research, and, for a religious text, he gets relatively deep into the science of climate change, providing rich details. That said, this is a book about the imminent end of the world, and readers even somewhat familiar with that millenniums-old genre will find all the usual tropes present. Coverley structures the work as if readers can choose between science and faith. But the real option that he offers is accept Jesus as your savior or miss out on the kingdom of heaven.

A well-researched, if fairly standard, manifesto about how the end of the world is nigh.