How do you envision the apocalypse? One film available on Netflix offers a number of scenarios. Don't say nobody's thinking about it: just look at the movies on your watchlist. How many of them have plotlines described as 'postapocalyptic'? Have you been watching zombie movies lately? I've actually enjoyed the first two seasons of iZombie. It's funny and clever, and the main zombie character is kind of cute.

For Thine is the Kingdom


For Thine is

Life is

For Thine is the


This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

Not with a bang but a whimper.

T.S. Eliot, 'The Hollow Men'

What do you think is a suitable hymn for the collapse of life, the universe, and everything? I'd like to hear your suggestions. Yes, I know some of you will propose something in the heavy metal direction. Here are a couple from me.

Songs for the End of It All

Do you have that sinking feeling that there's nothing penultimate about this crisis? You might want to hum along to Bad Moon Rising.

Feeling nuclear? How about We'll All Go Together When We Go?

In William Prochnau's brilliant book, Trinity's Child, a B-52 bomber crew battles the decision whether to drop their atomic bombs during the day-long war, while a lone radio station below plays the hauntingly prescient If. It's my all-time favourite. Think of it as a hymn to the earth, and you'll see what I mean.

For some reason, I always think James Taylor's Fire and Rain has an apocalyptic tinge to it.

Any Prophetic Religious Stuff?

Sure, there's lots of it. We looked at 'By the Waters of Babylon' and 'O Sinner Man' yesterday. But there's Handel's apocalyptic But Who May Abide the Day of His Coming? Okay, it's kind of tame, but that's the Baroque for you.

There's the second movement of Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms (lyrics by King David).

The apocalypse is a tricky concept, though most theologians seem not to realise it. They are sort of missing what the more observant CS Lewis saw in his novel The Great Divorce: it's where the irredeemably stubborn version of reality ('that's just the way it is') and the determination to fix it, darn it (sí, se puede), part company. For that reason, I think of The Kingdom Is Coming in this context. I'm sorry, the piano version here's a bit lame. On election day, I was rather defiantly making the empty sanctuary's rafters ring with that one during organ practice.

With shouting and singing,

And jubilant ringing,

Their arms of rebellion cast down,

At last every nation

The Lord of salvation,

Their King and Redeemer, shall crown. . .

Sounds a bit like An die Freude, right? Okay, the old Broadman Hymnal didn't have songwriters like Beethoven. But the sentiment's the same, seriously. So let's end with Beethoven. He should always have the last word.

As someone once said, 'It'll all come out in the wash. But you'll get put through the wringer first.'