Not so long ago dire forecasts of doom were the domain of splinter groups of Revelation-besotted Christians, back-country tub-thumpers, and leather-lunged street-corner prophets. Today, visions of the end of the world are presented afresh daily to anyone who reads the morning news or follows on-line media. Even the venerable New York Times has been salting its sophisticated offerings with doses of apocalypticism. Once a tiny dark corner of the obscure...