New age: Details about 'Left Behind'
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Left Behind is a series of novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, dealing with Christian dispensationalist End Times: pretribulation, premillennial, Christian eschatology viewpoint of the end of the world. It is also the title of the first book in the eponymously-named series. It is published by Tyndale House, a firm with a history of interest in dispensationalism.
BooksNote: The books are listed in story-line (chronological) order but numbered in order of publication.
Two spin-off series have been written; a political series by Neesa Hart, and a military series by Mel Odom. SummaryBased on fundamentalist interpretation of prophecies in the Biblical books of Revelation, Isaiah and Ezekiel, Left Behind tells the story of the end times, in which many have vanished, leaving the world shattered and chaotic. As people scamble for answers, a Romanian politician named Nicolae Jetty Carpathia, who, in his political rise to the head of the United Nations, has promised to restore peace and stability to all nations. What most of the world does not realize is that Carpathia is actually the Antichrist of the Bible. Coming to grips with the truth and becoming born-again Christians, Rayford Steele, his daughter, Chloe, their pastor Bruce Barnes, and young journalist Cameron "Buck" Williams begin their quest as the Tribulation Force to help save the lost and prepare for the coming tribulation, in which God will rain down judgement on the world. Characters
Characters from the teens series include:
These four characters make up what is known as the Young Tribulation Force, which is eventually joined by more characters. ResponseThe books have sold very well in the United States, many topping The New York Times list of bestsellers. Nick Parmley, a charismatic Baptist minister from Portland, Oregon, has called on Evangelical Christians to adopt this series as "required reading". In other areas, such as continental Europe—where dispensationalism is largely non-existent—the books have been far less successful. The popularity of this series has spilled over beyond the Americas and the English-speaking world. It has been translated to many languages including Chinese and Japanese. There is, however, a protracted lag in translation. (As at September 2005, the Chinese version of Book 11 is in the press and the Japanese version of Book 6 has been published.) In 2004, the series and its authors were featured on Penn and Teller's Showtime televsion show Bullshit! on the episode "End of the World." Jewish CriticismIn an article enquiring into the series' popularity, Salon magazine writer Michelle Goldberg described what she believed was one of the series' attractions:"On one level, the attraction of the Left Behind books isn't that much different from that of, say, Tom Clancy or Stephen King. The plotting is brisk and the characterizations Manichean." However, she considered the books to be an attack on Judaism and liberal secularism, and pointed out that the near-future "end times" the books are set in seem to reflect the actual worldview of millions of Americans, including many prominent conservative leaders. Preterist CriticismsMany practicing Christians, evangelical and otherwise, consider that the social perspectives promoted in the Left Behind series unduly sensationalize death and the destruction of masses of people. ParodySatirical takes on the Left Behind series include:
Influences on the authorsLaHaye and Jenkins cite the influence of Russell S. Doughten, an Iowan film-maker who directed a series of four low-budget feature-length films in the 1970s and 1980s about the Rapture and Second Coming. The films' popularity among Christian fundamentalists have led to increased study and speculation as to the events described in the Book of Revelation. Movies based on the seriesThe success of the Left Behind books have led to the release of three motion pictures based on the series so far. The movies have been produced and released by Cloud Ten Pictures, a Canadian Christian movie studio. In 2000, the studio released Left Behind: The Movie, based on the first book of the series. In a very unusual marketing scheme, the studio released the movie on video and DVD first, and then released it to the theatres. Though the movie faired poorly in theaters , it was the video release that "stunned" Hollywood . The movie starred former Growing Pains star Kirk Cameron as Buck Williams. Cameron, who finds the series inspiring, is a practicing evangelist (and co-host with Ray Comfort on the TV show The Way of the Master). In 2002, the sequel, Left Behind II: Tribulation Force, based on the first four hundred pages of the second novel, Tribulation Force, was released. The film debuted at #2, behind Spider-Man, on the home video charts and was #1 in terms of overall sales for two days on Amazon.com . In October 2005, the second sequel, Left Behind: World at War was released first to churches on October 21, 2005 for church theatrical viewings, and is being released to DVD and video on October 25, 2005. The new movie is based very loosely on the final fifty pages of Tribulation Force, and features Louis Gossett Jr. playing the President of the United States, Gerald Fitzhugh. The third movie was the least identifiable with events in any of the books. Recognizable events were the marriages of Buck with Chloe and Rayford with Amanda, the death of Bruce Barnes, and the U.S. president heading an attack, with Britain and Egypt, against the Global Community. Major parts of the movie, however, were not in any of the books: the poisoning of Bibles by the forces of Nicolae, and an attempt by Fitzhugh to assassinate Nicolae. Buck's meeting with the president in the books makes it into the movie, but in a totally different form. With the great success of the movies so far, it can be expected that Cloud Ten Pictures will continue to produce more Left Behind films, possibly even covering the entire series. It is of special interest to note that in 2004, Cloud Ten Pictures made a deal with Sony Entertainment to release all of its pictures under the Sony banner, and has been doing so ever since. All members from Left Behind and Left Behind II : Tribulation Force (Except the roll of Pastor Bruce Barnes) was unchanged for Left Behind World At War. The regular who held the roll of Bruce slot was unable to return for the third movie. See also
Secondary literature
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