Apocalyptic pop culture
• Christian Pop Culture
In The Nation Melani Mcalister writes about fundamentalist pop culture and the Left Behind series:
The series, which will include fourteen novels in all, is one long story. The opening book tells of a group of Americans, either nominal Christians or secularists, who, because they lack sufficient faith, are "left behind" when God takes all true believers into heaven in an event known as the Rapture. These unbelievers soon realize their mistake, and convert to evangelical Christianity. In preparation for the horrific yet enthralling events of the "end times," they form themselves into an underground "Tribulation Force." Rayford Steele, a strong-willed pilot in his 40s, is the head of the group. He is joined by his daughter Chloe and her husband, Buck Williams, a tough-minded crack journalist. The team is soon joined by Tsion Ben-Judah, an Israeli rabbi who has come to understand that Jesus was in fact the Jewish Messiah. As the plagues begin, bringing locust-looking demons and terrible natural disasters, from the drying up of seas to the darkening of the sun, Ben-Judah becomes an end-times prophet, teaching millions of new converts on his Internet site about the biblical meaning of the unfolding events.
See also: ''Their purpose is to scare people into faith'', Since 1995, the number of novels classified by publishers as Christian has grown from 500 to 1,800, A half-dozen companies produce Scripture-clad candy.
Comments
Posted by: Mac | September 11, 2003 1:40 PM