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LEFT BEHIND by Frank Schaeffer Trump And The ‘Left Behind’ Evangelicals Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye’s Left Behind series of sixteen novels represents everything that is most deranged about American religion. To understand why Trump became president — with 81 percent of the white evangelical vote — you have to understand the importance of these novels and all they represent. Trump didn’t just fall from the sky to become the nominee. White evangelicals made him president. And they have a lot in common with Trump. It’s no accident he wound up as the “God-Sent One” of the evangelical-dominated Republicans. Trump lives in an imaginary universe divorced from reality — so do evangelicals. The Left Behind novels have sold tens of millions of copies while spawning an “End Times” cult, or rather egging it on. In this world of harbingers of doom Trump’s conspiracy theory-laden self-made apocalypse fits with the evangelical’s perpetual hysteria perfectly. Trump’s anti-everyone-but-us platform mirrors the evangelical view of the world. God will be revenged on anyone not like us... especially if they “threaten” Israel. There are true believers and everyone else. And God is going to burn the “other” — forever. It starts with believing the Bible is all literally true. After accepting that “fact” the evangelical mind is prepared to accept any outsider’s claim of special knowledge. Trump wasn’t the first to tell evangelicals that liberal opinion, science and political ideas that contradicted his claims were “fake news.” Evangelicals have been hearing the same thing from their pastors for the last 100 years. Evolution? Not true! Gays born that way? Not so! Men and women equal? No! The Bible tells us women must obey men! ... and so forth. Do not trust “worldly knowledge!” Trust only what your pastor tells you! A time-out for disclosure is in order: I knew Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins quite well many years ago when I was a religious right leader myself before I fled the brain dead. That said . . . the evangelical/fundamentalists—and hence, from the early 1980s until the election of Trump in 2016, the Religious Right as it informed U.S. policy through the then dominant Republican Party—have been in the grip of an apocalyptic Rapture cult centered on revenge and vindication. This End Times death wish is built on a literalist interpretation of the Book of Revelation. It feeds a blood lust to get even with all unbelievers. God promises to build a wall between the good guys and everyone else- forever. The Left Behind series is really just recycled evangelical/fundamentalist profit taking from scraps of “prophecy” left over from an earlier commercial effort to mine the vein of fearsome End Times gold. A book called The Late Great Planet Earth was the 1970s incarnation of this nonsense. It was written by Hal Lindsey, a “writer” who dropped by my parents’ ministry of L’Abri several times. Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth interpreted Revelation for a generation of paranoid evangelicals who were terrified of the Soviet Union and communism and were convinced that the existence of the modern State of Israel was the sign that Jesus was on the way in our lifetime. After everything predicted in the book came to nothing, Lindsey rewrote and “updated” his “interpretations” in many sequels, in what must have been some sort of record for practicing George Orwell’s idea of “doublethink” via editorial revision of ever-changing “facts.” According to Jenkins and LaHaye, who took over the Hal Lindsey franchise of apocalypse-for-fun-and-profit and expanded it into a vast industry, the “chosen” will soon be airlifted to safety. The key to understanding the popularity of this series was the deepening inferiority complex suffered by the evangelical/fundamentalist community. The words left behind are ironically what the books are about, but not in the way their authors intended. The evangelical/fundamentalists, from their crudest egocentric celebrities to their “intellectuals” touring college campuses trying to make evangelicalism respectable, have been left behind by modernity. They won’t change their anti-science, anti-education, anti-everything superstitions, so now they nurse a deep grievance against “the world.” This has led to a profound fear of the “other.” The sense of being left out and left behind is what Trump appealed to in evangelicals. Feeling aggrieved, left out and victimized is the evangelical specialty. Having pitted themselves against science, facts and reality itself—after all these people believe in a literal Noah’s Ark but not in climate change!—no wonder evangelicals felt left out. Instead of looking at their beliefs critically they blamed the “world” for rejecting them. They were being “shut out” by the media and colleges. In fact they’d divorced themselves from any institution that valued reason. Jenkins and LaHaye provided the ultimate revenge fantasy for the culturally left behind against the hated “elite.” The Left Behind franchise holds out hope for the self-disenfranchised that at last soon everyone will know “we” were right and “they” were wrong. They’ll know because Spaceship Jesus will come back and whisk us away, leaving everyone else to ponder just how very lost they are because they refused to say the words, “I accept Jesus as my personal savior” and join our side while there was still time! Even better: Jesus will kill all those smart-ass Democrat-voting, overeducated fags who have been mocking us! Meanwhile Jesus hasn’t come back yet so Trump will take revenge for us evangelicals on the godless elites... or so went the subconscious evangelical thought process... The problem is that white American evangelical Trump supporters won’t ever feel reconciled to a happy life or being a patriotic part of America. That’s because their real war isn’t with liberals and science but is an inner war with themselves over how to understand reality itself. To live in a fantasy land is to perpetually be paranoid that someone will mention that you’re crazy or stupid or both. Thus to be a white American evangelical is to make the entire world your enemy. They trust science and facts but you trust in God and (these days) in Trump. |
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I know it's long, but I enjoy Shaffer's viewpoint and wanted to share.
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I'm glad you did share Sparkle, it explains a lot ...I'd never heard of Left Behind. I often find some of the simplistic views expressed in the blogs amazing. It's hard to believe that adults (especially senior adults) can be so child-like. Now I know why!
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It's the truest sense of tribalism in this country. They are ones the MUST create division to exist in this country. They are ones that Must create other different kinds of tribes, to be able to exist. they are ones that believe freedom of religion, doesn't mean freedom FROM religion. It does for everyone else, but not for them. they are not a segment of the Republican Party...they are CREATORS of the Republican party., Haters of Liberals, no matter the issue. You think, pro-life, anti-gay, racial divide, and Muslims are the issues... You are mistaken, Liberals CANNOT give them an inch, because they will take a mile, and move on. They are our own Taliban We can simply now move them to the top of list... of destroyers of our democracy.
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Jiminy, you got it in one! It's a strange phenomenon to me because here in the UK most Christians don't think that way. And I'm pretty sure that's the same the world over. It's those who complain about everything they dislike who use racism and division...the dissatisfied and disgruntled who can't understand why their lives are not perfect and look for others to blame. The people who say "our lives would be perfect, if only..." "If only" is part of maisie's (the biggest complainer and divisionist of the lot!) buzzword of the moment "magical thinking" I believe in making the best of what I've got...that, to me at least, Is magic. I once thought that all Christians believed that too...not so!!! I LOVE LIFE FOR IT'S OWN SAKE!
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This site is where I first encountered the "Left Behind" series. At first it was just a sharing of having read it and agreement on how wonderful, amazing and true they were.....a common chortling and rubbing of hands about how the unrepentant will get their comeuppance soon. I dis some research and discovered they were novels......going by the Evangelical on this site, one would think the books were Theological.....but they are all bloody, violent revenge fantasy....... Several of those that first brought up those books are no longer on this site, but some of the enthusiastic fans are still here.....bet you can guess who they are, LOL. I'm sure you would not be surprised at the aggressive insults they flung my way when I pointed out the difference between Theology and Fantasy Revenge Porn.........To them, those books are "Sacred" because they are loosely based on the Bible......re, Revelations..........
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Jiminy, you got it in one! It's a strange phenomenon to me because here in the UK most Christians don't think that way. And I'm pretty sure that's the same the world over. It's those who complain about everything they dislike who use racism and division...the dissatisfied and disgruntled who can't understand why their lives are not perfect and look for others to blame. The people who say "our lives would be perfect, if only..." "If only" is part of maisie's (the biggest complainer and divisionist of the lot!) buzzword of the moment "magical thinking" I believe in making the best of what I've got...that, to me at least, Is magic. I once thought that all Christians believed that too...not so!!! I LOVE LIFE FOR IT'S OWN SAKE!
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It's the truest sense of tribalism in this country. They are ones the MUST create division to exist in this country. They are ones that Must create other different kinds of tribes, to be able to exist. they are ones that believe freedom of religion, doesn't mean freedom FROM religion. It does for everyone else, but not for them. they are not a segment of the Republican Party...they are CREATORS of the Republican party., Haters of Liberals, no matter the issue. You think, pro-life, anti-gay, racial divide, and Muslims are the issues... You are mistaken, Liberals CANNOT give them an inch, because they will take a mile, and move on. They are our own Taliban We can simply now move them to the top of list... of destroyers of our democracy. He said that Paradox was at the core of their Philosophy of Life/Spirituality......I see you struggling every day on these pages in your attempts to articulate the concept of Paradox to an audience who have never been presented with that idea.....I have encountered it in Eastern Philosophies many times, but didn't coalesce for me until this Anthropologist expressed it using the living Nature metaphors of the Early Peoples of the place where I live.......Those metaphors are living examples and the Art created to illustrate the Intellectual concepts of Paradox came into clear focus for me...... Paradox is not a popular idea in our culture......we automatically and compulsively try to work it out......Our Cultural training is so strong around this.........Paradox must not remain unsolved........Intellectual Dissonance cannot be tolerated.....it is physically and psychically intolerable........When we encounter Intellectual Dissonance, we must resolve it....the urge is so strong, it's like a drug........And that's a gift that Frank Shaeffer has given me......He has helped me learn to articulate this "Spiritual" practice that I have had for 40 years. You have been given the feedback on this site so many times that your struggle with maintaining Paradox, perceiving Paradox , is a sign of weakness......I congratulate you on maintaining your cool in this atmosphere and maintaining the truth that we don't know and that the state of not-knowing is truth and that Certainty is a toxic addiction. 
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I've heard of the series of books, never read them though.  
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Yeah, I'm not getting this mindset that says they respect all Religions, but Atheism is bad......Maisie says she has no Religion while insisting that Atheism is my Religion......Apparently, in her mind, she is allowed "no religion" but I'm not........I have a lot in common with this guy Frank Shaeffer, whose latest book is titled...."I'm an Atheist Who Believes in God"......He articulates my own Spiritual Journey so well. He also is a great fan of Paradox, something that has always been at the core of my personal philosophy. In my 30s I was doing research for a biography about a BC Anthropologist. The premise of my book was to demonstrate that he was a pioneer of Transpersonal Anthropology in the study of First Nations Intellectual and Spiritual life. He said that Paradox was at the core of their Philosophy of Life/Spirituality......I see you struggling every day on these pages in your attempts to articulate the concept of Paradox to an audience who have never been presented with that idea.....I have encountered it in Eastern Philosophies many times, but didn't coalesce for me until this Anthropologist expressed it using the living Nature metaphors of the Early Peoples of the place where I live.......Those metaphors are living examples and the Art created to illustrate the Intellectual concepts of Paradox came into clear focus for me...... Paradox is not a popular idea in our culture......we automatically and compulsively try to work it out......Our Cultural training is so strong around this.........Paradox must not remain unsolved........Intellectual Dissonance cannot be tolerated.....it is physically and psychically intolerable........When we encounter Intellectual Dissonance, we must resolve it....the urge is so strong, it's like a drug........And that's a gift that Frank Shaeffer has given me......He has helped me learn to articulate this "Spiritual" practice that I have had for 40 years. You have been given the feedback on this site so many times that your struggle with maintaining Paradox, perceiving Paradox , is a sign of weakness......I congratulate you on maintaining your cool in this atmosphere and maintaining the truth that we don't know and that the state of not-knowing is truth and that Certainty is a toxic addiction. "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction' A truth in science that is it's own paradox. The action and the reaction is essentially the same thing. I don't judge the power or truth of yours and maisies beliefs in god or atheism. The actions and the reactions are the same to me. I differentiate by the direction of the action, the purpose , the point....A truth or a lie is the same in regards to my own edification. People think you need to understand what's right. I think one doesn't need to dissect and understand anything that's right.. what's right doesn't need to be proven.. the truth doesn't need to be proven. You listen to people, and as soon as their need to prove their position, as soon as they need to prove their truth. I begin to believe they don't know crap about what's wrong. So the point about you and maisie and God.....whether someone believes in God or not... Is totally immaterial to me. It's not the subject... it's the action, the purpose and the point. In which a truth should not need to be explained. In regards to Trump we can prove the lie, but to even bother to try explain the truth is absurd. I wonder if maisie could possibly understand this? I doubt it. Heck half the time, I am trying to explain the truth, and feel like an idiot for feeling like I have to do it. I always figure it doesn't matter, but just a good exercise, or exorcism... take your choice.
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To avoid redundancy, try reading the other comments before you post one. As I said above, I first heard about the Left Behind series on this site. Most of the people that discussed and promoted it on this site are no longer here, but several of them are......You can probably guess who they are. One of them just posted a blog about it.
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I've heard of the series of books, never read them though. one dimensional, mindless drivel.......It's mind-boggling that they were so popular.....guess there are enough Evangelicals in America whose egos are gratified by this kind of revenge fantasy.......... 
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To avoid redundancy, try reading the other comments before you post one. As I said above, I first heard about the Left Behind series on this site. Most of the people that discussed and promoted it on this site are no longer here, but several of them are......You can probably guess who they are. One of them just posted a blog about it. I remember those "discussions". At the time, I was horrified and couldn't believe that Christians could be so adamant that they were "going to heaven...and nobody else was". That is what led me to believe that these people were very different from any Christians I'd ever known...Christians who would never ever have such divisive and hypocritical beliefs. I kept wondering how they could call themselves Christians at all when they completely ignored the teachings of Jesus. The answer to that is, they are not Christians, they are driven by the Old Testament only...and on the most violent parts of it. Little did I know it was all based on a series of horror stories written by a couple of men (getting rich on feeding prejudiced and narrow minds) ... and not on the bible at all. And. what is even more astounding, is that some of them are not even aware of it!
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Yeah, I'm not getting this mindset that says they respect all Religions, but Atheism is bad......Maisie says she has no Religion while insisting that Atheism is my Religion......Apparently, in her mind, she is allowed "no religion" but I'm not........I have a lot in common with this guy Frank Shaeffer, whose latest book is titled...."I'm an Atheist Who Believes in God"......He articulates my own Spiritual Journey so well. He also is a great fan of Paradox, something that has always been at the core of my personal philosophy. In my 30s I was doing research for a biography about a BC Anthropologist. The premise of my book was to demonstrate that he was a pioneer of Transpersonal Anthropology in the study of First Nations Intellectual and Spiritual life. He said that Paradox was at the core of their Philosophy of Life/Spirituality......I see you struggling every day on these pages in your attempts to articulate the concept of Paradox to an audience who have never been presented with that idea.....I have encountered it in Eastern Philosophies many times, but didn't coalesce for me until this Anthropologist expressed it using the living Nature metaphors of the Early Peoples of the place where I live.......Those metaphors are living examples and the Art created to illustrate the Intellectual concepts of Paradox came into clear focus for me...... Paradox is not a popular idea in our culture......we automatically and compulsively try to work it out......Our Cultural training is so strong around this.........Paradox must not remain unsolved........Intellectual Dissonance cannot be tolerated.....it is physically and psychically intolerable........When we encounter Intellectual Dissonance, we must resolve it....the urge is so strong, it's like a drug........And that's a gift that Frank Shaeffer has given me......He has helped me learn to articulate this "Spiritual" practice that I have had for 40 years. You have been given the feedback on this site so many times that your struggle with maintaining Paradox, perceiving Paradox , is a sign of weakness......I congratulate you on maintaining your cool in this atmosphere and maintaining the truth that we don't know and that the state of not-knowing is truth and that Certainty is a toxic addiction. We know who is religious here....maisie not one of them. what is maisie position? well, we don't know.... funny I don't know Trump's positions either.....that is , except when I'm bending over......just like maisie.
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