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This book describes and assesses the best-selling novels in early twentieth-century America – the Left Behind novels, a series of evangelical apocalyptic fictions, which have sold over 60 million copies since 1995. No-one can doubt the series’ success, but many are challenging their representation of the Gospel. This book is written with the concern that Rapture novels might be a much less reliable guide to the Christian gospel than their many millions of readers suppose.
Crawford Gribben is the lecturer in Renaissance literature and culture at the University of Manchester, a member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, and the author of The Irish Puritans: James Ussher and the Reformation of the Church (Evangelical Press). Before his current post at Manchester, he taught in the School of English at Trinity College, Dublin, and was a visiting lecturer at the University of Lausanne and a visiting scholar at Westminster College, Cambridge. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. His research interests centre on three major themes: the literary culture of puritanism; relationships between literature and theology, especially in Irish and Scottish contexts; and the history of apocalyptic and millennial thought.
Series Editors:
Dr John D. Currid is Carl McMurray Professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, South Carolina, USA
Robert Strivens is Principal of London Theological Seminary, London.
Read a sample chapter
'To write (or read) a whole book on "rapture fiction" strikes me as a little odd. If, however, you were thinking of writing one, then find something else to do because Crawford Gribben has done a perfectly good job already.'
To read the full review from Evangelicals Now (September 2006) click here
'This is a valuable work written in an eirenical spirit and with a deep concern for the preservation and proclamation of the true Gospel of Christ.'
To read the full review from The Irish Baptist (October 2006) click here
'The book is well-argued and will hold the interests of readers who have not encountered the new wave of rapture fiction.'
To read the full review from The Gospel Magazine (Jan-Feb 2007) click here
'If you are going to allow your prejudices to run away with you, don’t read this review, and don’t touch the book either! The wonderful things is that the author, in dealing with one of the most controversial subjects in the whole of evangelical debate, does not allow his to get out of control either.'
To read the full review from Christian Librarian (Winter 2006) click here
'The Appendix is a survey of dispensationalism in its various guises and the alternatives to it. Of interest is the reference to New Covenant Theology where D. A Carson and John Piper are listed as exponents. A worthwhile read especially for those who need information as to what these silly novels are all about. Gribben is to be congratulated for having invested time and research into this phenomenon. He is evidently at home in studying apocalyptic material.'
To read the full review from The English Churchman (5th & 12th January 2007) click here
'This is a most useful resource for anyone interested in these [Left Behind] novels and should serve to lead many to a clearer understanding of the biblical view of salvation, Christian living and the "last things".'
To read the full review from Covenanter Witness (October 2006) click here
'This is a most useful resource for anyone interested in these [Left Behind] novels and should serve to lead many to a clearer understanding of the biblical view of salvation, Christian living and the "last things".'
To read the full review from Covenanter Witness (October 2006) click here
'Have you come across “Rapture Fiction”? If, without giving up in theological shock and dismay, you have read any, then you really do need to read this book too. If not then, according to Crawford Gribben, Lecturer in Renaissance Literature and History at the University of Manchester, you haven’t missed much.'
To read the full review from Derby Road Baptist Church, Watford click here
