Rating:  Summary: Unabashedly and joyfully Christian Review: This is a wonderful book for open-minded agnostics, fence-sitters, converts to Christianity from Judaism (me) and for all Christians who are not wound so tightly that they cannot relax in their Faith long enough to simply enjoy and to take heart in this story. It's fast-paced and well-researched with a refreshingly unabashed deeply-felt Christian perspective. I found the story to be one of hope and joy, despite the horrific prospect of meeting the Anti-Christ in its pages.Having read dozens of non-fiction Biblical books and theological books, this one was a surprisingly welcome diversion without being fluffy. I found nothing about this book to be upsetting nor did I find it worthy of ridicule. In fact just the opposite - the message of hope and of being giving second chances is crystal clear. In addition, the story is wonderful! I will buy the rest of this series not just for myself but for others who will enjoy them.
Rating:  Summary: Read several reviews before buying this book Review: Most of the positive reviews of this book expound the difference this book has made in the reviewer's Christian faith. Since most readers are from the Christian right, the average rating is 4 stars. Don't be misled. Those not affected by the preaching in the book have more realistic reviews. I was hoping for a good story and got shallow characters and much proselytizing. The story had a weak conclusion, clearly hoping to draw readers into buying the sequels. Not this reader!
Rating:  Summary: WOW! A tiny palindrome for a hugely wonderful novel. Review: Left Behind was an excellent work of literature on all accounts. The plot was exciting and the charcters were well-developed and intriguiging. The most appealing quality is the overwhelming feeling of suspense presented throughout the book, especially at the conclusion. I have gone on to read all of the other books in the series so far; I've enjoyed them all immensely. Excellent.
Rating:  Summary: This book is horrible Review: I can not believe this book, much less any of the others in the series, has become such a big deal. I barely made it half way through Left Behind and could not take it any more. It was like being forced to watch some low-budget, poorly written, poorly acted movie of the week. I am so disappointed that other Christians are finding this series worth their time and money. I also do not see the need for a Left Behind series directed toward youth. The "adult" version itself is written on a 5th grade reading level. If that!
Rating:  Summary: Engaging, yet dangerous Review: This book is a page-turner. Like Jerry Jenkins' other books, it is easy to read and difficult to put down. Unfortunately, this book quickly falls apart as the theology becomes stranger and stranger. Jenkins' can write a good story, but when a theology that does not even make sense is the focus, the story line falls apart. Jenkins' should have just written a story and left LaHaye's theology to a non-fiction book. Unfortunately, this books attempt to scare individuals into a conversion experience. They promote a theology that has only been recently adopted by any members of the Christian church. Although I think that fiction, literature, and the arts in general can serve as a vehicle for discussing theology, the otherwhelming popularity of these books is ultimate dangerous both for individuals and the Christian church as a whole.
Rating:  Summary: You've Got To Be Kidding! Review: Let me get this straight. This book is on the best seller list? How laughable! The story is simplistic and preachy, the characters one dimensional and unsympathetic, and the plot is sloppy and heavy handed. It seems to me the only reason this book was written was to push the authors' viewpoints on the rest of us. Basically what they're saying is, if you're not a Believer you're doomed to Hell for eternity. Give me a bloody break! Ridiculous from start to finish. Don't even waste your money and time on this turgid piece of writing. I would have given Left Behind a zero if it had been an option.
Rating:  Summary: Better than "Heart", "Darkness", and "Geisha"! Review: I have stuck pretty close to #1 bestsellers. "Left Behind (#1)" was better than "Where the Heart Is" and "Memoirs of a Geisha" (sorry). It also was better than Peretti's "This Present Darkness" (sorry again). If this came out before ID4, Left Behind would have taken the box office. If Hollywood needs a new story, this could be it! Will Smith could play Buck! Harrison Ford could play Captain Steele! Alyssa Milano could play Chloe! Nicolae could be played by Malcolm Macdowell (sinister fantasy island guy). Imagine people disappearing off enclosed planes, on live video tape, cars without drivers flying off roads...imagine the fear of being left behind in a world like this. Pages turn fast and you're left with wanting to go on with LaHaye and Jenkins and their Tribulation Force.
Rating:  Summary: Poorly written and weak idea Review: How long are these guys going to milk this dead cow? If we take the bible literally this series should have been over after the first book. So the only motivation for the authors must be making a buck. Very Christian.
Rating:  Summary: This Pastor Wouldn't Use it for Toilet Paper Review: Picture a sculpture of stunning complexity and beauty. Then imagine someone taking a picture of it. The first person who sees the picture holds tracing paper over it and traces the outline of the visible side of the sculpture. Realizing that what they have is only a pale imitation of the original, the sketcher throws their work onto the ground, where the image becomes partially obscured by mud. A passerby takes a polaroid of that partially obscured sketch. If the rich tradition of Jewish and Christian prophecy is the sculpture, then LaHaye and Jenkins' book is the polaroid. Speaking as a Christian clergyman, the theology and biblical interpretation in _Left Behind_ is infantile and absurd. Speaking as a lover of books, the characterization is so limp and one-dimensional that it was a chore to keep reading. _Left Behind_ is an excellent propoganda tool for those who wish to turn Christianity into the kind of self-serving, ignorant, spiritually bankrupt institution that it is portrayed to be in the media. It is also an excellent tool for convincing people to read the powerful and mysterious texts of the Bible as if they were a contemporary (bad) novel. If you are a Christian (or interested in Christianity); do not go near this book. Please, Please, PLEASE seek out reliable, scholarly commentaries on Revelation (such as the one in the New Interpreter's Bible series). If you are looking for an engrossing, clever, "what if?" novel; look elsewhere.
Rating:  Summary: Peace of Understanding Review: The Left Behind series has left me with several emotions that I have not experienced in a long time as a beleiver in Christ. I beleive that even though some people will review these books as nothing more than a series of fiction books, that it reaches those people who have not even thought about there being a God in Heaven. I've read several books from Tim Lahaye and beleive that his interpretations of the Revelations to be inspiring. The two authors together have accomplished putting in perspective the promises of God in a form that most anyone can understand. I know that the Left Behind series is written in fiction form but it has intrigued me to search the scriptures for my own answers. It is my hope that people get their own peace of understanding as they read these books.
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