"Left Behind" LaHaye Not Left Behind

[DMcFadden]

It was reported today that Tim LaHaye, creator of the Left Behind series has passed away at 90, following a stroke.

Christian minister, political activist, and author Tim LaHaye died today after suffering a stroke. He was 90. Best known for co-authoring the widely popular Left Behind book series, LaHaye inspired a generation to think about the end times.

The first Left Behind novel debuted in October 1995 and opened with a scene aboard a passenger plane after Christians vanished in mid-flight. The books in the series went on to sell more than 65 million copies, inspiring several major motion pictures and numerous spin-offs.

The series invoked many criticisms from Christian leaders, who claimed it depicted an inaccurate portrait of Scripture, but LaHaye’s influence was undeniable. His literary work set the ideas many Christians and non-Christians now hold about how the world will end.

I am an amillennialist and in no way subscribe to the fanciful theories of LaHaye (e.g., the idea of natural and resurrected bodies cavorting during a 1,000 millennium, body sacrifices in a third temple while Christ rules as king over Jerusalem, etc.). However, his impact on American Christianity in this era has been undeniably significant. Perhaps now his hermeneutical principles have been adjusted a bit.

The life of LaHaye was marked by a indefatigable passion for warning people of what he was convinced the Word of God taught. Whether you agree or disagree with the doctrine, his passion for the Bible was palpable. I can remember listening to him speak when, as a teenager, his certainty, clarity, and conviction moved me greatly in a "prophecy" conference at a local church in my community (almost three decades before he became famous.

 

[johnny]

Minister LaHaye has left behind a lot of bad Eschatology.

 

[Darryl Le Roux]

Poor form on both accounts.

 

[Bill The Baptist]

I am an amillennialist and in no way subscribe to the fanciful theories of LaHaye (e.g., the idea of natural and resurrected bodies cavorting during a 1,000 millennium, body sacrifices in a third temple while Christ rules as king over Jerusalem, etc.).

Its worth noting that quite a few premillennialists would also reject such nonsense.

 

[earl40]

The problem with LaHaye is that his eschatology mainly focused on a earthly instead of a spiritual end of man.