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Relevant Books, 2005.
Wondering what all the fuss about Left Behind comes from? Bewildered as to why different fundies either recommend the books wholeheartedly, or condemn them vehemently, usually for different reasons than the next evangelist along? Well, perhaps this small tome can help clear things up a little.
Starting with a short Apocalyptionary
, defining all those niggling little terms like eschatology, dispensationalism and Leonard Bernstein, the next two chapters detail end-of-the-world prophecy from 4000 years ago to now. This section doesn't cover Christianity alone, with examples from Zoroastrianism, Islam and a Hindu contribution concerning a goat which isn't really the end of the world, but was too amusing to leave out.
Then there's the question of who the Antichrist might be. Boyett looks at the main candidates and assesses their likelihood on a 10-point scale of his own devising. Alas, Prattle favourites George W. Bush, Prince William and Arnold Schwarzenegger are strangely absent.
After a more detailed examination of the different types of belief regarding the end times, the long words associated with them, and how believers explain away the inevitable contradictions associated with each one. we finish with a miscelleneous collection of stuff including ways in which the world might really end, whether by natural causes or through human folly.
Boyett makes some obscure bits of theology thoroughly accessible, in a style which is lively and irreverant. And the book's cheap too! Recommended.
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at 03:03. Last modified on August 28 2008 at 12:27.
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Comments
1: Posted by: Vicki | July 31, 2005 2:21 PM
As I recall from discussions on rassef, one standard model for the Antichrist specifies a Jewish male, which I think eliminates your candidates.
Should I ask what Leonard Bernstein has to do with the apocalypse? I'm assuming this is the composer and music teacher, not someone else of the same name.
2: Posted by: Feòrag | August 1, 2005 12:46 AM
Jewishness is one of the factors taken into account, and Prince Charles is covered in the book as a potential Antichrist. It seems that the British royal family claims descent from King David, which covers the Jewish schtick even though it's a male line. So, Prince William counts.
The Leonard Bernstein thing is a gratuitous REM reference.
3: Posted by: Andrew Ian Dodge | August 1, 2005 9:44 PM
Well I have at least one mate who claims I am the Muslim anti-Christ. You see I have one-eye, wear leather and silk...
4: Posted by: Red Wolf | August 1, 2005 11:49 PM
You see I have one-eye, wear leather and silk... — Wouldn't that make you a pirate rather than the anti-Christ?
5: Posted by: Andrew Ian Dodge | August 3, 2005 5:30 PM
Well I thought it would...but technically don't I have to wear my eye-patch to look like a pirate?