I got an e-mail yesterday from someone that pointed me to this web-exclusive front-page story for Newsweek featuring an interview by Brian Braiker with Tim LaHaye.
Overall I thought Braiker conducted a good interview, but for the sake of balance you'd think Newsweek would possibly talk to people of other Christian denominations about how they view the end of the world or if they interpret current events as signifying the "End Times." This is the Internet, you know, where you can freely link to other sources of information. Many Christians don't see things the way LaHaye sees them. Instead all we get is the LaHaye version, which is a marginal version propelled to mass-culture popularity via the Left Behind books. Where are the Catholic readings of Revelation? Where are the Lutheran readings? Methodist? Presbyterian? Mormon? Eastern Orthodox? Or any other number of smaller denominations in the U.S.?
Here's an example of how CNN has been covering the "End Times" question. Again, no alternative viewpoints. Both authors are also from the same publishing house, Tynedale. If CNN wanted to do that, they may as well have tried to get Tynedale's Hank Hanegraff who has views counter to those of LaHaye.
In the interview LaHaye with Newsweek dismisses all other readings of Revelation, which for the most part are allegorical and metaphorical, as "liberal theologians who don't take the Bible literally" which is basically most other Christian denominations.
In the Q & A we also do not get any idea that even within the wider swath of fundamentalist Evangelical and Baptist interpretations of Revelations and the eschatology of Bible prophecy, there are factions that differ on their interpretation. One of the major problems with how Christianity is reported in the mainstream media, and it's something we can see here, is that people like LaHaye often get away with calling themselves "Christian" or are identified as representing a "Christian" viewpoint when they in fact are only representatives of certain views within wider Christianity. Either that, or the most controversial voices get the most air play, or they are framed as Left or Right takes on religious life in America.
I'd also noticed there'd been a surge of comments to my last post and wondered where they were coming from, since most of them were much more critical than the earlier comments. It seems the interviewer asked LaHaye this (scroll to bottom of the page) which brought in quite a few more comments. I'd urge you to go read through the later ones yourself if you want to get a better picture of the mindset of those holding and defending LaHaye's theology. It's interesting that a lot of these people call themselves "Christians" and think they are representing "Christianity" when in fact they are only representing one view of Christianity. This is something that LaHaye has done well over the past three decades, along with Falwell and Robertson and the rest of the Religious Right, trying to identify themselves as speaking for "Christians." I fear similar backlashes from a "Religious Left" which is basically playing the same game, putting religion at the center of politics, as a voting bloc, as a movement, as either Left or Right, instead of allowing each individual's own moral foundations and identities to inform their political choices. For more variety, check out the link tail from the Newsweek story at Technorati.
So, to introduce a bit of balance, here are some examples of alternative views to LaHaye's.
The Rapture: Does it square with Lutheran Theology?
Where does the Rapture fit into the United Methodist realm of beliefs?
Israel, Missions to the Jews, and Premillennial Rapture (Orthodox Presbyterian)
What does the Church teach about the Rapture? (Mormon)
There are just a few of many Christians who disagree with LaHaye's view. Quite a few liberal, secular humanists, right? Perhaps they are betraying a poverty of faith, faith in the Bible, faith in the future and Jesus Christ, as well? According to LaHaye's reasoning, they are.