ZioWatch
'Christian Zionism and Jewish Extremism'
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Tim Lahaye
Tim LaHaye has been called one of the most dangerous man in America today. According to many Mainstream Christian leaders, he has indoctrinated over a million and a half poor sheep into his brand of reconstructionist Christianity. He is anti-Gay, anti Occult, anti Jew, anti-everything, but his own version of Christian thought. He teaches a fantasy form of Christian "history" which has resulted in some American Christian conservative voters being unable to understand or accept reality.
He and his wife also teach sexuality for married xtians in ways some claim is helpful (that is supposing they were kept illiterate and dumb prior to marriage), but in ways that also indoctrinate extreme homophobia and delusional perceptions that depict common non-gender specific sex acts as "gay" and "wrong". It's important to be aware of this jerk because he isn't just leading a hundred person reclusive cult, but influencing over a million Americans to lose touch with reality.
Unknown to many, Tim LaHaye helped engineer today's Religious Right. LaHaye believes that "Jesus is the only way by which humanity can be saved; people's lives are significantly changed when they become Christians; and Jesus Christ is coming back — soon."
The 72_year_old Tim LaHaye has had a profound impact on American politics. LaHaye and his wife Beverly are 1950 graduates of the ultra-fundamentalist Bob Jones University. (a fact never mentioned in his biographies)
LaHaye's early pastoral ministry was mostly apolitical. In 1972, he assisted in the formation of the Institute for Creation Research, a group founded to promote the Biblical doctrine of creationism.
In 1979, LaHaye co-founded the Moral Majority with Jerry Falwell. He also published "The Battle for the Mind", his blueprint on how conservative Christians could take over the government of the United States. In the same year, his wife launched Concerned Women for America.
The Moral Majorities fundraising letters warned that America was faced with doom by secular humanists, militant homosexuals, and "baby killers" _ unless enough people were "saved, baptized, and registered to vote."
Meanwhile, left behind at home, Beverly LaHaye launched Concerned Women for America, which claims to be the largest women's group in the US.
Then, in 1980, Tim LaHaye organized the Council for National Policy, a vehicle for conservative religious leaders, politicians and business people to come together to share and implement their dogmatic ideas.
In 1984, LaHaye founded the American Coalition for Traditional Values, and began holding training seminars for Religious Right leaders..
Even though the Moral Majority and the American Coalition for Traditional Values collapsed through lack of funding, the Council for National Policy (CNP) and Concerned Women for America remain viable and important today. LaHaye is so fond of the CNP that he once said, "It isn't often in life that reality is better than the dream. That's the way it is with the Council for National Policy."
Rev. LaHaye is a Pre-tribulationist. That is, he believes that Jesus will return and take away believing Christians through the Rapture, an event that will cause Christians to fly off in the sky to meet Jesus. After the Rapture, an evil leader called the Antichrist will rule the world. Those who refuse to worship him will die. Christian fundamentalists believe that after the Rapture, Jews will believe in Jesus and fight the Antichrist.
Today, LaHaye, the author of more than 40 books, many of them bestsellers, has gone from activist to novelist. Instead of using sensational fundraising letters to exploit people's fears, he writes sensational novels which focus on propagating his "end time" doctrines..
He is doing this through his "Left Behind" series of 12 books. The first in the series, entitled "Left Behind", came out in 1995. One might say that he's exchanged one form of fiction for another. Yet, in his new role, he's reaching far more people than he ever dreamed of back at the Moral Majority. Tim LaHaye is the book series' theologian. His friend Jerry Jenkins is actually writing the series. LaHaye said he gives Jenkins the story outline and Jenkins fleshes them out. "Jerry is a phenomenal fiction writer," according to LaHaye.
The financial rewards aren't bad either. The authors report that their bestsellers have earned each of them $10 million. LaHaye, consistently has novels on The New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.
The Indwelling: The Beast Takes Possession, is the newest installment in the fundamentalist "end times" saga by LaHaye. Advance orders for The Indwelling reached 1.9 million copies, propelling it overnight to number one on amazon.com, and The New York Times best_selling fiction lists. According to The New York Times, the writers, the Rev. Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, have pulled off "an unparalleled achievement for an evangelical novel."
The Indwelling: The Beast Takes Possession is the seventh book in the "Left Behind" series. The phrase refers to the Christian fundamentalist belief in the Rapture, that is, at the sound of a trumpet, Jesus will soon appear in the clouds to take believers up to meet him, thus escaping the horrible calamities foretold in the Book of Revelation.
Unbelievers who are left behind will have to engage in a three_and_a_half year battle with the forces of Satan. According to fundamentalist theologians, including LaHaye, all of the Jewish people will be left behind at the Rapture, and will suffer mightily during the dreadful period called the Great Tribulation. But before it's all over, 144,000 of them will accept Jesus as their savior. The rest will perish. The clear message to Jew and Gentile is "You don't want to be left behind."
So far, 17 million copies of the "Left Behind" series have been sold. Interestingly, when The New York Times tabulates its bestseller list, it excludes sales from the thousands of evangelical Christian bookstores across America. Last fall, this newsletter profiled Tim LaHaye in an article called "Tim LaHaye: the man behind the bestsellers."
Two other books which have appeared on the lists are are titled "Assassins" and "Apollyon". LaHaye dropped the "Rev." title on the book covers.
In describing Apollyon, The New York Times writes, "After the rapture of the saved, the world's remaining believers confront the Antichrist." A similar description accompanies Assassins.
LaHaye says that the Times and USA Today bestseller lists represent only one-third of the books sold. They don't take into account sales in Christian bookstores, Costco, and Sam's Club.
Cashing in on the popularity of the books, a Christian film company is producing a movie based on Left Behind, the first book in the series.
"Most of all," LaHaye said in an article in the Southern California Christian Times, "I believe God has chosen to bless this series. In doing so, he's giving the country and maybe the world, one last, big wake-up call before the events transpire."
"Jerry and I have made this a spiritual quest right from the laying out of the first book," LaHaye continued. "We have asked God to give us unusual insight in producing what we call believable conversions. Instead of producing a preachy book, we wanted it to have believable stories of Christian conversions that are reproducible in the heart of the reader. We're asking the same thing for the movie."
Using the Book of Revelation as an outline, the authors add present_day fictional characters to the ancient allegory. While their books are fiction, the authors truly believe the events that they describe will play out in our lifetime.
While spine_chilling fiction is run_of_the_mill, such fiction is usually hypothetical. But for LaHaye and millions of avid fundamentalist followers, "end_times" fiction is their reality.
That is truly scary.
The insatiable readers who devour the "Left Behind" series have limited vision and little hope. In recent years, many of these folks have become politically involved because they desire an America without non_Christian religions, humanists, homosexuals, abortion, and erotic images. But because in their hearts they know such a scenario will never unfold, they have turned to wishful escapism. Their escapism is not the kind of escapism most people enjoy when they pull the curtains and curl up with a gripping novel. For them, LaHaye's works of fiction beyond belief are gospel.
Because fundamentalists have failed to adopt a positive worldview, they hang onto his every oracular word, believing that their "blessed hope" will come when they take wings with their soon_coming king. LaHaye's notions are the epitome of quick_fix solutions to life's real challenges. What about overpopulation, disease, hunger, and world peace? Fundamentalists haven't a clue about what to do about any of these problems, and it doesn't bother them in the least. Don't worry, Jesus will whisk the believers away – too bad for those left behind. If LaHaye and his fundamentalist followers don't want to be part of the solution, then they shouldn't be part of the problem.
To most, the fundamentalist interpretation of the Book of Revelation is just plain wacky. But, for others, especially Jews, it's downright uncomfortable. For they are told that the day is coming when they'll have to choose Jesus and life, or death and hell. LaHaye doesn't seem to mind that this doctrine is abhorrent to Jews. In fact, he rejoices. After all, 144,000 fortunate Jews will choose Jesus and life.
The fact that LaHaye is an ardent foe of the separation between church and state is evidenced by a letter he wrote to The Freedom Writer in 1988. He wrote that The Freedom Writer "is full of disinformation," and, "typical of left_wing journals like yours, you print anything you can find that is derogatory to those with whom you disagree _ without checking the facts."
"Why not admit that the words 'separation' and 'church' do not even appear in the U.S. Constitution," he added. "Instead, they do appear in Article 52 of the Constitution of the Soviet Union."
Also see three other pages written by Christians who also have reservations about Tim:
This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
He and his wife also teach sexuality for married xtians in ways some claim is helpful (that is supposing they were kept illiterate and dumb prior to marriage), but in ways that also indoctrinate extreme homophobia and delusional perceptions that depict common non-gender specific sex acts as "gay" and "wrong". It's important to be aware of this jerk because he isn't just leading a hundred person reclusive cult, but influencing over a million Americans to lose touch with reality.
Unknown to many, Tim LaHaye helped engineer today's Religious Right. LaHaye believes that "Jesus is the only way by which humanity can be saved; people's lives are significantly changed when they become Christians; and Jesus Christ is coming back — soon."
The 72_year_old Tim LaHaye has had a profound impact on American politics. LaHaye and his wife Beverly are 1950 graduates of the ultra-fundamentalist Bob Jones University. (a fact never mentioned in his biographies)
LaHaye's early pastoral ministry was mostly apolitical. In 1972, he assisted in the formation of the Institute for Creation Research, a group founded to promote the Biblical doctrine of creationism.
In 1979, LaHaye co-founded the Moral Majority with Jerry Falwell. He also published "The Battle for the Mind", his blueprint on how conservative Christians could take over the government of the United States. In the same year, his wife launched Concerned Women for America.
The Moral Majorities fundraising letters warned that America was faced with doom by secular humanists, militant homosexuals, and "baby killers" _ unless enough people were "saved, baptized, and registered to vote."
Meanwhile, left behind at home, Beverly LaHaye launched Concerned Women for America, which claims to be the largest women's group in the US.
Then, in 1980, Tim LaHaye organized the Council for National Policy, a vehicle for conservative religious leaders, politicians and business people to come together to share and implement their dogmatic ideas.
In 1984, LaHaye founded the American Coalition for Traditional Values, and began holding training seminars for Religious Right leaders..
Even though the Moral Majority and the American Coalition for Traditional Values collapsed through lack of funding, the Council for National Policy (CNP) and Concerned Women for America remain viable and important today. LaHaye is so fond of the CNP that he once said, "It isn't often in life that reality is better than the dream. That's the way it is with the Council for National Policy."
Rev. LaHaye is a Pre-tribulationist. That is, he believes that Jesus will return and take away believing Christians through the Rapture, an event that will cause Christians to fly off in the sky to meet Jesus. After the Rapture, an evil leader called the Antichrist will rule the world. Those who refuse to worship him will die. Christian fundamentalists believe that after the Rapture, Jews will believe in Jesus and fight the Antichrist.
Today, LaHaye, the author of more than 40 books, many of them bestsellers, has gone from activist to novelist. Instead of using sensational fundraising letters to exploit people's fears, he writes sensational novels which focus on propagating his "end time" doctrines..
He is doing this through his "Left Behind" series of 12 books. The first in the series, entitled "Left Behind", came out in 1995. One might say that he's exchanged one form of fiction for another. Yet, in his new role, he's reaching far more people than he ever dreamed of back at the Moral Majority. Tim LaHaye is the book series' theologian. His friend Jerry Jenkins is actually writing the series. LaHaye said he gives Jenkins the story outline and Jenkins fleshes them out. "Jerry is a phenomenal fiction writer," according to LaHaye.
The financial rewards aren't bad either. The authors report that their bestsellers have earned each of them $10 million. LaHaye, consistently has novels on The New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.
The Indwelling: The Beast Takes Possession, is the newest installment in the fundamentalist "end times" saga by LaHaye. Advance orders for The Indwelling reached 1.9 million copies, propelling it overnight to number one on amazon.com, and The New York Times best_selling fiction lists. According to The New York Times, the writers, the Rev. Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, have pulled off "an unparalleled achievement for an evangelical novel."
The Indwelling: The Beast Takes Possession is the seventh book in the "Left Behind" series. The phrase refers to the Christian fundamentalist belief in the Rapture, that is, at the sound of a trumpet, Jesus will soon appear in the clouds to take believers up to meet him, thus escaping the horrible calamities foretold in the Book of Revelation.
Unbelievers who are left behind will have to engage in a three_and_a_half year battle with the forces of Satan. According to fundamentalist theologians, including LaHaye, all of the Jewish people will be left behind at the Rapture, and will suffer mightily during the dreadful period called the Great Tribulation. But before it's all over, 144,000 of them will accept Jesus as their savior. The rest will perish. The clear message to Jew and Gentile is "You don't want to be left behind."
So far, 17 million copies of the "Left Behind" series have been sold. Interestingly, when The New York Times tabulates its bestseller list, it excludes sales from the thousands of evangelical Christian bookstores across America. Last fall, this newsletter profiled Tim LaHaye in an article called "Tim LaHaye: the man behind the bestsellers."
Two other books which have appeared on the lists are are titled "Assassins" and "Apollyon". LaHaye dropped the "Rev." title on the book covers.
In describing Apollyon, The New York Times writes, "After the rapture of the saved, the world's remaining believers confront the Antichrist." A similar description accompanies Assassins.
LaHaye says that the Times and USA Today bestseller lists represent only one-third of the books sold. They don't take into account sales in Christian bookstores, Costco, and Sam's Club.
Cashing in on the popularity of the books, a Christian film company is producing a movie based on Left Behind, the first book in the series.
"Most of all," LaHaye said in an article in the Southern California Christian Times, "I believe God has chosen to bless this series. In doing so, he's giving the country and maybe the world, one last, big wake-up call before the events transpire."
"Jerry and I have made this a spiritual quest right from the laying out of the first book," LaHaye continued. "We have asked God to give us unusual insight in producing what we call believable conversions. Instead of producing a preachy book, we wanted it to have believable stories of Christian conversions that are reproducible in the heart of the reader. We're asking the same thing for the movie."
Using the Book of Revelation as an outline, the authors add present_day fictional characters to the ancient allegory. While their books are fiction, the authors truly believe the events that they describe will play out in our lifetime.
While spine_chilling fiction is run_of_the_mill, such fiction is usually hypothetical. But for LaHaye and millions of avid fundamentalist followers, "end_times" fiction is their reality.
That is truly scary.
The insatiable readers who devour the "Left Behind" series have limited vision and little hope. In recent years, many of these folks have become politically involved because they desire an America without non_Christian religions, humanists, homosexuals, abortion, and erotic images. But because in their hearts they know such a scenario will never unfold, they have turned to wishful escapism. Their escapism is not the kind of escapism most people enjoy when they pull the curtains and curl up with a gripping novel. For them, LaHaye's works of fiction beyond belief are gospel.
Because fundamentalists have failed to adopt a positive worldview, they hang onto his every oracular word, believing that their "blessed hope" will come when they take wings with their soon_coming king. LaHaye's notions are the epitome of quick_fix solutions to life's real challenges. What about overpopulation, disease, hunger, and world peace? Fundamentalists haven't a clue about what to do about any of these problems, and it doesn't bother them in the least. Don't worry, Jesus will whisk the believers away – too bad for those left behind. If LaHaye and his fundamentalist followers don't want to be part of the solution, then they shouldn't be part of the problem.
To most, the fundamentalist interpretation of the Book of Revelation is just plain wacky. But, for others, especially Jews, it's downright uncomfortable. For they are told that the day is coming when they'll have to choose Jesus and life, or death and hell. LaHaye doesn't seem to mind that this doctrine is abhorrent to Jews. In fact, he rejoices. After all, 144,000 fortunate Jews will choose Jesus and life.
The fact that LaHaye is an ardent foe of the separation between church and state is evidenced by a letter he wrote to The Freedom Writer in 1988. He wrote that The Freedom Writer "is full of disinformation," and, "typical of left_wing journals like yours, you print anything you can find that is derogatory to those with whom you disagree _ without checking the facts."
"Why not admit that the words 'separation' and 'church' do not even appear in the U.S. Constitution," he added. "Instead, they do appear in Article 52 of the Constitution of the Soviet Union."
Also see three other pages written by Christians who also have reservations about Tim:
Tim & Beverly LaHaye General Teachings/Activities
* Tim LaHaye Promotes Sigmund Freud
* Temperament Analysis/Personality Typing* Christian or Psycho-Occult?
This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Milton Frihetsson, 2:52 AM
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