“Right Behind: A Parody of Last Days Goofiness” by Nathan D. Wilson
I must admit, this book was sort of a guilty pleasure for me. A satirical parody of the Left Behind series, it was one of the most fun reads I’ve enjoyed in quite some time. Certainly the only time in recent memory when I have laughed out loud for the entire length of a book! Which, at only 105 pages, meant a good solid 90-minutes of joy.
Those unfamiliar or unaccustomed with satire should probably stay away from this one. On the other hand, anyone who, like me, absolutely LOVED the Douglas Adams Hitchhiker’s Guide series will appreciate Wilson’s writing style. On the surface, it may come across as just plain dumb, but it takes true genius to write something so intentionally stupid. It’s really quite clever.
Wilson’s biting yet winsome writing pokes fun at many stereotypes within the evangelical culture, such as Christian bookstores, cable networks, and consumerism. Most of all, though, he critiques dispensational theology and the horrid writing style of most books in the genre of prophetic apocalyptic fiction.
Enjoying this book probably depends on a prior familiarity with the original Left Behind series. As someone who actually trudged through all twelve of the LaHaye/Jenkins books, though, I feel like I picked up on most of his references… not that many of them were all that subtle.
Moment of self-disclosure here: I originally began reading the Left Behind series at about the time the sixth book was published. I devoured the first half of the series like it was candy, and was drawn hook, line, & sinker into LaHaye’s system of prophetic interpretation. In my defense, I was a college freshman at the time, and didn’t really know any better. I had never actually read much of my Bible, and certainly not any of the prophetic passages. It took a while to realize that God’s Word is so very much better than fiction! By the time the last book came out I had seen the light. I no longer cared for dispensationalism, and had realized how terrible the writing was in the series… I just can’t stand to not finish a series once I’ve started it!
Anyway, if you are into satirical writing and not into the pre-trib Rapture, you’ll want to check this one out. Buy it here.
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