Discussion Questions:
Given LaHayes and Jenkins' intended audience, where in the book do you see evidence for the attempts to reach a dual audience?
How successful is the book in reaching either of these audiences?
How does attempting to reach one audience increase or diminish effectiveness with the other?Where would you put this book in a ranking of the semester's works in terms of quality of prose/literary merit or in terms of quality of story/general appeal? Why?
Out of the books we've read this semester, which book seems to have the similar brand of religion to what is conveyed through Left Behind? The most different?
How is Left Behind a significant departure from the portrayal of religion in the previous novels we've read? What does this departure tell us about bestsellers, the publishing industry, and the bookbuying public?
Contrast the preacher figure in Left Behind with the religious leaders in other books we've read.
How effective/credible/well-crafted do you find Jenkins' fictional vision of the "end times"?Why do you think the Left Behind series has been so wildly successful?