The A-schlock-alypse

Save yourself the trouble of reading the Left Behind series and go directly to this incredible review by Gene Lyons in Harpers. It's the most insightful piece I've read on the Left Behind phenomenon (although Slacktivist's close reading is certainly worth your time too). Perceptive, witty, and sharp, the article seeks to understand how such wretchedly conceived cornball fiction could be so popular. Lyons captures the essence of the rapture mania with perfect epithets like "messianic narcissism."