Editing Left Behind (section)

==== End-times theology ====
Along with some other rapture fiction novels, the ''Left Behind'' series demonstrates a specific interpretation of the Gospel and the Christian life, one with which many have taken issue theologically. The books have not sold particularly well outside of the United States.<ref name="boston">{{cite web |last1=Boston |first1=Rob |date=February 2002 |title=If Best-Selling End-Times Author Tim LaHaye Has His Way, Church-State Separation Will Be... Left Behind |url=http://www.au.org/church-state/february-2002-church-state/featured/left-behind |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118111636/http://www.au.org/church-state/february-2002-church-state/featured/left-behind |archive-date=November 18, 2011 |access-date=April 1, 2015 |website=[[Americans United for Separation of Church and State]]}}</ref> [[Dispensationalism]] remains a minority view among theologians.<ref name="dart">{{cite magazine |last1=Dart |first1=John |date=September 25, 2002 |title='Beam me up' theology—The Debate Over 'Left Behind' |url=http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2600 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402123910/http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2600 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |access-date=April 1, 2015 |magazine=[[The Christian Century]] |pages=8–9 |via=Religion Online}}</ref> For instance, [[amillennialism|amillennial]] and [[postmillennialism|postmillennial]] Christians do not believe in the same timeline of the Second Coming as [[premillennialism|premillennialists]], while [[preterism|preterist]] Christians interpret the Book of Revelation as events that have already been fulfilled in the 1st century. [[Brian McLaren]] of the [[Emerging Church|Emergent Church]] compares the ''Left Behind'' series to ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'', and states, "What the ''Left Behind'' novels do, the way they twist scripture toward a certain theological and political end, I think [[Dan Brown|[Dan] Brown]] is twisting scripture, just to other political ends."<ref name="Brian">{{cite web |last1=McLaren |first1=Brian |date=May 9, 2006 |title=Brian McLaren on the Da Vinci Code |url=http://forgodsfame.org/2006/05/09/brian-mclaren-on-the-da-vinci-code/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402114248/http://forgodsfame.org/2006/05/09/brian-mclaren-on-the-da-vinci-code/ |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |access-date=April 1, 2015 |website=Grace Fellowship |publisher=Sojourners Magazine}}</ref> John Dart, writing in ''Christian Century'', characterized the works as "[[Beam me up, Scotty#Legacy|beam me up]] theology."<ref name="dart" /> Jason Springs argues that evangelical beliefs on the role of the modern state of [[Israel]] have been shaped by the books.<ref name=":1" />