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American Morning

Discussion About Bestselling 'Left Behind' Series of Books

Aired June 24, 2002 - 08:47   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Since 9/11, fears about the end of the world have become a lot more popular. This summer, they are the focus of what is predicted to be the best-selling book of the season. It is the latest in a series of books called the "Left Behind Books." And while many people haven't heard of them, they're actually outselling Tom Clancy and pretty much anybody you can think of, including John Grisham.

This week's "Time" magazine takes a look at the doom boo, and here with more on that is "Time" magazine's Shawn Cloud.

Good morning.

SHAWN CLOUD, "TIME" MAGAZINE": Good morning.

KAGAN: We're in the news business, so no one has to tell us how much bad stuff has been happening since 9/11. You have the Mideast situation, Afghanistan, but to a lot of people out there, this is more than just a series of events. This is a pattern of something really bad that's going to happen.

CLOUD: That's right. Since the founding of Israel in 1948, a lot of people see these events in a series of events that come out in Bible prophesies, and they think they're coming true, and they think that we're heading toward something cataclysmic.

KAGAN: And we're talking the events will end the world, and that's what people are concerned about?

CLOUD: Well, there either concerned, or in some sense, they would be looking forward to it, because it means they'll go to Heaven.

KAGAN: We'll get to what "Left Behind" means in a moment. First, I want to look at a series of numbers. You ask a bunch of questions, but the one question that really kind of intrigued me. You asked, "Do you think that Revelations, as it is in the Bible, will actually occur?" And the numbers -- I don't think we have this up on the screen, but 42 percent of the people you asked said, yes, eventually it will occur, 17 percent said, yes, in my lifetime, 33 percent said no.

But there is a large number of people out there that think the end of the world will happen as it is in the New Testament. CLOUD: That's right, and these numbers have gone up after September 11. There's always been a core of 20 percent or so of Americans who are evangelicals, who believe that Revelations is going to occur. And you've had in different periods of history, people who think it will occur in their lifetime.

KAGAN: This would be more than twice as much as that.

CLOUD: That's right, there's a larger group of people now who are paying attention to this.

KAGAN: So let's talk about this incredible best selling series of book, the "Left Behind Books." And first of all, the meaning behind "left behind?"

CLOUD: Well, those are the people who are not raptured up to Heaven in this event called the Rapture, that many evangelicals believe will happen, that all the true believers go up to heaven.

KAGAN: The believers go up, the rest of us are stuck down here for really, really bad stuff.

CLOUD: That's right, seven years of tribulation, earthquakes, locust, you know, the whole works.

KAGAN: Even, in some of the things brought up -- you could be flying on a plane. If the pilot and the crew are believer, they go up, and you're stuck on the plane in the back.

CLOUD: That's right. And then the plane goes down. This is how the books open, and there's a lot of action, which I think helps explain their popularity.

KAGAN: The series of books written by two men, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. Who are these men?

CLOUD: Tim LaHaye is an evangelical pastor and conservative activist, who is the theologian behind the books, and Jerry Jenkins is a popular novelist, who has written something like 110 books.

And so Tim LaHaye kind of comes up with the notes and the ideas and the concepts, and Jerry Jenkins is the one who brings it to life?

CLOUD: That's right, Tim LaHaye comes up with these outlines of Bible prophecies that are very detailed. He believes the Bible creates a very, very specific timetable for events after the Rapture. He hands these notes over to Jerry Jenkins. He turns them into these what have been very popular novels.

KAGAN: One of the things I thought was interesting, looking at the "Time" cover story last night, is we're not just talking about, like you were saying, for evangelicals. There are people who are maybe just shopping in the store, looking for a good read, or perhaps looking for answers, that are picking these books up, and believe they're finding they're answers in these books. CLOUD: That's right. People can read them in different ways. We found, you know, Orthodox Jews and more mainstream Protestants who read them and don't necessarily take them as a prediction of the future, but just enjoy them, because they're action packed and they have some good characters.

But then we also found people who take them quite seriously as a prediction, and have changed their lives in certain ways. They avoid certain technologies because they're predicted in the books to be used by the Anti-Christ to hunt down Christians. So there's a wide range of responses.

KAGAN: Quickly, you have another feature in this week's magazine where you visit with Tim LaHaye. Your strongest impression of this man who is selling these millions of books across America, and the world, I guess?

CLOUD: He's a very genuine, very sweet guy who takes the theology incredibly seriously.

KAGAN: Interesting stuff. A different perspective. John Cloud, it's the cover story this week's "Time" magazine. Check it out on your newsstands.

Thank you so much.

CLOUD: Thank you.

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