Left Behind and Loving It: A Cheeky Look at the End Times
Left Behind and Loving It is a cheeky critique of popular writings about the end times. Rather than presenting a steroid-buffed Jesus wrapped in an American flag and "coming again in clouds of gunfire," Left Behind and Loving It invites readers to approach some of the most controversial and scary portions of the Scriptures with the utter confidence that "God's steadfast love endures forever." Rather than asserting a hope premised on a few chosen ones escaping the world, Left Behind and Loving It argues that if it is Jesus who is to return (and not his evil twin), then the second coming has redemption written all over it. Many today cannot accept the escapist, violent, end-of-the-world scenario envisioned by "Left Behind" theology. Left Behind and Loving It invites readers not to fear but to trust in God's steadfast love and look at the finitude of the world with hope in an infinitely loving God.
"Rapture theology has become a great chuffing beast, feeding on
fear, imperial aspirations, and our growing sense of alienation
from God's good creation. Mark Davis aims a few well-chosen arrows
at the beast, and lo, the rapture business turns out to be nothing
more than a lot of hot air. This book points us toward our home on
this earth, where God, whose steadfast love endures forever, dwells
with us."
-Stanley P Saunders
Columbia Theological Seminary
"In this book filled with wit and great wisdom, Mark Davis takes on
the Left Behind series and exposes it for what it is: fearmongering
nonsense that makes a travesty of the gospel. Davis provides a way
of reading the Bible that is historically sensitive and
theologically acute. And as he ably demonstrates, a faithful
reading of Scripture has its own share of surprises! I highly
recommend this book to anyone who is concerned, or confused, about
the apocalypse."
-William P. Brown
Columbia Theological Seminary
"Does the subtitle of D. Mark Davis' book imply that his analysis
is imprudent? Absolutely not. Judiciously, he delineates in lucid
prose diverse strategies fostering a faithful, non-literal reading
of 'scary' apocalyptic biblical texts. Ably demonstrating that such
multilayered texts are flattened when practitioners of 'Left Behind
Theology' view them through the lens of 'homotextuality,' Davis
engages in a 'heterotextual' reading susceptible to the
extraordinary power of poetic speech. Rather than yielding ominous
predictive truth, such image-filled disclosures in Davis'
investigation attest God's enduring love."
-J. Kenneth Kuntz
The University of Iowa
"Rapture theology has become a great chuffing beast, feeding on
fear, imperial aspirations, and our growing sense of alienation
from God's good creation. Mark Davis aims a few well-chosen arrows
at the beast, and lo, the rapture business turns out to be nothing
more than a lot of hot air. This book points us toward our home on
this earth, where God, whose steadfast love endures forever, dwells
with us."
-Stanley P Saunders
Columbia Theological Seminary
"In this book filled with wit and great wisdom, Mark Davis takes on
the Left Behind series and exposes it for what it is: fearmongering
nonsense that makes a travesty of the gospel. Davis provides a way
of reading the Bible that is historically sensitive and
theologically acute. And as he ably demonstrates, a faithful
reading of Scripture has its own share of surprises! I highly
recommend this book to anyone who is concerned, or confused, about
the apocalypse."
-William P. Brown
Columbia Theological Seminary
"Does the subtitle of D. Mark Davis' book imply that his analysis
is imprudent? Absolutely not. Judiciously, he delineates in lucid
prose diverse strategies fostering a faithful, non-literal reading
of 'scary' apocalyptic biblical texts. Ably demonstrating that such
multilayered texts are flattened when practitioners of 'Left Behind
Theology' view them through the lens of 'homotextuality,' Davis
engages in a 'heterotextual' reading susceptible to the
extraordinary power of poetic speech. Rather than yielding ominous
predictive truth, such image-filled disclosures in Davis'
investigation attest God's enduring love."
-J. Kenneth Kuntz
The University of Iowa
Product Details
- Title : Left Behind and Loving It: A Cheeky Look at the End Times
- Author: Davis, D. Mark
- Publisher: Cascade Books
- Publication Date: 2011
- ISBN: 9781621890461
D. Mark Davis is the pastor of Heartland Presbyterian Church in Clive, Iowa. He is the author of Talking about Evangelism (2007).