October 27 1997

ARTICLE TOOLS

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FICTION: YES!
* A big yes to your section on fiction [Sept. 1]. I like the way Michael Maudlin's article on three end-time novels points out what these books say about evangelicals. I appreciate your calling attention to the delightful work of Jan Karon. And I thank you for publishing the story by James Calvin Schaap. My only disappointment is that you plan to make us wait another year for more.

Please do use the magazine to encourage excellence in Christian fiction, to help evangelicals develop a taste for such fiction, and to inform us about what is out there. Who will do these things if CT doesn't?

Frances Fuller
Georgetown, Calf

* Michael Maudlin's analysis of recent apocalyptic novels ["The Bible Study at the End of the World"], including Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye's series juxtaposed against popular American Christianity, is intriguing and thought-provoking. A story of this successful series would not be complete, however, without mentioning why the authors first teamed up for this series, as well as mentioning reactions of readers who, upon reading these books, have rethought life priorities.

More than ten years ago, Tim LaHaye shared his desire with Jerry Jenkins to write a novel about the "What Ifs" of the end times. When their schedules finally opened up for them to work together three years ago, they wrote the first book. LaHaye provided the basic ideas and theological research, while Jenkins used his fiction-writing skills. Jenkins said they hoped "this story will challenge Christians to live like they are expecting the Rapture at any time and will be a book that Christians could give to non-Christians without embarrassment. Using fiction makes the truth of the Rapture come to life—it gives it that 'Wow' ...