Will Catholics Be Left Behind: A Critique of the Rapture and Today's Prophecy Preachers (Modern Apologetics Library) Paperback – January 1, 2003

The unprecedented popularity of the Left Behind series of books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins presents a dilemma for Catholic apologists and others from historic forms of Christianity. While not objecting to a well spun adventure yarn, the books present as fact the relatively novel ideas of dispensationalism which arose in the most sectarian and anti-Catholic regions of Protestant thought. When one combines the fact that the historic churches and the churches of the Reformation have not always made clear their eschatological views and the contemporary culture's obsession with conspiriacy theories and fortune telling of all sorts , it is a recipe in which the sensationalistic elements of dispensational thought can strike a chord with a wide audience - including a Catholic one.Carl E. Olson, as a former adherent of the dispensationalist view, understands its appeal to those seeking simplisitic answers to difficult questions. He also understands that, unlike other branches of Christianity where a large amount of freedom is left for individuals to interpret details, dispensationalism cannot survive without every "i" dotted and every "t" crossed. For it is not merely an eschatological system but an overarching hermeneutic that governs the interpretation of every facet of Scripture. Thus any crack in the system sends the whole facade tumbling down and must be opposed vigorously by its followers.In Will Catholics Be Left Behind?, Olson exposes the many cracks in the dispensationalist system to the light of day and leaves it in utter ruins. This is not merely a point of intellectual interest for Olson; as a convert to Catholicism, he knows the hostility to Catholicism inherent in the system and the complete incompatibility of the dispensationalist vision with Catholic doctrine. He contrasts the malformed understanding of Scripture and the Church at its very heart and contrasts this with the rich and firmly rooted understanding of these and other topics that underpins historical Christianity. The result is the complete vanquishing of his dispensationalist opponents as their logical inconsistency, historical ignorance, and parochial outlook is bared for all to see.The book itself is divided into two parts. The first outlines the beliefs and development of the dispensationalist doctrine. At this point, Olson points out only the most obvious of problems and responds with the basics of the historic Christian view as a counterweight. In his presentation of the origins of the dispensationalist system, he wisely avoids the peripheral issue of who came first with the doctrine. Dispensationalists often argue that John Nelson Darby, frequently creditied with dispensationalism's founding in 1830, had predecessors in the 1600s and 1700s. Yet whether the system was created in the 17th, 18th, or 19th centuries is irrelevant - it had at most a handful of followers prior to Darby and it was a novelty in comparison to the whole of Christian history.The second part of the book is a complete deconstruction of the dispensationalist system. Most telling is when, applying a theme developed by historians of American Protestantism such as George Marsden and Mark Noll, Olson demonstrates the reliance of dispensationalists on a now outmoded understanding of science and classification pioneered by Francis Bacon. This fixation with an ideal of the scientific method most popular in Anglo-American intellectual circles prior to the 20th century does much to explain the complete misreading of the symbolism and poetic imagery common in the apocalyptic writings of Holy Scripture. It also does much to explain why dispensationalism never arose prior to the modern period and only in the English speaking world. In the end, fundamentalism in general and dispensationalism in particular are as modernist in nature as the liberalism they oppose.In successive chapters, Olson exposes the complete artificiality of the dispensationalist invention of Church-Israel and Kingdom of Heaven-Kingdom of God barriers, the inconsistency in application and historical groundlessness of their so-called "literal" method of interpretation, and the total absence of both Scriptural and historical justification of the dispensationalist doctrine of the pretribulational rapture. The latter in particular is an extraordinary example of careful exegesis as each of the dispensationalists' pet passages to justify their rapture doctrine are placed back in context and shown to either be about the Second Coming of Christ or not relevant to end times issues at all. It becomes clear that without the system assumed a priori, no one would ever come to such a conclusion. The pretibulational rapture was constructed to overcome a problem of consistency and then passages of Scripture were misapplied to justify its invention after the fact. When all is said and done, Olson has completely unraveled the dispensationalist fantasy and left it in ashes.Olson then closes with the Catholic vision of the endtimes. This may disappoint some because it is not overly concerned with military hardware but with spiritual armor; it is concerned less with escaping danger than with martyrdom; it concerns itself less with what Satan will do as with what Christ has already done. It is a vision of glory that all beleivers in Christ will share - presented in eternity as the marraige supper of the Lamb and foreshadowed in time by the Holy Eucharist. For those who worship following the historic liturgical pattern of the Church, they need not fret over when Christ will come to take them away for He has never left them.The challenges presented by such popular works as the Left Behind series has caused more historically rooted Christians to finally wake up to the doctrinal aberrations inherent in the dispensationalist system. This has necessitated a careful study of eschatology and a thorough presentation of their own tradition's views in a form accessible to the layman. For Catholics, it will be hard to top Will Catholics Be Left Behind? - in this book, Carl E. Olson has written an essential work of apologetics not just for Catholics, but for all Christians so they now can leave Left Behind behind.

This is a prodigious work, both in scale and scholarship. Olson patiently ushers the reader through the intellectual funhouse of dispensationalism, tracing the claims of historicity whose tendrils snake all the way back to the Early Church Fathers.He is able to patiently unravel the Gordian tangle that is "the Rapture" - with premillennialists vying with chiliasts, amillennialists, postribulationalists and pretribulationalists - until, thanks to the author's water-clear prose and relentless logic, you actually are able to come to an understanding of this complex and, often, exasperating view.And it's *very* important that you do. Belief in "the Rapture" is a tremendous influence in America - witness the whopping sales total of more than 43 million books in the 'Left Behind' series. So it is no surprise when Olson assiduously traces the intellectual, theological - and even literary - inheritance of co-author Tim LaHaye, explaining how and why the 'Left Behind' series is a dangerous stealth attack on Catholic belief.But we also see extended treatments of the positions of others besides LaHaye - I'm talking about popular and prominent Protestant thinkers like Hal Lindsay, Jack Van Impe, Dave Hunt, Charles Ryrie, Cyrus Scofield and the father of "the Rapture," John Nelson Darby, complete with extended quotes as they explain their points in their own voices.That is a vital point, by the way. Olson is not duking it out with straw men here. He states his opponents' positions straightforwardly, and in detail. Nor is he the least bit condescending. He is honest and respectful - and the fact that he spent his early years in these fundamentalist Protestant circles no doubt helps.Best of all, Olson gives us the benefit of an overview of Catholic thought on the end times, with liberal contributions from such eminences grises as Karl Adam, Jean Danielou, Louis Bouyer and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.One can only hope that Olson's citations will result in greater readership for these giants of Catholic orthodoxy, and for the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well.For the Catholic position on the end times can be a source of great unity and peace for the faithful, in contrast with the Us vs. Them desperation that "the Rapture" tends to encourage.In all, this is a wonderful, very readable treatment of a complex and hitherto largely unexamined (from the Catholic point of view anyway) topic. And Mr. Olson is a very welcome addition to the pantheon of intellectually rigorous, scripture-steeped and historically minded converts to the Catholic faith who are today sharing their wonder at the glories of the Church.I believe we are in the midst of the greatest blossoming of Catholic scholarship and thought ever to take place in America. And Olson's book deserves a spot on Catholic bookshelves, side-by-side with those of George Weigel, Scott Hahn, Stephen Ray, Marcus Grodi, Dave Armstrong, Thomas Howard, Mark Shea and so many others.If you're looking for the last word on the last days, buy this book. You will *not* be disappointed.

Received it in the mail yesterday and just finished reading Chapter 1.Simply put, I will finish reading the book and then read it again and possibly again. I am hooked.