
“The book launched a series that launched a marketing empire that launched a new set of rules for Christian fiction. LaHaye and Jenkins not only had readers rethinking the rapture, but also the potential popularity of Christian novels. Jenkins of Christianity Today wrote:ĬT ranked Left Behind among the landmark titles that have shaped evangelicalism. The popularity of the Left Behind series made LaHaye one of the most prominent Christian writers in the world. Among the few Christian writers who could rival him was Rick Warren, whose “Purpose Driven Life” has sold about 40 million copies.

Jenkins, sold more than 60 million copies, putting him in a league with the top writers of secular thrillers. His “Left Behind” series of novels, co-written with Jerry B. He was 90 and had celebrated his 69th anniversary with his wife earlier in the month during a cruise off Alaska. LaHaye died July 25 in a San Diego hospital after suffering a stroke. Hagerty describes him as “an evangelical pastor who interpreted Biblical prophecies, advised couples on marriage and sex, founded schools and helped lead the Moral Majority political coalition.” That was all before setting pen to paper as an author of apocalyptic religious fiction. A Wall Street Journal obituary by James R. Tim LaHaye, author of the fantastically successful Left Behind series, died last Monday.
