An article that didn't leave me Left Behind. Pun intended.

The reading from Amy Frykholm's book, "Rapture Culture,"  was a breath of fresh air to me, and brought me back to the Puritans, as well as to the echoes of fictional writing.   I am not just saying this because she is coming to speak to us on Monday.   Her article about the relevance and widespread popularity of an evangelically, despensationalistly based book was an enjoyable read for me, being pleasant to read (almost like a novel) and filled with interesting thoughts to ponder concerning religion and the spread of culture in America.  I myself have read several chapters of the first book in the Left Behind series, and had similar feelings to that of Frykholm.  I did not finish the book (which is a rare occurrence for me) because I found it to be rather stereotypical and too futuristic.  I can sympathize well with the question, "Who is reading these books, and why?"   Especially because I was under the impression that in this country, fundamentalism and evangalism were on the decline, and the books are based upon the idea of the rupture, and element present in such denominations.
  Frykholm shows that in actuality, conservative protestant denominations are growing more than their liberal protestant cousins, perhaps in part due to their ability to separate the church from the rest of society.  This in particular struck me, as it reminded me of the Puritans, and their adherence to boundaries and separation of believers and non-believers.      However, Frykholm explains that part of their ability to grow into modern times is in part to their ability to adapt and change, using technology, and, for some young fundamentalists, loosen their grip on some long-held ideas to better reflect modern society.   This was perhaps one failing of the Puritans, who ultimately were destroyed, perhaps partially due to their unwillingness to be flexible.  I think that the Left Behind series shows this adaptability in the sense that the books take fundamentalist ideas and make them to fit into a more modern mold, which in turn allows evangalistic ideas to be understandable by a wider audience, thus allowing the ideas to live on.   I think her ideas on this subject warrant further exploration, due to the fact that many cultural aspects may have been incorporated into our culture in a similar way.