Barack Obama has an evangelical problem—he just doesn’t know it yet. Since Jerry Falwell’s funeral, Pat Robertson’s withdrawal from the national spotlight, and James Dobson’s retirement, many journalists and historians have joined the Democrats in dancing on the grave of the religious right. But the celebration has been premature.
There is no doubt that we are witnessing the rise of a new generation of moderate Christian leaders, including Rick Warren and Joel Osteen, who look more like Oprah Winfrey than Billy Sunday. Nevertheless, while the president has reached out to the faithful, he has yet to realize that he is dealing with a countercultural movement that at its foundation is obsessed with the apocalypse. But he will know it soon enough. With the culture wars heating up again—fueled by a Catholic nominee to the Supreme Court, the murder of an abortion provider, the administration’s positions on gay rights, and ongoing discussions about the environment—a surge in apocalyptic rhetoric is imminent.
The vast majority of American evangelicals interpret the most obscure books of the Bible (Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation) in a very narrow and particular way. They believe that when these three books are read in conjunction with one another and overlaid with a few of Jesus’ statements, a hidden “plan of the ages” emerges. According to their decryptions, a number of events will transpire just before the apocalypse. These include a return of the Jews to Palestine, a decline in morals, religious apostasy, and the consolidation of independent nations into one super-state led by a seemingly benevolent leader who is actually the Antichrist.
During the last 100 years, evangelicals have witnessed more and more evidence of these prophecies being fulfilled. In the reigns of Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, they saw the Antichrist foreshadowed. The rapid expansion of the New Deal state and FDR’s dream of a global United Nations threatened evangelicals’ sense of religious liberty and national independence. For the faithful living in the 1930s and ’40s, to support Rooseveltian liberalism or internationalism was to be complicit in the rise of the Antichrist.
In the late 1960s, evangelicals once again faced growing state power in the form of Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” while simultaneously witnessing the apparent evaporation of cherished American values. They responded by reverting to apocalyptic jeremiads. This was most evident in the runaway success of Hal Lindsey’s The Late, Great Planet Earth, the best-selling nonfiction book of the 1970s. At the same time evangelicals, although scorning Hollywood, turned to modern technology to preach Armageddon. The result was the cult phenomenon A Thief in the Night, an Armageddon-themed film that popularized one of the first pop Christian hits, Larry Norman’s “I Wish We’d All Been Ready.” The movie scared countless teenagers (and probably an equal number of adults) into preparing for the rapture.
Millennial fervor swept evangelicals again in the late 1990s on the heels of the two-term Clinton presidency. Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins published Left Behind, the first in a series of novels that grew into the best-selling series of the past decade (until they were finally overtaken by the true prince of darkness himself, Harry Potter). Films, music, and even a line of kids’ books turned Left-Behind apocalypticism into a billion dollar business. Evangelicals were well prepared then to view the terrorist attacks on 9/11 as evidence of God’s judgment for the Clinton years.
So what does this mean for the Obama administration? Nothing very promising. Despite the president’s desire to find common ground with evangelicals, he is unlikely to be able to penetrate the apocalyptic fears that have characterized the evangelical movement since the Great Depression.
Obama is caught in a classic catch-22. The Antichrist, the Bible explains, is going to masquerade as an angel of light. This means that the more Obama accomplishes as president and the more he improves America’s image abroad, the more suspicious evangelicals will become; they don’t want to be duped by the devil. Obama’s talk of more cooperation with other nations, the possibility of a national health care plan, his move to nationalize some private businesses, and his goal of expanding protection of the rights of gays and lesbians will drive evangelicals to one certain conclusion: the End of Days are upon us.
So what can we do? Pray for the rapture. If evangelicals vanish, the rest of us might finally get better medical care, a healthier environment, a more just international community, and full civil rights for gays and lesbians. But short of this miracle, we can at least begin to understand that before Obama is able to penetrate the evangelical heart, evangelicals themselves will need to do some serious soul-searching. Rick Warren and Joel Osteen’s shallow, positive-thinking, feel-good sermonizing is not going to help them do this. Instead, it is up to the younger evangelicals to engage in serious intellectual debate and a rigorous rethinking of the theology at the root of their politics. Anything less and the doomsayers will turn fears of Obama-as-Antichrist into big business. But hell, maybe that’s just the spark the economy needs.
Tags: apoclypse, armageddon, common ground, end times, evangelicals, left behind, obama administration
I thought I'd share in connection with this a piece I posted just over a year ago on my own blog, explaining from my own perspective as a New Testament scholar how I know that Barack Obama is NOT the antichrist.
Fifth paragraph: The result was the cult phenomenon A Thief in the Night, an Armageddon-themed film that popularized one of the first pop Christian hits, Greg Norman’s “I Wish We’d All Been Ready.”
I think you meant Larry Norman. Greg Norman is the golfer.
Quite right! Thanks for the correction.
Fear of the anti-Christ is supposed to deter Cristian from listening to anyone who challenges religion who might be charismatic and articulate enough to dispel faith. When you see an Atheist thumping a bible, that might be an anti-Christ. "The anti-Christ" is simply the one carrying the final straw. But it's not the end of the world, it's just the end of religion.
Most people have already abandoned and rejected most of the religious texts without even knowing it. They don't know because they have never actually read the book. People tend to hold themselves to much higher moral standards than any of the three major religions teach.
"So what can we do? Pray for the rapture."
Best laugh of the day so far!
I have been engaging a similar conversation on my blog called: The Antichrist and His Minions. "His Minions" being people would feed into the spirit of antichrist by playing up this hardline, literal figure of Antichrist. I think things like peace and unity, albeit Christian ideals, will never be allowed to take place because many evangelicals (which I'm a part of) are skeptical of anyone who tries to accomplish these things because they don't want to be duped by the devil (as you say). If you'd like to read my blog, here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/la8we4
To quote part of a line you wrote: "...it is up to the younger evangelicals to engage in serious intellectual debate and a rigorous rethinking of the theology..." I find it ironic that the more intellectual a person is, the less "blind faith" they put into their religion. These "enlightened" people tend to actually think for themselves and they approach their faith with less piety and even a modicum of humility. They are often less arrogant and self-righteous in their approach to the world, as well. While my statement is not true for everyone, I find less "doomsday" being preached among the more educated and intellectual persons. Furthermore, the younger intellectuals are more open to a logical approach to religious texts and embrace cultural differences, diversity in human nature and believe that the best in humanity can be achieved through intelligent debate, not crusades.
Matt,
Great post! I love it. Of course, not all evangelicals are fans of the apocalypse, but it does drive much of the Religious Right!
Even though I don't share his eschatology, the late Larry Norman was a great song writer. His voice like Dylan and Young, may not have been great, but he had a knack at writing intriguing music.
Great read and a better laugh. Dr. Matthew Avery Sutton. Sir, you have brains and spunk. That is a dangerous combination. Do you have tenure yet? :-)
Yep, looks like the religious spasm of the last forty years has spawned a new area of interest for academics. For years and then some Martin Marty and Harvey Cox pretty well had the turf to themselves. Look at ya now.
My guess is the Religious Right, Evangelicals, Charismatics, Washington's Family on C Street and what ever the next wave gets named will continue to be frisky enough to keep lights on in the study carrels.
Poor old mainliners. I guess we will sit the next one out too. It really hurts not to be studied.
P.S. I don't have a blog. But, I do have an attitude. Does that count?
...I agree wholeheartedly that we should be praying for the Rapture, Dr. Sutton...but I'm sure you meant to say that, after it comes, it's the Religious Right that will have the earth to itself at last.
We will all be elsewhere!
(And Niebuhr's posts on RD up there are going to be AMAZING...)
We've already contacted his agent and will be negotiating the details shortly.
What does God think about people who are praying for rapture?
Thank you so much, Matthew, for writing this. From telling us to pray for the rapture so we can have better health care to calling the gospel according to Rick and Joel shallow, you really hit the nail on the head!
The sun-god RAH was born of a virgin in december,witnessed by three wise men, died and was resurrected...any of this story sound the least bit familiar?? The whole bible and Kuran among other religious "documents" were WRITTEN BY MEN. These men wished to control the masses and profit from it. There is no shred of evidence that there is any truth in any religion. YOU MUST HAVE FAITH they say...in my humble opinion it's all a load of hooey.
actually it's ra not to be technical. history is filled with similar narrative, just because thes stories exist does not make the bible inaccurate. on the contrary there is something called a meta narrative, a story that over arches all others here is where the bible intersects with culture. The fact that these stories exist is Gods grace to the human heart to prepare the way for truth.Heb 1 God has been communicationg with mankind since the fall, foretelling of what will come, it is spoken in the stars in ancient lore, in the stories of the egyptians,greeks,persians, the story of a coming one, the stories of great heroic deeds, and exploits. He is the true ra, the true mithras, the true osisris/horus, he is zeus who has defeated the titans(shaitans "fallen ones") and bound them in tartarus 1 peter. Like the lakota who worshipped the great spirit and represented, and understood him to be fire. God is a consuming fire,Jesus batizes with fire, the Holy Spirit came with fire, can you imagine communicating the gospel to these people from that context?He is the unknown God of the athenians, he is the true avatar, the true shaman, He is the light of all mankind. He is the fulfillment of all that is ever was or ever will be. God in his grace prepares the way for the truth to come, so that all humanity including you will be without excuse on the day of judgement Rom 1...just a thought....the great caution in intellectual persuits is no to become so wise that we become fools, exchanging truth for lies and having our hearts in turn darkened. God love humanity and continues to go to great lenghts to reach us....including blog posts :D
Some "christians" have embraced some weird death cult mindset. It is very disturbing.
Personally, I think Sarah Palin fits the description of the Antichrist perfectly. It all fits if you plug her into Revelation.
Every generation since I've been around thinks the apocalypse is near.
We are actually overdue for a large meteorite or asteroid hit, but that has nothing to do with the Bible.
I wish people would make life here better and stop focusing on what happens later.
If you study the math, you will find earthquakes can be overdue, but not asteroid hits.
Actually, saying anything is "overdue" is a misnomer. Statistically speaking, we may have an earthquake every X number of years on average, but that is not the same thing as saying we will have an earthquake every X number of years. Take 100 events and space them however you want over 100 years - the average will always be one per year, regardless of whether, in reality, all 100 happened in the first year or one happens predictably on the first of May.
Between Palin and Obama, Who won? thats the answer of who fits the bill. As for making life better, what happens later is the only thing that REALLY matters.
Matthew, my main gripe with this piece is that you offer no evidence to back up your rather sweeping assertions about "the vast majority of American evangelicals." See my reply
here. In terms of the numbers, the key to my critique lies in the update at the bottom of my post.
Thanks for all of the kind words above, and sorry about mixing up Larry and Greg Norman. I was apparently subconsciously lamenting the apocalyptic decline in my golf game.
I have responded to Lava's critique at his blog (linked above).
Best, Matt
I'm glad you mentioned the nomination of a Catholic who will probably join the other five (I think) Catholic Justices. I'm Catholic and have always been confused when people refer to the Pope as the Antichrist. How long has this belief been held? Any responses to help educate me? Any thoughts on the subject?
Most Impressive, Dr. Sutton!
How very bold of you to mount an adventure against the low-hanging fruit of evangelical apocalyptos projecting their fears onto The One. And the fact that you do it here, on Religion Dispatches, the home away from home for self-loathing evangelicals and self-styled progressive mainliners who still feel guilty about the WWJD bracelets they once wore - well, if that isn't editorial courage, I don't know what is.
Your point, of course - that the Left Behind bunch should go ahead and rapture themselves and get out of the way of this present darkness's pseudo-messiah - is brilliant and oxymoronically funny.
After all, any serious student of Biblical texts knows that Obama cannot possibly be the personified spirit of Anti-Christ. There is nothing at all in John's Revelation, Daniel or Ezekial that could in any way be interpreted as being descriptive of a teleprompter.
No, but he probably would like to be.....
If you dont think Hussein Obama is at least setting the stage for an apocalyptic event then you're kidding yourself. This guy on more than one occasion has stoked the fire of the notion that he is a divine answer sebt from above. I mean Oprah introduces him as "the one" whenever hes on the show or when she talks about him. I'm sure I dont have to tell you the stranglehold Oprah has on the middle aged white female demographic. That is an enoromous amount of people being brainwashed there, do I even have to bring up Robert Tolles' "The New Earth"?. Imean between those two alone the road to hell gets wider.
But I digress, lets talk about Obama, starting with the fact that the first on air interview he ever made as the elected president in office was on Al Jezeria TV, I mean come on, really? I dont want to hear about how he's tying to save the image of America abroad. This country was founded on being itself and standing against tyranny, and thats exactly what the leadership in the middle east are tyrants, with the exception of Isreal. CHANGE WE CAN BELEIVE IN!!!!! remember those words? and the fact that one of his HUGE campaign promises was ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? well I'm a contractor working in Iraq and I have to tell you this place is not only robust with soldiers there more coming in daily. And I'm sure I dont have to tell you whats going on in afghanistan that is a huge surge, and we will be dumping trillions into that toilet for years to come, mark my words. Then theres the stimulus package 2 trillion with interest, I was home in the states in june and I didnt see one job created in my state, I did however see about 500 people in the job placement center being turned away, and God knows how many more in the unemployment line. Not only has the stimulus package failed this weasel is trying to get his liberal God hating democratic cronies to pass another stimulus bill. What does all this equal? Barack Hussein Obama is attempting to bankrupt America, and in doing so usher in a new era for the either him to reveal his true nature, or the antichrist to come. Why did all this happen? simple,MONEY, MONEY is what motivated this entire debacle, all of America didnt want one second of struggle, but after all of his mezmorizing, and hypnotics, and smooth speeches, we are still in the gutter people are still losing their houses at an alarming rate, and their jobs even faster. So give yourselves a round of applause those who voted in the devils advocate, the rewards your reaping now will be nothing, a single drop in the ocean compared to the torment in hell. I pray for all of you who have let money become your new God, I hope that you repent and that Lord Jesus Christ has mercy on you.
Ok, I'm going to ignore the poor grammar and the many painful idiosyncrasies of this post, and make one particular point: "Not only has the stimulus package failed this weasel is trying to get his liberal God hating democratic cronies to pass another stimulus bill." Has everyone forgotten just whose stimulus bill it was?
I'm sure your proper grammer will be a real comfort in hell. Bushs' stimulus bill was to bail out banks and the auto industry, which I don't agree with either. B. Hussein Obamas bill that he pushed and pushed and pushed to get passed or we would "pass the point of no return on the recession" was for all the great jobs he was going to create and to this day I haven't seen one. Look I know I'm not a very good writer, and beleive me when I say this I don't like or trust ANY politician, republican or democrat. But you can't deny that Obama is all wrong, not only for America, but for the world. He will lead America to bankruptcy. Go to www.trendreaserch.com. And please stop being such a grammer snob, and worry about tangeable things that can really affect your life. God Bless
What, you don't approve of the new jobs?
What jobs? if you haven't noticed we are still in a free fall. Two years from now you are going to wish it was as good as it was in '09. But you're probably listening to the liberal media which is equal to having your head in the sand. But whatever right? Hussien Obama is the new messiah isn't he? When will you liberals be happy? when we are a destitute, occupied country? I for one cannot wait to stand in line for 12 hours to get stale bread. Hey I'll see you there. I know this next statement doesn't have a great segway, but please stop trying to kick God out of this country He is the reason it is so great.
...and just make one comment. Joel Osteen is creepy. His theology is deeply flawed, and he has gigantic teeth.
I bet u have big teeth. Don't make fun of a man of God, you fool!
Sutton and I are in agreement on one thing: we are both praying for the rapture. I would be delighted to leave this planet to Sutton, and his fellow unbelievers.
Though Sutton does not believe it, if he is still here when the rapture does occur, he is not going to like what will come within a couple of years after the Christians are gone.
That's assuming; (a) Sutton isn't a Christian; (b) your interpretation of the "apocalyptic books" is correct and it is not allegory instead and; (c) that the bible is a trustworthy source of information.
Thanks for essentially proving the point of the article.
The point of the article is to disagree, sarcastically, with Christians, and with the Bible.
a. Sutton is not a Christian. I know because I'm one, and he's never at the meetings.
b. My interpretation of the Bible is correct.
c. The Bible is trustworthy.
I know you don't believe any of that, but that does not matter to me.
The point of the article, to me at least, is to disagree with those Evangelicals who are waaayyyy too focused on the apocalypse, not Christians/the Bible in general. However, I could be wrong.
a. That was a good one, I laughed : )
b. There are lots of interpretations of the Bible, I wish some Christians would stop condemning others because of theological differences (I'm not saying you are doing it in any way, just saying in general)
c. Well, we'll just agree to disagree.
Cheers!
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