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Will Catholics Be Left Behind? (Modern Apologetics Library)

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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.

With so many people around me reading the "Left Behind" series, I wanted to find out what the Catholic understanding of the "Rapture" is. This book delivers in spades...

Mr. Olson begins with describing what the "Rapture" is as it is presented in the "Left Behind" books. Then he elaborates on the different kinds of dispensationalists, pre, post and a millennialism, as well as the differences between pre, post, and mid tribulationist.

He goes on to explore each of these and their logical (or illogical) conclusions. He traces the history of each train of thought and presents the historical Catholic position and response to these ideas, even outlining how a Catholic could be said to agree with different parts of each of the positions simultaneously yet not agreeing with any one position as it is understood by the predominately "fundamentalist" preachers who espouse them.

What I like about this book is the clarity in which he describes the Catholic understanding of eschatology and where that understanding comes from. Unfortunately I believe very few "joe-six-pack in the pew" Catholics understand the differences and for that reason I believe anyone (non-Catholics included) who has read the "Left Behind" series would benefit greatly from this well researched, even handed approach to other points of view.

I've no interest whatsoever in reading the preposterous "Left Behind" books, but I must confess that I got swept up in the "Late, Great Planet Earth" fervor many years ago. Plus I spent untold hours listening to evangelical radio when that was my prime source of Christian formation -- and it was brimming with dispensationalists and various other apocalyptic, self-anointed "prophets" whose Scripture-quoting screeds succeeded, at least, in putting the fear of God into me. Having long since reverted to the Catholic faith of my childhood, I'm confident that the Catholic Church is the lone voice of wisdom, sanity -- and truth -- on the subject of eschatology.

Exhibit A: Carl E. Olson's "Will Catholics Be Left Behind?", which I've just finished reading.

The lasting impression I'll remember from this book's packed pages is the juxtaposition of the biblical literalists' slick, innovative, off-the-top-of-the-head interpretations with the ancient, richly seasoned approach of the Catholic Church.

Deftly drawing from the Church's rich theological patrimony, Olson systematically exposes the outlandishness of the thinking of the literalists, such as LaHaye and Lindsey, who scrupulously memorize Scripture while assiduously ignoring 2,000 years of Scripture scholarship.

It's a bit like examining the overheated rantings of a half-cocked teenager who only read the Cliff's notes through the eyes of the teen's patient, but spry, great-grandfather -- who co-authored the book in question.

"Will Catholics Be Left Behind"? is a must-read for Catholics growing deeper in their faith -- and an indispensable resource for those who've fallen prey to the silly, but seductive (and dangerous) sales pitches of the popular eschatologists of our day.

.... this is a great book.
That may seem a little strange, especially since Olson has some less than charitable comments about the Reformation and our beliefs, but I've found that Olson and I are on the same page on far more issues than we disagreed.
This isn't just a book for Catholics, even though it's written from a Catholic perspective and mostly so Catholics will see the difference between the dispensational premillennialists and the RCC. This book is valuable to anyone with an interest in eschatology, especially if you're curious about what's out there besides dispensational premillennialism (since they dominate the market and make the most noise).
Buy this book now!

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.

In his recent book "Will Catholics Be Left Behind," Carl Olsen has perhaps written the modern standard on not only combating the errors of pre-millennial dispensationalism, but for clearly and completely answering questions that the ordinary Catholic has about the Last Things in general, and the "Rapture" in particular. In the past, Catholics who were exposed to "Rapture Theology" were faced with the double whammy of being attracted to an esoteric yet fascinating teaching that has the form and appearance of orthodoxy, while having no clear, accessible teaching from their own Church on why this teaching is wrong and in fact a danger to their faith. Olsen leaves no stone unturned, no argument unanswered, and no attack on the Church left unchallenged as he thoroughly, yet charitably, exposes pre-millennial dispensationalism for what it is: a non-biblical, unhistorical, illogical conglomeration of selective Scripture literalism and anti-Catholic polemics designed to feed the addictions of those who prefer gnosticism and sensationalism with their Christianity. Active in adult education at the parish level, I have found Olsen's material on this topic invaluable in explaining to fellow Catholics the pitfalls of buying into the "Left Behind" series and it's world-view and heartily recommend this highly readable book. Buy one for yourself and one to loan out to friends and relatives who ask the question: "Will Catholics Be Left Behind."

Carl Olson, a former pre-tribulational adherent himself, has written a fine critique on the dispensationalists premillennial in general, and in particular how it is presented by many fundamentalists such as Tim LaHaye of the "Left Behind" novel series. While he may overstate the matter about the influence of the novels (for example, my wife read them yet does not hold to any dispensationalists view), he is correct in saying that many have been influenced by the books. This influence isn't a bad thing, because many have come to Christ or have at least been intrigued by Christianity.

The book functions best, as a work for Christians in general, and Catholics in particular to give good answers the may receive from dispensationalists and others interested in the rapture theory. He concisely informs the reader about the history of the dispensationalists' theory as developed by Darby and deals with the major teachings by Hal Lindsey, John Hagee and Tim LaHay.

I do think Olson should have dealt with the "Catholic Vision" on revelation and end-time events more thoroughly. He devotes a small chapter to this book on the subject, and here alone he could have added a couple of chapters and still kept the information concise and interesting. Further, being Eastern Orthodox I have a very small amount of knowledge on the prevelant Catholic eschatological outlook and was interested to read more. All in all a good book

This is a must read for anyone who wants to read the "Left Behind" series. I started reading the series myself and found myself asking if this is what is really going to happen on Christ's return. Carl wrote this book for everyone, not only Catholics. What you will find is the dispensationalism theory used by the authors of "Left Behind" is very flawed and the theory is very recent, and most of all not biblical as the authors have tried to pursuade it's readers. The book is very good for the ordinary person or scholar alike. If you are going to read "Left Behind" you must read this book as well, to have a truer understanding.

Carl Olson has provided Catholics (and others) with an excellent study on the doctrine of the rapture and those doctrines related to it. Carl -- himself a former Fundamentalist and Evangelical -- has given us more than an introduction... this book is a true piece of scholarship. With copious documentation from acknowledged experts in the doctrine of the rapture and premillenial dispensationalism, Carl fairly and accurately shows the theology of the rapture, etc., before demonstrating the foundations on which those doctrines are built, foundations insufficient to support the structure of doctrine built upon them.

For instance, Carl shows how a deficient ecclesiology (theology of the church) and a misunderstanding of the Israel-Church relationship reverberate throughout the theology of premillenial dispensationalism, with eschatology (theology of the end times) being greatly effected.

This book helped me to better understand not only why some Christians believe in the rapture, but also why they separate themselves so strongly from the world, instead of seeking to transform it (Chuck Colson is an excellent example of the latter).

Truly a great, great book, well worth a place on your bookshelf.

"Did you know we are living in the last days?"

About five minutes before I started reading this book, I wouldn't know how to answer this question. What exactly are the last days or the end times? You can take a tour of a Christian bookstore and you will not find a shortage of "prophecy" books about the ominous "end times" relating to the "signs" we must keep our eyes on, for it can be any moment now that the "rapture" can happen. One of the more famous works we might have heard about in recent times is the Left Behind series, written by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye. I heard a story that a girl attempted suicide after reading this work of FICTION.



For those who have little idea what the rapture is, well, it works off of one basic principle: that at some point in time before Christ's second coming, the "saved" shall be caught up and meet Christ in the clouds, just before the time of tribulation which includes wars and famine and all sorts of troubling events. The temptation to believe this myth is that all true believers will be saved from such things, and will come back with Christ in triumph during the Parousia (Christ's Second Coming). This book outlines the various schools of thought on the rapture doctrine. The irony is that some of these ideas were started by Catholic clergy/scholars a few centuries ago, but it must be noted that they do not represent the teaching authority of the Magisterium and are thus not dogmatic. What do Catholics believe? Fear not. The official Church teachings have always been that there is no rapture; the only time Christ will come back is not to snatch the saved from the earth to spare them the time of tribulation, but the actual Parousia itself. All mankind will suffer through the time of tribulation before Christ's return. There is no favoritism with God in the regard. Catholics and Protestants, Christians and Muslim, Jews and Buddhists, Atheists and Agnostics, everyone will go through the period of tribulation.



The irony in all of this, since Protestants reject much of what is Catholic, is that the only place we find the origin of the term "rapture" comes not from any of the Protestant Bibles, nor even the English Catholic Bibles, but from the Latin Vulgate translated from the Greek by St. Jerome in the 4th century.



deinde nos qui vivimus qui relinquimur simul rapiemur cum illis in nubibus obviam Domino in aera et sic semper cum Domino erimus

(1Th 4:17 Vulgate)



(4:16) Then we who are alive, who are left, shall be taken up together with them in the clouds to meet Christ, into the air: and so shall we be always with the Lord.

(1Th 4:17 DRB)



This book takes us throughout the history of the development of the basic doctrine, and the various brands of it that exist today. Be prepared for lots of terminology and lots of history. It was a very interesting book, and was quite exciting to see what the Church actually teaches. The extremes of prophecy preaching are what we find in the Jehovah's Witnesses. They have had since 1914, five failed attempts to predict Christ's return. I would worry less about the time of Christ's return because that's not a good way to live life, being always anxious. After all Jesus Himself has something to say about people who think they may know when his return will be:



"But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.

(Mar 13:32-33 ESV)



Besides, whenever Christ returns, even if it is not in our lifetimes, the way to live life is not in constant anxiety but in preparedness:



But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

(2Pe 3:13-18 ESV)



This book is highly recommended for anyone who wishes to understand this "rapture" craze. This is also a good book to refute the claims of the Left Behind series, as it has been troubling for a few Catholics who assume that this doctrine is compatible with our Catholic faith. It most certainly is not.



God Bless,
Laurence