The Pocket Guide… takes a humorous look at our culture’s ongoing love affair with the "End Times." A handful of anecdotes, acknowledgements of the phenomenon in pop culture and insights from the author precede chapters like: "Apocalyptionary: A Glossary of the End Times," "Fun with Eschatology" and "Armageddon Grab-Bag." Don’t get left behind on this end-times extravaganza!
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About the Author
Jason Boyett is the communications director at Paramount Baptist Church in Amarillo, Texas. He is the author of Things You Should Know by Now (Relevant, May 2003) and The Guy’s Guide to Life (W, October 2004).
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More About the Author
Jason Boyett is the author of several books, the most recent of which is the Kindle e-book Pocket Guide to 2012. It joins several other books in his Pocket Guide series of titles (Pocket Guide to the Apocalypse, Pocket Guide to the Afterlife, etc.). Jason is also the author of O Me of Little Faith: True Confessions of a Spiritual Weakling (Zondervan). His writing has appeared in a variety of publications--including Salon, Paste, the Daily Beast, and Relevant--and he is the host and co-creator of the weekly 9 Thumbs podcast (9thumbs.com). Follow Jason online at jasonboyett.com, at facebook.com/jasonboyettbooks, and on twitter @jasonboyett.
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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Jason Boyett is the author of A Guy's Guide to Life, Things You Should Know By Now, and a few others. With this new book he is branching out into the field of end times prognostication and date setting. Or, maybe I should say that with this book he is branching out to show the folly of those who would try to be end times prognosticators and date setters.
Jason's books are targeted at a younger audience, those in and around the quarter-century age range. As such, while I was reading his book I felt very old, almost as if I was in my forties or something. The book is full of youthful slang and otherwise hip language. It's not what I am used to or the way I usually speak, but ol' gramps here can understand that it communicates especially well to youngsters. Which is not to say that it doesn't communicate well to us old timers, because it does. But the style is definitely aimed at a younger audience.
In fact, after I read it I came home one day to find my 13 year old son reading it. My son is an avid reader of sci-fi, especially the Star Wars books. He will read 2-3 Star Wars books in a week at times but he has never been excited about reading religious books. But he is enjoying this one very much.
The book is written in a very snarky, comedic tone. But, Jason has done a remarkable thing in being snarky without being mean spirited. I have to admit that, when I started reading the book I had my antennas up a bit, thinking he might go overboard. But, though he poked fun where fun needed to be poked throughout the book, there was no malice in any of it. While some may want to scold Jason for being so flippant, the truth is that all of the date-setting and anti-Christ predicting that goes on these days is quite ridiculous and there is something to be said for treating these things as the ridiculous things they are.
Because of the slang, the hipness and the snarkiness of the book you might be tempted not to take it seriously. And while this may never be a Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society Book of the Month selection, you would be surprised at the depth of material he has included here. There is a good deal of research beneath the humor. Jason has done an excellent job of describing all of the major eschatological positions and has fairly outlined their positions, along with their strengths and weaknesses. I particularly appreciate this, because when you are talking eschatology, it is easy to caricature the different views, especially the ones you disagree with.
The book is most effective in chapters 2-3 where he gives an extensive catalogue of end times date setters throughout history. I'm no eschatological scholar, but I've done a fair amount of research into eschatology and he has found a bunch of date setters that I was unaware of. I say that these chapters are the most effective because this is where his snarkiness is most appropriate. If there is one group of people throughout history who deserve snark, satire and caustic wit it is date setters. As Jason says, if there is one passage of Scripture that many eschatological literalists fail to take literally, it is the words of Jesus that no man knows the date or hour of his return.
These two chapters list dozens of end-times date setting scenarios and the cumulative effect is greater than the sum of the parts. While I don't remember every detail of every date-setting scheme that is listed in this book, the sheer volume of them speaks volumes. Someone who reads something like this and still wants to predict the date of Jesus' return will have to ask themselves, "what makes you different from every other date setter who has been wrong throughout history?"
Along with chapters 2-3, he is also effective in chapter 4 as he lists several candidates for Anti-Christ. If the favorite sport of some is date setting, the second favorite is "guess the anti-Christ." Jason lists several potential anti-Christs, including Nero, Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbechev, Bill Clinton, Saddam Hussein, the Pope, Prince Charles and Bill Gates. Again, his sarcastic style is effective here in showing the silliness of the whole enterprise of seeking to guess the anti-Christ.
I will quibble with him on a few things. As he went through all of the date setters I was aghast that he could have left Harold Camping off his list. Jason, Jason, Jason - you'll have to include something on him in a future edition. We amils have always been pretty smug, thinking that date setting was the private domain of wacked out dispensationalists. But Harold Camping is an amil and his antics have wiped those smug looks off our faces. Camping is the closest thing we've got to a William Miller for this generation. Hal Lindsey is a close second, but Camping takes the lead.
Also, just because it is one of my pet hobby horses, I want to point out that this book makes the mistake of saying that premillenialism was the dominant belief of the early church. It's understandable why the author would say this, as it is a point that has been proclaimed by nearly all premillenialists and conceded by most post and a- millenialists. However, it is not at all certain that all, or even a majority of early church fathers were premil. In his book Regnum Caelorum, Dr. Charles E. Hill shows that there was a diversity of opinion of millennial views amongst the church fathers. True, there were some premils, there were many who weren't, and there were many more for whom a millenial position was hard to nail down. I only bring this up because, as I said, it is a hobby horse of mine (and probably no one else really cares) and because this argument carries great weight with many. Many believe that the doctrines held by the early church fathers carry greater weight in these debates because they lived closer to the time of Christ. Their nearness to the time of Christ is what gives them the greater weight.
He also includes an interview with Paul Meier, formerly half of the Minirith-Meier team, who is also an end-times aficionado. Meier is interesting and puzzling. He thinks you can tell alot about a person by their millenial view. Because I believe that the church has inherited the eschatological promises given to Israel I am supposed to be a guilt-ridden, yet well educated and financially well off perfectionist who is so insecure that I have thrown Israel out as God's favorite child and put myself in his place - huh?? On the other hand, Meier, being a dispensationalist, shows a fair amount of humility regarding end times views, and this is refreshing.
All in all I enjoyed the book and can recommend it highly. Like I said at the beginning, the writing style is not exactly up the ally of many of us old geezers, but this would be a good book to give to a younger person who wants an introduction to eschatology. It would also be a good book to give to someone who is an eschatological fanatic. Hopefully, the witty, sarcastic tone will help them to see that no one is really taking them seriously, so they shouldn't take themselves so seriously.
Jason's books are targeted at a younger audience, those in and around the quarter-century age range. As such, while I was reading his book I felt very old, almost as if I was in my forties or something. The book is full of youthful slang and otherwise hip language. It's not what I am used to or the way I usually speak, but ol' gramps here can understand that it communicates especially well to youngsters. Which is not to say that it doesn't communicate well to us old timers, because it does. But the style is definitely aimed at a younger audience.
In fact, after I read it I came home one day to find my 13 year old son reading it. My son is an avid reader of sci-fi, especially the Star Wars books. He will read 2-3 Star Wars books in a week at times but he has never been excited about reading religious books. But he is enjoying this one very much.
The book is written in a very snarky, comedic tone. But, Jason has done a remarkable thing in being snarky without being mean spirited. I have to admit that, when I started reading the book I had my antennas up a bit, thinking he might go overboard. But, though he poked fun where fun needed to be poked throughout the book, there was no malice in any of it. While some may want to scold Jason for being so flippant, the truth is that all of the date-setting and anti-Christ predicting that goes on these days is quite ridiculous and there is something to be said for treating these things as the ridiculous things they are.
Because of the slang, the hipness and the snarkiness of the book you might be tempted not to take it seriously. And while this may never be a Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society Book of the Month selection, you would be surprised at the depth of material he has included here. There is a good deal of research beneath the humor. Jason has done an excellent job of describing all of the major eschatological positions and has fairly outlined their positions, along with their strengths and weaknesses. I particularly appreciate this, because when you are talking eschatology, it is easy to caricature the different views, especially the ones you disagree with.
The book is most effective in chapters 2-3 where he gives an extensive catalogue of end times date setters throughout history. I'm no eschatological scholar, but I've done a fair amount of research into eschatology and he has found a bunch of date setters that I was unaware of. I say that these chapters are the most effective because this is where his snarkiness is most appropriate. If there is one group of people throughout history who deserve snark, satire and caustic wit it is date setters. As Jason says, if there is one passage of Scripture that many eschatological literalists fail to take literally, it is the words of Jesus that no man knows the date or hour of his return.
These two chapters list dozens of end-times date setting scenarios and the cumulative effect is greater than the sum of the parts. While I don't remember every detail of every date-setting scheme that is listed in this book, the sheer volume of them speaks volumes. Someone who reads something like this and still wants to predict the date of Jesus' return will have to ask themselves, "what makes you different from every other date setter who has been wrong throughout history?"
Along with chapters 2-3, he is also effective in chapter 4 as he lists several candidates for Anti-Christ. If the favorite sport of some is date setting, the second favorite is "guess the anti-Christ." Jason lists several potential anti-Christs, including Nero, Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbechev, Bill Clinton, Saddam Hussein, the Pope, Prince Charles and Bill Gates. Again, his sarcastic style is effective here in showing the silliness of the whole enterprise of seeking to guess the anti-Christ.
I will quibble with him on a few things. As he went through all of the date setters I was aghast that he could have left Harold Camping off his list. Jason, Jason, Jason - you'll have to include something on him in a future edition. We amils have always been pretty smug, thinking that date setting was the private domain of wacked out dispensationalists. But Harold Camping is an amil and his antics have wiped those smug looks off our faces. Camping is the closest thing we've got to a William Miller for this generation. Hal Lindsey is a close second, but Camping takes the lead.
Also, just because it is one of my pet hobby horses, I want to point out that this book makes the mistake of saying that premillenialism was the dominant belief of the early church. It's understandable why the author would say this, as it is a point that has been proclaimed by nearly all premillenialists and conceded by most post and a- millenialists. However, it is not at all certain that all, or even a majority of early church fathers were premil. In his book Regnum Caelorum, Dr. Charles E. Hill shows that there was a diversity of opinion of millennial views amongst the church fathers. True, there were some premils, there were many who weren't, and there were many more for whom a millenial position was hard to nail down. I only bring this up because, as I said, it is a hobby horse of mine (and probably no one else really cares) and because this argument carries great weight with many. Many believe that the doctrines held by the early church fathers carry greater weight in these debates because they lived closer to the time of Christ. Their nearness to the time of Christ is what gives them the greater weight.
He also includes an interview with Paul Meier, formerly half of the Minirith-Meier team, who is also an end-times aficionado. Meier is interesting and puzzling. He thinks you can tell alot about a person by their millenial view. Because I believe that the church has inherited the eschatological promises given to Israel I am supposed to be a guilt-ridden, yet well educated and financially well off perfectionist who is so insecure that I have thrown Israel out as God's favorite child and put myself in his place - huh?? On the other hand, Meier, being a dispensationalist, shows a fair amount of humility regarding end times views, and this is refreshing.
All in all I enjoyed the book and can recommend it highly. Like I said at the beginning, the writing style is not exactly up the ally of many of us old geezers, but this would be a good book to give to a younger person who wants an introduction to eschatology. It would also be a good book to give to someone who is an eschatological fanatic. Hopefully, the witty, sarcastic tone will help them to see that no one is really taking them seriously, so they shouldn't take themselves so seriously.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A few weeks ago Jason Boyett wrote me to ask if he could send along a copy of his latest book, A Pocket Guide to the Apocalypse. I rarely turn down a book, so told him I would be glad to read and review this one. He encouraged me to review it honestly and to pan it if I felt that was necessary. He must believe in the old adage that "no press is bad press."
The Pocket Guide, which is written in a style reminiscent of Douglas Adams' famous five-part trilogy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, is a "comprehensive guide to the last days, a must-have for apocalypse watchers, readers of Revelation and all-around Armageddon obsessives" (from the back cover). To translate, it is a book that pokes fun at those who think they have the end-times all figured out and who like to claim they know when the end is coming. It also seeks to bring just a little bit of clarity to the concepts and terminology surrounding the end-times.
Inside you'll find all kinds of interesting information. The book kicks off with an apocalyptionary (let me assure you that Microsoft Word does not have that book in its dictionary) which defines many of the terms one needs to know to undertake a study of eschatology. It includes words like eschatology. To understand the author's writing style, which is clearly meant to appeal to a younger audience, here is an excerpt from his definition of Antichrist. "The Antichrist is akin to a devious evil twin of Jesus, in that his hidden agenda is not just the world domination thing but also to oppose Christianity by torturing and destroying all those who refuse to lick his proverbial boots. But not for long, as Jesus also has an agenda - to expose the Antichrist as a fraud, go medieval on his pointy satanic tail during the battle of Armageddon, and reign for a thousand years in his stead. According to dispensationalist theology, the Antichrist is scheduled to appear halfway through the Tribulation. There will be a parade." Later in the book is a chapter that lists and evaluates many of the favored choices of Antichrist among end-times prognosticators such as Nero, the pope, Hitler, Bill Gates, and so on.
The heart of the book is two chapters that detail the hundreds of times a person has declared that "the end is near." These doomsdayers, ranging from Romulus (founder of Rome) to Martin Luther to Pat Robertson and beyond, have often gathered immense following, but so far their success rate is approximately zero percent. The book wraps up with a discussion of the various eschatological beliefs (where amillennialism seems to fare quite well) and then with a grab-bag of topics that did not rate a chapter of their own. A highlight in this final section is an interview with end-times expert Paul Meier.
There were a few times in reading this book where I would laugh out loud, and then catch myself and question if the ends times are really a topic we should make light of. There were other times where I wondered if Boyett had crossed the line between humor and blasphemy. At best I would say there are a few places where he may be towing the line. Another concern (though one unrelated to theology) is that he teaches that the early church leaders were nearly unanimous in their belief in premillenniallism. That is a common belief, but one that is inaccurate as recent studies show that there was a variety of beliefs in the ancient church. And finally, Boyett uses the "millions and billions of years ago" language that does not sit so well with those of us who believe in a young earth. Beyond those concerns I found this book tremendously enjoyable and I can't deny that I learned quite a bit through reading it.
The Pocket Guide is the anti-Left Behind. Boyett writes with humor and insight, and accomplishes what must have been one of his main goals - to show that we just cannot know exactly how or when this world is going to end. Some things are hidden from us, and we need to believe that God has good reason in this. This book will help convince you that we sometimes need to leave well enough alone.
The Pocket Guide, which is written in a style reminiscent of Douglas Adams' famous five-part trilogy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, is a "comprehensive guide to the last days, a must-have for apocalypse watchers, readers of Revelation and all-around Armageddon obsessives" (from the back cover). To translate, it is a book that pokes fun at those who think they have the end-times all figured out and who like to claim they know when the end is coming. It also seeks to bring just a little bit of clarity to the concepts and terminology surrounding the end-times.
Inside you'll find all kinds of interesting information. The book kicks off with an apocalyptionary (let me assure you that Microsoft Word does not have that book in its dictionary) which defines many of the terms one needs to know to undertake a study of eschatology. It includes words like eschatology. To understand the author's writing style, which is clearly meant to appeal to a younger audience, here is an excerpt from his definition of Antichrist. "The Antichrist is akin to a devious evil twin of Jesus, in that his hidden agenda is not just the world domination thing but also to oppose Christianity by torturing and destroying all those who refuse to lick his proverbial boots. But not for long, as Jesus also has an agenda - to expose the Antichrist as a fraud, go medieval on his pointy satanic tail during the battle of Armageddon, and reign for a thousand years in his stead. According to dispensationalist theology, the Antichrist is scheduled to appear halfway through the Tribulation. There will be a parade." Later in the book is a chapter that lists and evaluates many of the favored choices of Antichrist among end-times prognosticators such as Nero, the pope, Hitler, Bill Gates, and so on.
The heart of the book is two chapters that detail the hundreds of times a person has declared that "the end is near." These doomsdayers, ranging from Romulus (founder of Rome) to Martin Luther to Pat Robertson and beyond, have often gathered immense following, but so far their success rate is approximately zero percent. The book wraps up with a discussion of the various eschatological beliefs (where amillennialism seems to fare quite well) and then with a grab-bag of topics that did not rate a chapter of their own. A highlight in this final section is an interview with end-times expert Paul Meier.
There were a few times in reading this book where I would laugh out loud, and then catch myself and question if the ends times are really a topic we should make light of. There were other times where I wondered if Boyett had crossed the line between humor and blasphemy. At best I would say there are a few places where he may be towing the line. Another concern (though one unrelated to theology) is that he teaches that the early church leaders were nearly unanimous in their belief in premillenniallism. That is a common belief, but one that is inaccurate as recent studies show that there was a variety of beliefs in the ancient church. And finally, Boyett uses the "millions and billions of years ago" language that does not sit so well with those of us who believe in a young earth. Beyond those concerns I found this book tremendously enjoyable and I can't deny that I learned quite a bit through reading it.
The Pocket Guide is the anti-Left Behind. Boyett writes with humor and insight, and accomplishes what must have been one of his main goals - to show that we just cannot know exactly how or when this world is going to end. Some things are hidden from us, and we need to believe that God has good reason in this. This book will help convince you that we sometimes need to leave well enough alone.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this book on a whim and really enjoyed it. It's a sort of Dave Barry's Travel Guide to the End Times. There's not much else I can say that hasn't already been said by the other reviewers, but this book really was a treat. Boyett's "snarky" tone is perfect for the material, and like the others have said, it's never mean-spirited. And it's irreverent, yeah, but never blasphemous.
An interesting thing to me was that I could never put my finger on the author's own beliefs, as he gives unusually even-handed coverage to an issue which usually polarizes opinions in the Christian community (but is usually, in the end--no pun intended--unimportant).
One minor complaint is that, while one certainly shouldn't expect a book like this to be uminmpeachably fault-free, the author is clearly not an historian (as I am). As such, I noticed a few errors he made that stand correction. His dating on the life of Zoroaster is way off, and he lists Nero as the son of Marcus Aurelius (who died well over 100 years after Nero did--oops). Nero was actually the adopted son of emperor Claudius (and may have had him killed in order to take the throne). Marcus Aurelius's son is the ever-popular Commodus, one of the few Roman emperors almost as hated as Nero.
Overall, a nice, funny way to spend a few idle hours.
An interesting thing to me was that I could never put my finger on the author's own beliefs, as he gives unusually even-handed coverage to an issue which usually polarizes opinions in the Christian community (but is usually, in the end--no pun intended--unimportant).
One minor complaint is that, while one certainly shouldn't expect a book like this to be uminmpeachably fault-free, the author is clearly not an historian (as I am). As such, I noticed a few errors he made that stand correction. His dating on the life of Zoroaster is way off, and he lists Nero as the son of Marcus Aurelius (who died well over 100 years after Nero did--oops). Nero was actually the adopted son of emperor Claudius (and may have had him killed in order to take the throne). Marcus Aurelius's son is the ever-popular Commodus, one of the few Roman emperors almost as hated as Nero.
Overall, a nice, funny way to spend a few idle hours.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's ok... not exactly original.
A lot of the book is just regurgitated facts from other books, movies and TV. Nothing very exciting about it really visually. Very much a bathroom reading material type of book.
Published 3 months ago by J. Gudde
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good read
This is a pleasing, quick read. The author has a good humorous (but factual) approach to the apocalypse. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Doc Woods
5.0 out of 5 stars
Apocalypse Guide
This book was very informative and an easy read. It lists the names and meanings of different theories out in an easily understandable manner. Read more
Published 21 months ago by JM
1.0 out of 5 stars
A REALLY stupid book...it practically made fun of the Bible.
PLEASE don't waste your hard earned money on this book. I was VERY disappointed because it seemed as if the author was poking fun at and mocking the Bible. Read more
Published on August 13, 2010 by J. K. Gernand
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not for the serious prophecy scholar
This book is funny, witty, and shows a knowledge of popular culture. It is not for the serious prophecy scholar. However, it does not puport to be so and is quite entertaining. Read more
Published on January 24, 2010 by Elizabeth Spinks
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great! Funny! Informative! Also, Great!
This book is an easy read, but chock full of information. It's also hilarious, but not to the detriment of the content. Read more
Published on June 4, 2009 by TravDAman
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Lighthearted Look at Eschatology
If you read as much theology as I do, then you probably feel the need from time to time to take a break. Read more
Published on October 18, 2008 by Trevin Wax
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pick up this book!!!!!
It's as simple as this: It's funny and satirical. It includes awards for best end-times entertainment called the "Endies" and gives a hysterical list of possible anti-christs that... Read more
Published on July 9, 2006 by A. DeRosa
4.0 out of 5 stars
Theology Served With A Large Helping Of Humor and Wit
Jason Boyett's Pocket Guide To The Apocalypse: The Official Field Manual For The End of the World is a very funny, irreverent, but accurate description of the history of... Read more
Published on June 30, 2006 by Craig Alan Loewen
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sarcasticaly Funny, but Never Mean
The cover looked wild enough and so I picked it up for a quick read - and it is a quick read. The book, in a funny way, probably trying to attack the late teens and early 20... Read more
Published on August 9, 2005 by K.H.
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