Right Behind: A Parody of Last Days Goofiness [Paperback]

Nathan D. Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2001

LaHaye and Jenkins' best-selling apocalyptic fiction novel, Left Behind, is already so ridiculous that it's hard to make a parody of it. Yet the conservative Christian author, Nathan Wilson, bravely sets forth to push it over the top. Tweaked versions of all the original characters work together in an absurd tangle of Evangelical goofiness struggling to make sense of the pathetically gnostic vision of the original story. You won't want to miss all body parts, cats, and youth pastors left behind, Buff Williamson's Ivy League deductions, Haddie the Whore of Babylon, or the climactic struggle with the Tulsa Antichrist in a Christian "book store." If you regret reading Left Behind, read Right Behind to ease that pain with laughter.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nathan D. Wilson received his M.A. from St. Johns College, after doing a year's time at Liberty University graduate school (the future home of the Tim LaHaye School of Prophecy). Nate is the managing editor of Credenda/Agenda magazine and an instructor at New St. Andrews College, Moscow, Idaho.

Product Details

• Paperback: 110 pages
• Publisher: Canon Press (June 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885767870
• ISBN-13: 978-1885767875
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #396,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #59 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Humor > Parodies

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I laughed my evangelical Christian keister off!!, August 17, 2001

By 

Tom Hinkle (Tulsa, OK USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Right Behind: A Parody of Last Days Goofiness (Paperback)

I never read any of the "Left Behind" series, but I know the theology and mindset all too well. This brilliant parody dismantles premillenial dispensationalism, the shallowness of the evangelical subculture, and the shoddy quality of the great majority of Christian fiction all in one hilarious fell swoop. The Antichrist, a former preacher from Tulsa (!), engineers a phony Rapture that leaves Christians stuck on ceilings, leaving behind their appendixes and any clothing that is not 100% cotton. The showdown between one of the "heroes" and the Antichrist in a Christian bookstore, where the Antichrist is pelted with Precious Moments figurines and is attacked with the help of a Thomas Kinkade painting is a real side-splitter.

This book is definitely not recommended for Christians who have no sense of humor. Ah, what the heck, they should read it, too. Might be good for them to get a little offended now and then. After all, Jesus offended the religious of his time, although He did it in a much less satirical fashion.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I laughed, I cried; it moved me, Bob!, November 24, 2004

By 

Reformed Library "Reformed Library" (Vancouver, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Right Behind: A Parody of Last Days Goofiness (Paperback)

It's gotta be something in the Wilson genes. It's funny, it's light-hearted and most of all, it's entertaining. It should make the reader think, but it's too funny to take any of the content serious. It's a brief "Hitchhiker's Guide to Popular End Times." Douglas Adams would be proud of the grammatical and societal play. I read it in about two hours and it was worth every second. I had a great time with with Wilson's obvious joy in writing and playing with words.

Debate all you like about spiritual license to mock or jest or poke fun or whatever you like, just enjoy the title above. Have an antihistamine or bottle of Jolt Cola and enjoy. This book is not the end of Christianity. If you're worried about someone attacking your end-times convictions, buy a new bumper sticker and pray. You'll be OK.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I Laughed, I Cried, I Had a Cookie, April 22, 2004

By 

Devin Parker (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Right Behind: A Parody of Last Days Goofiness (Paperback)

The reason I didn't give "Right Behind" five stars is because I finished it in the same night I picked it up, and I wanted more.

"Right Behind" follows in the same fine tradition of satire and parody as such works as "Bored of the Rings," except that here I think Mr. Wilson (and Mr. Sock) have more to work with. As a Born-Again, Bible-thumping follower of Jesus, an aspiring fiction writer, and an employee of a Christian bookstore, I can say with great confidence that there is much in the pop-Christian consumerist culture that is worthy of satirizing, and "Right Behind" is right on the money.

(I think it's worth saying that while the "Left Behind" series has indeed been used to introduce people to Christ - more power to them! - it's not Biblical canon, and I'm a bit unnerved by those who treat it as such. After all, God uses the foolish things of man... "Left Behind" is also not the best of fiction, and the fact that the series has been so popular is perhaps indicative of the low expectations present in the Christian market. Then again, "The Da Vinci Code" is also a bestseller, so perhaps the fault is with the average American reader in general?)

"Right Behind" is, to coin a phrase, a hoot. Wilson manages to nail the stylistic quirks, plot holes, and outright confounding contrivances of the "Left Behind" series, as well as some of the oddities of the Christian subculture in a brief amount of space and often with marvelous subtlety. I didn't get through a single page without an outburst of laughter. If you've enjoyed the satire of the magazine "The Door," been fed up with the half-hearted quality of a great deal of Christian fiction, and have read the first of the "Left Behind" books, you should thoroughly enjoy this little gem.

Even if you're a Fundie like me.