Jenkins, Jerry B(ruce) 1949
JENKINS, Jerry B(ruce) 1949
Personal
Born September 23, 1949, in Kalamazoo, MI; son of Harry Phillip (a police chief) and Bonita Grace (Thompson) Jenkins; married Dianna Louise Whiteford, January 23, 1971; children: Dallas Lawrence, Chadwick Whiteford, Michael Bruce. Education: Attended Moody Bible Institute, 1967-68, Loop College, 1968, and William Rainey Harper College, 1968-70. Politics: Independent. Religion: "Jesus Christ." Hobbies and other interests: Photography, tournament table tennis, Scrabble club.
Addresses
Home— Colorado Springs, CO. Office— P.O. Box 88288, Black Forest, CO 80908. E-mail— [email protected].
Career-
WMBI-FM-AM-Radio, Chicago, IL, night news editor, 1967-68; Day Publications, Mt. Prospect, IL, assistant sports editor, 1968-69; Des Plaines Publishing Co., Des Plaines, IL, sports editor, 1969-71; Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, WA, sportswriter, 1971; Scripture Press Publications, Wheaton, IL, associate editor, 1971-72, managing editor, 1972-73; Inspirational Radio-Television Guide, Chicago, IL, executive editor, 1973-74; Moody Monthly (magazine), Chicago, managing editor, 1974-75, editor, 1975-81, director, 1978-81; Moody Press, Chicago, director, 1981-83; Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, manager of Publishing Division, 1983-85, vice president of Publishing Branch, 1985-88, writer-in-residence, 1988—. Jenkins Entertainment (a Los Angeles, CA-based filmmaking company), owner; Christian Writers Guild, owner. Visiting lecturer in advanced journalism, Wheaton Graduate School, 1975.
Member
Evangelical Press Association, Christian Booksellers Association, Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, U.S. Table Tennis Association.
Awards, Honors
Novel of the Year nomination, Campus Life magazine, for Margo; Religion in Media Angel Award, for Meaghan and Margo's Reunion; Biography of the Year award, Campus Life magazine, 1980, for Home Where I Belong; Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Gold Medallion nomination, for The Night the Giant Rolled Over and Rekindled: How to Keep the Warmth in Marriage.
Writings
You CAN Get thru to Teens, Victor Books (Wheaton, IL), 1973.
Sammy Tippit: God's Love in Action, as Told to Jerry B. Jenkins, Broadman (Nashville, TN), 1973.
VBS Unlimited, Victor Books (Wheaton, IL), 1974.
(With Hank Aaron and Stan Baldwin) Bad Henry, Chilton (Radnor, PA), 1974.
The Story of the Christian Booksellers Association, Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1974.
(With Pat Williams) The Gingerbread Man: Pat Williams Then and Now, Lippincott (Philadelphia, PA), 1974.
Stuff It: The Story of Dick Motta, Toughest Little Coach in the NBA, Chilton (Radnor, PA), 1975.
(With Sammy Tippit) Three behind the Curtain, Whitaker House (New Kensington, PA), 1975.
(With Paul Anderson) The World's Strongest Man, Victor Books (Wheaton, IL), 1975, expanded edition published as A Greater Strength, Revell (Old Tappan, NJ), 1990.
(With Madeline Manning Jackson) Running for Jesus, Word (Dallas, TX), 1977.
(With Walter Payton) Sweetness, Contemporary Books (Chicago, IL), 1978.
(With Sammy Tippit) You, Me, He, Victor Books (Wheaton, IL), 1978.
(With B. J. Thomas) Home Where I Belong, Word (Dallas, TX), 1978.
Light on the Heavy: A Simple Guide to Understanding Bible Doctrines, Victor Books (Wheaton, IL), 1978.
(With Sammy Tippit) Reproduced by Permission of the Author, Victor Books (Wheaton, IL), 1979.
The Luis Palau Story, Revell (Old Tappan, NJ), 1980.
The Night the Giant Rolled Over, Word (Dallas, TX), 1981.
(With Pat Williams) The Power within You, Westminster (Philadelphia, PA), 1983.
(With Robert Flood) The Men Behind Moody, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1984.
(With Robert Flood) Teaching the Word, Reaching the World, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1985.
(With Pat Williams) Rekindled: How to Keep the Warmth in Marriage, Revell (Old Tappan, NJ), 1985.
(With Pat and Jill Williams) Keep the Fire Glowing, Revell (Old Tappan, NJ), 1985.
(With Meadowlark Lemon) Meadowlark, Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1987.
(With Pat Williams and Jill Williams) Kindling: Daily Devotions for Busy Couples, Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1987.
The Operative (novel), Harper & Row (New York, NY), 1987.
A Generous Impulse: The Story of George Sweeting, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1987.
Carry Me: Christine Wyrtzen's Discoveries on the Journey into God's Arms, as Told to Jerry B. Jenkins, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1988.
(With Larry and Diane Mayfield) Baby Mayfield, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1989.
Hedges: Loving Your Marriage Enough to Protect It, Wolgemuth & Hyatt (Brentwood, TN), 1989, expanded edition, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1993.
(With Deanna McClary) Commitment to Love, Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1989.
(With Orel Hershiser) Out of the Blue, Wolgemuth & Hyatt (Brentwood, TN), 1989.
(With Pat Williams and Jill Williams) Just Between Us, Revell (Tarrytown, NY), 1991.
(With Joe J. Gibbs) Joe Gibbs: Fourth and One, Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1991.
Twelve Things I Want My Kids to Remember Forever, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1991.
The Rookie (novel), Wolgemuth & Hyatt (Brentwood, TN), 1991, published as The Youngest Hero, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2002.
(With Nolan Ryan) Miracle Man: Nolan Ryan, the Autobiography, Word (Dallas, TX), 1992.
(With William Gaither) I Almost Missed the Sunset: My Perspectives on Life and Music, Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1992.
The Deacon's Woman and Other Portraits (fiction), Moody (Chicago, IL), 1992.
(Editor) Families: Practical Advice from More than Fifty Experts, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1993.
(With George J. Thompson) Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art of Persuasion, Morrow (New York, NY), 1993.
Winning at Losing, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1993.
Life Flies When You're Having Fun, Victor Books (Wheaton, IL), 1993.
(With Sammy Tippit) No Matter What the Cost: An Autobiography, Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1993.
As You Leave Home: Parting Thoughts from a Loving Parent, Focus on the Family (Colorado Springs, CO), 1993.
(With Gary Almy and Carol Tharp Almy) Addicted Recovery, Harvest House (Eugene, OR), 1994.
Still the One: Tender Thoughts from a Loving Spouse, Focus on the Family (Colorado Springs, CO), 1995.
And Then Came You: The Hopes and Dreams of Loving Parents, Focus on the Family (Colorado Springs, CO), 1996.
The Neighborhood's Scariest Woman, ("Toby Andrews and The Junior Deputies" series), Moody (Chicago, IL), 1996.
The East Side Bullies ("Toby Andrews and The Junior Deputies" series), Moody (Chicago, IL), 1996.
(With Brett Butler) Field of Hope: An Inspiring Autobiography of a Lifetime of Overcoming Odds, Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1997.
(With William Gaither) Homecoming: The Story of Southern Gospel Music through the Eyes of Its Best-Loved Performers, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 1997.
'Twas the Night Before, Viking (New York, NY), 1998.
(With Tim F. LaHaye) Are We Living in the End Times?, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1999.
Though None Go with Me (novel), Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 2000.
Hometown Legend, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2001.
(With Tim F. LaHaye) Perhaps Today: Living Every Day in the Light of Christ's Return, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2001.
(With Tim F. LaHaye and Norman B. Rohrer) These Will Not Be Left Behind: Incredible Stories of Lives Transformed after Reading the "Left Behind" Novels, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2003.
(With Tim F. LaHaye) The Promise of Heaven, Harvest House (Eugene, OR), 2003.
(With Tim F. LaHaye) God Always Keeps His Promises, Harvest House (Eugene, OR), 2003.
Soon: The Beginning of the End, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2003.
(With Tim F. LaHaye) Jesus and the Hope of His Coming, Harvest House (Eugene, OR), 2004.
(With Tim F. LaHaye and Chris Fabry) A Kid's Guide to Understanding the End Times, Harvest House (Eugene, OR), 2004.
(With Tim F. LaHaye) Jesus Is Coming Soon, Harvest House (Eugene, OR), 2004.
Also author of Off the Map, 1991. Contributor to periodicals, including Moody Monthly, Power, Contact, Coronet, Saturday Evening Post, and Campus Life.
"MARGO MYSTERY" SERIES
Margo, Jeremy Books (Lakewood, CO), 1979, published as The Woman at the Window, Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1991.
Karlyn, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1980, published as The Daylight Intruder, Nelson, (Nashville, TN), 1991.
Hilary, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1980, published as Murder behind Bars, Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1991.
Paige, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1981, published as The Meeting at Midnight, Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1991.
Allyson, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1981, published as The Silence Is Broken, Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1991.
Erin, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1982, published as Gold Medal Murder, Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1991.
Shannon, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1982, published as Thank You, Good-Bye, Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1991.
Lindsey, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1983, published as Dying to Come Home, Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1991.
Meaghan, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1983.
Janell, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1983.
Courtney, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1983.
Lyssa, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1984.
Margo's Reunion, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1984.
"JENNIFER GREY MYSTERY" SERIES
Heartbeat, Victor Books (Wheaton, IL), 1983.
Three Days in Winter, Victor Books (Wheaton, IL), 1983.
TooLatetoTell, Victor Books (Wheaton, IL), 1983.
Gateway, Victor Books (Wheaton, IL), 1983.
The Calling, Victor Books (Wheaton, IL), 1984.
Veiled Threat, Victor Books (Wheaton, IL), 1984.
"BRADFORD FAMILY ADVENTURE" SERIES
Daniel's Big Surprise, Standard Publishing (Cincinnati, OH), 1984.
Two Runaways, Standard Publishing (Cincinnati, OH), 1984.
The Clubhouse Mystery, Standard Publishing (Cincinnati, OH), 1984.
The Kidnapping, Standard Publishing (Cincinnati, OH), 1984.
Marty's Secret, Standard Publishing (Cincinnati, OH), 1985.
Blizzard!, Standard Publishing (Cincinnati, OH), 1985.
Fourteen Days to Midnight, Standard Publishing (Cincinnati, OH), 1985.
Good Sport/Bad Sport, Standard Publishing (Cincinnati, OH), 1985.
In Deep Water, Standard Publishing (Cincinnati, OH), 1986.
Mystery at Raider Stadium, Standard Publishing (Cincinnati, OH), 1986.
Daniel's Big Decision, Standard Publishing (Cincinnati, OH), 1986.
Before the Judge, Standard Publishing (Cincinnati, OH), 1986.
"DALLAS O'NEIL AND THE BAKER STREET SPORTS CLUB" SERIES
The Secret Baseball Challenge, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1986.
The Scary Basketball Player, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1986.
The Mysterious Football Team, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1986.
The Weird Soccer Match, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1986.
The Strange Swimming Coach, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1986.
The Bizarre Hockey Tournament, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1986.
The Silent Track Star, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1986.
The Angry Gymnast, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1986.
Mystery of the Phony Murder, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1989.
Mystery of the Skinny Sophomore, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1989.
"TARA CHADWICK" SERIES
Time to Tell, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1990.
Operation Cemetery, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1990.
Scattered Flowers, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1990.
Springtime Discovery, Moody (Chicago, IL), 1990.
"LEFT BEHIND" SERIES; WITH TIM F. LAHAYE
Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1995.
Tribulation Force: The Continuing Drama of Those Left Behind, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1996.
Nicolae: The Rise of Antichrist, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1997.
Soul Harvest: The World Takes Sides, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1998.
Apollyon: The Destroyer Is Unleashed, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1999.
Assassins: The Great Tribulation Unfolds, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1999.
The Indwelling: The Beast Takes Possession, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2000.
Desecration: Antichrist Takes the Throne, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2001.
The Mark: The Beast Rules the World, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2001.
The Remnant: On the Brink of Armageddon, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2002.
Armageddon: The Cosmic Battle of the Ages, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2003.
Glorious Appearing: The End of Days, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2004.
"GLOBAL AIR TROUBLESHOOTERS" SERIES
Terror in Branco Grande, Multnomah Books (Sisters, OR), 1996.
Disaster in the Yukon, Multnomah Books (Sisters, OR), 1996.
Crash at Cannibal Valley, Multnomah Books (Sisters, OR), 1996.
"LEFT BEHIND--THE KIDS" SERIES; WITH TIM F. LAHAYE
The Vanishings (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1998.
Second Chance (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1998.
Through the Flames (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1998.
Facing the Future (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1998.
Nicolae High (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1999.
(With Chris Fabry) The Underground (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1999.
(With Chris Fabry) Death Strike (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2000.
(With Chris Fabry) On the Run (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2000.
(With Chris Fabry) Earthquake (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2000.
(With Chris Fabry) The Search (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2000.
(With Chris Fabry) Into the Storm (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2000.
(With Chris Fabry) Busted! (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2000.
(With Chris Fabry) Fire from Heaven (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2001.
(With Chris Fabry) Battling the Commander (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2001.
(With Chris Fabry) The Showdown (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2001.
(With Chris Fabry) Terror in the Stadium (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2001.
(With Chris Fabry) Judgement Day (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2001.
(With Chris Fabry) Darkening Skies (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2001.
(With Chris Fabry) Uplink from the Underground (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2002.
(With Chris Fabry) Secrets of New Babylon (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2002.
(With Chris Fabry) Horsemen of Terror (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2002.
(With Chris Fabry) Escape from New Babylon (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2002.
(With Chris Fabry) A Dangerous Plan (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2002.
(With Chris Fabry) Attack of the Apollyon (also see below), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2002.
(With Chris Fabry) Death at the Gala, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2003.
(With Chris Fabry) The Mark of the Beast, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2003.
(With Chris Fabry) Wildfire!, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2003.
(With Chris Fabry) Escape to Masada, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2003.
(With Chris Fabry) The Beast Arises, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2003.
(With Chris Fabry) Murder in the Holy Place, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2003.
(With Chris Fabry) Breakout, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2003.
(With Chris Fabry) War of the Dragon, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2003.
(With Chris Fabry) Pursued (contains Nicolae High, The Underground, Busted!, and Death Strike ), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2003.
Taken (contains The Vanishings, Second Chance, Through the Flames, and Facing the Future ), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2003.
(With Chris Fabry) Frantic (contains Secrets of New Babylon, Escape from New Babylon, Horsemen of Terror, and Uplink from the Underground ), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2004.
(With Chris Fabry) Hidden (contains The Search, On the Run, Into the Storm, and Earthquake ), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2004.
(With Chris Fabry) Rescued (contains The Showdown, Judgement Day, Battling the Commander, and Fire from Heaven ), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2004.
(With Chris Fabry) Stung (contains Terror in the Stadium, Darkening Skies, Attack of the Apollyon, and A Dangerous Plan ), Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2004.
(With Chris Fabry) Bounty Hunters, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2004.
(With Chris Fabry) Attack on Petra, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2004.
Adaptations
Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days was adapted for a feature film by Cloud Ten Pictures, 2001. Books in the "Left Behind" series have been adapted to audio cassette.
Work in Progress
Silenced, a sequel to Soon: The Beginning of the End.
Sidelights
Jerry B. Jenkins describes himself in interviews as "the most famous writer no one's ever heard of." Indeed, by 2000 Jenkins could claim book sales of more than ten million, putting him in the company of such publishing giants as John Grisham and Stephen King. But if Jenkins's name is not well known, his line of fiction certainly is. Jenkins, along with the Reverend Tim F. LaHaye, are co-creators of the Christian apocalyptic thrillers known as the "Left Behind" series.
A native of Michigan, Jenkins worked as a journalist and publishing executive before turning to authorship in the 1970s. He wrote in a variety of nonfiction genres, but all his books were grounded in his evangelical Christian faith. The author also earned a reputation as the writing talent behind celebrity memoirs; his "as told to" autobiographies include those of sports heroes Henry Aaron, Orel Hershiser, and Brett Butler. But Jenkins told a Marriage Partnership interviewer, "fiction was always my first love. I wrote nonfiction to pay the bills, in the hopes that the fiction would hit."
The fiction did hit—first with a set of youth-oriented mysteries, then with the debut of the "Left Behind" books. The books were conceived by LaHaye, a well-known evangelical minister who left the pulpit in 1981 to devote time to writing and politics. According to a People article by Thomas Fields-Meyer, LaHaye developed the idea for the series during his travel days: "Sitting on airplanes and watching the pilots," he commented to Fields-Meyer, "I'd think to myself, 'What if the Rapture occurred on an airplane'?" LaHaye searched for three years for someone to shape his idea into a novel, and fellow evangelical Jenkins was his selection. Though nearly twenty-five years apart in age, the two were comfortable working together. "It's like a fatherson thing," Jenkins said in People. Jenkins is the author of the novels; LaHaye serves as consultant for prophetic accuracy.
In 1995, Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days was published by Tyndale House. True to LaHaye's vision, the novel opens on an airplane en route to London. Pilot Rayford Steele, who is contemplating an extramarital affair with flight attendant Hattie Durham, is surprised when Hattie bursts into the cockpit with startling news: several of the passengers have disappeared in an instant, leaving only their clothes and other possessions piled on their seats. Making an emergency landing in his hometown of Chicago, Rayford returns home to find his wife and son, both recently born-again Christians, vanished as well. The conclusion: Christian true-believers have been spirited to heaven (the Rapture) while those back on Earth are faced with the biblical prophesy of war and pestilence leading to the Apocalypse, as heralded by the rise of the Antichrist.
Among those "left behind" is crusading journalist Cameron "Buck" Williams, who takes on the story for his magazine. His investigation leads to a charismatic Romanian politician, Nicolae Carpathia, who quickly rises to power by advocating a one-world government. Nicolae, appointed Secretary General of the United Nations, reconstructs the nations of the Earth as the Global Community and plans to reign supreme over the world. When it becomes apparent that Nicolae is the Antichrist incarnate, it is up to Rayford, Buck, and their band of believers, who dub themselves the Tribulation Force, to defend their world. As the last line of Left Behind puts it, the rebels' task was clear: "their goal was nothing less than to stand and fight the enemies of God during the seven most chaotic years the planet would ever see."
Left Behind was followed by a steady stream of sequels, one every six months, all advancing the apocalyptic plot. While few mainstream critics praised the stylistic aspects of the novels, many acknowledged that Jenkins's tales had value as thought-provoking page-turners. "I found [the first novel] rattling good reading, professionally terse yet fluid," commented J. C. Furnas of American Scholar. "Suppose the late Ian Fleming [of James Bond fame] had got End-Times religion and built on it a portentous Scripture-based epic in 007 style, only with a certain paucity of toothsome women." While Atlantic Monthly reviewer Joseph Gross noted Jenkins' reliance on easy characterization—"everyone in the books is above average. The characters' brains and physical beauty are sometimes described with clumsy cultural references"—National Review contributor Matthew Scully had a different view. He thought Jenkins had "a gift for plot and dialogue" which would serve the author well through the book series.
Some criticism of the "Left Behind" books focused on the way non-evangelicals were portrayed. "The authors' perception of the Jews as a great people gone wrong streaks the books with a queasy, forced amiability teetering on contempt," stated Commonweal writer Richard Alleva. The Catholic church "takes its lumps, too," Alleva continued. "The latest pope is raptured, but that is because he had stirred up controversy in the church with a new doctrine that seemed to coincide more with the 'heresy' of Martin Luther than with historic orthodoxy." "Catholics' chances of making the Rapture are slim," noted Teresa Malcolm in a National Catholic Reporter piece, but in her opinion, the saving of the fictional pope reflected that "overt anti-Catholicism was deliberately toned down to give the novels a wider appeal."
But the books' severest barbs are aimed at the United Nations, "which practically hands itself over to the Antichrist and becomes the arm of his will," according to Alleva. "And what is his will? A world government, a world capital called New Babylon, a world army, and a world religion—all the usual suspects placed at the service of Satan's minion. In a country like ours, where fear of centralization and government interference has led to bombings, mass slaughter, and the creation of various thug militia-groups, how could the 'Left Behind' series fail?"
The timing of a tale about the Rapture coincided with the end-of-the-millennium mood in the United States. Worldwide political unrest and "Y2K" technological concerns fueled the interest in end-times literature, and the "Left Behind" series played into that interest. Jenkins and LaHaye's books, promotional items, and Web sites have drawn massive attention, leading a Publishers Weekly editor to tell People 's Fields-Meyer that the stories comprise "the most successful Christian-fiction series ever." "Left Behind is truly newsmaking stuff," remarked Alleva.
Still, Jenkins maintains that money is not the primary force propelling the series. "Neither [LaHaye] nor I grew up in families where success was defined by money," he said in the Marriage Partnership interview. His ministry, he said, was always more important. And he takes pleasure in writing the novels: "Discovering what happens is as much fun for me as it is for readers. I don't kill my characters off; I find them dead."
Biographical and Critical Sources
BOOKS
Authors and Artists for Young Adults, Volume 39, Gale (Detroit, MI), 2001.
LaHaye, Tim F., and Jerry B. Jenkins, Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1995.
PERIODICALS
American Scholar, winter, 2000, J. C. Furnas, "Millennial Sideshow," p. 87.
Atlantic Monthly, January, 2000, Joseph Gross, "The Trials of Tribulation," p. 122.
Booklist, February 1, 1992, review of Off the Map, p. 1005; November 1, 1995, John Mort, review of Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days, p. 455; October 1, 1996, John Mort, review of Tribulation Force: The Continuing Drama of Those Left Behind, p. 304; March 1, 1997, John Mort, review of The Rookie, p. 1111; July, 1997, John Mort, review of Nicolae: The Rise of Antichrist, p. 1775, and Ray Olson, review of Homecoming: The Story of Southern Gospel Music through the Eyes of Its Best-Loved Performers, p. 1788; June 1, 1998, John Mort, review of Soul Harvest: The World Takes Sides, p. 1669; October 15, 1998, Toni Hyde, review of 'Twas the Night Before, p. 374; February 1, 1999, John Mort, review of Apollyon: The Destroyer Is Unleashed, p. 940; August, 1999, John Mort, review of Assassins: The Great Tribulation Unfolds, p. 1987; January 1, 2000, John Mort, review of Though None Go with Me, p. 874; December 15, 2000, Bonnie Smothers, review of The Mark: The Beast Rules the World, p. 763; July, 2001, John Mort, review of Hometown Legend, p. 1951, and Jeanette Larson, review of The Indwelling: The Beast Takes Possession, p. 2029; November 15, 2001, Judy Morrissey, review of The Vanishings, p. 591.
Christianity Today, September 1, 1997, Michael Maudlin, review of Left Behind, p. 22.
Christian Reader, September, 2000, review of The Indwelling, p. 7; November, 2000, review of The Mark, p. 6.
Commonweal, January 12, 2001, Richard Alleva, "Beam Me Up: A Repackaged Apocalypse," p. 17.
Electronic News, November 28, 1994, Grace Zisk, review of Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art of Persuasion, p. 34.
Free Inquiry, spring, 2001, Edmund Cohen, "Turner Diaries Lite," p. 58.
Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 1991, review of Off the Map, p. 1514; September 15, 1998, review of 'Twas the Night Before, p. 1330.
Library Journal, June 1, 1996, Henry Carrigan, Jr., review of Left Behind, p. 92; September 1, 1996, Henry Carrigan, Jr., review of Tribulation Force, p. 164; October 1, 1997, Michael Colby, review of Homecoming, p. 84; June 1, 1998, Melissa Hudak, review of Soul Harvest, p. 94; November 1, 1998, review of 'Twas the Night Before, p. 127; May 15, 1999, Melissa Hudak, review of Left Behind, p. 147; September 1, 1999, Melanie Duncan, review of Assassins, p. 172; November 1, 2000, Melanie Duncan, review of The Mark, p. 62; November 1, 2003, Tamara Butler, review of Soon, p. 64.
Marriage Partnership, fall, 2000, review of The Indwelling, p. S4; summer, 2000, "Riding the Wave," p. S1; fall, 2001, review of Desecration: Antichrist Takes the Throne, p. S4; spring, 2002, review of Desecration, p. S4.
Nation, September 22, 2003, Melani McAlister, "An Empire of Their Own: How Born-Again Christians Turned Biblical Prophecy into Big Time Profit," p. 31.
National Catholic Reporter, June 15, 2001, Teresa Malcolm, "Fearful Faith in End Times Novel," p. 13.
National Review, December 21, 1998, Matthew Scully, "Apocalypse Soon," p. 62.
New York Review of Books, October 12, 1989, Wilfred Sheed, review of Out of the Blue, p. 49.
New York Times, February 11, 2002, David Kirkpatrick, "A Best-Selling Formula in Religious Thrillers," p. C2.
New York Times Book Review, June 4, 1989, Charles Salzberg, review of Out of the Blue, p. 23.
People, December 14, 1998, Thomas Fields-Meyer, "In Heaven's Name," p. 139.
Publishers Weekly, September 14, 1998, review of 'Twas the Night Before, p. 50; November 15, 1999, review of Though None Go with Me, p. 56; November 13, 2000, review of The Mark, p. 88; May 7, 2001, Cindy Crosby, "Left Behind Fuels Growth at Tyndale House," p. 18; July 16, 2001, review of Hometown Legend, p. 156; August 20, 2001, Daisy Maryles and Dick Donahue, "Making a Mark," p. 23; March 11, 2002, review of The Youngest Hero, p. 53.
Time, July 1, 2002, John Cloud, "Meet the Prophet: How an Evangelist and Conservative Prophet Turned Prophecy into a Fiction Juggernaut," p. 50.
Today's Christian Woman, November, 2000, "Five Minutes with Jerry B. Jenkins," p. 78; March, 2001, "Down the Fiction Aisle," p. S4; September, 2001, review of Desecration, p. S4.
Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 1991, review of The Rookie, p. 312.
Wall Street Journal, July 14, 2000, Susan Lee, "Something of a Revelation," p. W11.
West Coast Review of Books, February, 1991, review of The Rookie, p. 7.
ONLINE
Jerry Jenkins Web Site, http://www.jerryjenkins.com/ (March 15, 2002).*