It’s been a common observation over the past several years that one of the practical results of a “Left Behind”, dispensational view of the end times is a lack of care for the environment in general - heck, if it’s all gonna burn anyway, why should I care?  But the other day it struck me that there is another connection that I haven’t heard commented on - a connection between the rise of dispensational end times views and the rise of Republicanism within the evangelical church. 

Now, let’s be fair to Tim LaHaye - just because his “Left Behind” books became so popular this past decade doesn’t mean that he dreamed the whole “left behind” scenario up.  Think back to Hal Lindsey’s Late, Great Planet Earth, published in 1970, which became the non-fiction bestseller of the 70’s.  While we were politically tired out and frustrated by Vietnam, Watergate, and Carter’s “malaise”, Lindsey also got us thinking about premillenial, dispensational end times.  And a primary component of that movement, even though it’s not often stated that way: fear.

Fear was, and still is, a huge motivator in that paradigm.  Fear of the coming one-world government.  Fear of The Antichrist.  Fear of “the mark”.  Fear that somehow we won’t make God’s “cut” and that we’ll be left behind. Fear of the beheadings. Come on, folks, remember A Thief In The Night?  What other bad 1970’s zombie film would ever get shown in high school church youth groups?

Then came 1980 and Ronald Reagan proclaimed that government was the problem, not the solution.  And the Late, Great adherents heard that and figured that any political movement that took us further away from that scary impending one-world government was a good thing.  And now for the past 30 years the Republican party, and, indeed, the entire Republican platform, has been considered the default “right” position for evangelical Christians in America.

Now, this is no sort of comprehensive analysis, but it’s an interesting topic to think through. 

Finally, a set of disclaimers so that I don’t get kicked out of every group I’ve ever belonged to:

  • I like and admire a whole lot of what I know about and experienced of President Reagan.
  • I’m not sure where I stand on the whole end-times thing.  I used to buy into the whole “Left Behind” scenario - let’s face it, that’s what I grew up in.  Today I’m not so sure. Left Behind doesn’t seem plausible, but I’m not entirely convinced by the amillenial position, either. 
  • Obviously not everyone that holds to the premillenial view hates the environment and/or is primarily motivated by fear
  • Obviously the Republican party holds some views that are good.  The Democrat party does, too.
  • I have some non-dispensational libertarian friends who are gonna tell me I’m completely off base on this one.