A media franchise , also known as a multimedia franchise , is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film , a work of literature , a television program , or a video game . Bob Iger , chief executive of the Walt Disney Company , defined the word franchise as "something that creates value across multiple businesses and across multiple territories over a long period of time.”
85-556: Left Behind is a multimedia franchise of apocalyptic fiction written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins , released by Tyndale House Publishers from 1995 to 2007. The bestselling premillennial novels are Christian eschatological narratives inspired by the New Testament's Book of Revelation . The storyline focuses on a seven-year conflict, the post- rapture Great Tribulation , between an underground network of Christian converts and an oppressive new world order led by
170-692: A "sanctified Stephen King " and "the Stephen King of Christian fiction". In comparison to King, however, Peretti says, "Stephen King doesn't have any supernatural good guys. Usually the supernatural is evil, and it's up to the humans to deal with it. In my books, I introduce a supernatural good to combat the supernatural evil. At least you've got a fighting chance." He has received generally positive praise from many Christian book reviews, his books being heralded as telling entertaining stories with complex interwoven plots. Peretti's fictional portrayal of spiritual warfare reflects in part his background in
255-684: A Professor of Religious Studies and a member of the Greek Orthodox Church, wrote that the theology underpinning the Left Behind series promotes a "skewed view of the Christian faith that welcomes war and disaster, while dismissing peace efforts in the Middle East and elsewhere—all in the name of Christ". B. D. Forbes "locates the series in the context of a well-established tradition of American popular culture...that presents
340-697: A bluegrass band called Northern Cross. He now lives in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho , with his wife, Barbara. Frank E. Peretti was born in Lethbridge in southern Alberta, Canada, but raised in Seattle, Washington , for most of his life. As a child, he had a cystic hygroma , a facial tumor which affected his ability to speak until later receiving surgery and speech therapy. He became a natural storyteller who regularly told monster stories to neighborhood children. After graduating from high school, he began playing banjo with
425-421: A chapter in the Left Behind series. (Large chunks of several U.S. cities have been bombed to smithereens by page 110 of Book 3.)" Religious studies scholar Mark Juergensmeyer argues that the Left Behind books are seen as fictional representations of future events, drawing a connection between the future violence portrayed in the books and "the violence in imagined worlds in the here-and now". David Carlson,
510-600: A character or fictional world becoming popular in one medium, and then expanding to others through licensing agreements , with respect to intellectual property in the franchise's characters and settings. As one author explains, "For the studios, a home-run is a film from which a multimedia 'franchise' can be generated; the colossally expensive creation of cross-media conglomerates predicated on synergistic rewards provides an obvious imperative to develop such products." The trend later developed wherein franchises would be launched in multiple forms of media simultaneously; for instance,
595-575: A collection of original essays co-edited with Jeffrey J. Kripal of Rice University on the Esalen Institute in California, published by Indiana University Press in 2005. Starting in 2003, the series was expanded upon by Mel Odom with his Apocalypse military series and Neesa Hart with her political thriller series, both taking place concurrently with the main series. In 2002, a series of graphic novels published by Tyndale House
680-485: A franchise can even be created, which ultimately leads to the creation of brand worlds. Since the creation of Disneyland in 1955, bringing fictional media franchises to life through the theme parks slowly became increasingly popular as the way to perfectly blend tourism and real-life involvement with media itself. Similar to transmedia, the concept of bringing fictional media into a non-fictional space where fans can immerse themselves in real-life versions of elements from
765-570: A limited release in theaters but appears to have been successful enough to encourage film producers to continue developing Peretti's books into films. The Visitation was also made into a film by Twentieth Century Fox in 2006. House was released in select theaters on November 7, 2008. In addition to his appearance in Hangman's Curse , Peretti has had a voice role in Flo, the Lying Fly ,
850-451: A local bluegrass group. He married his wife, Barbara, in 1972. Later, he studied English, screen writing and film at UCLA , and assisted his father in pastoring a small Assembly of God church on Vashon Island from 1978 to 1983. That year, he gave up his pastoring position and began taking construction jobs to make ends meet. While working at a ski factory, Peretti wrote and published a well-received adventure story for children, The Door in
935-424: A modeling agency, several television shows ( Playboy's Penthouse , in 1959), and even its own television channel . Twenty-five years later, Playboy released private clubs and restaurants, movie theaters, a radio show , direct to video films, music and book publishing (including original works in addition to its anthologies of cartoons, photographs, recipes, advice, articles or fiction that had originally appeared in
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#17327726566091020-574: A more personal relationship with Jesus ". Along with some other rapture fiction novels, the Left Behind series demonstrates a specific interpretation of the Gospel and the Christian life, one with which many have taken issue theologically. The books have not sold particularly well outside of the United States. Dispensationalism remains a minority view among theologians. For instance, amillennial and postmillennial Christians do not believe in
1105-543: A novel" and insists that the Bible does not call upon Christians to "engage in spiritual warfare as a combat between angels and demons". Peretti has commented regarding this use of his work. His 1992 novel Prophet included a disclaimer stating "This novel is a creative work of fiction imparting spiritual truth in a symbolic manner, and not an emphatic statement of religious doctrine", and upon publication of The Oath he stated, "If you really want to study spiritual warfare, read
1190-412: A remake of the Left Behind series was in development, with production set to begin in late 2012 for an October 2014 release date. The reboot , starring Nicolas Cage as Steele and Chad Michael Murray as Buck Williams, was released to theaters October 3, 2014. It focused mainly on the very beginnings of the first book and added much to the plot. The remake focuses on the experiences of the passengers on
1275-754: A shattered and chaotic world. As people scramble for answers, an obscure Romanian politician named Nicolae Jetty Carpathia rises to become secretary-general of the United Nations , promising to restore peace and stability to all nations. What most of the world does not realize is that Carpathia is actually the Antichrist foretold in the Bible. Coming to grips with the truth and becoming born-again Christians , airline pilot Rayford Steele , his daughter Chloe , their pastor Bruce Barnes , and young journalist Cameron "Buck" Williams begin their quest as
1360-592: A thinly disguised version of the American Civil Liberties Union to shut down a Christian school by charging that corporal punishment constitutes child abuse." Historian Crawford Gribben argues Peretti's work "certainly set the terms for the re-energizing and even the remilitarization , of evangelicalism"; others have noted his writings encourage readers to take political action. Some scholars have argued that Peretti's works, with their themes of spiritual warfare and conspiracies, have paved
1445-467: Is brisk and the characterizations Manichaean . People disappear and things blow up." The New York Times also compared the series to Clancy's works. However, those views are not universally shared. Other reviewers have called the series "almost laughably tedious" and "fatuous and boring." Jerry Falwell said about the first book in the series: "In terms of its impact on Christianity, it's probably greater than that of any other book in modern times, outside
1530-426: Is no violence, only conflict," and, "The most successful way to fight, is through the means of spiritual warfare; PRAYER and WORSHIP. Soldiers and military weaponry are available, but once anyone plays the game, they'll see how difficult it is to succeed by using these less effective means of warfare." People Get Ready: A Musical Collection Inspired by The Left Behind Series (1998) is "a musical collection inspired by
1615-478: Is often referred to by the simpler term "media franchise". The term media franchise is often used to describe the popular adaptation of a work into films, like the popular Twilight book series that was adapted into the five films of The Twilight Saga . Other neologisms exist to describe various franchise types including metaseries , which can be used to describe works such as Isaac Asimov 's Foundation series . Multimedia franchises usually develop through
1700-484: Is the Japanese term for a transmedia franchise. The term media mix gained its circulation in late 1980s and is first used to describe adaptations of Sakyo Komatsu 's Japan Sinks , but the origins of the strategy can be traced back to the 1960s with the proliferation of anime , with its interconnection of media and commodity goods. Some of the earlier popular Japanese franchises such as Vampire Hunter D in
1785-466: Is the community of fans that indulge in many of its media and are committed to interacting with and keeping up with other consumers. Large franchise-based fandoms have grown to be even more popular in recent years with the rise of social media platforms, as many fans seek to interact with one another for discussion, debate and even to create their own fan-made pieces of media revolving around the franchise, on websites like tumblr , Reddit and Fandom . In
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#17327726566091870-426: Is the concept of a peaceful, simple life. Characters are described as living on quaint farms, living a simple, rural life, or living in small, community-focused towns. In one interview, Peretti noted that he believes Christians ought to "live a quiet life, mind our own business, work with our own hands, and walk properly toward those outside." Tilly , a novella which started out as an audio drama produced by Focus on
1955-606: Is twisting scripture, just to other political ends." John Dart, writing in Christian Century , characterized the works as " beam me up theology." University of Notre Dame religion scholar Jason Springs argues that evangelical beliefs on the role of the modern state of Israel have been shaped by the books. He also regards the series' apocalypticism as one aspect that would later feed into the evangelical adoption of QAnon . Some practicing Christians, evangelical and otherwise, along with non-Christians have shown concern that
2040-572: The Thief in the Night series , a series of four low-budget but popular feature-length films in the 1970s and 1980s about the Rapture and Second Coming , starting with 1972's A Thief in the Night . Indeed, the title Left Behind echoes the refrain of Thief 's early Christian rock theme song by Larry Norman , "I Wish We'd All Been Ready," in which he sings, "There's no time to change your mind,
2125-549: The Antichrist . The series expounds a Christian dispensationalist view of the End Times , specifically LaHaye's pretribulation and premillennial eschatology. The series has been adapted into five films. The original series of three films are Left Behind: The Movie (2000), Left Behind II: Tribulation Force (2002), and Left Behind: World at War (2005). A reboot starring Nicolas Cage , entitled Left Behind ,
2210-641: The Christian Booksellers Association 's top ten best-sellers list for over 150 consecutive weeks, and has as of 2013 sold over 2.7 million copies worldwide. Peretti followed This Present Darkness with a sequel, Piercing the Darkness (1989), another tremendous success. Combined, This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness have sold 3.5 million copies as of 2012 . As of 2021 , This Present Darkness continues to sell approximately 8,000 copies per year. Peretti also took
2295-569: The Darkness series. The theme of false sexual abuse allegations against Peretti's protagonists by women and children – because they are possessed by demons – has been mentioned by several reviewers. One reviewer describes it as "a terrible willingness to forgive child abuse and sexual assault if the accused was a powerful man and the accuser was a woman or child" mirrored in American evangelicalism, while another notes that not only are all of
2380-533: The ECPA Gold Medallion Book Award for Best Fiction in 1996. The Visitation landed at #19 on The New York Times Best Seller list and was adapted into a film in 2006. The turn of the millennium saw Peretti's departure from writing his popular novels. He wrote a 2000 memoir, The Wounded Spirit , which covered his struggles as a child with a facial tumor, which caused him to be mocked by other children and retreat to solitude until it
2465-687: The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), states that its founder C. Peter Wagner "regarded Frank Peretti's novels as the best illustration of actual spiritual warfare." Religious studies scholar Damon T. Berry argues that despite the books' fictional settings, the spiritual warfare and demonology presented – also seen in the NAR's prophecies regarding Trump – are intended to be true-to-life. QAnon , with its messianic spiritual warfare overtones, has been connected to "the same culture previously captivated and emboldened" by Peretti's novels such as
2550-500: The New Christian Right . As his novels have been widely sold and read throughout Evangelical , Charismatic and Pentecostal churches, Peretti's fiction has excited the imaginations of clergy and laity alike on the subject of spiritual warfare. Michael Maudlin of Christianity Today reports hearing that some readers have been so enthused they have declared that This Present Darkness is the best book ever written after
2635-491: The fantasy and science fiction genres. Similarly, fantasy, science fiction films and television shows are frequently adapted into animated television series , video games, or both. A media franchise does not have to include the same characters or theme, as the brand identity can be the franchise, like Square Enix 's Final Fantasy or the National Lampoon series , and can suffer from critical failures even if
Left Behind - Misplaced Pages Continue
2720-467: The " survival of the fittest " and creationist -based objections to evolution . Monster hit The New York Times Best Seller list at #34 on its first week and rose to #29 on its second week. In April 2006, Peretti and fellow supernatural author Ted Dekker co-authored the novel House . It received mixed reviews from Peretti and Dekker fans, but was popular enough to be adapted as the 2008 film House , starring Michael Madsen . In April 2010, it
2805-423: The 1980s and Pokémon in the late 1990s, acted as benchmarks in the country's transmedia dominance. The latter in particular began as a video game available on Nintendo 's Game Boy , and crossed through the media of television, film, news, and other non-media related realms, such trading cards, merchandise, and more. A number of Japanese media franchises have gained considerable global popularity, and are among
2890-473: The Antichrist and Left Behind 4: World at War , were developed by a publicly traded company, Left Behind Games. The games are real-time strategy games wherein the player controls a "Tribulation Forces" team and allows the player to "use the power of prayer to strengthen your troops in combat and wield modern military weaponry throughout the game world." The original game was released in the United States on November 14, 2006, and received mixed reviews. Distribution
2975-597: The Assemblies of God and the contemporary focus of Neo-Charismatic writings on the demonic. His concept of territorial spirits reigning over cities with the related spiritual mapping is paralleled in the Neo-charismatic world, including in non-fiction works in theology and missions by Charismatic writers such as C. Peter Wagner (and the related New Apostolic Reformation ), Larry Lea , Ed Silvoso and Ed Murphy. His books have been considered to reflect
3060-485: The Bible. Don't read my book." Irving Hexham rejects Peretti's depiction of the New Age as confirming a negative stereotype. Hexham observes that Peretti's novels reflect the anxieties that many fundamentalist and evangelical Christians have about secular society, the mass media, the social sciences and tertiary education. He is also disturbed "to see the way Frank Peretti has become a popular and oft-quoted authority on
3145-542: The Bible. He has also described its theology as "closer to primitive dualism than traditional Christian theism." Some critical reservations have been expressed by a number of Evangelical and Pentecostal writers that many readers are using Peretti's novels as manuals on prayer, exorcism , spiritual warfare and as guidebooks about dangers of the New Age movement. For example, Kim Riddlebarger expresses alarm that many readers have "redefined their entire worldview based upon
3230-447: The Bible." Laurie Goodstein, writing in 1998 for The New York Times , placed what she called the " Left Behind phenomenon" in the calendrical context of the approaching year 2000. Goodstein noted a 'proliferation' of similarly apocalyptic texts appearing at that time, by authors such as Jim Bakker and John Hagee . Goodstein cited the opinion of University of Wisconsin historian Paul Boyer, who described such authors as "cashing in on
3315-456: The Dragon's Throat (1985). A year later, he published This Present Darkness (1986), his most famous and popular novel to date. It was initially rejected by fourteen publishers before being picked up by Crossway Books . Although This Present Darkness was not an immediate success, sales improved with word of mouth, particularly after singer Amy Grant promoted the book. The book remained on
3400-559: The Family and aired on August 10, 1987, was adapted into a forty-minute film by anti-abortion group Love Life America in 2002 and shown on both PAX TV and briefly on the EWTN show Defending Life before being released on DVD . It was directed by Stephen Vidano and produced by IMS Productions. In 2004 Hangman's Curse was made into a film, in which Peretti himself had a small role as an eccentric professor, Dr. Algernon Wheeling. It had
3485-474: The Left Behind series." Multimedia franchise A media franchise often consists of cross-marketing across more than one medium. For the owners, the goal of increasing profit through diversity can extend the commercial profitability of the franchise and create strong feelings of identity and ownership in its consumers. Those large groups of dedicated consumers create the franchise's fandom , which
Left Behind - Misplaced Pages Continue
3570-467: The Master ). The sequel , Left Behind II: Tribulation Force , based on the second book, Tribulation Force , was released in 2002. The film debuted at #2 on Nielson 's video scan reports, behind Spider-Man , and was #1 in terms of overall sales for two days on Amazon.com . The second sequel, World at War , was released first to churches on October 21, 2005, for church theatrical viewings and
3655-527: The New Age" because "his actual qualifications in religious matters are minimal". Andrew Connolly notes that "these enemies, united under a New Age banner, are motivated not simply by an alternative religious ideology, but by demons" in Peretti's work. In addition to creating the Christian thriller genre, Peretti's work has had a notable impact on Christian literature and culture. Phyllis Tickle, religion editor of Publishers Weekly , called Peretti "the daddy,
3740-564: The Son has come and you've been left behind." The success of Frank Peretti 's pioneering Christian spiritual warfare thrillers in the 1980s and 1990s was a significant influence on the authors as well. Multiple books in the series have been on the New York Times Bestseller List . Starting in 2000, Books 7 and 8 reached number one on the list followed by book 10, which debuted at number one. In 2016, several books in
3825-545: The Tribulation Force to help save the lost and prepare for the coming Tribulation , in which God will rain down judgment on the world for seven years. According to James Bielo , it is based on a dispensationalist interpretation of prophecies in the Biblical books of Revelation , Daniel , Isaiah and Ezekiel . LaHaye and Jenkins cite the influence of Russell Doughten , an Iowa-based filmmaker who directed
3910-604: The United States, Gerald Fitzhugh. The third installment was the least identifiable with events in any of the books. Recognizable events were the marriages of Buck with Chloe Steele, and of Rayford Steele with Amanda White; the death of Bruce Barnes; and President Fitzhugh's heading an attack, resulting in World War III , with Great Britain and Egypt fighting against the Global Community . Major parts, however, were taken from subsequent books; these events include
3995-587: The book author. In November 2021, LaLonde announced the beginning of production on Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist , with Kevin Sorbo directing and replacing Nicolas Cage as Rayford Steele. The film is set six months after the events of the 2014 film and is an adaptation of the rest of book one in the series. The film makes a few small changes to be more relevant for modern times. A video game , Left Behind: Eternal Forces , (2006) and its three sequels, Left Behind: Tribulation Forces , Left Behind 3: Rise of
4080-400: The books glorify violence. Additionally, Paul Nuechterlein accused the authors of re-sacralizing violence, adding that "we human beings are the ones who put our faith in superior firepower. But in the Left Behind novels, the darkness of that human, satanic violence is once again attributed to God". Time said "the nuclear frights of, say, Tom Clancy 's The Sum of All Fears wouldn't fill
4165-459: The case of successful transmedia franchises, each different medium should expand the target demographic and fandom, build the interest of the consumers and add to the overarching story and narrative of the franchise itself. A connection between the characters, settings, and other elements of the media franchise do still exist within the different media, regardless of the fact that they are being presented in sometimes completely different ways, such as
4250-520: The characters from his first work The Door in the Dragon's Throat and used them to write The Cooper Kids Adventure Series , releasing seven more titles that contained the same Indiana Jones -style adventures similar to The Door in the Dragon's Throat . Throughout the 1990s, Peretti continued to write full-time, releasing Prophet (1992), The Oath (1995), and The Visitation (1999). The Oath , generally regarded as one of Peretti's greater works, has sold more than one million copies, and received
4335-470: The day-in-the-life episodes of the many different Real Housewives series. Documentaries and docuseries are other highlights of the non-fiction branch of media franchises, such as the popular Planet Earth series, which serves as both a film and television transmedia franchise. Frank Peretti Frank Edward Peretti (born January 13, 1951) is a New York Times best-selling author of Christian fiction , whose novels primarily focus on
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#17327726566094420-443: The door for other evangelical fiction that is gendered as masculine. Peretti "truly is the initiator of the male evangelical Christian fiction", noted Tickle in 1995. Peretti has stated the Christian fiction market previously wanted "prairie romance-type books" and "used to be very nonconfrontative – you know, the young woman struggling against the rigors of prairie life meets a fine young Christian minister." The editor-in-chief of
4505-725: The fictional worlds they love, adds to the overall narrative the franchise creates through its other media. Marvel's Avenger's Campus park is one of the many franchise-based theme parks created in recent times, following the creation of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studio's Islands of Adventure and Star Wars' Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland and Disney World . Media franchises tend to cross over from their original media to other forms. Literary franchises are often transported to film, such as Nancy Drew , Miss Marple , and other popular detectives , as well as popular comic book superheroes . Television and film franchises are often expanded upon in novels , particularly those in
4590-470: The film The Matrix Reloaded and the video game Enter the Matrix were produced at the same time, using the same actors on the same sets, and released on the same day. Transmedia franchises occasionally release content through certain media that is not canon to the main or greater story that the franchise is built around, meaning that the elements of said content do not truly exist in the main timeline of
4675-607: The focus on the content of the commodity to "overlapping the commodity image with the character image". The book Anime's Media Mix: Franchising Toys and Characters in Japan, by Marc Steinberg, details the evolution of the media mix in Japan. Long-running franchises were common in the early studio era, when Hollywood studios had actors and directors under long-term contract. In such cases, even lead actors are often replaced as they age, lose interest, or their characters are killed. Spin-offs and adaptations of popular pieces of media within
4760-415: The franchise. Canon content often times breaks continuity, leading fans to speculate or seek to confirm which media are canon and which are not, which can get confusing if the franchise does not provide an answer themselves since entire media can be non-canon to the greater story, with a popular example occurring. On the other hand, specific episodes, volumes or parts of a series can be canon while others in
4845-620: The good-evil struggle as 'evil [coming] from the outside' with 'the solution [as] the destruction of the evil-doers". Left Behind: The Kids is a series of forty novellas written for teenagers. It has the same plot as the adult series, but the main protagonists are teenagers. Williams professor Glenn Shuck has written the book Marks of the Beast: The Left Behind Novels and the Struggle for Evangelical Identity, published by NYU Press in 2005. He followed this with
4930-399: The graphic novels for the first book was later released as one novel. The success of the Left Behind books has led to the release of five motion pictures based on the series so far. All four have been produced by brothers Paul and Peter LaLonde , and have been released through Cloud Ten Pictures , an independent Canadian-based Christian film studio. The first, Left Behind: The Movie ,
5015-515: The king of, the sine qua non of the contemporary evangelical Christian fiction, if you cut out inspirational from that category." Christianity Today and The New York Times have stated his work has led the way for later Christian fiction such as the Left Behind series, which authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins have acknowledged, as well as for fiction by Pat Robertson and Chuck Colson . Connolly argues Peretti's writing opened
5100-473: The magazine), footwear, clothing of every kind, jewelry, housewares (lamps, clocks, bedding, glassware), guitars and gambling, playing cards, pinball machines and pet accessories, billiard balls, bedroom appurtenances, enhancements, plus countless other items of merchandise. Non-fiction media franchises also exist in the television and film media, with reality TV being one of the most well-known examples; ranging from competition shows like The Amazing Race to
5185-400: The media fictional material is unrelated. Non-fiction literary franchises include the ...For Dummies and The Complete Idiot's Guide to... reference books . An enduring and comprehensive example of a media franchise is Playboy Enterprises , which began expanding well beyond its successful magazine, Playboy , within a few years after its first publication, into such enterprises as
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#17327726566095270-400: The plane and partially on Chloe Steele as she comes to terms with her missing family. It earned overwhelmingly negative reviews and flopped at the box office . Vanished – Left Behind: Next Generation , a spin-off film based on the spin-off series Left Behind: The Kids released on September 28, 2016. The film was developed by Tim LaHaye 's grandson, Randy LaHaye and was well received by
5355-586: The poisoning of Barnes by GC forces, instead of Nicolae Carpathia himself, and an attempt by Fitzhugh to assassinate Carpathia. Buck's meeting with the President in the books takes a different form in the film. The film series have been criticized for, among other things, low production values. A Slate reviewer commented that in 2004, Cloud Ten Pictures made a deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment to release all of its pictures under their banner and has been doing so ever since. In 2010, Cloud Ten announced that
5440-555: The public preoccupation with the year 2000". While writing that the series fulfills the norms of mass-market fiction, as mentioned above, magazine writer Michelle Goldberg characterized the books as an attack on Judaism and liberal secularism , and suggested that the near-future " end times " in which the books are set seem to reflect the actual worldview of millions of Americans, including many prominent conservative leaders. Similarly, Glenn Shuck contends that Left Behind "does not...describe an other-worldly dystopia: it provides
5525-576: The publisher Crossway Books has described Peretti's thrillers as being written for the Moral Majority , stating, "there are 35 or 40 million people in this country who are really upset with the way things are. For once, their side is not beaten down. They win." While his thrillers deal with war between angels and demons, the Los Angeles Times notes they also "[explore] other issues such as curricula used in public schools and attempts by
5610-525: The same medium are not, such as the fact that only some of the Battlestar Galactica comics are canon, with a large amount of them breaking the continuity of the main story. In Japanese culture and entertainment, media mix ( wasei-eigo : メディアミックス , mediamikkusu ) is a strategy to disperse content across multiple representations: different broadcast media , gaming technologies, cell phones, toys, amusement parks , and other methods. It
5695-611: The same timeline of the Second Coming as premillennialists , while preterist Christians interpret the Book of Revelation as events that have already been fulfilled in the 1st Century. Brian McLaren of the Emergent Church compares the Left Behind series to The Da Vinci Code , and states, "What the Left Behind novels do, the way they twist scripture toward a certain theological and political end, I think [Dan] Brown
5780-471: The second animated entry in the Hermie and Friends series for children. He has also made a number of videos (and associated audio tapes and books) in which he takes on the persona of Mr. Henry, a slightly eccentric inventor and Bible teacher. While the format is unusual, it contains none of the theology of his adults' books. Peretti has been hailed as "America's hottest Christian novelist" and has been called
5865-546: The series were bestsellers and 65 million copies were sold in various languages. One reason often cited for the books' popularity is the quick pacing and action, and that they reflect the public's overall concern and fascination with the Apocalypse as portrayed in the biblical book of Revelation. Michelle Goldberg has written that, "On one level, the attraction of the Left Behind books isn't that much different from that of, say, Tom Clancy or Stephen King . The plotting
5950-536: The series, Nightmare Academy , was published in 2002 with equal success. The two books together sold more than 500,000 copies, according to Thomas Nelson Publishers. Peretti has mentioned that there may be more possible entries in the Veritas Project series. Peretti's first full-length novel after 2000 was the 2005 thriller Monster , which played with the Bigfoot legend and explored issues surrounding
6035-416: The shared, interweaving storylines and elements of Spider-Man films, television shows, comics and video games. Espen Aarseth describes the financial logic of cost-recovery for expensive productions by identifying that a single medium launch is a lost opportunity, the timeliness of the production and release is more important than its integrity, the releases should raise brand awareness and the cross-ability of
6120-420: The shock-value of uncanny recognition of the present in a different form." The books are written from a Protestant viewpoint. Some believe the books are anti-Catholic , noting that many Catholics were not raptured, concluding that no religion is free of false converts and that the new pope establishes a false religion. While the fictional Pope , John XXIV, was raptured, he is described as having embraced some of
6205-399: The social perspectives promoted in the Left Behind series unduly sensationalize the death and destruction of masses of people. Harvey Cox , a professor of divinity at Harvard, says part of the appeal of the books lies in the "lip-licking anticipation of all the blood", and Lutheran theologian Barbara Rossing, author of The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation , said
6290-467: The supernatural and spiritual warfare . As of 2012 , his works have sold over 15 million copies worldwide. He has been described by The New York Times as creating the Christian thriller genre. Peretti is best known for his novels This Present Darkness (1986) and Piercing the Darkness (1989). Peretti has held ministry credentials with the Assemblies of God , and formerly played the banjo in
6375-660: The views of the "Father of Protestantism ", Martin Luther , and it is implied that he was raptured for this reason. His successor, Pope Peter II , becomes Pontifex Maximus of Enigma Babylon One World Faith, an amalgam of all remaining world faiths and religions. Catholic Answers describes the series as anti-Catholic. The co-author of the book, Jerry B. Jenkins, as well as LaHaye, stated that their books are not anti-Catholic and that they have many faithful Catholic readers and friends. According to LaHaye, "the books don't suggest any particular theology , but try to introduce people to
6460-478: The way for evangelical acceptance of President Donald Trump . Daniel Silliman, professor of American religion and culture at Heidelberg University , asserts that Trump played off the types of fears among evangelical Christians found in Peretti's books and later works inspired by him such as the Left Behind series. Theological studies professor André Gagné , who has written on the Christian dominionist movement
6545-443: The work is critical for its success. American Idol was a transmedia franchise from its beginnings, with the first season winner Kelly Clarkson signing with RCA Records and having the release of A Moment Like This becoming a #1 hit on Billboard Hot 100. The success resulted in a nationwide concert tour, an American Idol book that made the bestseller list and the film From Justin to Kelly . A transmedia franchise however
6630-421: The world's highest-grossing media franchises . For example, Pokémon 's penetration into the American market of the franchise along with others of Japanese origin, such as Yu-Gi-Oh! , gave rise to the recognition of what is variously called transmedia storytelling , crossmedia, transmediation , media synergy, etc. Researchers argue that the 1963 Tetsuwan Atomu marked a shift in Japanese marketing from
6715-556: Was announced that Peretti had signed with Howard Books (a division of Simon & Schuster ) for a new novel. The novel, Illusion , was published in March 2012. Peretti's work, with its themes of spiritual warfare, has been described belonging to "an older tradition of believers, including C. S. Lewis , John Bunyan , and John Milton (and before them, medieval and ancient apocalyptic writers), who depicted angels and humans at war." A recurring theme in his writings – and in interviews –
6800-471: Was based on the first book of the series and was released in 2000. In a very unusual marketing scheme, the studio released the film on home video, and then theatrically. It fared poorly in theaters. The film starred former Growing Pains star Kirk Cameron as Buck Williams. Cameron, who praised the book series as "inspiring", became a practicing evangelist (and co-host with Ray Comfort on the TV show The Way of
6885-481: Was eventually treated with multiple surgeries. He dwelled on the subject of bullying in his non-fiction titles No More Victims (2001) and No More Bullies (2003). In 2001, Peretti released Hangman's Curse , the first book in the Veritas Project series for teens. The book was an instant hit among both teens and adults, and was made into a low-budget 2003 film of the same name . The second book in
6970-534: Was initially planned to work through churches and megachurches . Although the original game was accused of encouraging religious violence, not all reviewers of the game or critics of the Left Behind series shared that view. Representatives of the company have responded that the game's message is pacifist, because shooting nonbelievers instead of converting them costs the player "spirit points", which can be recovered by pausing to pray. The company also responded to these criticisms in an online newsletter, stating, "There
7055-437: Was launched that comprised the first two books in the series, Left Behind and Tribulation Force . The original idea was to release sets of three to five novels (each about 45–50 pages) for each book in the original series. However, after the fifth and final novel for Tribulation Force was released, the graphic novel series was discontinued, and the novels that were released are as of December 2006 out of print. A compilation of
7140-660: Was released in 2014 through Cloud Ten Pictures . A sequel, Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist , directed by and starring Kevin Sorbo , was released in 2023. The series inspired an audio drama as well as the PC game Left Behind: Eternal Forces (2006) and its several sequels . Left Behind tells an apocalyptic story about the ending of Earth (set in the contemporary era) over a period of seven years. The true believers in Jesus Christ have been raptured (taken instantly to heaven ), leaving non-believers behind on Earth, now
7225-465: Was released via home media on October 25. Much of the main cast from the previous two films, excluding Clarence Gilyard , reprised their respective roles for World at War . Gilyard, who played Bruce Barnes, was unable to return due to a scheduling conflict with a play in New York. It is based very loosely on the final 50 pages of Tribulation Force and features Louis Gossett Jr. as the President of
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