The geographical pivot of (the end of) history: Evangelical geopolitical imaginations and audience interpretation of Left Behind

This paper analyzes evangelical Christian geopolitical imaginations by studying audience interpretations of the Left Behind books and related sacred texts such as the Bible. Left Behind is a series of fictional books that portray a narrative of the end of the world, culminating in the return of Jesus Christ. Utilizing a qualitative content analysis of 50 “Current Events” discussion threads taken from the Internet-based Left Behind Prophecy Club bulletin board, the author finds that fans of the Left Behind series utilize a geopolitical imagination that is focused almost entirely on Israel, with Iran and Islam serving as a specific and general ‘Other’, respectively. However, the geopolitical imagination fragments when it comes to the role of the United States in the Endtimes and in debates over from where the Antichrist will emerge. Related to these varying views is the issue of prophecy interpretation itself, which is contested among fans of Left Behind. Conclusions are drawn about the way geopolitical knowledge is produced in fan communities and the ways in which religion can be theorized in popular geopolitics.