TL;DR
An academic essay traces how evangelical end-times fiction such as the Left Behind franchise helped normalize apocalyptic thinking and intersects with a rising material culture of prepping: bunkers, stockpiles and armed communities. The authors link this cultural shift to historical Cold War civil-defense practices, contemporary media (reality TV and reporting), and the political formations that overlap with modern militia and gun cultures.
What happened
Sarah T. Roberts and Mél Hogan analyze how apocalyptic narratives and practical prepping have converged in recent decades. They show that the Left Behind novels, published by a small Christian press and grounded in a literalist Rapture theology, became a mainstream commercial phenomenon and produced spin-offs including films and a video game that treated the Rapture as both religious event and secular catastrophe requiring technical expertise and resources. The authors situate that cultural text within a broader material turn toward survival infrastructure: underground bunkers, silos, domes, food stockpiles and other architectures outfitted to sustain inhabitants through long-term societal collapse. This modern prepping revival, they argue, draws on Cold War fallout-shelter precedents and has been amplified by media such as the reality show Doomsday Preppers. The essay also documents ties between prepper practices, a fondness for firearms, and organized right-wing militia activity.
Why it matters
- Apocalyptic narratives have moved from fringe belief to culturally resonant frameworks that shape real-world behavior and markets.
- Material prepping—bunkers, supplies and weaponry—translates fictional end-times scenarios into infrastructural and economic investments.
- The overlap of prepping, gun culture and militia organizing has political implications for civic trust, public safety and electoral mobilization.
- Historical precedent in Cold War civil-defense shows this is not wholly new, but contemporary technologies and media have remade and normalized survivalist practices.
Key facts
- The Left Behind novels, rooted in evangelical Rapture theology, became a major commercial success after their publication in the late 20th century.
- The franchise expanded into films and a video game (Left Behind: Eternal Forces) that framed survival as a blend of faith and technological capability.
- Authors link contemporary prepping infrastructures—bunkers, silos, domes—to earlier Cold War fallout shelters as a historical precedent.
- Media coverage and reality TV (Doomsday Preppers, 2011–2014) helped popularize and normalize modern prepping practices.
- Contemporary preppers often emphasize individual self-reliance, weapons and community defense; the authors note a political tilt toward the right.
- The essay profiles militia activity connected to prepper culture, citing the Georgia III% Security Force as an example that trains monthly and frames itself around Second Amendment defense.
- Luxury prepping—high-end bunkers and elaborate survival amenities—is identified as a recent phenomenon discussed in mainstream outlets.
- The authors’ piece is peer-reviewed and appeared in a special issue addressing new forms of extremism and cultural practice.
What to watch next
- Whether luxury prepping (high-end bunkers and bespoke survival estates) expands beyond niche media coverage — not confirmed in the source.
- Changes in the relationship between prepper communities and electoral or political movements, including militia mobilization around perceived threats.
- Mainstream media and entertainment that further normalize apocalyptic narratives and the material practices that follow — not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Rapture: In some Christian theologies, a prophetic event in which believers are taken up to Heaven, often motivating apocalyptic narratives and interpretations.
- Prepping: Preparatory practices and material stockpiling (food, weapons, shelters) intended to ensure survival during large-scale disasters or societal collapse.
- Fallout shelter: A structure designed to protect occupants from radioactive debris and other hazards following a nuclear explosion; historically associated with Cold War civil-defense.
- Militia: An organized group, often civilian, that trains and prepares for defense or perceived threats; in contemporary U.S. contexts some militias overlap with right-wing politics and gun advocacy.
Reader FAQ
Did Left Behind influence modern prepping?
The authors argue the Left Behind franchise helped normalize apocalyptic frameworks and contributed culturally to survivalist imaginaries.
Is prepping a new phenomenon?
No. The essay situates contemporary prepping in a lineage that includes Cold War fallout shelters and civil-defense efforts.
Are preppers generally violent or extremist?
The source reports a strong overlap with gun culture and right-of-center politics and documents militia activity, but it does not claim all preppers are violent or extremist.
Are luxury bunkers widespread?
The piece notes a luxury prepping phenomenon covered in mainstream outlets, but it does not provide evidence about how widespread such bunkers are — not confirmed in the source.
Sarah T. Roberts and Mél Hogan — Left Behind: Futurist Fetishists, Prepping and the Abandonment of Earth Written by boundary2 in _b20_blockhover, b2o: an online journal, The New Extremism Sarah…
Sources
- Left Behind: Futurist Fetishists, Prepping and the Abandonment of Earth (2019)
- Futurist Fetishists, Prepping and the Abandonment of Earth
- “Left Behind: Futurist Fetishists, Prepping and the Abandonment …
Related posts
- Why the Future of Software Development Still Depends on Developers
- Why the Internet Is Bad for Democracy – A 2005 ACM Paper Reviewed
- Left Behind: Futurist Fetishists, Prepping and Earth’s Abandonment