Jerry B. Jenkins
Encyclopedia
Jerry Bruce Jenkins is an American novelist and biographer. He is best known as co-author of the Left Behind
series of books with Tim LaHaye
, Jenkins has written over 150 book
s, including romance novel
s, mysteries
, and children's adventures, as well as non-fiction
. His works usually feature evangelical
Christian
s as protagonist
s.
In 2005, Jenkins and LaHaye ranked 9th in Amazon.com
's 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame authors ranked according to the largest numbers of books sold at Amazon.com in the 10 years since it opened on July 16, 1995. Jenkins and his wife Dianna have three sons, several grandchildren, and reside in Black Forrest, Colorado.
, Parade, and Guideposts. He is a "writer-at-large" for Moody Bible Institute
. He had previously worked as Editor of Moody Magazine and as vice-president of publishing for Moody Bible Institute.
, Luis Palau
, Walter Payton
, Nolan Ryan
, Sammy Tippit, George Sweeting, and others. Over a period of 13 months, he assisted Dr. Billy Graham
with his 1997 autobiography
, Just As I Am.
Gil Thorp
. Having been in negotiations with Tribune Media Services about the possibility of turning Jack Berrill's stories into a youth book series, he was asked to take over the writing duties of the strip when Mr. Berrill died in 1996. Many of the comic strip stories were written (but uncredited) by his son, Chad Jenkins, an assistant baseball
coach at Bethel College
.
series were profiled in a May 24, 2004 cover story
in Newsweek
magazine
entitled "The New Prophets of Revelation". LaHaye, also associated with Moody Bible Institute, handles the theological under-pinnings of his end-of-the-world
series, while Jenkins handles the story-telling.
The Left Behind series includes 12 books which have sold over 60 million copies worldwide. The first volume is entitled Left Behind, followed by Tribulation Force, Nicolae, and culminating in Kingdom Come. Three more volumes have been released, a trilogy of prequels.
is near. The Left Behind series has also been criticized by premillennial Christians as having "some real problems with [the] prophetical teachings". It is noted that "in books 8 & 9, LaHaye and Jenkins teach that [non-willing] recipients of the mark of the beast can still be saved." In The Mark, "the Chang
scenario" is developed, where it is made clear that a character had the seal of the Lord prior to being drugged and having the mark of the beast forced upon him.
This topic has been discussed by readers on the Left Behind message board, and was answered on the FAQ page at LeftBehind.com.
Left Behind (series)
Left Behind is a series of 16 best-selling novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, dealing with Christian dispensationalist End Times: pretribulation, premillennial, Christian eschatological viewpoint of the end of the world. The primary conflict of the series is the members of the Tribulation...
series of books with Tim LaHaye
Tim LaHaye
Timothy F. LaHaye is an American evangelical Christian minister, author, and speaker. He is best known for the Left Behind series of apocalyptic fiction, which he co-wrote with Jerry B. Jenkins. He has written over 50 books, both fiction and non-fiction.-Early life:LaHaye was born in Detroit,...
, Jenkins has written over 150 book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s, including romance novel
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
s, mysteries
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
, and children's adventures, as well as non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
. His works usually feature evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s as protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
s.
In 2005, Jenkins and LaHaye ranked 9th in Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
's 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame authors ranked according to the largest numbers of books sold at Amazon.com in the 10 years since it opened on July 16, 1995. Jenkins and his wife Dianna have three sons, several grandchildren, and reside in Black Forrest, Colorado.
Work as a writer, editor, and publisher
Jenkins has authored more than 150 books, 16 of which have reached the New York Times bestseller list. His writings have appeared in many periodicals, including Reader's DigestReader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
, Parade, and Guideposts. He is a "writer-at-large" for Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute is a Christian institution of higher education and related ministries that was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Since its founding, MBI's main campus has been located in the Near North Side of Chicago. MBI's primary ministries are education,...
. He had previously worked as Editor of Moody Magazine and as vice-president of publishing for Moody Bible Institute.
Children and young adult fiction
He has written many children and young adult book series, including both mystery and sports-themed books. One of his more famous series includes sports-themed "Dallas O'Neil and The Baker Street Sports Club" series, published in the mid-1980s and his follow-up series, "The Dallas O'Neil Mysteries".Biographer
He has written "as-told-to" biographies of Hank Aaron, Brett Butler, Bill Gaither, Orel HershiserOrel Hershiser
Orel Leonard Hershiser IV is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is currently an analyst for Baseball Tonight and Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN and a professional poker player for...
, Luis Palau
Luis Palau
Luis Palau, Jr. is an international Christian evangelist living in the Portland area in Oregon, United States. He was born in Argentina and moved to Portland in his mid-twenties to enroll in a graduate program in Biblical studies....
, Walter Payton
Walter Payton
Walter Jerry Payton was an American football running back who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League for thirteen seasons. Walter Payton was known around the NFL as "Sweetness". He is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in the history of American football...
, Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....
, Sammy Tippit, George Sweeting, and others. Over a period of 13 months, he assisted Dr. Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
with his 1997 autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, Just As I Am.
Comic strip author
From 1996 to 2004, Jenkins was writer of the sports-oriented comic stripComic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Gil Thorp
Gil Thorp
Gil Thorp is a sports-oriented comic strip which has been published since September 8, 1958. The main character, Gil Thorp, is the athletic director of Milford High School and coaches the football, basketball, and baseball teams...
. Having been in negotiations with Tribune Media Services about the possibility of turning Jack Berrill's stories into a youth book series, he was asked to take over the writing duties of the strip when Mr. Berrill died in 1996. Many of the comic strip stories were written (but uncredited) by his son, Chad Jenkins, an assistant baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
coach at Bethel College
Bethel College
Bethel College can refer to:* Bethel College * Bethel College * Bethel College * Bethel University , called Bethel College until 2004* Bethel University , called Bethel College until 2009...
.
"Left Behind" author
Jenkins and co-author LaHaye of the Left BehindLeft Behind
Left Behind is a series of 16 best-selling novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, dealing with Christian dispensationalist End Times: pretribulation, premillennial, Christian eschatological viewpoint of the end of the world. The primary conflict of the series is the members of the Tribulation...
series were profiled in a May 24, 2004 cover story
Cover story
Cover story may refer to:* a story in a magazine whose subject matter appears on its front cover* a fictitious account that is intended to hide one's real motive, e.g. when a terrorist pretends to be farmer to buy fertilizer or to provide an explanation in case it is found; the story in the case of...
in Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
entitled "The New Prophets of Revelation". LaHaye, also associated with Moody Bible Institute, handles the theological under-pinnings of his end-of-the-world
Christian eschatology
Christian eschatology is a major branch of study within Christian theology. Eschatology, from two Greek words meaning last and study , is the study of the end of things, whether the end of an individual life, the end of the age, or the end of the world...
series, while Jenkins handles the story-telling.
The Left Behind series includes 12 books which have sold over 60 million copies worldwide. The first volume is entitled Left Behind, followed by Tribulation Force, Nicolae, and culminating in Kingdom Come. Three more volumes have been released, a trilogy of prequels.
Christian Writers Guild owner
In 1965 Norman Rohrer established the Christian Writers Guild (CWG) which was an effort to raise the quality of Christian Writing. In 2003 Jerry B. Jenkins purchased the Guild from the retiring Norman Rohrer (who remains on the Editorial Board of CWG). The Guild promotes its writing program through annual conferences at the Grand Hyatt in Denver as well as a Guild Apprentice and Master programs of writing using staff of mentor authors and publishing professionals.Controversy and criticism
Jenkins and LaHaye have been criticized for their apocalyptic beliefs in which they assert the end of the worldEnd of the world
End of the world may refer to:* End time, in religion* List of places described as the end of land or the world* Expected tidal destruction of Earth when Sun becomes red-giant star-Albums:* End of the World , 1968 work by Aphrodite's Child...
is near. The Left Behind series has also been criticized by premillennial Christians as having "some real problems with [the] prophetical teachings". It is noted that "in books 8 & 9, LaHaye and Jenkins teach that [non-willing] recipients of the mark of the beast can still be saved." In The Mark, "the Chang
Chang Wong
Chang Wong is a fictional character of the Left Behind series of books. A brilliant young man with skills in computing, 17 at the time of Global Community Supreme Potentate and Antichrist Nicolae Carpathia's temporary death, he is groomed by David Hassid to replace him as the Tribulation Force's...
scenario" is developed, where it is made clear that a character had the seal of the Lord prior to being drugged and having the mark of the beast forced upon him.
This topic has been discussed by readers on the Left Behind message board, and was answered on the FAQ page at LeftBehind.com.