Book Review - The Secret on Ararat

Tim LaHaye is finally getting a fair amount of press. But, I've said it before, he has not received anywhere near the acclaim that his body of work deserves. The Left Behind series will never be confused with great literature, but it was fun reading, and it informed during that fun. If you've not yet read Left Behind, it gets my "Buy the Hardback" rating. We have the entire series in Hardback, and our boys have the kids' version.

The Babylon Rising Series with co-author Bob Phillips is much better written than Left Behind. But that doesn't mean it is great literature either. The story line is fine. The characters are interesting. The setup where hero Michael Murphy is challenged in some death defying game by Methuselah in the opening paragraphs of each book is well done.

I think the biggest missing ingredient in this book is context. It is written almost like the nightly news. The scenes are short with too little build up, and resolve themselves too quickly and easily. Then the entire book ends the same way. Some books feel as if they could be edited, cut down to size. This one feels like it needs someone to flesh it out.

Better Than Left Behind

Babylon Rising by Tim LaHaye and Greg Dinallo

No offense meant to Jerry Jenkins, but as much as I liked the Left Behind series which he co-authored with Tim LaHaye, it might have been even better with co-author Greg Dinallo. If you like edge of the seat action dramas with a Christian theme, you won't do much better than Babylon Rising.

From the opening page of this thriller, you instantly befriend Michael Murphy, the anthropology prof cum adventurer. All of the major characters in Babylon Rising are three dimensional and memorable. There is even a love interest in this one.

From time-to-time you might be reminded of Indiana Jones as you travel into ancient digs throughout the Middle East, but unlike Indy, Michael Murphy is dealing with prophesy and Biblical themes, and all of the characters are dealing with various levels of belief or unbelief.

Tim LaHaye, mastermind of the Left Behind Series, seems to have a limitless ability to move the Word of God forward. Not everyone knows that his writings go far beyond Left Behind, including what I consider to be the best book available on marital intimacy (read "sex.") See my post on The Act of Marriage. He has written or co-authored at least 22 other books. He is also the founder of what is now the Family Life Today Marriage Conferences, two Christian grade schools, a high school, and a college.

Babylon Rising is 9 on a scale of 10. Available in paperback from Dell.

How to Have the Best Sex in Marriage - Book

The Act of Marriage: The Beauty of Sexual Love by Tim LaHaye

The revolution started in 1968. Prior to that Kinsey and others had attempted to bring an understanding of sex into books designed for us little people to read. Playboy had been out for 13 years talking about sex perversion, and to be fair had produced some serious articles on sex in marriage. But Everything I Ever Wanted to Know About Sex was the breakthrough book. It was a huge best seller, and brought normal sexual activity to the grass roots.

Enter Tim LaHaye, author, preacher, and Christ follower. He is best known now for the Left Behind Series, but his book, The Act of Marriage, has sold over 2.5 million copies. The reason is simple. The information is dead on correct. If the sex in your marriage is not what you want it to be. If you are struggling with any kind of disfunction. If your spouse is unresponsive. If you are getting married soon, or have just recently been married, and you have questions about how things work or how to relate, this is the resource you need.

There are other good books on marital sex, both secular and Christian. As a fan of Dr. Ed Wheat and his wonderful marriage book, Love Life for Every Married Couple, I could easily recommend his fine book, Intended for Pleasure. The Wheat book is fine, The Act of Marriage is outstanding.

The Amazing Life of Tim LaHaye

Tim LaHaye may be one of the best known names in the US due to his Left Behind Series of Books. However, his life is much more than that one work. His creative talents have created an output that seems incredible for one lifetime. This site will be dedicated to bringing together that story. Along with the biography that we will create here, there will be book reviews on his entire life's output, links to interviews, and any other information we can gather. Hold on to your seat.