The New York Times > Opinion > Kristof: Apocalypse (Almost) Now
Not Kristof's best column, because he missed the point. Yes, the Left Behind books are nasty and virulent, but it's also true that one can (selectively) read the Bible that way. As religious extremists are fond of pointing out, there are a lot of places in the Bible where "God" is nasty as all get out. That's the God of a some literate barbarians -- the early Israelis.
Things quiet down as the Israelis focus more on spirtuality and less on destroying their enemies. Christ is a real aberration though. I just don't see the continuity between the Old Testament and the teachings of Christ. There's a legacy for sure, but Christ is really a revolutionary. (Paul does yet a third version; a fusion really that provides the right formula for longterm success. Paul is a reactionary zealot -- and a pragmatist.
Bottom line, the Left Behind folks are very much in the spirit of the Old Testament. I'd say they aren't Christian though, more like Yahwhites. Kristof's right when he says they're religious extremists, but wrong to think they're not true to the spirit of a part of the Bible. The Bible is massively inconsistent.
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