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Balow says stewardship is key when it comes to managing Tyndale's growing budget. According to Taylor, the company yearly donates money to a long list of local and national organizations, including Wycliffe Bible Translators and Focus on the Family. In addition, Tyndale matches the tithe (up to $1,000 a year) that any employee gives to a local church.

Taylor says that after the 12th book, The Glorious Appearing, is published in 2003, the authors may consider writing a prequel to the series.

Garrett believes Tyndale has no plans to slow down. "If that last book makes it to number one, do you think they're not going to do a 13th book?" she says. "They'll find a way to ride on that success."

Movie producers have already found a way to capitalize on the books' popularity. A Canadian film company plans to release a movie based on the first book in February.

Amid the whirlwind of success, Balow finds himself trying to balance his excitement for Tyndale's growth with the question he often receives from outsiders: How did this happen?

"We have to be careful. If we say, 'God is blessing us right now,' does that mean he's not blessing other companies who are not as successful?" Balow says. "We don't know why God is choosing to do this. We're just trying to be good stewards."

The official site of the Left Behind series is available in nine different languages.

The September 22 issue of Entertainment Weekly noted the frustration of the Left Behind author, director, and star with plans to release Left Behind: The Movie on video before a theatrical release.

Canada's National Post newspaper visited the set in Toronto.

For more updates and rumors about the movie, visit the film's official site, Coming Attractions, HollywoodJesus.com, and UpcomingMovies.com.

The Lalonde brothers, Peter and Paul, discuss why they make apocalyptic movie after apocalyptic movie in an interview on their promotional site.

Profiles of Left Behind authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins share the authors' blend of theology and adventurous storytelling.

Michael Maudlin, Online Executive Editor for Christianity Today International, reviewed the series for Beliefnet and discussed the books with religion professor Randall Balmer on Slate. Other major reviews include those by Feed and The Atlantic Monthly.

When the latest book in the series, The Indwelling entered The New York Times bestseller list at number one, the paper called it "an unparalleled achievement for an evangelical novel," noting that, at the time at the time the series had "sold some 17 million copies in the United States, about three million less than the Harry Potter series." (For an overseas perspective, see the U.K.'s Guardian and Times stories.)

Christianity Today's sister publications have been covering the trend as well. Christian Reader profiled the publishing craze, and Christianity Online interviewed author Jerry Jenkins about his Web surfing habits.

Previous Christianity Today articles on the Left Behind phenomenon include:

Christian Fiction Gets Real | New novels offer gritty plots and nuanced characters—but can they find a market? (May 11, 2000)

Christian Filmmakers Jump on End-times Bandwagon | Bestseller Left Behind is slated for the big screen (Oct. 25, 1999)

Apocalyptic Sales Out of This World (Mar. 1, 1999)

The Bible Study at the End of the World | Recent novels by evangelical leaders say more about popular American Christianity than about the end times (Sept. 1, 1997)

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November 13 2000, Vol. 44, No. 13