Earlier this week, CNN raised the ire of some evangelicals by publishing the stories of former evangelicals who discussed one source of religious trauma: rapture anxiety.
Rapture theology, which is one part of Dispensationalism, posits that Christ will take Christians to heaven prior to his full return in glory. Those who hold to the Premillennial stance within Dispensationalism believe that this could happen at any moment, and that non-Christians will be left behind for the Great Tribulation.
While this particular eschatological belief is one of many viewpoints within the larger Christian church, it became extremely prevalent within evangelical circles during the latter decades of the twentieth century, even becoming a central point of emphasis for some prominent Christian leaders and inspiring myriad books and films, such as the “Left Behind” series.