Desecration [Unabridged] (Audio CD)

I'm also getting tired of the Tribulation Force smart-mouthing everyone they meet. Apparently, a lot of people find that funny, but if you're on a life-or-death undercover mission, why taunt EVERYONE you encounter? And my Bible says something about loving your enemies, not treating them with contempt.

But the main problem with this book is that as the Antichrist turns up the pressure, the Tribulation Force gears up to fight back. Logically, it doesn't all make sense: we have scenes in this book where angels materialize to smite the Force's enemies for them, so why bother with those 50-caliber explosive rifles, especially when the other side has tanks? Instead of shooting, I'd be waiting for the angels.

Worse yet are the book's ethics. To me, putting faith into practice involves prayerfully trying to figure out your basic principles, then doing your best (with God's help) to put them into practice. But this book teaches something quite different. Two issues that keep coming up are whether Tribulation Force members should lie to the enemy's minions, and whether they can shoot them. A case can be made for either answer. But part of any sensible person's preparation for an ordeal such as these people face is figuring out their answers. These people don't, and to the extent they have views, they change with the situation. Consider this exchange from p. 274:

"Arms?" Buck said. "... Count me out."
"You might change your mind if the GC opens fire."
I just might, Buck thought.

That comes prominently at the end of a chapter, so it's not simply an slip on the part of authors trying to write 12 books in a hurry. It's how they think one of their central characters would react in that situation. And it sounds a lot more like the "if it feels right, do it" attitude that characterizes the New Age, rather than Christianity.

If you want a book that better addresses human behavior in the face of apocalyptic events, try Connie Willis's Doomsday Book, a time-travel story centered on the Black Death. The people of that era really did believe the world was coming to an end, and reacted accordingly. It's a secular book (albeit by a Christian author), but I find far more of Christ in it than in this one. And you can get it for well under $10.