The success of Jerry Jenkins' literary career has been like a meteor crashing into the world of Christian fiction, changing the landscape forever.
He co-wrote the apocalyptic thrillers of the "Left Behind" series that have sold 55 million copies in eight years. "Desecration," written with the Rev. Tim LaHaye, like the rest of the series, sold more than any piece of fiction worldwide in 2002, publishing experts say. Such numbers have opened the eyes of readers, publishers and authors to the viability of the genre.
Now comes Jenkins' first solo venture into prophetic fiction, "Soon: The Beginning of the End." About 350,000 copies -- a high number for any type of fiction -- have been shipped to bookstores in its first month, according to Tyndale House Publishers.
"He pushes the horizon a little farther for all of us," said James Scott Bell, a Los Angeles author who writes Christian legal thrillers. "His tremendous success has opened the eyes of readers who normally wouldn't think about Christian fiction."
Since 1995, the number of Christian novels has grown from 500 to close to 2,000, many now published by divisions of major houses such as Viking, Warner and Doubleday.
All have themes that reflect Christian values, such as the power of redemption through faith and the harm of sex outside of marriage. The fiction comes in almost every category, including romance, historical and children's works. If the books were movies, they would be G-rated.
Critics say the quality of the once-dismal fiction has also risen, though, as a whole, it remains a notch below mainstream novels. The fact that the genre is on an upswing can largely be attributed to Jenkins, his boosters say.
"I think he will be remembered outside the industry as a writer who stumbled into a great and perennially fascinating topic," said Jana Riess, religion book review editor for Publishers Weekly. "Within the industry, [he'll be known] as a tremendously hard worker who remembered all the little guys who made him successful" and he's "a mentor to many, many novelists in the industry."
Jenkins, 54, is good-natured bear of a man who looks like a younger Santa Claus with his white beard and ample belly.
Friends and colleagues say he hasn't been changed much by success. He still makes a 150-mile round trip on Sundays to attend a friend's church in Littleton, Colo. He supports the same charities he gave to before his success -- "those who don't ask" -- only with a few more zeros. They include Moody Bible Institute, Bethel College in Indiana, Colorado Christian University and Sammy Tippit Ministries.
