http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/UndergroundZealot

Underground Zealot is a series by Jerry Jenkins (better known for co-writing the Left Behind series). After the world's religious conflicts somehow turned into World War III, the UN decided to outlaw religion completely - with the usual punishment apparently being death.

After a series of miraculous shenanigans atheist Paul Stepola, an agent for the National Peace Organization (NPO), is converted to born-again Christianity. Paul then acts as a spy and secret agent for the underground Christians.

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There are three books in the series, which are:

Soon (2003)

Silenced (2004)

Shadowed (2005)

Tropes from the Underground Zealot series include:

Beauty = Goodness: Paul is described as tall, fit, and handsome. Angela, a secret Christian, is "dramatically pretty." Contrast with bad gal Bia Balaam, who is described as being "rawboned" and "thin-lipped," with "psycho eyes."

Because Destiny Says So: After World War III, the United States is re-divided into seven states known as the United Seven States of America. There is pretty much no reason for this to happen other than it's supposed to be the fulfillment of the "seven heads" bit in the Revelation.

Broken Aesop: Immediately after the zealots, with great effort, manage to spread pamphlets around Los Angeles saying that We are no threat to the government or the status quo, and asking themselves why the atheists feel so threatened by them when all they want is "the free exchange of ideas", they let the world know that they're praying for God to cut off the water supply to the city. He chooses instead to remove all water from the city, killing thousands in the process.

But Not Too Evil: Even though the story is supposed to take place in a world taken over by Hollywood Atheists, many right-wing boogeymen are curiously absent. For example, there are no LGBTQ characters. Advertisement: It's also odd that in this atheist-run world of debauchary, Paul and Jae stayed together in an unhappy marriage for a decade or so rather than divorcing after the 27th time Paul cheated.



Crapsaccharine World: Decades of world peace, great technological achievement, near-total elimination of disease and poverty... of course, being caught as a believer will net you a grisly execution. (Exactly how an atheist "theocracy" could manage to create such a paradise for 99% of the population, or the possible moral issues of the remaining 1% trying to overthrow that system for their own benefit, is never addressed.)

Coldblooded Torture: What the NPO uses whenever they can remember the advantages of finding more secret believers, as opposed to shooting the zealots on the spot. And of course what the thousands of atheist civilians killed in the LA miracle will suffer for all eternity in hell.

The Coroner Doth Protest Too Much: Bia Balaam's specialty for dealing with Christians. And every arrested Christian seems to end up dead sooner ('resisting arrest') or later (died in captivity), barring divine intervention. This doesn't seem to be official policy, every single atheist just has a seething hatred for every Christian they arrest. Advertisement: Used on a large scale in LA, when the army claims a group of 200 Christians opened fire on the army and were all killed in the ensuing firefight. How they faked a firefight that large is anyone's guess.

Disproportionate Retribution: Both sides. You believe in God? Death by napalm! You were trying to corner the silver market? Death by silver-themed miracle! Defaced the Hollywood sign to make it read Holywood? Death by hit squad! Heard a terrorist manifesto on the news and didn't risk life and limb on behalf of said terrorists by overthrowing the government within half a day of hearing about it? Death by dehydration!

Double Agent: After conversion, Paul serves as a double agent for the Christians.

Felony Misdemeanor: No need for an army? Donations to charity going to humanitarian relief efforts? The horror, the horror. This book puts the lack of a sizable army waging war somewhere in the world and charity donations going to relief efforts on the same level of awfulness as the banning of all religion.

Gone Horribly Right: The Christian Underground prayed for a miracle, in the form of God cutting off the water supply to LA. They didn't expect the Almighty to remove all moisture in the entire area for everyone but His followers (it's not clear what effect, if any, this has on animals and plants).

Istanbul (Not Constantinople): After WWIII, the United States of America is renamed the United Seven States of America. State names are abandoned and the country is divided into seven regions: Atlantica, Columbia, Gulfland, Heartland, Pacifica, Rockland, and Sunterra. Take a shot every time the book calls states by their old names anyway.

