Dangers of Dispensational Rapture Fantasy

I am sure that Tim LaHaye unreservedly believes in the dispensational theology that inspires his Left Behind book series. No doubt, he has done the Church a service in recalling it to a serious consideration of the blessed hope of Christ's return in glory. Too often we mainline protestants have shied away from being any more specific about this teaching than the one line in the second article of the Apostles' Creed: "From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead." Because of Left Behind's popularity we mainline folks are forced to deal with the issue in our pulpits and Sunday schools. No longer can we conveniently igonore the bulk and heart of the book of Revelation as does the Revised Common Lectionary. If we do, we endanger the faith of Christians in our pews as well as those of our fundamentalists friends.
To be sure, whether one is a dispensational futurist or a preterist or an idealist or a historicist is a secondary issue. Being wrong on issues surrounding the apocalypse is not equal to the heresy of denying trinitarian doctrine. However, errors in eschatology can lead one down a road to disappointment that can shatter one's faith not only in the promised Return but also in the One who is returning. With respect to dispensationalism there are 2 theological errors and one ethical/political errors that should inspire mainline protestants to sound a clarion call of warning to there fundamentalist friends.
Dispensationalism asserts that before the return of Christ to establish his millenial reign there will be a seven year period of great tribulation before which the church is snatched away to heaven, waiting there while non-believers suffer God's wrath and messianic Jews evangelize and convert previously procrastinating and unrepentent gentiles.
We might argue endlessly with dueling proof texts but to get to the heart of the matter, dispensationalism reflects a one dimensional view of the cross as substitutionary punishment to satisfy the wrath of god. Although this is one aspect of the cross, it ignores or at least trivializes Jesus command to "take up your cross and follow me." What we have in the book of Revelation is a call for Christians to be witnessing martyrs in tribulation until the ressurection of the dead and the final judgement. Certainly there is a protecting from God's wrath during this tribulation but there is no hint of LaHaye's escapist fantasy. God spares His children His wrath but not persecution at the hands of God's enemies. If LaHaye is right John the Revelator is counseling Christian wimpiness not endurance to the end. The witness of putting down our crosses as we breeze away to bliss when the going gets apocalyptically tough is anything but a Christian testimony.
If indeed God does expect Christians to endure persecution to the very bitter end, then we begin to see the dangers implicit in the rapture fantasy. First, it tempts Christians to loose faith when persecution gets more serious than what evangelicals imagined they endured in the Clinton era. Second, it tempts those who think they are tougher than Job to put off the decision of faith. No need to give up sin and follow Jesus today if I get seven years of second chances.
Finally there is a danger here and now that ought to trouble both beleivers and unbelievers alike. Dispensationalists are making Israel right or wrong a litmus test for politicians in hopes of forcing God's hand. Bush is valued for keeping hope alive for the final Israelite generation with Biblical borders. This serves only to further irritate overly inflamed irridentism on both sides of the Israeli/Palestian dispute. Expect no peace, more terror and greater pain at the pump as long as the State Department has to answer to the LaHaye's crowd of eisegetical escape artists.