DINNER WAS PARTNERED WITH A VIBRANT DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT IT was to be “Rapture ready,” and Simon—having put his anger at their politics aside for the moment to enjoy the entertainment value of relating some of the more ridiculous aspects of their theology—was in noisy spirits. He held forth about the woman who’d designed a toilet for the Rapture-faithful: if you were caught in an embarrassing position when Jesus arrived, his portrait on the cistern would ensure the angels understood the politics of your religion. And there were those who were nightly expecting to be levitated from their dining rooms in the midst of the family meal—ready to be raised through the rafters and embraced in the clouds. Some especially vocal Rapturists professed that Catholics meant well but were misinformed; the Pope was an Antichrist because you cannot pray with other people and their gods.

“Since these other gods don’t exist, God would be jealous and call it ‘spiritual adultery.’” Simon held them entranced: the mood at the table swung from incredulity to hilarity to a suspicion of poetic license on the raconteur’s part.

“It’s all true, I promise.” He put his hands up to defend their attacks. “I know it seems far-fetched, but the people who subscribe to these ideas don’t read the fictional element of the propaganda with any critical function. I’ve decided to do a big piece on it for the paper. It will make a great exposé for the Saturday Review. Just watch this space.”

Henry was fascinated by this information, and drew a line between the absurdities Simon presented with such humorous relish, and the more dangerous aspects of the belief. He recognized the political possibilities. He mentioned a friend from his Oxford days who was now in the Deanery at Winchester—they still had lunch on a regular basis and remained close. He would ask him about these Christian Zionists, get another perspective. He also warned Alex not to be too naive in his idealistic corner of medicine, where he preferred to believe that most people were committed to an altruistic, lifesaving world.