This Present Darkness
This Present Darkness is a Christian novel by Frank E. Peretti. Published in 1986 by Crossway Books, This Present Darkness was Peretti's first published novel for adults and shows contemporary views on angels, demons, prayer, and spiritual warfare as demons and angels interact and struggle for control of the citizens of the small town of Ashton.
Having achieved remarkable sales success, the book has sold in excess of 2.5 million copies worldwide and remained on the CBA top ten best-sellers list for over 150 consecutive weeks after its release. It has been instrumental in promoting belief in Territorial Spirits.
Its title comes from Ephesians 6:12 (ESV) : "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places".
Peretti followed This Present Darkness up with a sequel in 1988, Piercing the Darkness.
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[edit] Plot summary
This Present Darkness takes place in the small college town of Ashton. Bernice Kreuger, a reporter for the Clarion, Ashton's town newspaper, is falsely arrested on prostitution charges after taking a photograph at the annual Ashton Summer Festival. When she is released the next day, she discovers that the film in her camera was destroyed.
Marshall Hogan, owner/editor-in-chief of the Clarion decides to go to the town police station/courthouse and confront Alf Brummel, the police chief, about the incident. Brummel denies any wrongdoing on behalf of the police department and insists it was all a mistake. Brummel then advises Marshall to drop the matter. Marshall does not fall for Brummel's story and, ignoring Brummel's advice, begins an investigation.
As the investigation continues, Marshall and Bernice begin to realize that they're onto something much bigger than they thought. They slowly uncover a plot to take over the town via buying the college, that is being carried out by The Universal Consciousness Society, a powerful New Age group. When the Society decides Marshall has found out too much they take the Clarion, and his house. They also falsely accuse him of murder, adultery, and molesting his daughter, who attends the college and who unwittingly has been pulled into the Society. When he and Bernice are caught in a desperate attempt to keep the society from winning out, he is arrested and thrown in jail, and she escapes, running off to find help.
Meanwhile Hank Busche, the unwanted pastor of the little Ashton Community Church discovers that there are many demons in the town and wonders why they have all congregated here. When he gets to be a nuisance to the demons they have the Society falsely arrest him for rape.
Hank and Marshall meet in jail. They compare stories and finally put both halves of the puzzle together.
During the time that this is happening the story take on a spiritual dimension - revealing a perspective based on the idea of unseen forces at work
Meanwhile, Bernice finds help and makes contact with the County Prosecuter, the State Attorney General, and the Feds. When Alf Brummel finds out about this he releases Hank and Marshall.
[edit] Cultural Influence
Religious studies professor Paul Bramadat describes how Peretti's books have substantially influenced the spiritual beliefs of young evangelicals. Taking guidance from the book, those familiar with the novels were much more likely to engage in "spiritual warfare" and pray against demonic influence, and describe human events in terms of warring cosmic forces.[1]
A track called Ashton, after the name of the town in the novel, on the Michael W. Smith album i 2 (EYE) is inspired by the novel.
[edit] References
- ^ Bramadat, Paul A. (2000). The Church on the World's Turf: An evangelical Christian group at a secular university. New York: Oxford University Press.
[edit] External links
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