A small college community becomes a spiritual war zone as armies of angels and demons war over the souls of the town’s inhabitants. And should evil prevail, more is at stake than just the inhabitants of this small town. That’s the premise of a bestselling novel that changed the landscape of Christian publishing forever.
This weekend is Halloween, and so it seems appropriate that we take this “Fiction Friday” to focus on one of the modern classics of Christian literature – a classic that deals directly with the unseen warfare taking place all around us.
In 1986, CrossWay Books published This Present Darkness, a novel by a self-described “burned-out” former pastor and changed the face of Christian publishing forever.
I was in my senior year in high school when I first heard of This Present Darkness. I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the buzz, partly (I’m sure) because I went to a strict conservative Christian school (and attended that school’s parent church). The idea of mixing Christianity with supernatural fantasy just wasn’t something that was encouraged or entertained.
In fairness, the Christian school I attended was okay with CS Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia. But that was about as far as it went.
It wasn’t until my college years that I picked up a copy of This Present Darkness from the local Christian bookstore Zondervan. Remember those?
Unfortunately, the novel didn’t grab me at first. I tried getting into it, but it was slow going (at least for my 18 or 19 year old brain), and I put it aside. But then, a couple years later, while a part of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at George Mason University, I gave it another shot.
I’m glad I did.
The book was (is) nothing short of awesome.
And for a young guy who enjoyed action-packed fantasy and science fiction, I remember thinking: This is the kind of novel that Christian publishing houses should be putting into the market.
Apparently, I was not alone in that thought.
Peretti’s fast-paced supernatural thriller sold over 2 million copies worldwide, and sparked a renewed interest in spiritual warfare. And, in time, triggered a new wave of Christian supernatural thrillers and faith-based paranormal fantasy fiction.
This Present Darkness features angels and demons – and endorses a territorial view of spirits (something very much alluded to in the Bible and which remains a subject of debate among theologians and scholars to this day).
This Present Darkness is quite critical of Eastern and New Age spiritual practices, associating them with pagan practices and demonic influences
The title and premise stem from Paul’s teaching in Ephesians:
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:12, KJV
The novel follows a reporter, her boss, and a small-town pastor who slowly uncover a conspiracy by a nefarious spiritualist group to take over the college and socio-political-economic culture of the fictional town of Ashton. They are soon caught in a web of danger, deceit, false accusations, and corruption.
And that’s all in the physical world.
Behind the scenes, there are demonic forces at work — pulling the strings of the spiritualist group, known as the Universal Consciousness Society, and manipulating people and events for their purposes.
This results in an extraordinary concentration of demonic forces in the Ashton area. Resisting these unseen forces are the armies of Heaven.
The novel is full of swashbuckling battles between sword-wielding demons and angels, with their confrontations being influenced by the prayers, faith, and actions of the real-world inhabitants of Ashton.
It’s a compelling vision of what spiritual warfare might resemble.
Peretti does not make the claim that his novel is inspired Scripture. And no one reading Peretti’s novels (he would go to write a sequel Piercing The Darkness and other books, like Prophet and Visitation, which likewise touch on spiritual and supernatural themes) should conclude this is all definitive theology.
What Peretti does is bring something that is real and yet unseen into the light for discussion and consideration.
His novels remind us that there’s more to reality than meets the eye (or ear). There’s more going on than what our physical senses can apprehend.
If you want theology, read the Bible. And then supplement your Bible reading with thought-provoking commentaries and texts such as Playing With Fire by Billy Hallowell and Supernatural by Michael Heiser.
But if you want an enjoyable Christian fantasy novel, especially one that explores this unseen realm, you can’t go wrong with This Present Darkness.
This Present Darkness is available at most online book retailers and probably in your local library as well.
