This Present Darkness
Encyclopedia
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 angel
s, demon
s, 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 Spirit
s.
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
.
, 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 demon
s 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.
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.
Christian novel
A Christian novel is any novel that expounds and illustrates a Christian world view in its plot, its characters, or both, or which deals with Christian themes in a positive way.-The tradition of Christian fiction:...
by Frank E. Peretti
Frank E. Peretti
Frank Edward Peretti is a New York Times best-selling author of Christian fiction, whose novels primarily focus on the supernatural. To date, his works have sold over 15 million copies worldwide. Peretti is best known for his novels This Present Darkness and The Oath...
. Published in 1986 by Crossway Books
Good News Publishers
Good News Publishers is a not-for-profit Christian ministry that publishes and distributes gospel tracts. Good News Publishers is the parent company of Crossway Books, a publisher of evangelical Christian books. Good News/Crossway is headquartered in Wheaton, Illinois...
, This Present Darkness was Peretti's first published novel for adults and shows contemporary views on angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s, demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
s, prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
, and spiritual warfare
Spiritual warfare
Spiritual warfare is a range of activity by various Christian groups whereby Satanic demons are combatted, using a variety of methods depending on the group, but typically through prayer.-Range of practice, history, and methodology:...
as demons and angels interact and struggle for control of the citizens of the small town
Small Town
Small Town is a song written by John Cougar Mellencamp and released on his 1985 album Scarecrow. The song reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.-Content:...
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 Spirit
Territorial Spirit
According to some Christians , Territorial Spirits are demons who rule over certain geographical areas in the world....
s.
Its title comes from Ephesians
Epistle to the Ephesians
The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, often shortened to Ephesians, is the tenth book of the New Testament. Its authorship has traditionally been credited to Paul, but it is considered by some scholars to be "deutero-Pauline," that is, written in Paul's name by a later author strongly influenced by...
6:12 (ESV
English Standard Version
The English Standard Version is an English translation of the Christian Bible. It is a revision of the 1971 edition of the Revised Standard Version...
) : "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
Piercing the Darkness
Piercing the Darkness, which was published in 1988, is a sequel to Frank E. Peretti's novel This Present Darkness. It shows contemporary views on angels, demons, prayer and the spiritual realm. Piercing the Darkness won the ECPA Gold Medallion Book Award for best fiction in 1990...
.
Plot summary
This Present Darkness takes place in the small college town of Ashton. Bernice Kreuger, a reporter for the Clarion, Ashton's town newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, is falsely arrested on prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
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
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
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
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of the little Ashton Community Church discovers that there are many demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
s 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.
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.A track called Ashton, after the name of the town in the novel, on the Michael W. Smith
Michael W. Smith
Michael Whitaker Smith is a Billboard top ten Billboard Hot 100 recording artist and Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in Contemporary Christian music. Smith also has achieved a considerable amount of...
album i 2 (EYE)
I 2 (EYE)
i 2 is Michael W. Smith's fifth album and his first platinum album. Smith collaborated again with lyricist Wayne Kirkpatrick, and produced a music video for the song "Secret Ambition"...
is inspired by the novel.