The darkness of this world

The darkness of this world (English title "This Present Darkness") is a Christian novel by Frank E. Peretti . The English original edition was published by Crossway Books in 1986, the German translation is in the Gerth Medien program . It was Peretti's first adult novel. The book contains many views on angels , demons , prayer, and the spiritual world widely held in contemporary Charismatic Christianity . The book has strengthened belief in demons and spirits there, while at the same time increasing interest in the subject of spiritual warfare . This book describes the struggle for control over the citizens of a city, whereby church representatives also succumb to the demons.

The book achieved quite considerable sales success, and sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide. It was on the CBA Top Ten Best Sellers List for over 150 weeks after its release.

The title of the book goes back to ( Eph 6,12  LUT ): “For we do not have to fight with flesh and blood, but with mighty and mighty ones, namely with the lords of the world, who rule in this darkness, with the evil spirits under heaven. "(This biblical quote is also placed in front of the first page in the novel)

Table of contents

The darkness of this world takes place in the small college town of Ashton. Bernice Kreuger, reporter for the Ashton regional newspaper "Clarion", is falsely arrested for prostitution after taking photos at the annual summer festival. When she is released the following day, she discovers that the film in her camera has been destroyed.

Marshall Hogan, owner and editor of the "Clarion", goes to the police station and confronts Alf Brummel, the chief of police, about the incident. Brummel denies any police wrongdoing and insists it was all a mistake. Alf Brummel advises Marshall Hogan to forget about it. Hogan ignores this and begins an investigation.

In the course of this investigation, Marshall and Bernice realize that they have stumbled upon something much bigger than they thought. They slowly but surely uncover a plot: The Universal Consciousness Society, a New Age society, wants to take control of the city by first buying up the local high school. When New Age society realizes that the "Clarion" editor has already found out too much, they take over "Clarion" and falsely accuse Marshall of murder, adultery, and molest his college daughter. Marshall and Bernice desperately try to contain the influence of New Age society, but they are arrested and sent to prison. Bernice flees to get help. In the meantime, Hank Busche, the pastor of the small Ashton Community parish, discovers that there are very many demons in the city and asks himself why they are all gathered here right now. When he disturbs these demons too much, New Age society brings about his arrest for alleged rape. Hank and Marshall meet in prison. You compare their stories and can finally put the pieces of the puzzle together. In addition to this "earthly" event, the book always tells the story on the level of demons and angels. Meanwhile, Bernice seeks contact and finds help from the Justice Department, the Attorney General and the FBI. When Alf Brummel learns of the false accusations, Hank and Marshall are released. The head of the Omni Corporation is arrested and the demons are destroyed.

criticism

The novel is criticized both literarily and theologically. Several reviewers, u. a. Irving Hexham and James R. Lewis say the novel would fit more into the horror story genre. Other critics, such as Steve Rabey and Michael Maudlin, on the one hand appreciate the complex, multi-layered plot of the novel, but also note that the characters have too simple a good-evil scheme. Other points of criticism are redundant passages, stilted dialogues and poor grammar. Theological criticism (A. Scott Moreau, Paul Hiebert) is exercised on the dualistic worldview, which is more reminiscent of the Zoroastrian religion. In addition, the representation of the angel-demon fights and the spiritual warfare are influenced by animistic ideas. Ross Clifford and Philip S. Johnson note that the conspiracy theory in the novel is based on the negative representation of New Age popular in Christian circles . According to J. Lanier Burns, the novel weakens personal responsibility for evil and sin; it also denies the complete sovereignty of God.

effect

As the religious scholar Paul Bramadat writes, Peretti's books have a great influence on the spirituality of young evangelicals . These novels open up for “spiritual warfare” and lead to events and experiences being described from this point of view. A piece called "Ashton" (after the name of the city in the novel) on Michael W. Smith's album i 2 (EYE) was inspired by this book.

continuation

Piercing the Darkness German title: Licht in der Finsternis , published in 1988, is a sequel to Frank E. Peretti's novel This Present Darkness . The book contains many of the views prevalent in contemporary Charismatic Christianity about angels, demons, prayer, and the spiritual world. Piercing the Darkness won the ECPA Gold Medallion Book Award for Best Fantasy Story in 1990. This book has also increased belief in demons and ghosts, as well as increased interest in "spiritual warfare".