This Present Darkness
by Frank Peretti
It was in This Present Darkness that evil forces first descended upon the small town of Ashton, and that Frank Peretti's name became known to countless Christians. The book hit the followers of Jesus right where they needed it most back in the late 1980s, and made for a raised awareness of the fact that the battles we fight in our faith are not just against flesh and blood, but against all the forces of evil at work in the world. This Present Darknessrelated that idea so graphically that it really revolutionized the way some Christians thought about sin, helping them recognize some of the subtler forms of temptation that exist in the world.
On top of all that, This Present Darkness is just a good read. It is a riveting story, one you won't want to put down once you've picked it up. There are numerous scenes that stand out as some of the most memorable in contemporary Christian fiction.
The spiritual battle that took place in the small town of Ashton captured the imaginations of Christians all around the world, and as it did so, it reminded those same Christians of their duty in such a battle, for the little town was not taken entirely unaware. A small band of believers in Ashton stood ready to fight against the forces that had begun their assault on the town, and they armed themselves with the power of prayer. In the moving portrayal of the battle that ensues, we are reminded as we read of the part that our work of prayer might play in the grander scheme of things.
All that... and a good read too.
© Shelly Bryant, 2012