This Present Darkness

Frank Peretti

One of the first in the modern age of Christian novels and now a classic, This Present Darkness follows the lives of a community and church from the perspective of the physical and spiritual realm exposing angels and demons. It challenges us to see the bigger picture and the spiritual warfare that goes on around us every day.

After the film in her camera is mysteriously destroyed at a small-town festival, reporter Bernice Kreuger knows she’s found something worth covering. She brings the investigation to her boss, Marshall Hogan. Along with the local pastor of a struggling church, Hank Busch, they find something much bigger than they expected—a demonic plot to enslave their town and, eventually, the world.

An eye-opening must-read for every follower This Present Darkness is a disruptor that leads to increased awareness of the spiritual, mystical realm of our faith and God’s creation.

This book's Disciple Making Purpose

To lay a foundation for Year Two.  Year Two of discipleship brings a deeper understanding of scripture, preparing disciples towards going all in with God (Step 9 – Consecration). Increased availability, spiritual maturity, and following God angers the enemy and, like all great endeavors with God, brings spiritual warfare as Satan attempts to defeat those who stand for Christ. This novel pushes the awareness that there is a spiritual battle between Satan and God all around us. It begins the awareness that we have an enemy, that spiritual warfare is real, and that we need to be aware and seek God’s help and protection as we move forward.

Key Topics or Truths

Angels
Demons
Spiritual Warfare
Prayer

This Book is Good For...

This book is great for people whose experience has not exposed them to the idea of the spiritual side of things. This book can be dangerous for those who are prone to become “demon hunters.” Not everything is done at the behest of Satan or God. Car wrecks happen because people are poor drivers. People succeed without any spiritual influence from God or Satan.

How We Use this Book to Make Disciples

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We use this book to move people from seeing their faith, prayers, and practice from earth-only focused to seeing their faith as spiritual and eternally focused. There is a spiritual realm running alongside our earthly, physical, time-bound realm. Spiritual warfare is a fact, even if Peretti’s depiction is fictional. Angels communicate, interact, and work on behalf of believers but few believers think about these realities. This fictional story provides the opportunity for disciples to encounter and discuss critical theological concepts like angelology and demonology. We do not use this as a theological text and we tell disciples that when they begin to read the book adding, “This is a work of fiction extending what we know of spiritual warfare, demons, angels, and the interaction of the spiritual realm in our daily lives.”

We read this book as an enjoyable novel using it as a discussion starter (using the book club method) and disruptor of the norm. Here is a sample reading plan and questions for each week.

Week 1 – The Unseen Battle Begins : Chapters: 1–10
Theme: Introducing Ashton, the characters, and the spiritual conflict
Sample Questions:

  • How does Peretti depict the spiritual realm’s interaction with the physical world?
  • Which character made the strongest first impression on you?
  • What early clues point to a larger spiritual struggle?

Week 2 – Pressure Mounts : Chapters: 11–20
Theme: The tightening grip of evil on Ashton

Sample Questions:

  • How does the opposition to Hank reflect real-life resistance to truth?
  • Which scenes reveal the importance of prayer in spiritual battles?
  • What do you notice about the angels’ strategy?

Week 3 – Lines Are Drawn : Chapters: 21–30
Theme: Good and evil forces prepare for a decisive clash
Sample Questions:

  • How do the characters’ personal struggles parallel the spiritual battle?
  • Where do you see courage emerging in unexpected ways?
  • How is faith portrayed as both a shield and a weapon?

Week 4 – The Battle for Ashton : Chapters: 31–42
Theme: Victory through prayer and perseverance
Sample Questions:

  • How did prayer and unity influence the outcome of the battle?
  • What personal takeaway will you carry into your own walk of faith?
  • How might this story reshape your view of spiritual warfare?

Our book club format is simple. We still talk individually to each disciple, individually asking the sample questions above but always concluding by asking each disciple in turn, “Tom, what do was your main takeaway? Do you need to take action this week? Like does anything need to change?” Remember the value of the call to action for biblical, applicable truths.

Real Life Story

As the second Christian novel that I read, This Present Darkness challenged me to think about things differently. It opened my eyes to the Biblical concept of angels warring on our behalf for the success of the Kingdom of God. It made the truth that I have an enemy real.

Know Issues or Controversies

This book is not meant to be a theological paper. Peretti does not claim to be teaching theology or a Bible class. Though it does not stand in opposition to Biblical truth, its fiction extends many Biblical concepts into a story. For example, though we know angels communicate, we do not know exactly how that happens or if it happens the way Peretti presents it in fiction.

Some scholars have critiqued this book for focusing on angels and demons instead of on God. Others push back on the concepts of spiritual warfare as presented by Peretti. Knowledgable critics recognize that this is fiction but worry that it might lead some believers to assume that what Peretti presents as fiction is God’s reality.

This book is only available as an ebook and audio book (it is no longer available in print and print copies are ridiculously expensive).

Our team loves this book because it is eye-opening for many modern Christians. Most churches, other than the more charismatic ones, have long abandoned a focus on a separate spiritual realm alongside our physical existence. This book provides a good launching point to discuss ideas like “We war not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities,” Ephesians 6:12 and “angels being held up by warfare before they could help the Israelites.” Daniel 10:13

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Frank Peretti
Book Details
Pathway Steps: 4
  • Phase: Year 1
  • Book Type: Fiction
  • Flair: Eye Opening
  • Tags: Easy Read, spiritual warfare
Reading Time
Four Weeks
Start Reading After Week 43
14 Pages per Day
22 Minutes per Day
Related Reads

This book pairs well with its sequel Piercing the Darkness. But, we would not read both of these novels in the same phase of Discipleship. It is also a great precursor for The Screwtape Letters that will be read in Year Two.