This Present Darkness

I was telling Jesse this.

I don't know if you've read Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness, or I don't even know if you've ever heard of Frank Peretti.

Anyway, he's a Christian author, and he has a – it just wasn't scary to me.

Like, I don't know.

is wasn't scary.

Between two fires.

It didn't feel like if I, what I imagine if this was demonically charged or the spiritual warfare going back and forth, it didn't like i i didn't i just don't think it would be like that so that's where it separates me because i'm like oh i'm being told i'm in france and the 1300s i don't think this would ever happen and like that's what books are so i get like that's the premise of every book is something that is most likely never gonna happen like i'm not saying that for some reason that's the part that takes me out but books like this present darkness was one of my favorite books and i was very eerily creeped out because it feels so much more realistic it's like basically that premise of that story is you're getting the everyday life of these common people in a present time setting.

And then you're getting the spiritual warfare.

All you have to do is go to artsabox.com/cbn for more information.

On today's Newsmakers, Frank Peretti, the famed author of This Present Darkness, joins us to talk about the 40th anniversary of his book, Unseen Warfare, and he has a warning about demons and much more.

Here is Frank Peretti.

Well, Frank Peretti, for so many people, This Present Darkness is the book that they refer to when they hear spiritual warfare, or they think about demons, or they think about, you know, the, the supernatural.

This is a book that has really defined a number of generations.

And I have to ask you, it's been 40 years since this book came out, and it's the 40th anniversary.

But fiction was kind of...

People didn't take it seriously.

I'm just saying this personally for me.

It reminded me of This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti.

I read that 20-something years ago, and I've read it a few times.

And that book changed the way I pray.

I mean, it's really great fun to read, but it's also very real and we hope plausible.

Okay.

There's a scene that I've referenced in this present darkness, and it's been—now I need to pick that book up again.

It's been a number of years since I've read it, so if I'm getting the scene wrong, and friend, if you've recently read it, you go ahead and correct me, but the essence of the scene, this part I remember right, but the pastor is so beat up.

It's basically taking...

Ephesians 6 and putting it in a fictional novel.

And it was a great read, a very compelling read that really helped me to appreciate this passage even more.

And how it did, how it actually, or how the author did the story, and the story was basically about this small town.

This person is a...

Frank Peretti was a Protestant.

It's just a novel.

So there might be, if you read it, you're not going to use it to understand... how to, you know, do deliverance ministry is just meant to really show us, again, give us an x-ray vision, kind of like of how this kind of works, you know, of what Ephesians says.

Um, also the book, I don't know if you guys are familiar with it.

Um, It's Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

I don't know if you know this book.

It's called This Present Darkness, and it's a fiction.

And it's I don't necessarily like this book, but it's a book about Ephesians 6, really, and the idea of there being some sort of war against spiritual forces, you know, against demons and the devil and things like this.

And the book fictionalizes this and offers the readers a view into sort of a spiritual reality.

Let's dive right in together.

Hi my friend, I'm so glad to have you for this special episode as we walk through praying through this present darkness with best-selling author Frank Peretti.

Many of you have known and loved Frank Peretti's books for years.

I am so geeked out with you that we get to talk to him today about a book many of you probably read many years ago, but that is launching its 40-year anniversary.

There are special notes that he'll talk about that I had access to after our interview, and we are going to have such a joy connecting with him about some of the realms we don't often talk about on this pod.

We get so granular with personality temperament and with talking about ways we can have marriage tools help us and we can lose sight of the bigger picture.

I know this on my sub stack, I talk about of light and joy, but today we're talking about this present darkness, not only the book, but the sense that when we are going to battle with our spouses, often there's a spiritual battle underneath that.

and that the enemy doesn't like families to thrive, doesn't like marriages to thrive.

It concludes a 52-day prayer initiative inspired by the biblical rebuilding.

of jerusalem's walls featuring prominent figures like singer michael w smith and pro-life leader alveda king organizers are calling on believers nationwide to fast repent and pray for the country's spiritual renewal and best-selling Christian suspense author Frank Peretti is warning against mainstream horror movies as he celebrates the 14th anniversary of his novel, This Present Darkness.

Peretti recently said the horror genre poisons the heart and mind, revealing he once altered a film adaptation of his own book because scriptwriters focused too heavily on the scares of his book.

He rejects comparisons that have been made out there to himself, And Stephen King noting that, unlike standard horror, his novels feature powerful angels fighting for humanity to ensure good ultimately triumphs over evil.

It was a work of fiction, what you might say based on true spiritual realities, though.

Frank Peretti was the author of a book called This Present Darkness.

And I think that at least— My experience with reading this book, it is something that opened my eyes and rocked my world.

I've got to be honest.

And to have the honor to talk with Frank Peretti today upon the 40th anniversary of this book, it is certainly a blessing.

It is an honor.

There's a new This Present Darkness 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition that is out.

Frank Peretti, let me welcome you to The Meeting House here on Faith Radio.