Darkness Now is a Christian novel by Frank E. Peretti. Published in 1986 by Crossway Books, The Current Darkness is the first novel Peretti publishes for adults and shows contemporary views of angels, demons, prayers, and spiritual warfare such as demons and angels interact and fight to control citizens country. from the small town of Ashton. This is very critical of the spiritual practices of the East and the New Age, describing meditation as a demon possession tool.
The book sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide and remained on CBA's best seller list for more than 150 consecutive weeks after its launch. It has been instrumental in promoting confidence in the Territorial Spirit.
The title comes from Ephesians 6:12 (RSV). "For we are not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the ruler, against the rulers of the world from the present darkness, against evil spirits incarnate in heaven."
Peretti follows Darkness Now with a sequel in 1988, Penetrating Darkness .
Video This Present Darkness
Ringkasan plot
The Current Darkness takes place in the small college town of Ashton. Bernice Kreuger, a reporter for Clarion, Ashton city newspaper, was falsely arrested on charges of prostitution after taking photos at the annual Ashton Summer Festival. When he was released the next day, he found that the movie on his camera had been destroyed.
Marshall Hogan, owner/chief editor of Clarion decided to go to the city police station/courthouse and face Alf Brummel, the police chief, about the incident. Brummel denied wrongdoing on behalf of the police department and confirmed it was all a mistake. Brummel then advised Marshall to drop the matter. Marshall did not fall into the Brummel story and, ignoring Brummel's suggestion, began the investigation.
As the investigation continues, Marshall and Bernice begin to realize that they are heading for something much larger than they think. They are slowly paving the way to take over the city by buying campus, which is being done by The Universal Consciousness Society, a powerful New Age group. When the Society decided Marshall had found too many they took Clarion, and his home. They also wrongly accused him of murder, adultery and persecution of his daughter, who attended college and who had unwittingly been drawn into the Society. When he and Bernice were trapped in a desperate attempt to prevent the public from winning, he was arrested and thrown into jail, and he fled, fleeing for help.
Meanwhile, Hank Busche, an unwanted pastor of Ashton Community Church found that there were many demons in the city and wondered why they all gathered here. When he becomes a distraction to the devil, they have a fake Society arrest him for rape.
Hank and Marshall meet in jail. They compare the story and end up putting the two parts of the puzzle together.
During this time the story takes on the spiritual dimension - expressing perspective based on the idea of ​​invisible forces in the workplace. Angels who wage war for the souls of human beings look and act like humans - they have names, they are responsible for certain areas of the earth, and they are driven by the heavenly powers that often manifest as wings. They wore armor and used weapons forged in heaven - especially, swords. Satan, too, is portrayed as an ink-like shadow in the dark, flowing from shadows to shadows, until the time comes when they truly reveal themselves as horrible monsters with bat wings and armor. Their spiritual battle stretches from one-on-one battles to the great army that fills each other in the "invisible realms" above us.
Meanwhile, Bernice finds help and makes contact with County Prosecuter, the State Attorney General, and the FBI. When Alf Brummel found out about this, he let go of Hank and Marshall. After Hank and Marshall are released, they "cooperate" against the Universal Consciousness Society and the demons working to take over Ashton - where they (perhaps unwittingly) are helped by a "local" demon whose position has been seized by a little more powerful called by the Society, and attacked vengefully on the usurper.
Maps This Present Darkness
Critical reception
This novel has been the subject of literary and theological criticism. On the basis of literature some reviewers like Irving Hexham and James R. Lewis suggest that this novel matches the horror genre. Observers like Steve Rabey and Michael Maudlin appreciate the complex plots of novel layers. However, they find typecast of novel characters in the role of either good versus evil. Other critics argue for redundant parts of the novel, rigid dialogue and poor grammar.
Authority figures in the disciplines of Christian missions, such as A. Scott Moreau and Paul Hiebert, detect dualist cosmology in novels influenced by Zoroaster and other mystery religious myths. These critics also argue that the novel depictions of angelic-demonic battles and spiritual warfare techniques are colored with animist ideas. Ross Clifford and Philip S. Johnson claim that the conspiracy theories used in the novel are based on discredited interpretations of the New Age.
New Testament scholar Robert Guelich finds the biblical metaphor of spiritual warfare unrelated to the battle with the devil, and argues that the novel view of spiritual warfare is very much at odds with the passages in the gospel story and the letters of Paul referring to spiritual conflict. and the devil. J. Lanier Burns mistakes the novel in a weak understanding of personal responsibility for evil and sin, and equally poor sense of God's sovereignty.
References
External links
- Sign in at FrankPeretti.com
- Summary Critique: Current Darkness
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments