This book only gets two stars for its ability to create effective suspense, and the inventive narrative structure which combines the drama of the human world with the drama of the conflict between angels and demons. Otherwise, this narrative is full of stereotyping from an evangelical conservative perspective, which in retrospect makes many of its claims laughable. For this reason, it has not stood up well under the test of time. Some of the outrageous evangelical stereotypes espoused by the author are: 1). That the ACLU discriminates against Christians, and is directly involved in a satanic plot to undermine Christianity; 2) that those who practice relaxation practices, like meditation and transcendental meditation, are directed by satanic spirit guides; 3) that people who report pastors, and Christian schools, to Child Protection Services for whacking children with paddles and wooden spoons are also involved in a satanic conspiracy against the church. I'm sure there are more ridiculous claims, but for the moment these are the top three that surface to my memory.The first claim, that the ACLU discriminates against Christians, and is in cahoots with Satan, is absurd, because one only has to perform a simple Google search to discover that there have been many legal cases where the ACLU represented the rights of Christians to express their beliefs. In fact, there is a whole website called aclufightsforchristians.com which mentions several of these cases.The second claim, which compares meditation to satanism, is equally ludicrous. When I was a college student, I took some stress management psychology courses, and during those courses we practiced various types of meditation. Not once, were we asked to contact any type of spirit guide, or any demonic entities. Meditation is actually more in line with science than vague spirituality. By practicing meditation, an individual acknowledges that their brain actually is able to more of the involuntary functions of the body than perviously was thought to be possible. By focusing their thoughts, a person can lower their heart beat and blood pressure at will, reduce or increase their body temperature, and naturally enter altered states of consciousness. This is a scientific fact, and has nothing to do with the worship of demons, or lucifer.As for the third claim, if I knew of any church, Christian school, or parent that was smacking children's backsides with wooden paddles, spoons, belts etc.....I would certainly consider reporting them to Child Protection Services. Study after study has shown the harm that can be caused to children through corporal punishment; and the theology that some Christians cling to to support the continuance of such a twisted tradition is so laughably thin that one has to wonder if anyone who holds to such convictions has actually spent the time to think about how unbiblical they really are. For instance, all Christian childrearing authors, like James Dobson, Roy Lessin, Ted Tripp etc......all make the absurd claim that God invented the human buttocks for the purpose of being spanked. Really? I'm sure that the buttocks has nothing to do with our ability to walk upright, instead of on all fours. But, since I am attacking the theology, and practice of spanking, with logic, I must be in league with the devil.I enjoyed this novel when I was in 8th grade and was not knowledgable to recognize how stereotypical, and absurd its claims were. When I re-read it as an adult, I still enjoyed some of the suspense, but realized it was completely illogical and out-of-date.
Read when I was very young, naive and hopeful.......and then I grew up.This is not the kind of book I'd like to read again, but enjoyed it at the time for its "explanation" / "insight" / at least its imaginary way of creating a Spiritual Realm we humans may choose to relate to. I would however recommend it to people interested in finding a fresh way of trying to understand the spiritual world. It’s not possible to understand the Spiritual Realm fully because our minds are way too small to comprehend something that does not fit into anything logical to grasp the majesty of what lies beyond, but reading the book might bring some solace to our way of thinking. My main concern with promoting this book is that I believe our focus should be directed on the Creator (Who is ultimately the centre of all realms), moving into a deeper and never-ending spiral of relationship with Him. I was about 13 at the time of reading this series, and it completely diverted my focus. Because although this is a work of fiction, there are so many biblical principles included and it’s very hard to distinguish between fact and fiction. Yes, my age then should be considered, and may be the reason that I started believing that the whole spiritual world is on my shoulders and I have this immense responsibility to work harder, pray longer, stay purer, and ultimately work incredibly hard not to fail or become a disappointment to God or His angels etc. In my journey so far, I’ve learnt that my goal should not be to carry this self imposed burden on my own, but that when I understand a little more about God’s grace and mercy, kindness and faithfulness etc. that I become empowered through Him, and He takes care of the rest. In conclusion: This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness are both imaginative, gripping, heart warming and at times funny. Unfortunately the people interested in this type of genre are usually quite fickle as we change our beliefs (or small aspects thereof) constantly – which is very healthy in my opinion – but it leaves us to wonder onto planes not destined for our human minds to grasp, but for our spirits to understand. If you can dedicate yourself to experience this series as pure fiction (and if you’re over 13, it might help), then by all means, enjoy!
What do You think about Piercing The Darkness (2003)?
The saga between angels and demons continue in this second installment of Peretti's. Even though the book is fiction, it brings to light the many facets of the spiritual warfare that is constantly going on around us. At one point near the beginning of the book, I became so angry that I wanted to quit reading the book. Mr Peretti pointed out through the story line just how twisted lawyers can make things sound just to justify their cause. Again, the book is fiction, but I believe this happens all the time. Our world is in trouble, and we need to be on our knees to vanquish the evil that is around us. This book is quite an education on good and evil with a good story thrown in for good measure.
—Barbara
This book is classic Peretti. He creates a situation in which the angels of heaven do actual battle with the demons of hell in a bid to help a group of people in a small town overcome the biggest personal and legal battles of their lives. Peretti is masterful at creating a story in which he has asked the question, "What if spiritual warfare looked like real warfare?", and then making that come to life in his words. Piercing the Darkness follows the same heavenly warriors from the book This Present Darkness as they now battle demons for the life of Sally after a failed murder attempt on her life. They also battle for the emotional, spiritual, and personal well being of a small Christian school principal who suddenly finds himself battling a lawsuit against his school, while at the same time trying to regain his children from CPS, who have taken them from him, for seemingly no reason at all. Stranger yet, is that the lives of the woman and the principal intertwine, even though they have never met.A page turner for sure. If you enjoyed This Present Darkness, then you'll love Piercing the Darkness.
—Joseph Rudin
This sequel was just as exciting as the first book and deals with a subject that is becoming an increasing problem and that is the encroachment of anti Christian bias in our schools. The quasi-religious activities such as using a mantra or acquiring a spirit guide are being practiced in our public schools and are not benign exercises in values clarification. In areas where there are no Christian schools, or other alternatives, people are turning more and more to homeschooling.The small church school in this story is being attacked by an ACLU type organization. The lawyers seize the opportunity to involve themselves in the school because the mother one of children in the school is receiving Federal day-care funds. The organization wants to set a precedent for interfering with religious schools. This could easily be tomorrow's headlines. The plot has several threads and the author weaves them in and out to keep the action moving, but they all dovetail at the end. One of the most interesting ideas is that the angelic host cannot fight unless there is enough "prayer cover" and that demonic activity can thwart the angels by spreading gossip and strive within the Christian community.
—Anne Hawn Smith
