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Show Book has spiritual warfare but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ' ' By SARAH HANSEN Imagine putting Steven Spielberg, Sherlock Holmes and C.S. Lewis between the same book covers. The supernatural, adventure, adven-ture, suspense, mystery and a Christian Chris-tian theme come together in the bestseller, This Present Darkness, by Frank Peretti. Spiritual warfare is the term that would sum up This Present Darkness. The book is based on Ephesians 6:12. "For we are not contending against flesh and blood, (r ow to cover 11 book review The story takes place in a small college town that is subtly but definitely being overrun by a New Age plot that originates in the college's col-lege's psychology department The progress of the scheme goes vir- tually unnoticed as government officials, the police chief and other town leaders become intertwined in the mesh. A reporter and a prayerful pastor, however, begin to compare notes and uncover the conspiracy, but not without extreme opposition. The battle being fought is not merely a matter of morals or causes, it's a spiritual battle, one beyond human hands. Although the book is fiction and not entirely Bible-based, it opens new windows of insight into the battle described in Ephesians 6:12. Demons and angels arc as prominent promi-nent characters. Peretti gives the smaller demons names such as Deception, Jealousy and Complacency, and the larger, more powerful ones names such as Baal Rafar, Lucius and the Strongman. The angels have names such as Tal, Guilo, Armoth and Chimon. The book illustrates their powers and weaknesses, as well as their impact upon man. One of the most prominent features of the book is the power of prayer against the demonic forces. The angels are powerful, but are further empowered by the prayers of the saints. The demons also have strength and great influence, but the prayers cripple them. This Present Darkness is full of twists and surprises, but never loses its plot line and purpose. It is published pub-lished by Cross way Books, who recently re-cently announced that movie rights have been turned over to actor Dean Jones and producers Howard Kazanjian and Bruce Isacson. Kazanjian's credits include "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Return of the Jedi." The film should be released in 1992. This Present Darkness can be purchased at Intermountain Bookstore and selected other bookstores. |