Five Books that Shaped Me—Theatrical Theology

DAY 096 - 26/6/4 -

Nearly a month ago, I came upon this question, "What five books inspired your writing?" It's taken a while, but I have written my answer up to the fourth novel. Now, it's time to discuss the fifth and final...

#5 - This Present Darkness

- Frank Peretti

When I read This Present Darkness, the world was a mess—the kind you couldn't avoid by switching off the news. Governments were in upheaval and local churches were pushing the Bible aside to look more friendly and less bigoted. Life was hard and people were dumb. That's why I developed a fascination for superheroes. I wanted stories where good won and evil was put in time-out. The hero I admired the most was Superman. I read his comics. I watched all his movies. I even found his television serial from the 1950s. I was happy as long as I could read Superman.

During that time, I came across some old church videos. They were led by this quirky fellow, named Frank Peretti. He gave high energy speeches about the dangers of false beliefs; the same beliefs I saw in my friends. This shocked me, because my friends said their beliefs were brand new. No one ever thought the way they did. Yet, here was a kooky guy decades ago lampooning all their gobbledygook. Peretti talked about post-modernism, humanism, evolutionism, and any worldview that shouted, "There is no truth." The best part: His speeches were funny.

Well, this Peretti fellow, he wrote a novel in the 80s, and a big inspiration for it was the movie Superman (1978). "Well, I guess I'll read Peretti's book," I figured.

In the "Forward" Peretti says he wrote This Present Darkness in response to "the neopaganism of the late seventies, and demons—and their doctrines—which were gaining a weird, glassy-eyed respect from the popular culture." Based on this, it would seem that Peretti's book is just going to browbeat anyone who likes that "pagan new age garbage." Surprisingly, though, his novel doesn't condemn pop-culture. In fact, it leans into it.

Peretti says he was influenced by the hit films of Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Superman, which "were reviving the mystique and appeal of the 'superhero.'" So, to reach an audience that was dazzled by a "mix of spirit and spectacle, Peretti envisioned a story that would convey the dangers and workings of warfare in the spiritual realm." And that is exactly what his book does. It emulates the theatricality of a 1970s superhero film. In essence, This Present Darkness is, as Peretti calls it, a "movie-of-the-mind."

This Present Darkness is filled with epic cinematic scenes: Mysterious figures lurk in the shadows. Investigators track down exposing photographs. A downtrodden pastor overcomes waves of vandalism. There's even a no-nonsense journalist, who is a dead ringer for Perry White of the Daily Planet (newspaper of Clark Kent). All these characters find themselves in exciting car chases, creepy underground basements and dark lit bedrooms. Beyond all this, the book features an awesome, fearful, magnificent battle between the holy angels and vile demons. Throughout the story, there is an invisible war that meshes with Peretti's human-scale conflicts. All this stuff is described in wonderful visual detail. Peretti doesn't narrate inasmuch as he directs.

This Present Darkness does so many amazing things, but one thing it doesn't do is "preach at you." Even in chapters where the pastor character is literally preaching, it doesn't feel as though he is talking to the reader. Peretti's characters don't pontificate talking-points or promote political ideologies, as if they are addressing an audience outside the book. That's impressive, because remember, the man who wrote this book is a preacher. He could have easily made any of his characters a mouthpiece for his opinions. Yet, he doesn't compromise his story with moral platitudes. To be honest, I don't think a sentence from any of Peretti's speeches is in this novel.

Does that mean Peretti kept his opinions out of the book? Of course not, but the novel's primary goal is to enlighten and entertain. The story's moral is in service to the narrative. It doesn't overtly teach, and in the moments when it does, Peretti doesn't pile in every piece of theology and doctrine he can think of. His book is about "spiritual warfare" and it stays on topic.

The beauty of this is that This Present Darkness can speak for itself. It stands on its own, without the author needing to defend it. This allows Peretti to be both connected and separate from the book. As he comments in the "Forward," Peretti didn't talk much about spiritual warfare after his book was published. He says, "I've moved on to learn and write about other topics as God leads me. But that's the nice thing about books: Even though the author has moved on to other things, the books remain." That's the power of a moral theatrical novel—it inspires readers to do the right thing long after the author has moved on. A good novel is timeless.

This concludes my series on five books that inspired me. I hope people will see the fingerprints of these novels in my novel: Slow building suspense, authentic dialogue, little clues that lead to big reveals, narrative frames that shape perspectives, and strong theology illustrated through a cinematic scope. Lord willing, my debut YA novel will offer this and more. Available this autumn.