Book Club Questions for This Present Darkness

1.Peretti opens the novel by immediately introducing two parallel worlds — the human, visible world of Ashton and the unseen spiritual realm. What is your initial reaction to seeing angels and demons depicted as physical beings engaged in real combat? Does it feel biblically grounded, fanciful, or somewhere in between?

2.Hank Busch arrives in Ashton as a young, idealistic pastor and quickly finds that the congregation is small, skeptical, and resistant. What pressures does he face right from the start, and what do those pressures reveal about the spiritual climate of the town?

3.Marshall Hogan is portrayed as a skeptical, hard-nosed journalist — not a church-going believer. Why do you think Peretti chose a secular investigator as one of his two main human protagonists? What does this choice say about how God works in the world?

1.Peretti introduces Rafar, the demonic 'Prince of Persia' figure over Ashton, as a powerful territorial spirit. He is ancient, arrogant, and deeply territorial. What does Scripture actually say about demonic territorial powers? Read Daniel 10:12-14 and Ephesians 6:12 again. How much latitude do you think Christians should give to the idea of territorial spirits?

2.The New Age philosophy being promoted at Ashton College is presented not as obvious evil but as enlightened, inclusive, and academically respectable. Why is subtle deception more dangerous than overt evil? Can you think of real-world spiritual or philosophical movements that use similarly appealing language?

3.Peretti shows demons whispering lies into the minds of human characters, amplifying fears, planting suspicions, and steering decisions. Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 — 'We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.' How does this passage apply to what Peretti is depicting? What does it look like practically to 'take every thought captive'?

1.Hank faces opposition from the town authorities, social pressure from community leaders, and spiritual attack in the form of discouragement and doubt. Which of these forms of opposition do you think is most difficult to withstand, and why?

2.Peretti depicts Hank's moments of doubt and near-despair honestly — he is not a superhero. He questions whether he's in the right place, whether God is listening, whether anything he does matters. How does this honest portrayal of pastoral struggle affect your reading of the novel? How does it compare to what you see in 1 Peter 5:6-11?

3.Some members of Hank's congregation become instruments of pressure — questioning his leadership, sympathizing with the opposition, and making him feel unstable. Read 2 Timothy 4:3-4: 'For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching...' How does this passage illuminate what Hank is experiencing? Have you ever been in a community — a church, a family, a workplace — where this dynamic was at work?

1.Marshall is described as a tough, self-reliant journalist who has built his life on evidence and instinct. What is appealing about his character? What are his blind spots? How do his strengths as an investigator both help and hinder him in understanding what is really happening in Ashton?

2.Marshall begins to notice that the human conspiracy he is investigating doesn't add up — there seems to be a coordinating intelligence behind it that no human organization could fully explain. At what moment does the novel suggest that his purely materialist framework begins to crack? How does Peretti handle this transition?

3.Bernice and Marshall have a complicated professional and personal relationship. How does their partnership reflect the way God often works through ordinary human relationships — even imperfect, conflicted ones — to move people closer to truth?

1.Peretti's most striking and controversial creative decision is depicting prayer as having immediate, mechanical-seeming effects on angelic strength — when the church prays, the angels grow stronger and can advance; when prayer wanes, they are forced to retreat. What is your reaction to this depiction? Is it a helpful dramatization of a biblical truth, a dangerous oversimplification, or something in between?

2.Read Revelation 8:3-4: 'And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.' How does this passage support or complicate Peretti's depiction of prayer as having tangible spiritual effects?

3.The small prayer group at Hank's church is depicted as the most powerful force in Ashton — more influential than the conspirators, the college president, or the police. Yet they are ordinary, often struggling people. What does this say about where God chooses to place spiritual authority? How does this connect to Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 about God choosing 'the weak things of the world to shame the strong'?

1.Juleen Langstrat is presented as a sophisticated, intelligent, even charismatic figure — a counselor and spiritual guide who genuinely seems to help people. Peretti makes clear that she is demonically used, but he does not portray her as a crude villain. Why is this nuanced portrayal important? What does it tell us about how deception actually works?

2.The New Age spirituality in the novel offers things that many people genuinely long for: connection, transcendence, meaning, healing, and a sense of being part of something larger. Read 2 Corinthians 11:14 — 'And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.' What does this verse explain about why spiritually hungry people are drawn into deception? How should the church respond to this longing rather than merely condemning the counterfeits?

3.Sandy Hogan is drawn into the network not through obvious manipulation but through relationships, flattery, and the gradual expansion of her spiritual curiosity. Trace the steps of her seduction. What were the entry points? What made each step feel safe or even virtuous? Can you identify similar patterns — the gradual normalization of spiritually dangerous ideas — in contemporary culture?

1.Ephesians 6:10-18 lists six pieces of the 'armor of God' — the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. As you read the spiritual battle scenes, which pieces of armor do you see the angelic warriors relying on most directly? Which pieces seem most relevant to the human struggles depicted in the novel?

2.Peretti depicts the demonic powers as having a clear hierarchy — minor spirits report to stronger ones, who report to principalities like Rafar. How does this hierarchical structure reflect what Paul says in Ephesians 6:12 about 'rulers,' 'authorities,' and 'cosmic powers'? What does this hierarchy suggest about the degree of organization and intentionality behind spiritual opposition?

3.The angelic characters — Tal, Guilo, and others — are portrayed as mighty warriors who are nonetheless dependent on the prayers of the saints to operate with full power. How does this portrait of angels compare to their depictions in Scripture (see Isaiah 6, Luke 2, Hebrews 1:14, Revelation 5:11-12)? Where does Peretti seem to be working from Scripture, and where is he exercising creative license?

1.Both Hank and Marshall reach a point in the novel where the situation appears hopeless — the conspiracy has gained the upper hand, key allies have been neutralized, and the enemy seems to be winning. Have you ever been in a season of life where the spiritual situation around you felt similarly desperate? What was that like?

2.Peretti takes care not to give his protagonists an easy way out — they are not rescued by miraculous interventions that bypass their own courage and faithfulness. Instead, breakthrough comes through persistence, sacrifice, and continued trust in the face of apparent failure. How does this narrative pattern reflect the biblical 'already/not yet' dynamic — where God is sovereignly working, but calls His people to genuinely participate in that work?

3.Read 2 Chronicles 20:1-22 — Jehoshaphat's prayer and the sending out of singers ahead of the army. What is the spiritual logic of worshipping and trusting God before the battle is won? How does this passage illuminate what Peretti is depicting in the prayer meetings at Hank's church?

1.By this point in the novel, Sandy's entanglement has become a form of spiritual bondage — she genuinely cannot see the deception she is in and resists help from those who love her most. How does Peretti depict the relationship between demonic influence and human freedom? Is Sandy responsible for her choices? Is she a victim? How do both things stay true simultaneously?

2.Read John 8:31-36: 'If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.' What kind of freedom is Jesus talking about here? How is it different from — and deeper than — the 'freedom' that the New Age philosophy in the novel promises to Sandy?

3.Marshall's attempts to reach Sandy through argument, authority, and parental pressure all fail. It is prayer — specific, persistent, anguished intercessory prayer — that begins to break through. What does this say about the limits of human strategies for reaching people in spiritual bondage? What does it invite us to do differently for the people we love who are far from God?

1.The climax of the novel brings together the two narrative threads that have been running in parallel throughout — the human investigation and the angelic battle — as both reach their decisive moments simultaneously. What is the narrative and theological effect of this convergence? What is Peretti saying about the relationship between events in the visible world and events in the invisible one?

2.The defeat of Rafar is directly tied to the prayers of the saints, the proclamation of Christ's name, and the authority that has been established through persevering faith. Read Colossians 2:13-15 — 'He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.' How does the climax of the novel dramatize this theological reality? What is the 'weapon' that ultimately breaks the demonic stronghold?

3.Read Revelation 12:11 — 'And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.' This verse identifies three elements of spiritual victory. How do each of these elements — the blood of the Lamb, the word of testimony, not loving life unto death — appear in the climax of the Ashton story?

1.As the novel resolves, which character's journey has moved you most — Hank's perseverance, Marshall's conversion, Bernice's courage, Sandy's rescue? Why that character? What do they represent for you personally?

2.Hank's faithfulness in the small, unrecognized, discouraging work of pastoral ministry turned out to be world-changingly significant. Read Hebrews 12:1-3. The 'great cloud of witnesses' has watched your life too. How does the idea that your ordinary faithfulness — your daily prayers, your small choices, your perseverance in unglamorous circumstances — has cosmic significance change how you feel about your Monday morning?

3.Peretti's novel implies that every community — every town, every workplace, every family, every church — is an Ashton. There is a spiritual battle in progress around you right now. Ephesians 5:15-17 says to 'walk carefully, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.' What does 'careful walking' look like in your specific context — your neighborhood, your workplace, your church?

1.Looking back over the entire novel and the weeks of discussion, which chapter, theme, or character had the most significant impact on you? Why that one? What specific image, scene, or idea from that section stays with you most vividly?

2.How has your understanding of spiritual warfare changed — or been clarified — through reading this book and working through this guide? What did you believe before that has been confirmed, challenged, deepened, or corrected?

3.The novel's central argument is that prayer is the hinge of spiritual history — that the prayers of ordinary, faithful believers have real, powerful effects in the unseen realm. Has your actual prayer life changed at all as a result of this study? If yes, how? If not, what would have to change for it to?