This Present Darkness by Frank E. Peretti
Week 4: Marshall Hogan — The Reluctant Investigator
Read the sections following Marshall's deepening investigation — his growing suspicion of the Omni network, his conversations with Bernice, and his early, reluctant encounters with Hank and the church community. Key Scripture: Romans 1:19-21; Acts 17:26-28; Proverbs 25:2.
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Marshall Hogan is not looking for God — he's looking for a story — but Peretti suggests that sometimes God uses exactly that to find us.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.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?
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