214. What if a False Christ Started a Cult in Your Town? | The Visitation

What if the spirit of antichrist came to your town? Burned-out pastor Travis Jordan is on break from ministry after the death of his wife. But then his small city of Antioch faces great signs and wonders from a new prophet who claims to be a better christ than the true Jesus Christ. Just in time for our next summer book quest, challenge your faith and seek the true Savior for the 25-year anniversary of Frank Peretti’s supernatural thriller The Visitation!

Episode sponsors

1. Enclave Publishing: Lady of Basilikas by Ronie Kendig
2. Realm Makers 2024 writers’ conference
3. Lorehaven Guild: The Visitation

Mission update

• Lorehaven reviews: The Visitation
• Coming this summer: the Left Behind Legacy series
• Subscribe free to get updates and join the Lorehaven Guild

Quotes and notes

• This Present (and Future) Peretti, Gene Edward Veith for WORLD Magazine, Oct. 25, 1997
• All novels by Frank Peretti we’ve listed in the Lorehaven Library
• Episode 9. What If the Armies of Hell Tried to Invade Your Hometown? | This Present Darkness
• Frank E. Peretti to Give Keynote Address at Realm Makers Writers Conference This July, E. Stephen Burnett, Feb. 2021
• In Appreciation of Christian Supernatural Fiction Trailblazer Frank Peretti, Rebecca P. Minor, July 2021

1. Frank Peretti vs. demons, untruth, and fun fans

• Peretti began with kids’ thriller The Door in the Dragon’s Throat (1985)
• Then his first grown-up novel This Present Darkness arrived in 1986
• After a slow start, more fans (including Christian celebrities) loved it
• A direct sequel, Piercing the Darkness, followed in 1989
• Peretti also wrote a pro-life novella called Tilly (1988)
• Fans also remember Prophet (1992) and The Oath (1995)
• That’s eight novels for grown-ups, not all angels-versus-demons thrillers
• Yet to this day, fans still remember Peretti only for those two books
• Yet one 1997 WORLD Magazine article explains why Peretti changed.
• It also predicts the novel he would have published just two years later.

2. The Visitation: a new take on supernatural thriller

• We summarize the story’s premise, but avoid plot/character spoilers.
• This time, all demons (there are some) usually stick to the shadows.
• They don’t operate in the world so much as within many churches.
• Peretti, however, critiques with affection, not deconstructing.</