Prophet by Frank E. Peretti

Introduction

There was a time when I thought Janette Oke was the “be all and end all” of Christian fiction. I thought that she was the best and that there was little need to read others because they just would not compare.

I have since revised my thinking. Don’t get me wrong, I still like Janette Oke. I have discovered, though, that there are other authors out there who I enjoy just as much—if not more.

Nuts and Bolts of “Prophet”

Author
Frank E. Peretti is the author of “Prophet.” He is probably best known for his set of books “This Present Darkness” and “Piercing the Darkness.” He also writes juvenile books in addition to his novels.

Publisher
Crossway Books of Wheaton, Illinois published “Prophet” in 1992. Crossway Books is a division of Good News Publishers.

Length
As with most of his novels, Frank E. Peretti wrote enough to cover more than 400 pages. It’s 416 pages to be exact!

Characters

John Barrett, Jr.
John is a high profile media character who values his public image. When his ‘religious fanatic’ of a father makes a spectacle of himself at a political rally it embarrasses John. Doesn’t his dad realize that his prophetic, anti-abortion speeches made at appearances of a “pro-choice” politician do little for his cause but cause John terrible professional embarrassment?

The last time John sees his father, it’s to beg him to stop the prophesying. After that meeting his father dies in a terrible ‘accident’ in his plumbing supply warehouse. John’s last memory of his father is that of calling him an embarrassment.

John once believed in the Lord the way his father was, including having a ‘vision’ at the age of 10 when he accepted Christ into his life as his Savior. Time and the busyness of life have separated John from the Lord, and the Lord begins calling him back.

John becomes plagued by a ‘gift’ from God, the ability to hear people’s internal suffering. From his apartment window he can hear the shouts and crying of tormented souls who have never accepted the forgiveness of Christ.

This ‘gift’ also include God giving him knowledge he has no explanation for. He knows (without knowing why) of painful events in other people’s lives, such as the past abortion of his supervisor at work.

John also faces the struggle of building a relationship with the son he has spent minimal time with over the years. John has to figure out how to break down the barriers between them, and his son isn’t making it any easier on him.

Through their joint interest in a ‘news’ story, John is able to make steps towards his son. Through a turnabout of events the story stalls out and puts news barriers between John and his son.

While this book centers on John’s investigation of a story, its deeper meaning is that John has been running from the Truth and it’s finally time for the Truth to catch up with him.

John Barrett, Sr.
John Barrett, Sr. (a.k.a. Dad Barrett) is a modern day prophet. He is given visions and information from God much like what his son began to receive just before his death.

Dad Barrett learns that the death of more than one teenage girl is more than what it seems, and gathers the evidence needed to back it up. He dies before he’s able to share the information with his son. It wasn’t that he didn’t have the time, but John, Jr. just wasn’t on good terms with the Truth and Dad Barrett knew that it was a necessary relationship.

In passing down his overcoat to his son just before his death, he was passing down the prophet’s mantle much in the likeness of Elijah and Elisha in the Bible.

Dad Barrett never intended to embarrass John with his prophesying at political rallies, he just felt led by God to deliver the “pro-life” message. He never preached hate or violence against the “pro-life” camp, but instead love and compassion.

Carl Barrett
Carl is John’s son, who grew up living in California with his mother after his parents divorced.

Carl is the picture of a rebellious youth, almost stereotypically so. He’s into ‘Goth’ (black dress and hair, facial piercings) and punk music. He’s also an incredibly talented artist.

Carl moves in with his grandmother after the death of his grandfather, searching for his father—the true, inner part of him.

Carl admired his grandfather for knowing what he believes and why, and he’s hoping to find that for himself.

Every time Carl gets his hopes up about his father, something goes wrong and knocks their relationship down a few pegs.

Carl’s part in this book is mainly that of a boy looking for a relationship with his fathers—earthly and heavenly.

Leslie Albright
Leslie is a reporter for the same news station as John Barrett, Jr. She is friendly towards John, and someone at work whom he knows he can trust.

Leslie is pro-choice, but she is as interested as John in finding out how and why a young girl died two days after an abortion.

Tina Lewis
Tina is one of John’s “higher ups” at the news station, and she’s staunchly ‘pro-choice.’ She hates any time the station runs a story that could in any way be construed as ‘pro-life’ because it only drags up the pain of her past abortion.

Tina tries to keep Leslie and John from perusing their story, and when she cannot stop them she moves to sabotage. She is running from the Truth and her pain, but in the end it will catch up to her.

Max and Deanne Brewer
The parents of a young girl whom they believe died from a botched abortion received without their knowledge, Max and Deanne are on a quest to find out the truth of their daughter’s death to prevent it from recurring with other young girls.

Governor Hiram Slater
The state’s ‘pro-choice’ governor, Hiram Slater is running a slick, image-is-everything campaign almost certain to win him reelection.

Gov. Slater knows how to play politics and spin things to make them look however he wants them to look, but he is running from the Truth.

My Thoughts

This book is about the abortion debate, and yet it isn’t. It’s just as much about the relationship of the characters within to the Truth, and with each other.

I like the fact that Peretti uses imperfect lead characters, as in the case of John Barrett, Jr. He isn't your typical Christian fiction hero, the type who's been a rock solid Christian all of his life. In this book we get to see a man struggling to find and keep his faith.

Frank Peretti tells a "moral" story without preaching at you, and that is a very fine line to walk.

I thought that Peretti made this book better by not making it as "happily ever after" as many authors would have. Not everyone changed their opinion on abortion, though many softened. Not all the 'bad guys' got the punishments you might have wished.

I found this book to be an excellent “detective style” book. The general style actually reminded me a bit of John Grisham, with the included plot intricacies. It’s a page-turner that I found very difficult to put down.

I only had one real complaint about this book, and that was that I would have liked to have seen more written after the climactic sequence. There was so much more I wanted to know about the lives of all the characters involved, so much more that could have been added to bring completion to the story.

Recommendation

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Christian, as it is a wonderful example of the genre.

If you are strongly 'pro-choice' you probably will not enjoy this book. It takes a very clear stance of being 'pro-life' and that can put off some.

If you are strongly 'pro-life,' even if you are not a Christian, you will still enjoy this book.