The Veritas Conflict [Paperback]

Shaunti Feldhahn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2000

Claire Rivers races to the mailbox to receive a letter of acceptance to Harvard University while a heavenly battle rages. In this fast-paced, suspenseful novel, the ageless war for the hearts and minds of students on our college campuses is revealed. Conflict between unseen evil and angelic forces reflects their battle for victorious living amidst confused messages. When Claire and her roommate encounter attacks on their faith, a deeper mystery -- involving Harvard's Christian heritage, the pull of money, and a dark plan for societal corruption -- unfolds around them. Will they succumb to temptation and destruction? What has become of Harvard's founding motto: Veritas, Christo et Ecclesiae -- "Truth for Christ and the Church"? Can Claire -- with other praying students and their parents -- counteract the forces of humanism and relativism ... and what will it cost them to do so?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Shaunti Feldhahn is the author of the bestselling Y2K: The Millennium Bug -- A Balanced Christian Response. She works with the We Care America coalition, a successor of the Joseph Project 2000 ministry. She earned her master's degree in public policy from Harvard University in 1994 and worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Wall Street as a financial risk analyst. Shaunti makes her home in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and young daughter.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Books (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157673708X
• ISBN-13: 978-1576737088
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Shaunti Feldhahn is a popular public speaker, research analyst and best-selling author with 2 million copies of her books sold in 18 different languages. She holds a Master in Public Policy with a concentration in business from Harvard University, and worked on Wall Street as an analyst and on Capitol Hill before becoming a surprise bestselling author and relationship researcher. This wife of attorney-entrepreneur Jeff Feldhahn and mother of two, now applies her analytical skills to the startling research of what men privately think in the workplace but rarely share; perceptions that often fundamentally affect their female colleagues.

After launching her latest book, The Male Factor: The Unwritten Rules, Misperceptions and Secret Beliefs of Men in the Workplace, on The Today Show in January 2010, Shaunti is now speaking to corporate groups about her surprising findings. This knowledge has proven to be of great interest to talented, high-potential women in the workplace as well as to men who want to cultivate positive working relationships. Just as if they were doing business in a foreign culture, women find knowledge of the "internal" male culture immediately valuable in overcoming obstacles they may not have been aware of before, and having the greatest possible effectiveness and influence with male bosses, colleagues, subordinates or clients.
For more information on Shaunti's research or to explore means for further application, visit www.HumanFactorResources.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brought Back Memories . . ., December 12, 2001

By 

David A. French (Lexington, Kentucky USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Veritas Conflict (Paperback)

If you want a window into the experience of Christians in America's secular colleges, read this book. The author, a graduate of Harvard's John F. Kennedy school of government, has obviously done her homework. As I read the tales of mockery, condescension and anger directed at Christians on campus, it brought me back to my own law school experiences. While the story is obviously fictional, it communicates a real truth -- there is a massive, ongoing spiritual battle for the soul of our nation's university students, and Christians are seriously outnumbered.

Although the book is full of accurate information regarding the challenges Christian college students face, this is not a dry academic tome. Philosophical arguments are woven within a story that is full of excitement, danger and a dash of romance. You will find yourself caring for the fate of even the side characters in this novel. The Christian characters are real, revealing self-doubt and persistent flaws. Individuals every Christian can identify with fight a battle only God can win.

Excellent book. Buy it (don't borrow, even Christian authors need to eat) and enjoy.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Veritas, Christo et Ecclesiae, April 23, 2005

By 

Michael Erisman (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Veritas Conflict (Paperback)

"Veritas, Christo et Ecclesiae" means "Truth for Christ and the Church". Believe it or not it was the original motto of none other than Harvard University.

In this novelization, we look behind the scenes and through the lens of two sides of a story involving the change of Harvard into a secular University, and the foundational views held today. The story is of Claire Rivers, a freshman at Harvard. Unknowingly she is to become involved in the middle of a battle for the spirituality of Harvard University. The other look we get is from the perspective of the spiritual battle waging behind the scenes between good and evil, angels and demons.

The book starts with the beginning of this battle which takes place some two hundred years ago, and sets the foundation for what is occurring today. The book tackles openly subjects like moral relativism, abortion, free speech, and secular humanism, and how prevalent and one sided today's University settings are. The book is decidedly from a Christian perspective, and at times the solutions are a bit too pat and the characters a bit too one dimensional. The most accurate portrayals are the every day arguments that take place in University classrooms today on the subjects of Philosophy, Sociology, History and so on.

The novel is fast paced, and written exceptionally well. The moving back and forth between the spiritual plane and the physical is done well, although Frank Perretti's book "This Present Darkness" set the standard on that. It is a great story and as such was hard to put down.

I recommend this book to anyone curious about the duality between the physical world and the spiritual plane, as these depictions challenge the imagination. While many may find some of the plot lines too easily wrapped up, it is a good novel to enjoy and some thought provoking material and statements about spirituality, morality and philosophy.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book, April 19, 2003

By 

Dave (Lexington, Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Veritas Conflict (Paperback)

The plot is rather complicated, but here's the gist: Claire Rivers is a Christian student who begins attending Harvard. She is ill-prepared for the secular environment, and the hostile attacks against her Christian faith, and the "tolerant" society that rejects and criticizes her views violently. She manages to make friends with other Christians on campus, including Brad, a member of the Christian fellowship group at Harvard, and Professor Mansfield, the lovable teacher of history, and a fellow Christian. Although she is a freshman, she is drawn by God into difficult deeds: assisting Mansfield and his TA Ian in a special research project that may reveal results devastating to the secular, humanist faculty at Harvard. Trying to be the accountability "officer" to her roommate Sherry, who first welcomes and requests the effort, then grows angry with, and rejects them. Things get shaky when some attempts are made to stop the research project. Claire came to Harvard to study, but finds herself chosen as one of God's front soldiers in . . . The Veritas Conflict.

In the world that Claire cannot see, angels chosen by God protect her against the enemy territory of the demon spirits.

The book is an excellent read. It took me a while to finish it, but it was worth it. The message of Christ shines clearly through the book without anyone having to preach at the reader; it merely takes place in the "everyday" life of the Harvard students. The debates that Claire and her friends find themselves engaged in are incredibly well-crafted, realistic, and enjoyable to read.

Are there any bad points? Well, just in case there are parents wanting to know, I'd rate this book PG, because there are some death scenes (one of `em will have you cryin' your eyes out) and a kidnapping, and vague descriptions of Satanic practices. There's also a few sexual references: one point where a man visits a porn magazine headquarters and views the girl while she is being photographed, and one point where a young girl caves to pressure and sleeps with her boyfriend. All this, of course, is painted in the BAD light as it should be, but it's all still rather suggestive to the imagination.

My advice is, take your time on this book. It's 446 pages long, and the print is nice and SMALL. It'll take you a little while to get through it, but it will be worth it in the end. And besides, who could resist a book by an author with such a cool name as Shaunti Feldhahn?