Visitation [Unknown Binding]

Frank Peretti (Author)

Product Details

• Unknown Binding
• Publisher: Word; 1ST edition (1999)
• ASIN: B000KOQKPA
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (217 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,883,161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Frank E. Peretti is one of American Christianity's best-known authors. His novels have sold over 10 million copies, and he is widely credited with reinventing Christian fiction. He and his wife, Barbara, live in the Pacific Northwest. www.frankperetti.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great, albeit different, book from Peretti, January 13, 2006

By 

Joshua Harp (Frankfort, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Visitation (Paperback)

First, for all you fans of Frank Peretti, you need to know that this book is not quite like his other works.

I've noticed that many people have given this a less than five-star rating because they feel that this does not meet the par set by Peretti's other books. I hope I can try to explain why that may be.

This book tells about a small community to which a self-proclaimed messiah shows up. This book is not in the same vein as his "This Present Darkness/Piercing the Darkness" duo or "The Oath." I submit that it is just as good--just different.

The people who will appreciate this book the most are those who grew up in, or have had extensive experience with, pentecostal/charismatic churches--especially those in small towns. This prerequisite fits me well--I grew up in the Assemblies of God (still a member) and always attended small-to-tiny churches as a child. In this book, Peretti captures that setting perfectly.

While some others have criticized this book as being overly critical of specific denominations, I must say that this is not what I take from the book at all. In this book, Peretti (in my view) primarily criticizes the ease with which most Christians are manipulated by apparent spirituality. So often many of us have seen an entire congregation agree with one evangelist unanimously, only to also agree with another evangelist a week later--never mind that the positions taken by the two "evangelists" are polar opposites. This book portrays that problem well--not so much in the example I just gave, but in the general sense that people are willing to accept everything that appears to be holy as holy. We were never given such a command by God, nor admonished to do so by the apostles. (1 John 4:1)

This book will encourage you to think on your own; to engage in the Berean exercise (Acts 17:10-11) before swallowing whole whatever the next guy brings to town. Our hope is in God, and He never changes--regardless of what the newest "evangelist" would have you believe. Test everything--1 Thess. 5:21.

63 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complex, layered Christian fiction, June 26, 2000

By 

yarden "yarden" (portland, or) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Visitation (Hardcover)

THE VISITATION was the first book by Christian author Frank E. Peretti that I have ever read. Previously, I avoided Peretti's work because I just wasn't sure that Christian fiction could be worth my time. I was sorely wrong, and I'm glad to admit it. THE VISITATION was a very well-written novel, by Christian OR by secular standards.

THE VISITATION is about an ex-pastor and his grapple with issues of faith and God's faithfulness, his search for the truth surrounding some strange events that occur in his town, and his discovery of a Jesus-like man who suddenly arrives on the scene.

THE VISITATION is a suspenseful thriller written in a well-timed manner. The characters are varied and interesting, and the story is multi-layered and complex. Frank Peretti's writing is honest -- he writes about humanity in all its imperfection and sinfulness; he doesn't skirt around delicate issues, and he never takes the easy or cliche Christian way out.

I would highly recommend this book, and any other Frank Peretti book. I am consistently impressed with his honesty and his skillfully written spiritual thrillers, and THE VISITATION is no exception.

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very healing for people who've gotten lost IN the church, October 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Visitation (Hardcover)

Frank Peretti got right to the heart of many things that happen in the Christian journey. It's fiction, but it is very real life stuff, as he tells the story of a burnt out pastor through flashbacks and through the challenge that gets to him when he'd rather not be reached. I laughed more than ever in a Peretti novel, and at times I thought he was reading my mail or going to the same conferences. He touches on all of us in every different kind of church, and the insights all draw us to love more and point fingers less. It's so accurate it's scary, but I will read it over again many times in spots. His word pictures of the mega-church atmosphere were especially thought-provoking. And the focus on a real relationship with Jesus, rather than your pastor or your denomination's particular church rules and flavors, was profound stuff. Not a perfect ending of the Justin story, but in the last couple of paragraphs I found myself weeping, the book had so moved my heart, and its conclusion was profound in the simplicity of the words. As a pastor, I found this a book that I could recommend to anyone, in or out of the church. Peretti and Randall Arthur are the two Christian novelists most in touch with real world people. They make you want to sit down and have a talk, just regular folk.