I reviewed this on 11/06/19 in another blog, now defunct.
EVIL VISITS SALEM
When two young girls start acting bizarre and violent, they are diagnosed as bewitched by the village doctor. The "afflicted children" begin accusing villagers of witchcraft, a crime punishable by death. Lucifer's plan to wreak havoc on the community is set in motion, and his demons revel in the turmoil they are inflicting upon innocent people, including the saintly and beloved Rebecca Nurse.
Lydia Knapp watches her loved ones suffer and die. Will Rebecca's prayers be enough to strengthen the angel army, and help Lydia discover hope? Will Lydia have to sacrifice everything to stand up for the truth?
Afflicted is a fast-paced, riveting read, which exposes the dangers of Pharisee religion, and how it promotes fear. This new insight into one of our nation's most tragic events reveals the significance of God's grace, and the necessity of prayer to fight spiritual warfare.
If you like Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness, then you'll enjoy this page-turning fictional account of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.
Prepare to stay up all night with this gripping tale of suspenseful tension, and unforgettable characters.
Perspective by Peter
I accepted the author's request to review this novel due to the spiritual warfare, supernatural involvement of angels and demons that is in the same caliber as Peretti's, This Present Darkness series. The other reason was that I had heard of the Salem Witch Trials. Not knowing much about them, I was intrigued by Ott's take on it from the novel's description.
This is a very engrossing novel. I would not say it is fast paced, but there are enough events at a consistent pace to keep you reading. This added to the feel of being transported to this 16th Century where life was definitely slower than it is today. Ott is very good at applying her research of this controversial event of 1692 and reproducing the other characteristics of this time. Her characterization is well developed and adds to this feeling of being transported to this era. Another aspect of reproducing this period is how they regard themselves and speak to each other. There is a degree of stoicism, decorum, and propriety that seems to be part of this period. One of the most noticeable characteristics of this period is the addressing of a married couple. As Ott explains,
Goody: An abbreviated version of Goodwife, a title used to address a married woman, or a woman who has been married. The modern term is “Mrs.”
Goodman: A title used to address a man. The modern term is “Mr.”
It took me a while to get used to this, and I had to chuckle as I could not imagine using these terms in today's society. It reminded me of Pride And Prejudice where Elizabeth Bennett's parents called each other Mrs Bennet and Mr Bennet. I cannot imagine addressing my wife like this! (At least, not with my surname!).
Ott has depicted a dichotomy of faith in this novel. On one hand, you have the Nurse sisters who have a faith in God that is relational and based on the Bible and the Jesus of the Bible. These sisters, and especially espoused by Rebecca Nurse, live out their faith by God's Word (Bible). They are very much the Doers of the Word and not just the Hearer's of the Word as outlined in the Bible,
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:22-25 New King James Version
(bold italics mine)
This was evident in the respect Rebecca and her sisters had earned by the community from the highest of this community to its outcast (Goody Good). Her faith in action led to many of the community to come against the outrageous and farcical charges of witchcraft against them. It also led to two of the accused accepting God's gift of salvation, one before she was hanged and the other's conversion leading to a descendant of hers becoming a world-famous evangelist. The way Ott has depicted this, what came to mind was akin to Billy Graham, to the point where I was tempted to investigate his genealogy!
Rebecca's faith in action showed such a powerful witness to the truth of God's Word and who God is. It became a living witness to these two characters and others. Ott has succeeded here in showing how Christians are to live when they live out God's Word just as James outlines in his book where the aforementioned verse comes from. It shows us how to live despite the dire circumstances we are in and that despite this, we can rise above these and not succumb to them. Living victoriously just as Jesus' death on the Cross achieved for us. Instead of letting her incarceration demoralize her, she used this time to minister to the other prisoners, encouraging them, counseling them and even singing a psalm,
Shine thy light in the darkness, Oh God Let not the enemy harm me. Reveal thy plan in the trial, Oh Lord Thy glory the world to see
Actually, this scene has similarities to the time when Paul and Silas were in prison as described in Acts 16: 25. There are many other examples in this novel that show Rebecca living out her faith in varying situations; verbal and physical abuse from the prison guards, verbal abuse from other community members, even the bitter and foul-mouthed Goody Good (before her conversion). But she did not retaliate or give in to her emotions. Instead, she acted very similar to how Jesus acted while here on Earth.
Ott contrasts this with legalistic or Pharisee religion from Reverend Parris and other ministers. It is this that supports the farcical and outrageous nature of the trials. Here these ministers practice "good" works (which I found debatable!) to find favour with God and preach doom and gloom, fire and brimstone that shows none of God's grace and mercy. These ministers seem more concerned with following Church doctrine rather than Biblical doctrine. I found it interesting that Parris, Salem's Reverend, ignored those accused of witchcraft and gave them no pastoral care which is the main function of his vocation. It is even harder to accept that he was so ignorant of demonology that he could not identify this behavior as such when his daughter and niece manifested demonic behavior in his presence!
Rebecca's living out her faith from the Bible showed how the love of Christ eliminates fear while the legalistic attitude and practice promotes fear and spiritual bondage and strengthen ignorance. It amazed me that in that time period, there was so much fear and legalistic attitudes rather than a knowledge of how spiritual warfare works and how to combat it. It was Rebecca who first identified the cause of these witchcraft accusations and what to do about them. You would expect that this should have come from Reverend Parris or even the other Reverends from the surrounding districts, but their ignorance had blinded them to the truth and how to discern it. Later in the novel, there is only one, Reverend Hale, who also identifies this as being from demonic origin and that the court approach in dealing with these witchcraft accusations was so inappropriate and a travesty of justice with far-reaching effects on the community and their generations to follow.
Yet, it takes those with a conscience and an active faith in God and His Word to thwart man and the demonic onslaught in these Trials. Rebecca, Lydia Knapp, and Reverend Hale are the only ones who stood up to the governing authorities of the Trials and became a voice of reason and truth. Rebecca had such a profound effect of young Lydia in her witness to her about God's Word and who God is that gave her the courage to speak up and tell the truth. This resulted in the end of the Trials and a revolution in the court system of the time. But as depicted in the novel, this change was not an improvement as such.
Ott has integrated the supernatural into this novel very well. I guess when the Peretti being the originator of this angel/demon story arc, showed us this in his This Present Darkness series, it would follow that this successful depiction is reproduced by many Christian authors since. And yes, the issue of prayer as the source of the angel's power has been controversial by Christian apologists but I liked how one of these described it, rather than prayer directly empowering the angels, this apologist believes it is the prayer that God receives and acts on that then moves Him to instruct the angels what to do. And it is also what He has planned as well. In so many of these novels where we have angels and demons, so many times, the angels are to protect and watch until God instructs them to fight or become more active.
This has been displayed in this novel. Ott, like many other Christian authors, has depicted the frustration of the angels as wanting to fight and become more actively involved in the plight of the human race being at the mercy of the demonic army but are unable to do so until God gives them His order to act.
There is a spiritual lesson here for us. So many times we feel the natural inclination or urge to act before we have assessed the situation as to what should happen or even take this situation to the Throne Room of God and ask for His guidance and what His Will is for this situation. When we follow our inclination or act impulsively, even if it feels right to do so, we always make it worse and play into the enemy's hands. Just as the angels have to be obedient and follow orders and accept that God knows what He is doing and will deliver at the right time, it is the same for us. It is His time and His Sovereignty, His Omniscience that knows the hows, the whys, the whens and the wheres of the situation at hand. And while we wait for God to command us, we learn patience and trust in Him and not in ourselves.
In this novel, as in others, it is tempting to view the hierarchy of the demons as comedy relief. There is always minor demons acting impulsively and disrupting the plan of attack from the demon in charge or their actions leading to their human charge learning to trust in God or even pray for the first time or pray more to Him as examples of the effects of their incompetence. And the demon in charge seems to be one that is abusive, out of control and violent towards them for the misdemeanours of the lesser demons. Yes, I could say that this is a characteristic of the fallen nature and effect of being changed from their angelic state when they rebelled against God, but despite this coming across as comedy relief, I feel the reader needs to be discerning here.
Peretti has shown us a possible way how Satan and his demons act in the supernatural arena that we don't see. But nevertheless, it shows us the effects these demons can have on our lives when we are ignorant and blinded by our sin or lack of faith in God or just plain denial of anything supernatural. Despite how these demons are depicted in novels such as this one, they still have a battle plan with the objective to enslave the human race to our sin, keep up separated from God and ultimately to be eternally housed in Hell upon our death. They want us to do their bidding by deceiving us into believing it is for our good or deceiving us into accepting them as gods and/or we are gods as well. Anything to thwart the purposes of God and mock Him in the process and keep mankind from Him.
In this novel, we have the motive of the demons to destroy then take charge of the court system starting with it in Salem. Having the population accused of witchcraft and then the courts acting in such a farcical and fraudulent manner is their aim here. The court officials and the Reverends of the surrounding districts (apart from Reverend Hale and Mather) are ignorant of the spiritual causes of these accusations of witchcraft and rule for hanging with no evidence to support this at all. Their ruling is based on hearsay only, what we call "he said, she said" in today's world or "your word against mine". And to make matters worse, if you stated anything in support of the accused, you were then at risk of being accused of witchcraft as well, imprisoned and facing hanging.
Even the angels were ignorant of the motive behind these bewitchings and demonic attacks. However, Raphael, captain of the angelic army discovers their true motive,
“Raphael, what is the meaning of all of this? What is Lucifer doing?” Uriel asked. Semiel leaned in to hear their captain’s response. “I just learned his plan and came to tell you and the others.” The other angels present at the meetinghouse joined the conversation. Raphael continued, “This is much bigger than I anticipated. This goes beyond persecuting the faithful warriors of Salem Village.” “So Lucifer isn’t here to hang saints?” “He’s here to hang them, but oh so much more, I’m afraid. What he has planned will affect this land for years and years to come. The seed planted here from this turmoil will continue to grow, long after these trials are over.” Semiel frowned. “How is that possible?” “Think about it. Why does Lucifer hate this new land?” Understanding dawned in Uriel’s eyes. “He’s after the court system.” Raphael crossed his arms. “Exactly.” “Will he win?” asked Semiel. “Only time will tell. If he does, just remember, he still loses. Now, we’d better get back to our posts.” The angels saluted their captain with their swords, and floated up and over the trees, each making their way to their assignments. Raphael sure hoped the faithful were praying.
When I read this, I wondered what specifically they wanted to do with the court system. It becomes very clear at the end of the novel when Raphael and Uriel are having their debrief after the trials have ended and the court practices are reviewed,
Raphael and Uriel watched the girl walk home. “Now you see the purpose,” Raphael said. “I don’t understand.” “The girl has changed. She’s no longer afraid and focused on herself. She is confident, and caring. A strong and true warrior, like Rebecca.” “So all those people died to transform this one girl?” “Is that ever how it works, Uriel?” He thought for a moment. “No. Other lives will be effected.” “They already have.” “Yes, but Satan’s plan worked. The courts will change. They are already restructuring the system and removing many of the former proceedings. They will use fewer spiritual methods, including the use of ministers and Scripture. How can that be good?” “It’s not. It is a manifestation of man answering his own will, and Satan using it for his. However, we must remember, Uriel. Satan does not win in the end. The Most High is still working in hearts. There is always hope, and we see it in her.” He motioned to Lydia. “I’m guessing you know more than I do, Raphael?” “Not much. I only know a descendant of hers will lead many to Christ.” “So all of this pain brings triumph after all.” “Like I said, The Almighty always offers hope. Come. There’s a celebration in Heaven for the newly welcomed saints. We don’t want to miss it.” The angels spread their wings and flew to the sky, disappearing over the clouds.
Don't we see this now? Man answering his own will and Satan using it for his? You can see this in today's ideologies that if you say anything that is seen as supporting an issue that is being challenged or what someone has said that is contrary to popular belief or what they want as popular belief, you are accused the same as those you are supporting. Hate speech, censorship, call it what you will, but these are just ploys to promote the will of man and satan. God and everything associated with Him is being removed. Prayer has been removed from American schools, you no longer need to swear on the Bible in court that you will tell the truth, you can be penalized for reading the Bible is some American schools and public places. The list goes on and will do so until we live in a society where anything to do with the Bible, or the God of the Bible, is a crime and those who believe and live as such will be persecuted and forfeit their lives for doing so. The word tells us so that we will be persecuted for Jesus namesake and what He achieved on the Cross. There are many Christian novels that depict what this could be like. Sobering but reflective of our future as we move towards a Christless and totally secular (satanic) society before the return of Christ.
This novel is a deviation from Ott's usual genre and writing as I have discovered from other reviewers who have read her previous novels, I have not, this is the first of her bibliography. These reviewers are wanting her to write in this genre and I would encourage her to continue to do so. Ott seems to have found a niche genre here and does it so well.
I certainly would look forward to more in this genre and style of writing. Ott has an important and essential message to her readers in this genre and God is no doubt using her talent wisely and appropriately for His purposes.
This is one compelling and spiritually uplifting novel with an important message of how to live out your faith under God's direction as found in His Word and to avoid fear and spiritual bondage from a lifestyle of legalistic or Pharisee religion. It also illustrates that as Christians we need to know the strategy of our opponent/enemy and again this is Biblical where we are also given the weapons to fight this.
Highly recommended.
The three ratings below are based on my discernment:
World Building 5/5
Characters 5/5
Story 5/5
The two classifications below are based on the booklet, A Spiritual System for Rating Books by David Bergsland:
Spiritual Level 4/5
Enemy Spiritual Level 4/5
Overall Rating: 4.6
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Spiritually, based on my review and on the aforementioned reference booklet, A Spiritual System for Rating Books by David Bergsland (Radiqx Press) and that Afflicted contains elements of the criteria of what constitutes Christian Redemptive Fiction outlined in this booklet, together with David Bergsland we bestow Fayla Ott with
The Reality Calling Redemptive Fiction Award
Congratulations, Fayla!
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Rise Of The Beast: The Tribulation Begins (Rapture: The Saga of Christopher Barrett, Book 2)
Shadows of Eternity: The Great Tribulation (Rapture: The Saga of Christopher Barrett Book 4).
