The Veritas Conflict

by Shaunti Feldhahn

Book Overview

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 --...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 157673708X
• ISBN13: 9781576737088
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Multnomah Books
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Tries to be Frank Peretti but misses the mark...

For as long as this one is, it fell surprisingly short. I enjoyed the premise of the story, and after re-reading Peretti's This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness I was hoping to be be as pleased with this as I was with those. Unfortunately I wasn't. There felt like too little character/background plot development and it was disjointed in the attempts to be clever. Really wanted more history surrounding the university, the mysterious family connections or the spiritual warfare, but I was left unsatisfied. It's probable that the book was just overloaded and could have done without certain characters or story arcs.

Amazing book

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?

Very encouraging!

I found this book fascinating! While reading it, I realized that the plot was definitely FICTIONAL, but the speach in the book was extremely helpful. I am attending a secular college this year, and am nervous about the stronghold Satan has over the campus. This book was very encouraging to me! It made me realize how much God loves prayer and provided very useful arguments for defending your faith! :) This is a must-read for every Christian college student, and wonderful for everyone else as well! :)

Brought Back Memories . . .

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.

At Almost Every School

The battle for Truth which Shaunti so realistically describes in her great new book is being waged daily at almost every school, and at ALL levels, not just at Harvard.Through the experiences and inner conflicts of several well drawn characters, Shaunti clearly depicts how it is hard even to engage in a discussion on Truth when one major worldview is not even let on the field, in the name of "tolerance" and "diversity". The Spiritual foundations of life, which led people at great cost to found and then defend the freedoms which we take for granted, are not even allowed to be discussed in the Public Square, at Harvard in this case, because the faculty and administration largely consider Spiritual matters to be unscientific and irrelevant.I found some of the dialogue to be so well conceived that I copied several pages and gave them to the headmaster at our son's high school.Through the special power of well written fiction, this book exposes the lie of "political correctness" and, without condemning anyone, cries out for a truly level playing field for ALL opinions, faiths, beliefs and points of view.Shaunti, please keep writing!

An excellent presentation of life at a secular school

The book is impressively realistic in its presentation of the environment Christians face at secular schools. I have been a student at Harvard for one year now, and I have witnessed and experienced some of the same attacks, both tacit and outright, that Claire undergoes. I appreciate a lot of the issues brought up in the book, such as how to react to both disdain and hostility towards your faith, and asking God's direction when choosing activities. These are relevant issues and make the book a great read for anyone in secondary school or college.