The Visitation (novel)

Taking place in the fictional wheat town of Antioch, located in eastern Washington, The Visitation is told in first-person narrative by the protagonist, a former minister named Travis Jordan who struggles to reconcile his former pastoral life with that of a present-day false Messiah.

Centered on the life of Travis Jordan, The Visitation begins when miracles, ranging from a healing, weeping crucifix to sights of Jesus in the clouds, start occurring, giving way to the arrival of a man who calls himself Brandon Nichols.

Enlisting the help of Travis Jordan, he seeks to prove that the so-called Brandon Nichols is not in fact a "better" Christian Messiah, but a puffed-up egomaniac using occult powers.

The entire book is rife with slightly humorous stories of "leg-lengthening services" and long nights of wailing in tongues.

This parodies some charismatic youth groups which reportedly spend all their time "praying in the Spirit" and "casting out demons" while never examining Bible scriptures or applying their precepts to their lives.