Do you have a daughter captivated by the romance of Edward and Bella? Then you might be interested in an early morning phone call I received a few days ago. A mother had one question on her mind. “What do you think about the Twilight series?” I admitted that I haven’t read the books, but previews of the newly released film have my attention. “What,” I asked, “concerns you so much that you would call even though we’ve never met?”
With calm reason and logic, she defined Twilight as an example of “deception.” It’s an attempt to “normalize an aberration,” she noted. “You’ve pointed out such things in your articles and Titus 2 ministry.” Twilight, she said, is fantasy — to be sure, but it is also a dangerous mix of the holy and unholy. I’m frustrated, she confessed because “when I express my concerns to the younger ones in my family, they roll their eyes.”
Mentoring and warning sons and daughters often receives this kind of response. Parents may back away from dialogue because they’re described as “unenlightened” or “out of touch.” This mom, however, was looking for encouragement to press on. She was well aware of the battle for the hearts and minds of young Christians.
I’m thankful this mom cared enough to call. It motivated me to do further research. I found a discerningly helpful article entitled “The Twilight Series from a Christian Perspective: Part I & II” by Mark Farnham. Mark is Assistant Professor of Theology and New Testament at Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary in Lansdale, PA. He and his wife have two teen daughters and a ten-year-old son. Mark has served as a pastor and director of youth ministries.
If there is a young woman in your family whose romantic yearnings are teased by Twilight, please take the time to read Mark Farnham’s review. “The fact that Edward and Bella do not engage in sexual activity seems to be enough to warrant a stamp of approval from many Christians who defend the series,” writes Mark. “Some even praise Edward (a vampire) for his considerable restraint in not doing the one thing that is most bodily urgent to him – drinking Bella’s blood.” But, cautions Mark, “What a work of culture promotes as normal and desirable – or abnormal and undesirable – is the crux of the matter.” Twilight “drips with sensuality,” writes Mark. “This aspect of the series should be a major stumbling block for a Christian reader who is attuned to biblical portrayals of holiness and purity.” (Visit SharperIron to read more.)
Parents, what is Twilight promoting? What is it compromising? Might it change a young person’s attitude toward God? “For Bella,” writes Mark, “God is unnecessary. Only Edward is necessary. In her mind, God is only an acceptable thought if He (in whatever form He exists) accepts Edward. The roles are switched — Edward is supreme and necessary; God is subordinate and contingent.”
It is spiritually risky business when we fear, love, and trust our self-determined happiness before God.
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