Good article. I like your observations and your insight. I have not read the “Twilight” series but I have noticed the rage against such books from popular Christian pastors. I always wonder if they actually have read the series before they condemn it. I think there is a tendency to “react” to the latest “secular” craze to gin up the base in the Church, much like you see in political reactions/movements. I think this is fear based on the part of Christians. They give secular influence so much power that they have to fearfully preach against any contact with it. Rather, they could take the underlying signals that the popular secular craze is projecting and use that information to build better relationships with the lost world. From what you said about the “Twilight” series this is a perfect example. They are popular because of the underlying themes of true love, honor, and resistance to moral depravity. We have the same message in the story of the Bible. If we know that is what the lost world is looking for, we should not condemn what they are reading but use that to explain that we have the archetype story in Christ and all other good stories are just types of HIM. That is why they strike such a cord among Christians and non-Christians alike. I hope you can see where I am going with that thought.

Also, I find it interesting that some preach against this series because of the “perversion” that is involved. i.e. Vampires, etc. At the same time they have nothing bad to say about the Bible when we have plenty of shady characters in the BIBLE. We even have a witch calling up Samuel from the afterlife. We don’t preach against the Bible for such things because we understand the whole is larger than the sum of the parts. (The Bible as a story instead of individual versus to back up our own application.) Actually, I take that back, very few Christians, especially in the conservative/fundamentalist movement understand or agree with this approach. But I digress.

One more thought that I find comical. The only hope of Christians, according to some, is the belief of a casket resurrection at the end of time. If you picture that, that could be taken right out of a night of the living dead movie. How are we to preach the good news of the Gospel to the world when we beat them over the head with how bad their “vampire” books are and then turn around and preach that the only hope we have is that we will be physically resurrected… we will become living dead!!!!! Just brings a smile to my face when I think of that conversation between an informed unbeliever and an non-thinking believer.

Great article, I really enjoyed it!
Blessings to you and your family,

In Christ,
Micah Martin