Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Thinking Biblically on Twilight


Twilight—the story of teenage angst mixed with vampire love—has become talk of thousands of girls across the world. At the book's release, even the critics were quick to form a fan club. (Publishers Weekly described the love story in glowing terms and named Twilight "Best Book of the Year.")

Now, the movie version of Twilight is scheduled to release November 21st, and the box office estimates that it may break records. The movie is expected to be a hit among teenage girls, so it makes sense to discuss it here.

I just finished reading God's Missionary, by Amy Carmichael. I found her thoughts appropriate, both in relation to Hannah's recent post and the upcoming movie release:

Do we never hear the question "What is the harm of it?" asked about reading certain books, following certain pursuits, taking our recreation in certain ways? Perhaps... we need change of thought and rest of brain. "What is the harm of the latest novel, even if it happens to be rather unprofitable?" And we (who have not time to read one out of a thousand of the real books that have been written) spend a precious hour by deliberate choice over something not worthwhile; and when our immediate world interrupts us, breaking in upon us with some call, do we find that we come back to it with quite undistracted gladness?

...."Surely there is no harm in recreation?" To this question we answer, "No, if by recreation is meant re-equipment for future work with no leakage of spiritual power." We must have a fresh influx of life for both soul and body, or we shall dry up and become deserts in a desert. But where are our fresh springs to be? That is the main question.

"All my fresh springs are in Thee." Can we say so truthfully? Or is it not a fact that-- with some of us at least-- certain forms of recreation have, perhaps quite insensibly to us, got out of their place, and hinder, rather than help, all-round robustness
of life?

After looking through Twilight and just reading a few chapters, my mind felt dirty---like I had to go cleanse it with Scripture. Some Christians have praised the book for its lack of pre-marital sex; but when everything else is there--desire, kisses, discussions, touches--so what? That makes it pure? Honestly.

The movie hasn't been released, and I haven't seen it. The trailer looks similar to the traditional superhero movie plot. (Girl falls for guy with special powers. Guy doesn't want to endanger her. Time passes. Guy saves girl from villain. Love conquers all.) But it does provide food for thought--is this worth watching?

What are your thoughts on Twilight? Does the vampire aspect give you pause? Any plans to watch it in theaters?

Labels: ,

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Smile.


"The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He will." -Proverbs 21:1

Sov"er*eign\ 1. Supreme or highest in power; superior to all others; chief; as, our sovereign prince. 2. Independent of, and unlimited by, any other; possessing, or entitled to, original authority or jurisdiction; as, a sovereign state; a sovereign discretion.

"But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all Your deeds. -Psalm 73:28

Tomorrow, we'll all know the identity of our next president. As I type, people across the nation are anxiously awaiting the poll results. I'm not anti-politics; I've even done a bit of canvassing this year. But when I see Christians moaning about this election as though the outcome could somehow unravel our lives-- that concerns me deeply.

Why? Behind all the fear and the riled-up political conversations, I can hear the unspoken beliefs fueling them:

God is not great; a candidate can undo our lives. God's wisdom is not infinite. Depending on the direction of the polls, His sovereignty must have a major loophole. God cannot be trusted implicitly. He may mishandle our fragile futures. I am not in control here, and I cannot stand my helplessness.

When I see the ruckus being made over this election, I think: even if our candidate of choice does win, don't we see that he will be powerless to satisfy our world's most desperate need? Not a healthy economy. Not decreased taxes, health care, or anything else. Christ. The world needs the gospel far more than anything else.

I have Christ. I am reconciled to God through the gospel. My greatest need has already been met—in such abundance that I can never exhaust it. And any footnotes with lists of exceptions are absent from Romans 8:37-39:

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Do we really believe that?

Labels:

Monday, September 17, 2007

We Were Innocent Once...And Young

“Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.” That’s a bit of homespun wisdom the Gold Coast Fashion Week might have benefited from hearing before choosing Maddison Gabriel, a twelve year old model to represent the Australian fashion event. Job requirements include a willingness to don some skimpy gowns, which has sent child protection advocates in uproar. The Prime Minister himself responded in indignation, stating “There should be age limits, I mean there has to be, we do have to preserve some notion of innocence in our society.”

The girl-model insists otherwise. "I believe that I can fit into women's clothes, I can model women's clothes, so I should be able to do it.” Maddison declared adamantly, "I'm not going to change my dreams. I know I want to be an international model. All this fuss is just silly."

Her mother, Michelle Gabriel, shared her daughter’s opinion. "I believe the Prime Minister is getting very doddery.” She elaborated, "He does not know exactly what 13 and 14-year-old girls are like. I used to vote for him. We're trying to get our teenage daughters to act older. I am so happy that I've got a daughter who has got a good head on her shoulders."

  • Do you think there’s a difference between acting older and losing one’s innocence? Where is the line drawn between the two? (Parents, it would be wonderful to hear your perspective as well.)

Quotations and photograph of Ms. Gabriel courtesy of The Daily Mail and The Herald Sun.

Labels: ,

Monday, April 23, 2007

Crowning Glory of the Creation of God

  • Posted by Hannah at 3:00 PM
"Who am I? Secular humanism says I am the result of random processes. Christian theism says I am the crowning glory of the Creation of God. Christian theism says He knit me together in my mother's womb. Christian theism says I am no accident, I am no result of random processes. ...whether I am tall and beautiful or whether I am small and not-so-handsome, whether my body functions perfectly or I am deformed severely, I am the crowning glory of the Creation of God, and as a result I have inherent dignity, and inherent worth and inherent value. "
-Voddie Baucham

I am sure there were many pearls of wisdom at this past year's Desiring God conference, but the message titled The Supremacy of Christ and Truth in a Post-Modern World by Voddie Baucham hit home with me.

Don't let the title throw you; it's a very understandable yet profound message concerning the conflict between Christian and humanist worldviews. Click here to download the free mp3 graciously provided by Desiring God.

Labels: ,

Friday, April 20, 2007

Ignition

What turns a quirky fashion statement into a fad? And what transforms a fad into something timeless? What causes a book to reach the bestseller’s list, while other equally well-written books gather dust on library shelves? From feminism to yoga, activities and ideals once held only by fringe radicals have become the norm. We all would like to know: Why and how?

Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point, attempts to answer these questions. Gladwell writes of the Hush Puppies, once a little-known shoe brand that inexplicably gained worldwide recognition:

“In the case of the Hush Puppies, the great mystery is how those shoes went from something worn by a few fashion-forward downtown Manhattan hipsters to being sold in malls across the country. What was the connection between the East Village and Middle America? The Law of the Few says the answer is that one of these exceptional people found out about the trend, and through social connections and energy and enthusiasm and personality spread the word about Hush Puppies.”

What caused the Hush Puppy fad? According to Gladwell, it was surprisingly simple: a small number of people actively spread the word.

In the 1960’s and 70’s, a new wave of feminism swept over America. This wasn’t your grandmother’s “Votes for Women” campaign. This movement threw orthodoxy out the window. Men were labeled “oppressors” and feminism became known as the “women’s liberation movement.” The movement redefined womanhood and pushed Biblical perspective into the shadows. It was unconventional and extreme--and it transformed North America.

Yet, like the Hush Puppies’ rise to stardom, the feminist movement’s success was not due to political action or protest marches. Its success can be traced to a group of people who simply spread the word.

In 1968, film editor and feminist Kathie Sarachild brought a new strategy to light. The best way to promote feminism, she found, was to form “consciousness-raising groups.” Small groups women would gather together for annual meetings in which they would each share experiences of “oppression” and discuss common difficulties they faced. One scholar noted, “Feminists agreed that consciousness-raising, or ‘speaking bitterness,’ was the most potent, effective tool in the mobilization of the feminist movement.” (Mary Kassian, The Feminist Mistake)

This should be no surprise. In Proverbs 12:18, Solomon speaks of the tongue’s power: “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Here, Solomon ranks words with an instrument of war. What more piercing weapon exists than the tongue? When it has taken thousands of soldiers to change cities into minefields, fewer words have changed the face of empires.

Yet there is one factor that pulls an ideology into popularity which researchers often miss; ultimately all is controlled to the One causes mouths to open and shut. He is the One who allows a movement (however temporarily) to ignite or fade into the footnotes of history.

While feminism may be a dominant philosophy of our time, in the end “…the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom He will.” (Daniel 4:32) Perhaps I may live to see this ideology discarded as a new “ism” claims the spotlight, but at the closing of the day, His Word will prevail.

What ignites a dream into a movement, and a movement into a revolution? Feminist researcher Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” I would add that all changes have occurred only because God allowed them---and He always has the last word.

Labels: , , ,