It’s clear that the real draw to Twilight is the relational aspect of its storyline – it’s a love story! The fact that Edward is a vampire is really just a plot device to make the romance more interesting. Because he never dies, he has to deal with the possibility of losing Bella somewhere in the future. Because Edward could kill her at any moment, Bella has to decide to trust Edward with her life. Because nobody knows what Edward is, Edward has to trust Bella to keep his family’s secret. Ah, love.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, we have a long list of characteristics of “true love.” An excerpt:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

The fact that we are able to engage in relationships with one another and to love one another attests to the fact that we are made in God’s image –God is constantly in relationship with Himself! He created us in such a way that our relationships with one another, when submitted to His authority and done in a godly way, reflect His eternal coexistence as Trinity. When we love one another selflessly, we reflect part of the glory of God. Edward and Bella make huge sacrifices for one another, as well as their friends and family. Bella moved to Forks for very selfless reasons. For her safety, Edward tries to not get involved with Bella (but man, she just smells so good…). The Cullens drop everything to keep Bella’s family safe when they are threatened, not “insisting their own way.”

We can see how these actions reflect the character of God in his relentless love for His children: He is selfless, protective, and did drop everything for our salvation [Phil 2:5-11; Ps 56:8, 40:11].

However, the question we need to ask ourselves is whether Bella and Edward are reflecting God’s image to one another, or replacing Him.

We are creatures, meant to find everything we need in our creator. Colossians talks about finding wholeness in Christ: “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” [Col 1:17-18] We are meant to find security and rest in what God has done on the cross for us to bring us to a relationship with him. We are meant to find community with other believers in the body of Christ. We are meant to find freedom in what God has purchased for us.

When we try to find these things in a romantic relationship, it will fall apart. We start to put the other person in a position where they take the place of God in our lives. We were not made to replace God, but to reflect Him.

• How do Edward and Bella reflect God’s unrelenting love for his children? (and they do, in lots of ways!)
• How do Edward and Bella take the place of God in each other’s lives? The best way to answer this question is to first consider the place God is meant to have in our lives – where do we turn when things go wrong? Where do we find our security? And do E and B find these things in each other, or in their Creator?

What do y’all think?

What should we think, as Christians? In some sense, critiquing art and creative endeavors is difficult to do absolutely. Some things are a matter of taste. Consider all of the colors in the world around us – can we really say what color is God’s favorite color? Do we know these things?

On the other hand, God does tell us things that He hates and things that please him. We could think of culture and art as indicators of values, or expressions of what people like or dislike. God has given us, the church, our values and norms: what should the culture of the church look like? Additionally, how should we evaluate the cultural expressions of the world around us? Keep in mind that we live in a fallen world. Most of the movies, art, books and music that we engage with on a daily basis are not expressions supporting and stemming from a culture formed around Scriptural values, but from the human wisdom of this world. [Col 2:8] What do we do with them?

A call to discernment is not necessarily a call to censorship or dismissal of the culture of the world we currently live in. Rather, it’s a call to look a little deeper than simply the entertainment value of the media we are surrounded with. We know the book is entertaining, or people wouldn’t be reading it so much. Is it good for us to read?

The word “discern” brings up the idea of “recognizing” and “distinguishing;” in other words, you’re looking into the thing and seeing what is actually there, behind the entertainment. What values are held up? What kinds of relationships are glorified? What behavior or thoughts are being encouraged? And what kind of effect is it having on your thoughts and behaviors?

The next post will attempt to help us discern what the book Twilight is all about. Is it good? bad? ugly? Who knows? We will find out.

This is Ashley Myhal, your new intern. Y’all are so great, and it’s been so much fun to hang out and get to know you guys and girls this summer. You’re all PUMPED to go back to school, I know… actually, it might be nice to go back! The weather will finally turn a bit cooler, you can wear jeans and that cute jacket that’s been in the back of your closet since March. Football will start again, you’ll see your friends every day (even if you don’t want to), and life will generally be a little more structured.

Changes aren’t all bad. Like this blog, for example. You might notice now that it gets posted on a lot more often. The purpose of this blog is basically to engage with stuff going on in the world around us – going back to school, football, cute jackets, cute guys and girls – and figure out how it relates to our lives as Christians. “What does football have to do with Jesus?”

So, check back here every so often to see what we’ve been thinking about. Feel free to ask questions, you might see yours answered. Hopefully in a few days, I’ll have my next post ready, which will discuss…

vampires…

the cute kind…

get excited.

a.m.

If you have any questions, give Justin a call at the church.  (601) 693-1133.

Thanks,

jj

You can print this, fill it out, and bring it to the meeting, if you would like to save some time.

jj

I will begin by assessing the claim that this book is simply ‘fiction’ and therefore is of no real concern to the church. My issue with this belief is that much can be said under the guise of fiction, while supposedly not saying anything of any consequence because ‘it is simply fiction.’  One could actually argue an author of fiction has a much greater impact than a theologian or a pastor, given the greater audience exposed, many of whom could be unaware they are getting a particular perspective on God.  And make no mistake, Young is saying quite a bit concerning the nature of God, the consequences of sin, the issue of salvation, etc. In fact, the author is putting words in God’s mouth, quite literally. The question is whether his views are consistent with the God who has revealed himself in the pages of Holy Scripture.

The story is set in present-day and tells of Mack; a skeptic who experiences unimaginable pain when his daughter is tragically kidnapped. In the aftermath, his life is filled with tremendous struggle and doubt, leading up to his finding a note asking Mack to meet him at the shack; the place where the tragedy occurred. Ultimately, Mack comes to the conclusion that God has sent the letter, though Mack initially questions whether God still does the unexpected, or even the supernatural; subtly jabbing a modern Christianity that can at times look terribly similar to deism.

The culprit behind God’s perceived inactivity is scripture, or at least an interpretation that focuses more on the Bible itself than the God of that Bible (p.65-66). In the author’s defense, there are forms of Christianity are guilty of precisely this, not understanding that the scripture does point beyond itself. However, properly understood, one need not divorce scripture from the God who gave it. Our understanding of the nature, purposes, and actions of God, along with our present experience of God must be grounded in God’s Word, for this is how he speaks to his people (contra Young’s argument that God speaks to us through our thoughts [p.195]). Without God’s Word guiding us, our faith becomes nothing more than a matter of personal opinion.  God’s Word continues to be active through the work of the Holy Spirit illuminating believers and bringing them into conformity with his revelation.  It is no coincidence that this jab at scriptures comes toward the beginning of this book for it is reflective of what is to come.

I will say that there is much to appreciate about the book. Mack does, in fact, meet God at the shack, which is an extremely profound thought. The beauty of God meeting us at the place of our brokenness is a very worthwhile image, and should be celebrated. When he arrives, God is not presented as a one-dimensional concept, but instead as Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The author’s shows the dynamic nature of a God who has created humanity not out of loneliness, but from a desire to share fellowship with others and bring glory to himself. Many will be uncomfortable with the portrayal of God with the Father being an Aunt Jemimah type figure instead of Gandalf, alongside Jesus as a Jewish man (no problem there), and the Holy Spirit as a Asian girl. The author will later clarify that God the Father isn’t an African-American woman any more than an old white man, but these are simply how he presents himself to Mack on a given occasion. While the traditional language of the first person of the Trinity as ‘Father’ is to be preferred, for this is how God has chosen to reveal himself, challenging our extra-biblical (sometimes contra-biblical) preconceived notions of God can be helpful. Another aspect of the book worth mentioning is Young’s discussion of the temptation to create extra-biblical rules as Christians, which can be used as a means to avoid being led by God’s Spirit. The questioning of the ‘rights’ language that has crept into modern Christianity; a concept deriving more from the Enlightenment than the scriptures is noteworthy (Our value as human beings is found more so in our having been made in the image of God, than our having individual rights). The presentation of God desiring the entirety of our lives as opposed to our compartmentalized section is fantastic, and the theme of radical forgiveness is something that should be praised.

Despite the positives, there are major problems with the book as well, ranging from what Christ actually accomplished on the cross, to a distorted view of God’s election, to the lack of any need for God’s justice to be satisfied (as opposed to his always acting only out of love). One might think that the book’s failure to provide a coherent answer to the problem of evil (a difficult thing to do) is the book’s most grievous error, given that this is the book’s theme. ‘The Shack’ wants to have it both ways in terms of God’s sovereignty and his effectiveness, stating that what happens in the world is “no plan of Papa’s” (the Father; p.165) and God discussing his efforts as “Don’t think that we didn’t try” (p.176), while also saying “there is no Plan B” and “what I wanted from the beginning, I will get” (p.192). God is presented as passive, limiting himself to accommodate the desires of human beings. While some might be attracted to this explanation, ultimately, the author undermines the hope that good can be accomplished out of evil, given God’s perceived impotence at preventing evil.

However, the bigger issue is the hope we have as believers in the midst of suffering, the gospel, is not present. The presentation of Jesus as nothing more than a perfected human, and not God incarnate (p.100), is inconsistent with the scriptures (see John 5) and destructive to the gospel. The reason Jesus could serve the mediator between God and man is because he was fully God and fully man, not simply a perfected human being.

Concerning humanity’s sinfulness, at one point, the author will quote Papa as saying, “I’ve never laid an expectation on anyone” (p.206). However, the scriptures are very clear that ‘all have fallen short of the glory of God;’ an expectation has not met due to our sin. The book also cheapens the consequences of sin in saying that “sin is its own punishment” (p.120). While the bible does present sin as its own punishment, particularly in Romans 1, this is an incomplete picture of the punishment of sin.  Jesus will not only be our Savior but our judge as well, based on the criteria of our acceptance of him as Messiah. A half truth posing as an entire truth is an untruth.

Because biblical judgment is absent, the author can also give an unbiblical understanding of being a ‘child of God.’ When the scriptures speak of ‘sonship,’ this is a designation for those who have experienced adoption by virtue of coming to God by faith, not all human beings in general. As much as Jesus gives lip-service to his love for the church in ‘The Shack,’ he includes Christianity as he presents his disgust for all religions. Distinguishing Christianity from religion is helpful here. Whereas, religion is human beings’ attempts at getting to God, Christianity is God’s coming to human beings in the form of Jesus Christ, and being all that we need upon accepting the gospel. The author uses clever word plays to disguise the implication of what is meant, which is the potential for salvation outside of faith in Jesus Christ. After listing a variety of groups of people, including other religions, Jesus states, “I have no desire to make them Christian,” going on to emphasize that what he wants is a relationship (p.182). While a restored relationship is accomplished through the gospel, whether the author acknowledges belief in Jesus as necessary for that restored relationship is highly questionable.

As a result, it can be difficult to understand what the author’s is referring in his discussion of the church. Pervading the book is the author’s disdain for the institutional church, along with hierarchy in general, believing that anything resembling authority is a man-made result of ‘The Fall.’ While the need for structure is a result of ‘The Fall,’ God is the one who established authority to protect creation in its fallen state. Though it is true that servant leadership has often not been practiced in society and the church, to discard the need for authority altogether is the most extreme form of the baby/bathwater metaphor, and will only invite even greater chaos.

If Young’s critique of the Evangelical church is that it is not the community it was intended to be due to a struggle for power, this is a fair criticism in a day when churches are often run like corporations. However, the author need not present ‘either/or’ extremes to make his point. Many churches lack the genuine community pictured for the people of God, but to say that relationships are the only thing important in church life is quite the overstatement (p.178). There are many things the church should be concerned with as well, worship, evangelism, charity, justice, etc. I am reminded of the G.K. Chesterton quote, “The reformer is always right about what is wrong. He is generally wrong about what is right.” In the midst of this community, God has provided structure for its protection, and a vision for its objectives. If the church would implement God’s Word, as opposed to ignoring it, or even worse, discarding it, the church would look vastly different.

Many will read ‘The Shack’ looking for hope in the midst of tragedy. As far as the book is concerned, Mack’s greatest need is to have remedied his feelings of doubt, pain, loss, resentment and hostility. Certainly, these are real and God offers comfort knowing no bounds. But, the way this comfort is accomplished is through addressing Mack’s even greater problem; his alienation from his maker due to his sin; a relationship that can only be restored through placing his faith in Jesus Christ.  This is the Christian gospel, and it is our hope. To quote the old hymn ‘The Solid Rock,’ “our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”