A Biblical Look into Eclipse: The Boys Are Back in Town

As we return to Forks in the beginning of Eclipse, we see that Bella is reaping some serious consequences for her actions in Italy and thereafter. Charlie has grounded her for life. Jacob will not speak to Bella. And Edward has become a little overprotective. Well, that may be an understatement. Edward has almost gone wild in trying to protect Bella from the wolf pack. We see a few glimpses of Edward's guilt, as he shares his disdain about Bella having to turn to anyone but him after he left. Yet Edward continues to overstep his bounds in the first pages of Eclipse. The following is an exchange between Bella and Edward after Edward tells Charlie that they are going to Florida to see Renee.

I turned to glower at him. 'Yes. I think I'd like to speak to you alone.'

He didn't look as apprehensive as I thought he should.

I waited to begin until we were safely in his car.

'What was that?' I demanded.

'I know you want to see your mother, Bella - you've been talking about her in your sleep. Worrying actually.'

'I have?'

He nodded. 'But, clearly, you were too much of a coward to deal with Charlie, so I interceded on your behalf.'

Excerpt taken from Eclipse, p. 56

I don't know about you, but that comment by Edward about being a coward just burned me. I guess that is my teenage heart bearing itself. Edward seems to be towing a fine line between overprotective and controlling. Even Jacob kids her about teenage girls being involved with controlling and abusive boys. But is Edward overstepping the boundaries in this scenario?

Everybody has an opinion, but I think we lose the overall vision of the relationship because we are only hearing Bella's side of the story. She is being a true teenager in Eclipse, which means her focus is primarily on herself. We certainly have a choice in how we respond to the opposite sex. Sometimes we can be silent. Sometimes we can be manipulating. And sometimes we can be wise. (I like the wise option.)

A wise lady in the Bible had to deal with a controlling husband. Her name was Abigail, and her story is found in 2 Samuel 25. Abigail was married to a wealthy man named Nabal. The Bible describes Nabal as "mean and dishonest," yet his wife Abigail seems very different. She is described as "sensible and beautiful." Abigail finds herself in quite a predicament from her husband's controlling actions. A visiting hero, David, has asked for some food during his travels. Nabal has declined the request, and David has rounded up his army for an attack on Nabal. But Abigail steps into the middle of the heated event.

Read 2 Samuel 25:23-31. What does Abigail say to David?

Abigail accepts the responsibility for her husband and even extends blessings to David.

Read 2 Samuel 25:32-35. How does David respond to Abigail's sincerity?

Because of her quick thinking and strength, Abigail saved her own life and those in her household. While Bella's insecurities seem to override her sensibility in Eclipse, I can't help but see some of Abigail's strength in Bella. Both women rose to the occasion and were willing to give their own lives for the ones they loved - people that we might think are questionable characters. It's amazing what love will do.

Read 2 Samuel 25:36-42. How does the story end for Abigail?

A Biblical Look at New Moon: Turning Inward

After her birthday party in the beginning of New Moon, Bella realizes that change is coming her way, but she never expects Edward to leave her. Yet he thinks it is the only way to save her and love her at the same time. Bella is crushed to the very core of her being. A hole has been carved into her heart that seems beyond repair. While Bella’s friendship with Jacob helps her survive, the aching pain of loss will not subside.

Bella figures out a way to connect with Edward again. It involves risky behavior. She approaches dangerous men on a dark street. She begins to ride a motorcycle. She pushes Jacob’s anger beyond what seems safe to her. And she hears Edward’s voice every time. Like a drug, one moment with his voice is never enough for her. She wants more, and she knows how to get it. Bella decides to risk her life to hear Edward’s voice. She jumps off a cliff into the roaring ocean.

“I didn’t want to fight anymore. And it wasn’t the light-headedness, or the cold, or the failure of my arms as the muscles gave out to exhaustion, that made me content to stay where I was. I was almost happy it was over. This was an easier death than others I’d faced. Oddly peaceful.

I thought briefly of the clichés, about how you were suppose to see your life flash before your eyes. I was so much luckier. Who wanted to see a rerun, anyway?

I saw him, and I had no will to fight. It was so clear, so much more defined than any memory. My subconscious had stored Edward away in flawless detail, saving him for this final moment. I could see his perfect face as if he were really there; the exact shade of his icy skin, the shape of his lips, the line of the jaw, the gold glinting in his furious eyes. He was angry, naturally, that I was giving up. His teeth were clenched and his nostrils flared with rage.

‘No! Bella, no!’

My ears were flooded with the freezing water, but his voice was clearer than ever. I ignored his words and concentrated on the sound of his voice. Why would I fight when I was so happy where I was? Even as my lungs burned for more air and my legs cramped in the icy cold, I was content. I’d forgotten what real happiness felt like.

Happiness. It made the whole dying thing pretty bearable.” Excerpt taken from New Moon, p. 361

People disagree on Bella’s mental state here. Many of my friends think Bella doesn’t intend to kill herself; they conclude Bella just didn’t think through her plan. But I have to disagree. I really think Bella is suicidal here. I realize that Bella’s inner dialogue may justify her behavior, but that’s how real depression works. Depression can cloud your vision, cut off your hearing and clog your thoughts. The voice of depression can call from unheard places. Bella’s actions seem detached from her mind. She isn’t herself, and she can’t stop it.

No matter what you think about Bella’s jump, depression and suicide are real problems in our world. As our lives become more stressful, the depression and suicide rates will only increase. Yet these problems are not new to us. In fact, some characters in the Bible struggled with the same. Let's look briefly at some of their stories.

Read the following verses and record in a journal or online document what you find. Why did these people suffer from depression? Which ones wanted to die? Why?

Jonah
Jonah 3:1-4:3 Why did Jonah want to die?
Jonah 4:4-11 What was God's response?

Elijah
I Kings 19:1-4 Why did Elijah want to die?
I Kings 19:5-13 What was God's response?

David
2 Samuel 12:1-12 Why was David upset?
2 Samuel 12:13-23 What was God's response?

Hagar
Genesis 21:8-16 Why was Hagar upset?
Genesis 21:17-21 What was God's response?

The prophet Jonah of the famous whale story wanted to die after the people of Nineveh looked to God. His bitterness overrode the joy of success. The prophet Elijah won a great battle for God and still wanted to die. His fear overrode his faith in God. King David suffered a deep depression when he realized the consequences of his actions with Bathsheba. His guilt overrode his reality. And Hagar, sweet Hagar, slave of Abraham and mother of his child Ishmael, sought death for her son and herself after being sent away by Abraham's wife Sarah. Her grief overrode the possibility of being loved. Yet God responded with love and truth for each one of them. Doesn't He offer us the same?

A Twilight Bible Study

Bella and Edward. Edward and Bella. Bella and Jacob. Jacob and Bella. These are the scenarios that burst into my thought process for months after reading the Twilight saga. For a literary work that has been classified as teen fiction, my adult brain and heart were certainly drawn to this love story. Reading the books become an emotional experience for me. The story challenged me to believe in love again - real love. A love that overcomes. A love that is worth the sacrifice and pain. A love that lasts forever.

This kind of love is possible for every human being. We are mortal, but the Immortal One has chosen to love us in our worst places. And He offers immortality to each one of us in a relationship with Him. You can find these facts in many places within the Bible, but the book of Ephesians may be the boldest love letter of all. The author of Ephesians beautifully expresses the overwhelming love of God and His pursuit of all mankind. As you read this New Testament book, it doesn't take long to see some similarity with the Twilight saga. It is death and new birth. It is choice and being chosen. It is darkness and enlightenment. It is hopeless and everlasting hope. Above all, it is eternal love for us.

Our congregation offered a six-week class on the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. The study used the book of Ephesians as the backdrop. Most of the material is housed on this website. If you have any questions or need more information, then please contact Sally Loftis at celebrate1976@yahoo.com. I am planning to publish this material in the near future, so please keep me in your prayers.

A Biblical Look into New Moon: Turning to Jacob

Bella spends months like a zombie after Edward leaves her. Much of New Moon is dedicated to the pain of separation. But we have a ray of light in it - Jacob Black. Bella awakes from her emotional stupor and walks into a friendship with this Quilete teenager. Jacob's light-hearted spirit and free approach to life become infectious to Bella. Of course, no boy or girl can spend much time together without confronting the reality of romance. It doesn't take long for Bella to become wary of her own physical reactions to Jake. She hugs Jake out of concern, but his reaction is more than gratitude for her.

"We stood like that for a moment, and it didn't upset me; in fact, I felt comforted by the contact. This didn't feel anything like the last time someone had embraced me this way. This was friendship. And Jacob was very warm.

It was strange for me, being this close - emotionally rather than physically, though the physical was strange for me, too - to another human being. It wasn't my usual style. I didn't normally relate to people so easily, on such a basic level.

Not human beings.

'If this is how you're going to react, I'll freak out more often.' Jacob's voice was light, normal again, and his laughter rumbled against my ear. His fingers touched my hair, soft and tentative.


Well, it was friendship for me." Excerpt taken from New Moon, pgs. 178-79

The relationship between Bella and Jacob has been the basis for much discussion amongst the Twilight community. It seems that Bella continues to use Jacob for her own comfort without really considering his needs. Is that the current model of friendship for our world?

One of the best models for friendship can be found in I Samuel 20. The two friends are Jonathan and David. Jonathan is the son of the king and supposed heir to the throne. David is the musician for the king and anointed by God to be king. They should be against one another, but they are completely devoted to each other in friendship. It's the first "bro-mance" in the Bible.

Read the following passages. Write down in your Bible how Jonathan and David treated each other.

I Samuel 18:1-4

I Samuel 19:1-7

I Samuel 20:32-42 (Just for fun, check v. 24. What festival was being celebrated during this time?)

I Samuel 23:15-18

2 Samuel 1:11-12

2 Samuel 9:1-13

The friendship of Jonathan and David even went beyond the grave. After the tragic death of Jonathan, David continues to honor his friend by taking care of his son, Mephibosheth. Unfortunately, this kind of friendship is hard to find these days. Real friendship takes so much hard work and time. In a busy world, we struggle to build real relationships with other people. When we sacrifice our friendships for other things or people, we lose the opportunity to encourage and build up one another.

Pastor James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel gives five phrases of real friendship, based on Jonathan and David. Reflect on your own friendships and evaluate which of these phrases deserve recommitment in your life.

1. I will be there for you in times of hardship.
2. I will help you depend on God and not me.
3. I will seek to be a source of emotional stability for you.
4. I will be self-effacing and unashamed in my loyalty to you.
5. I will verbalize my commitment to you.

A Biblical Look into New Moon: Carlisle's Perspective

Bella’s birthday party at the Cullen house turns into a disaster. She cuts her finger. Jasper attacks. And all the Cullens must leave, except Carlisle. The exchange between Bella and Carlisle in chapter 2 of New Moon is packed full of theology (thoughts about God). Carlisle explains that his father was a pastor who practiced his faith in a “harsh” way. Carlisle falls to a vampire on a hunt for his father, and Carlisle turns into the thing that his father hates the most. We already know that Carlisle tried to kill himself for years, but his efforts were useless. Yet Carlisle didn’t give up. He looked for a better way. Even Bella as a human is perplexed by Carlisle’s philosophy. She doesn’t understand why anyone would endure such struggle and agony for living different than his peers.

Carlisle’s reply is the essence of his being. He shares his desire for living above his desires – to use his talents for the benefit of others. Carlisle believes that God must still love him and hopes that God will see Carlisle’s desire to follow Him in some way. Some readers may think that Carlisle is promoting a faith based on a person’s good deeds, but I don’t see it that way. Carlisle had already started to question his father’s rigid following of religion. I believe Carlisle knew that judgment fell into the hands of a powerful and graceful God. He didn’t limit God in His abilities to save people or other things.

Carlisle’s explanation for his lifestyle has similar language to a passage in the Bible. It is found in Ephesians 4:17-24. The apostle Paul is continuing his plunge into a contrasting view of the world. On the one hand, the world contains people who have jumped off the fence into a desert of selfishness and death. On the other hand, the world contains people who have jumped off the fence into a pasture of freedom and life in Christ. Paul clearly challenges everyone to get off the fence in the book of Ephesians.

Read Ephesians 4:17-24 as if Paul is addressing Carlisle with the human blood–eating vampires as the Gentiles. How does Paul describe the Gentiles? How does he describe those who live in Christ?

A Biblical Look into New Moon: Bella's Birthday

As New Moon opens, Bella is dreaming about Edward. This isn’t a new experience for her. She has been dreaming of Edward since her first interaction with him at Forks High School. If you look at Bella’s dreams throughout the Twilight saga, you will notice that her dreams often predict the moods of the book. Bella's dreams in Twilight were a mixture of light (understanding) and protection (love). The tone changes in the second book.

In this first scene, Bella looks into a wonderful memory of her grandmother, only later to realize it is her own face in the mirror. Bella is fearful of getting old.

“All through the perfect summer – the happiest summer I had ever had, the happiest summer anyone anywhere had ever had, and the rainiest summer in the history of the Olympic Peninsula – this bleak date had lurked in ambush, waiting to spring.

And now that it had hit, it was even worse than I’d feared it would be. I could feel it – I was older. Every day I got older, but this was different, worse, quantifiable. I was eighteen.

And Edward never would be.

When I went to brush my teeth, I was almost surprised that the face in the mirror hadn’t changed. I stared at myself, looking for some sign of impending wrinkles in my ivory skin. The only creases were the ones on my forehead, though, and I knew that if I could manage to relax, they would disappear. I couldn’t. My eyebrows stayed lodged in a worried line over my anxious brown eyes.

It was just a dream, I reminded myself again. Just a dream…but also my worst nightmare.” Excerpt taken from New Moon, p. 6-7

We enter New Moon with a sense of dread. Everything seems too perfect for Bella. She keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop, but she can’t see how it will happen. For Bella, she thinks Edward will finally awake from his supposed stupor and see the normalcy and senseless boredom of loving a human. Bella can’t fathom herself as an equal partner to Edward unless she becomes a vampire. It’s not long before we see her fear turn into reality. Edward leaves her. She is alone.

Fear can drive an entire life. Do you remember the story of Chicken Little? This little chicken was a character who kept saying, “The sky is falling, the sky is falling.” His mantra wouldn’t have seemed so awkward except for the fact of the sky being perfectly intact. Chicken Little wasn’t living in fear based on evidence. He was living in fear of what could happen – the worst possibilities in life. While we laugh at Chicken Little now or even reduce this literary character to a cartoon, his story is quite powerful today. What we fear will become our reality, if we let it.

You may have heard the saying, “As a man thinks, so he is.” This phrase is actually taken from Proverbs 23:7 in the King James translation of the Bible. What lies in our hearts drives our actions and ultimately, our reality. King Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs. He is known as the wisest man to have ever lived. What else does he say about the outlook of the heart?

Read the following verses and record the actions of a person’s heart. Note how the outlook impacts these actions.

Proverbs 12:23

Proverbs 12:25

Proverbs 16:23

Proverbs 18:12

Proverbs 27:19

A Biblical Look into Twilight: Worship or Relationship?

Bella Swan is the main character and main perspective of the Twilight saga. In the Twilight book, we see Bella as a quiet and introspective teenage girl. She is approaching the close of her adolescent years, yet she exhibits a maturity well beyond a normal high school student. Her life approach moves between two extremes - insecurity and confidence, even though she consistently moves clumsily through life in a physical way. Bella sees herself as different from those around her, using the language of a "brain glitch."

Her entire disposition prepares her for meeting the love of her life - Edward Cullen. From her very first sighting, she notices something different about this teenager, too. He seems above everyone else. She doesn't seem as superior from his own egotistical tendencies; she sees him as supreme for his spectacular beauty. Bella's view of Edward is encompassed by perfection. She sees Edward as perfect, almost like a heavenly or spiritual being. On multiple occasions, Bella describes Edward as looking like a god or some figure taken from Greek mythology. It seems like she worships him.

Worship, as used in the English language, usually denotes a deep reverence or adoration for something sacred. I don't think Edward could be described as sacred because he wasn't a religious figure or holy in any way. He was just different, more than what Bella saw in herself. In some ways Bella's worship of Edward shapes him into her own personal idol. She fantasizes about becoming like him. She overlooks the downfalls of earthly immortality to only see forever with Edward. Could that be the original basis of her love for him - an idolization of Edward?

Bella's relational view seems unequal, yet it doesn't seem to matter in the end. Do you think Bella was able to overcome these feelings and feel equality with Edward?