Should Christians Read Twilight?

Should Christians read the Twilight series? It's a question being asked in a lot of evangelical circles these days. Some Christian schools have banned the Twilight series from their bookshelves. Anyone can find websites managed by Christians who claim this book series is demonic and treacherous. Goodness, I have even had members in my own congregation express concern over my writing a Bible study that involves the Twilight series. Why are these books causing such a fuss among Christians?

The Twilight series tells the story of a teenage girl who falls in love with a teenage vampire. The story is told through the eyes of the girl, Bella Swan. The teenage vampire, Edward Cullen, and his family have chosen a life of animal blood versus human blood. The duo face impossible odds in being together and even encounter a few werewolves along the way. Over 70 million books have been sold in the Twilight series, which is labeled as teen fiction. The first movie based on the books, Twilight, earned more than $240 million at the box office. You can find hundreds of websites dedicated to the Twilight series. Fans are called "Twilighters" and range in age from nine years old to ninety.

I believe that most people who denounce the Twilight series from a Christian perspective are acting out of ignorance and fear. These books have started a feeding frenzy in our culture - similar to Elvis and the Beatles, and some Christians are scared of it. Honestly, the fear doesn't come from the Twilight books. It is based on a fear of how to engage our culture. Each Christian is called to live in this world without planting spiritual roots here. Some people define that life in Christ as staying as far away as possible from anything that gains popularity in contemporary life. These people will denounce certain TV shows, political parties or even reading options that supposedly promote a "sinful" lifestyle.

I certainly understand why every person should exhibit caution in what he or she consumes from our culture. Yet sometimes these groups only promote hypocrisy and dissension by their actions. If one TV show is not appropriate for a Christian, then how can any TV show be appropriate if all sins are really equal? I have yet to find any TV show that doesn't involve some kind of sin. The same is true of our music, books, art and anything else produced in this world. The Twilight series is based on vampires and werewolves - fictional characters not found in the Bible. If one actually reads the story, then he or she will see that the Twilight series encourages morality, sexual abstinence and connected family relationships. How many so-called Christian book series have sold more than 70 million books, promoted these values and caused an absolute craze in our country?

The real issue here is cultural engagement. How we as Christians engage our culture can either increase or diminish our testimony. For too long, Christians have been sitting on the sidelines of cultural conversations and letting other people answer the questions in our world. We CANNOT do this anymore. If we don't participate in these conversations, then people without a biblical context will provide the answers to searching people. We Christians need to put our brains back into our heads and use them for good. We can't always control the direction of our country's culture, but we can sit at the table and provide life-giving solutions to the complex problems in this world.

Millions of people are infatuated with a story about love and immortality right now, and Christians have an amazing perspective on these themes. So, let's get back to our original question. Should Christians read the Twilight series? I believe that is a personal choice. I don't think anybody is going to hell or less of a Christian for reading these books. The Twilight series is simply a choice among millions of cultural options in our world. The real danger in these books is the same for anything besides the Bible. When we elevate anything or anyone above God or to the level of God's Word, then we have delved into sin - the sin of idolatry. Outside of that, God gives us grace as we move through this temporary life into an eternity with Him. Let's take this opportunity to share the story of our Immortal Love with the world.