Glitter in the Sun

At a certain level I worry about how much I enjoy being in the spotlight…

Host Steven Hill and me on the set of ASAPubNews

Last night, for example, I was on the set of ASAPubNews being interviewed by host Steven Hill about Glitter in the Sun. I don’t think it would be too much of an exaggeration to say at times I ran away with the show. Although, any video proof of that will not be available for a week or so yet.

It’s interesting, though, what different people key in on when reading a book. Steven was fascinated  with the parallel I drew between the Cullens’ dietary choice which resulted in family, and the Christian practice of fasting which results in spiritual growth. This was the first time anyone picked out that chapter as one to focus on and discuss more thoroughly. Of course, this being a Twilight-related book, the issue of sex and abstinence was also a hot topic. What Steven drew out though, was the fact that the world has changed in the past 100 years.

Click here to buy Glitter in the Sun from Amazon.com

Attitudes toward sex and marriage have changed in just the past 50 years, in fact, and we spent quite a bit of time talking about the effects this profound cultural shift has had on this generation.

I can’t wait to see how his crew edits our rambling conversation into a cohesive half-hour, and I promise to post links to it here, on Facebook and on Twitter as soon as it’s available.

It’s not new news that a large portion of the population – mostly men – just don’t get Twilight, but PJ Media blog post Porn for Women: The Twilight Saga, by Walter Hudson, had me stewing all weekend.

First, let’s look at the “porn” aspect of his premise. Men’s porn is the reduction of women to pure sexual object. It results in dehumanizing half of the world’s population – and desensitizing the rest. As a result of generations of women being subjected to such fracturing fantasies, women’s unique needs as well as their unique contributions are belittled and dismissed. The result is an anemic society missing half of the vitality and interest it should display and enjoy. Why has this continued for millenia? Because women are physically weaker, and as a natural aspect of being female, more vulnerable to abuse. Ask around among the women you know, most have felt fear simply because they were female in a situation where a man would not have been threatened at all. I know I am familiar with the creeping sense of dread that turns my insides to ice when I am outnumbered or out-powered by men whose motives are questionable.

According to Mr. Hudson, porn for women is Bella being surrounded by handsome men who love her for who she is, without demanding anything from her that she is not willing to freely give.

So… wait… wanting to feel physically and emotionally secure in my relationships with men, whether romantic or platonic, is a sick fantasy? Really?

What Stephenie Meyer has captured, and what Mr. Hudson fears, is a completely Biblical view of dating and romantic love. In the Old Testament, especially in the prophets, we see God pursuing Israel, loving with an undying love, doing what is best for the nation even when it chose to go another way. In the New Testament, the rest of the “women should submit” passage expands even further on how men should treat women. Ephesians 5:23-33 starts with precisely one verse addressed only to wives submitting to husbands, the other nine verses define how husbands should be: Christlike to the point of willing to give himself up for her, caring for her with the same attention as he would his own body, doing everything he can to bring her to her greatest potential.

I have yet to meet a woman who says she wouldn’t “submit” to the kind of love described above. There is nothing sexier than a confident woman. And no woman is as sexually empowered as when she is completely confident in her mate. You want the best sex of your life, men? Love your women like Edward or Jacob.

Men’s porn damages everyone. Women’s porn, if that’s what you want to call scriptural love, improves everyone. The tragedy is that for most of the culture the above statement is truly a fantasy.

Jane reads most of the Twilight Saga as scriptural allegory anyway – to the point she’s written a Bible study on the topic called Glitter in the Sun. Glitter in the Sun can be purchased from Amazon.com. Learn more about Jane and Glitter in the Sun from her publisher Read The Spirit.

(Ooooh, oooh, oooh! On a completely related note is Jaime the Very Worst Missionary’s blog post – also from yesterday. Check this out – Guard Your Heart, Bro.)

Erika Christakis’ post on the Time Ideas blog this week is the best defense of Twilight I’ve ever read.

In summary, quit hating on things that aren’t your style.

“The Harsh Bigotry of Twilight Haters: Why is it that female fantasy is so derided and feared?” is a genius summary of why Twilight is so popular. The only thing I would add is the spiritual aspect of longing – that women long for eternal, unconditional as an echo of our inborn longing for God.

For more of what I have to say about Twilight, check out my interview at Read the Spirit.com.

To read my book outlining the spiritual connections between Christianity and the Twilight Saga, read my book Glitter in the Sun available at Amazon.com and through your favorite e-reader outlet.

Of course I’m thankful for my publisher, Read the Spirit, and even for Amazon.com, although they don’t have any sales statistics to report yet. I’m thankful for all the teachers who poured, or pounded, education into me over the years, and I’m thankful for all the authors I’ve ever read. Even the books I didn’t like taught me something – if just to define how I didn’t want to write.

I am thankful for coffee and tea. For chocolate, the darker the better. And for food. I like food.

But mostly, I’m thankful for my family. As a child I had no idea. I lived under the assumption that everyone felt safe in their fathers’ arms, that everyone’s mother spoke with kindness and concern even when exhausted. I thought that every child was accepted, nurtured and loved as I and my sisters were, even though one is developmentally disabled. It wasn’t until junior high that I realized one of my best friends was the child of divorce, and high school before I began to see evidence of abuse in classmates. Even now I wish I could bring my adult friends into my parents house and infuse them with the love and acceptance I knew as commonly as air.

But as I type this I feel a rising Peter Parker epiphany. With great blessing comes great responsibility. I am obligated to tell you more of my history. My father’s mother died when he was in high-school. My mother’s parents divorced when she was two and one of her father’s successive wives beat her severely. Together they could have been the recipe for disaster. Yet … they weren’t.

Why? God’s grace. Healing of emotional and spiritual scars offered through Christ. Divine love, freely given, flowing through common people surrendered to a cause higher than themselves.

It is the overwhelming realization that I am truly blessed that drives me to write about how I see God speaking in and through contemporary culture. It is my responsibility to share as much of this grace with you as you will accept. This is my motivation that moved me to write and take the long road to publication for Glitter in the Sun. And the revelation of that grace is what I hope you will receive if you read my book.

Initially, the only special effects I noticed when watching Breaking Dawn Part 1 were the Quileute wolves who looked so much more realistic this time. The proportions are right now, so they really do look like huge wolves. In certain scenes in the previous movie, Eclipse, they looked more like lumpy animatronics.

The real magic, though, was revealed by The Envelope from the LA Times. When I got together Saturday night with my local Twi-mom’s group for our traditional Twilight movie release party, all the talk was about how horribly skinny Kristen Stewart  was during the pregnancy scenes. “Like, holocaust skinny!” one of my friends said, describing the scene to someone who hadn’t seen it yet. Turns out, Kristen Stewart did not drop a ton of weight (not that she ever had any to lose – really, sweetie, eat a cookie). Instead director Bill Condon called on the magic of Lola Visual Effects, the same group that made Chris Evans look like a very convincing 90 pound weakling in Captain America. In order to make the theatrical weight loss show in her face they added prosthetics to her cheekbones and ears, and hollowed out her eyes and cheeks with makeup.

*whew* I’d hate to think a girl would put herself in that much physical danger just for a movie. There are enough girls hurting themselves in that way without the additional motivation of watching a favorite actress melting away.

I guess this is a good time to say that although I love the Twilight Saga and have written a whole book about the great things and themes Stephenie Meyer introduced to the world, there are aspects of the saga that can be very dangerous. Don’t lose dangerous amounts of weight. Don’t spend all your time with one person at the expense of all your other relationships. And don’t expect one person to fulfill all of your needs. That’s why we have a God.

*****

For more of my coverage of Breaking Dawn Part 1, see my review and a review of my Twilight related book at Read The Spirit.com.

You can connect with me through my Glitter in the Sun Facebook page, too.