***Believe it or not, updates below***
When I want to clear my mind of politics, I let it drift toward ideas like Christian/biblical speculative fiction.
As you know, unless you’re living in a cave, the movie “Twilight” hits theaters this Friday. The movie’s based on the first book of a four-book young adult series written by Stephenie Meyer, a married Mormon mother of three, about a family of “young” vampires that feeds on animals instead of people. Heartthrob (no pun intended) vampire Edward Cullen falls for the teenaged Bella Swan, a sort of ugly duckling whose blood is exactly Edward’s “brand.” When he first meets her, he’s torn between loving her and wanting to kill her.
Females spanning the age range have devoured (no pun intended) these books. I myself, that is, me, personally speaking, was curious about the hoopla. Last year I succumbed and bought Twilight. It was a decent read, though not as intricately plotted or as fascinatingly fantastical as J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. I couldn’t get through the second book, New Moon, and I didn’t bother with three and four, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. Rowling’s books are much better written, and I devoured and recommend all seven.
Anyway, the Twilight books are not Christian vampire novels, but I started wondering how a Christian vampire novel might read. The Bible teaches that Christians cannot be possessed by demons. In that case, if vampires existed, no Christian could become a vampire. Right? (As one reader suggested, being a vampire is more like being infected with a virus than being possessed by a demon.) A Christian vampire novel would be one in which Christians were trying to save/kill the bloodsucker, or one in which the vampire seeks redemption not just from his undead, murdering state, but from God through his son Jesus Christ. Possible? What a plot!
Intriguing ideas, and half the fun of writing such a book would be figuring out how to keep it in line with the Bible’s teachings and honoring to God at the same time.
I’m sure some writer somewhere has explored these ideas, which is why I’m publishing this post. I’m looking for Christian vampire novel recommendations. Shoot me an e-mail at lashawn [at] lashawnbarber.com, and/or hit me up on Facebook.
Update: I’m so glad people are responding to this post. 
I know it’s kind of “out there.” 
Anyway, someone noted that a Christian vampire novel doesn’t have to involve Christians or a vampire seeking “Christian” redemption; it can contain Christian themes and/or the vampire can be a metaphor for sin. I agree!
Another reader, a middle school literacy specialist, is reviewing the Twilight series from a Christian perspective. An excerpt of the e-mail (sans spoiler):
“There is a surface morality to this series that is very appealing to young people–but a deeper examination reveals a problematic series of moral and ethical dilemmas that really resonate from a Christian perspective. For example, do the vampires have souls? If so, what is their responsibility not to create more of themselves. Simply recognizing a moral dilemma and the difficulty of doing something doesn’t absolve the person involved in the difficulty of responsibility for making the right decision…”
Unrelated Update II: Blogger Laurie Bluedorn is offering free e-books to homeschoolers and those interested in homeschooling their kids. See the offer at Trivium Pursuit.
