The Gospel according to Twilight: Women, Sex, and God (The Gospel according to...)

by Elaine a Heath

The Twilight saga has become one of the most successful fiction series ever written, with more than one hundred million copies in print and several blockbuster films. Despite the tremendous commercial success Twilight has generated, few readers have analyzed its theological teachings or the messages Stephenie Meyer might be sending to women and teenage girls. This book offers both a feminist critique of Twilight and a theological review of the stories' ideas about salvation, heaven and hell, power, reconciliation, resurrection, and organized religion.

Elaine Heath writes in an accessible voice, calling attention to both the "good news" of Twilight's theology and the "bad news" of its gender stereotypes and depictions of violence against women.

The book includes questions for youth and adult groups or for classroom discussions.

• ISBN10: 0664236782
• ISBN13: 9780664236786
• Publish Date: 12 September 2011
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Westminster/John Knox Press,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 184
• Language: English
• URL: https://presbyterian.app.onixsuite.com/book/?GCOI=29636102583810

Reviews

[Charli G.]

Before I start this review, let me state that I am not a fan of the Twilight series - I have read it, I am not all that thrilled with it. It was all right, but there are series I like better. Having said that - here is my review of The Gospel According to Twilight.

After hearing the diatribe my pastor had given about how books like the Twilight series were occult-driven and bad - and how Christians should not be reading these types of books, I thought I would see what this book had to offer. Perhaps this book might lend me a way to gently dissuade my pastor from his erroneous thinking about these types of books. Sadly, this was not to be the case.

By the time I had read half of the book, I realized that the author talks more about what is "good" or "bad" about the Twilight series and not so much about what you might find that is Gospel in the series. Sure she talks about the Cullens as a model of the "good family," but that my friends is pretty much all she does for several chapters. What I did get, in glaring detail, is how Bella is not a good model for girls as a main female character and how Edward's behavior is like that of a stalker and abusive boyfriend/spouse.

The problem I found is that the author seems to fail to take into account that this is a work of fiction. Most of the girls and women who read Twilight are more than aware that this is not real - the story is not there to "send a message" about how a relationship between a man and woman should be, how a relationship between a family should be, or anything else. It is fiction - a means of escape. It is not meant to be compared to reality in any form.

Unless pointed out to them, and even after it being pointed out to me in this book I still did not see it, readers do not see the connection between Genesis and Twilight. This book was not meant to be a metaphor for the fall from grace in Genesis. It was meant to be a fantasy romance story for teenage girls - nothing more, nothing less.